State Rep. Cole Hefner

Before his House career, Rep. Hefner ran his own construction business for sixteen years and later took over his family’s commercial construction company. In 2010, he was elected Upshur County Commissioner, serving four years in that role. He later pivoted into the insurance industry and in 2018 founded Hefner Group Insurance, which today has more than twenty employees across five East Texas offices in Tyler, Longview, Holly Lake Ranch, Marshall, and Mineola. He is a member of the Lindale Chamber of Commerce, the Hide-A-Way Lake Kiwanis Club, the Mount Pleasant Lion’s Club, and a Sunday School teacher at South Jefferson Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant.

In previous legislative sessions, Rep. Hefner has served on the Appropriations, Calendars, Criminal Jurisprudence, and Ways & Means committees. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the East Texas Regional Review Committee and, as an Upshur County Commissioner, received a Certificate of Gratitude in recognition of his service to veterans.

For the 89th Legislative Session, Speaker Dustin Burrows elevated Rep. Hefner to Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs. He also serves on the House Committees on Redistricting and Transportation (including its Subcommittee on Transportation Funding), and on the Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.