+ − Contact Information
Phone: (512) 463-0113
Fax: (512) 463-0006
Office Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
+ − Biography
Senator Rodney Ellis was elected to the Texas Senate in 1990. During his tenure, he has been leader on economic development, education, civil rights, responsible environmental policy, middle class tax cuts, and criminal justice issues, having passed over 600 bills.
He is the proud founder of the Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP). Since TLIP's inception, it has become the largest legislative internship program in the state, giving over 600 young people the opportunity to make a difference in Texas politics and public policy. Three former TLIP participants are currently members of the Texas House of Representatives.
Senator Ellis is the current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Open Government, which investigates how to improve the transparency of state government. He is a member of the Senate State Affairs, Transportation, and Natural Resources committees. In past sessions, he chaired the Senate Finance, Jurisprudence, Intergovernmental Relations, and Government Organization committees.
Senator Ellis chairs the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and serves on the LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees, the University of Texas School of Law Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He also chairs the Commission to Engage African Americans on Energy, Climate Change, and the Environment.
Before his election to the Texas Senate, Senator Ellis served three terms as a member of the Houston City Council and as chief of staff to the late U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland. He holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University, a master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Ellis also studied at Xavier University of New Orleans and the London School of Economics.
Rodney Ellis is married to Licia Green-Ellis and has four children.