+ − Contact Information
Phone: (512) 463-0130
Fax: (512) 463-8874
Office Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
+ − Biography
Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) represents the 30th Senatorial District located in the North Texas area, serving all of Archer, Clay, Cooke, Erath, Grayson, Jack, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Wichita, Wise, and Young counties, and portions of Denton and Collin counties. He was first elected to the Texas Senate in a 2001 Special Election, winning reelection in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The Texas Senate selected Senator Estes to serve as president pro tempore during the 83rd Interim, meaning he is second in line to assume the duties of governor.
Senator Estes currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on State Affairs as well as the Agriculture, Rural Affairs, and Homeland Security Committee, and was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst to co-chair the Joint Interim Committee to Study Water Desalination. Senator Estes is also the Vice Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and a member of both the Senate Finance and Senate Business and Commerce Committees. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, and is co-chairman of their Energy Task Force.
During the 83rd Interim, Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst appointed Senator Estes to serve as a member of Legislative Council, the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee, and the Legislative Budget Board, which is responsible for preparing funding recommendations for appropriations for all state agencies. He was also appointed to the Joint Interim Committee to Study Human Trafficking.
A life-long conservative, Senator Estes is committed to promoting the conservative principles he shares with his constituents in his role as a legislator. Since his election to the Texas Senate, he has worked to cut spending, reduce unnecessary government regulation, promote economic freedom, protect innocent human life, and expand the constitutional right to bear arms.
Senator Estes has been commended by a variety of groups and organizations for his conservative leadership, promotion of a small-government agenda, protection of private property rights, and pro-business voting record. Most recently, the Texas Association of Business recognized Senator Estes as a "Champion of Free Enterprise." He is the only member of the Texas Legislature to have been twice named the Texas State Rifle Association's Doc Brown Legislator of the Year.
Senate Estes was born and raised in Wichita Falls and represents the fifth generation of his family to call North Texas home. He is a man of faith, an avid outdoorsman, and an active member of the Wichita Falls community. He and his wife Jennifer have been married for over 30 years and have three adult children and five grandchildren.