State Rep. Donna Howard
A West Austin native, former critical-care nurse, and longtime community advocate first elected in a 2006 special election, Rep. Howard is one of the most senior members of the House. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II and as Vice-Chair of the House Higher Education Committee.
- Term
- Jan. 14, 2025 – Jan. 12, 2027
- Serving since
- 2006
- Seniority
- #16 of 150
- Occupation
- Community Advocate
- Education
- B.A. University of Texas at Austin; M.A. University of Texas at Austin
- Next election
- Nov. 7, 2028 (primary March 7, 2028)
Contact
District
Official House District 48 map (PDF)
- Counties
- Travis (Part)
- Cities & CDPs
- Austin (Part), Manchaca, Rollingwood, San Leanna, Shady Hollow (Part), West Lake Hills
- Region
- Central Texas
District Profile
- Hispanic 24.6%
- Anglo 60.2%
- Black 5.1%
- Asian 8.6%
- Other 1.5%
How this district voted
Source: Texas Legislative Council, PLANH2316 reports Red-100 (2020 Census) and Red-206 (2024 general election).
Committees
89th Legislature (2025)
Legislation
89th Legislature (2025)
Biography
Rep. Donna Howard is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, first elected in a February 2006 special election to represent District 48, which covers a portion of Travis County including part of West Austin, Manchaca, Rollingwood, San Leanna, part of Shady Hollow, and West Lake Hills. An Austin native, she graduated from Reagan High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and a Master of Arts in Health Education from the same institution in 1977.
Born October 25, 1951, Rep. Howard began her professional career as a critical-care nurse at Brackenridge Hospital and Seton Hospital in Austin, and served as Austin’s first hospital-based Patient Education Coordinator. She helped start the Seton Good Health School and served as President of District 5 of the Texas Nurses’ Association. She has also worked as a Health Education instructor on the University of Texas faculty.
For the 89th Legislative Session, Rep. Howard serves as Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II and as Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education. She also chairs the Texas Women’s Health Caucus. She is married to attorney Derek Howard and is the mother of three adult children and grandmother to seven grandchildren.
Biography adapted from the official Texas House website.
Campaign Finance
TPR Coverage
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Service History
- Texas House, District 48 · 2006–present
