23 Facts About Burt Solomons

Burt Solomons graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 1972 from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Burt Solomons subsequently received a Master of Public Administration degree from Southern Methodist University in University Park outside Dallas, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 1978, Burt Solomons was named assistant city attorney and was thereafter, briefly, the acting city attorney of Denton.

Burt Solomons was the presiding municipal judge in Carrollton from 1987 to 1993 and an alternate municipal judge in Lewisville and Flower Mound.

Burt Solomons has served as a legal counsel for the Greater Lewisville Association of Realtors.

In 1994, Solomons was elected to the legislature in a politically favorable year for the Texas Republican Party, as George W Bush unseated the Democrat Ann W Richards for governor, US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison won her first full term in that position, and future Governor Rick Perry was reelected as the state agriculture commissioner.

Burt Solomons headed the Sunset Advisory Commission and the House Financial Institutions Committee.

Early in 2009, Burt Solomons joined a small group of Republicans, including Jim Pitts of Waxahachie, Jim Keffer of Eastland, and Byron Cook of Corsicana, who joined with the Democrats to topple Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland and replace him with Moderate Republican Straus.

In 2001, Burt Solomons was instrumental in the passage of the Texas No-Call List Act, which became a model for the National Do Not Call Registry, both measures designed to eliminate the problem of unwanted telephone solicitations.

Burt Solomons pushed for the establishment of the Denton County Transportation Authority, which authorizes light rail from Denton, Lewisville and Carrollton with Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

In 2007, Burt Solomons was co-author of the state constitutional amendment which mandates recorded votes on all final bills passed in the legislature.

Burt Solomons was a member of the Texas Conservative Coalition, a group of conservative lawmakers in both houses of the state legislature.

In 2007, Burt Solomons supported legislation to allow an individual to use deadly force in self-defense.

Burt Solomons voted to require photo identification for voting or the presentation of two non-photo ID cards to verify a person's identity.

Burt Solomons voted against the House majority to reduce the fee for a marriage license from $60 to $30.

In 2011, Burt Solomons voted to tax sales via the Internet if the company has a physical presence in Texas.

Burt Solomons voted against a bill to ban texting while driving, another measure which Perry vetoed.

Burt Solomons voted against a law signed by Perry which permits corporal punishment in public schools but only with parental consent.

Burt Solomons voted for a House-approved amendment offered in 2011 by conservative Representative Wayne Christian to require public colleges and universities to fund student centers that promote family and traditional values.

Burt Solomons voted to restrict state funding to facilities which perform abortions.

Burt Solomons co-sponsored the 2011 measure which requires women in Texas who procure abortions first to undergo an ultrasound to be informed of the progress in the development of the child.

In 2013, Burt Solomons became a lobbyist at the Texas State Capitol for the city of Fort Worth, the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, the Texas Technology Consortium, and the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

Burt Solomons could earn up to $300,000 annually lobbying for these clients.