During the 80th Legislative Session Senator Brimer served as Chairman of the Senate Administration Committee and the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Economic Development and as a member of the Senate committees on Government Organization, Natural Resources, Transportation & Homeland Security, and the State Preservation Board.
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission is responsible for reviewing state agencies to ensure their effectiveness and benefit to the state. This past session 23 agencies were reviewed, including the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Teachers Retirement System, Texas Veterans Commission, and Texas Real Estate Commission.
This past session Senator Brimer fought to improve mobility in the North Texas area by opposing foreign ownership of Texas roads and successfully ensured transportation projects in Tarrant County move forward under local control and without delay.
In addition, Senator Brimer was instrumental in securing an additional $14.6 million for The University of Texas at Arlington, which originally had been faced with a $16 million deficit. Senator Brimer also helped form a public-private partnership which raised $9.6 million dollars to purchase land bordering Eagle Mountain Lake and turn it into a local community park.
Senator Brimer's economic development leadership is also well documented. In 2001, he authored the Texas Economic Development Act, which created new high-paying manufacturing jobs in North Texas and across the state.
During his first term in the Senate, Brimer also authored and passed the Texas Enterprise Fund Act, which funded economic, infrastructure and community development, as well as job training programs and business incentives throughout Texas. Brimer continued his economic development initiatives in 2005, most notably creating opportunities for local governments to partner with the state to recruit major special events and further strengthening the accountability of the Texas Enterprise Fund.
As a State Representative, Brimer served as Chairman for both the Business and Industry Committee and the Research and Oversight Council on Workers' Compensation.
Senator Brimer's leadership has earned high praise from many groups across the state. The Texas Association of Business named him a 'Fighter For Free Enterprise,' the Texas Association of Builders recognized him as the 'Property Rights Protector of the Year,' and The Lone Star Report has called him a 'Key Player of the 77th Session.' In 2005, Brimer was awarded the honor of 'Best of the Texas Senate,' by the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and an 'Outstanding Citizen for Seniors,' by Senior Citizens Services of Greater Tarrant County.
Senator Brimer is a former collegiate scholarship football player and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is a member of the Longhorn Boy Scouts Executive Board, Armed Forces Bowl Executive Board, Colleyville Chamber Advisory Board, Senior Citizens Services Board, and Friends of the State Library. He is also a member of Phi Delta Theta National Fraternity, Texas Eta Chapter, and was named the fraternity's 'Alumnus of the Year' for 1982-1983. Senator Brimer has also served in the Texas Air National Guard where he received an Honorable Discharge in 1975.
As a businessman he established and incorporated the American Insurance Agency, which he sold in 2001. He is married to the former Janna Kay Patton, a farm and ranch realtor. The Brimers have five grown children and nine grandchildren.
