Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan has appointed State Representative Ernest Bailes to the Committee on Energy Resources and the Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism this week in Austin.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve my constituents and the State of Texas on two impactful committees,” said Bailes. “Both Energy Resources and Culture, Recreation, and Tourism touch significant industries that affect nearly every corner of our state.”
The Energy Resources committee oversees issues relating to the oil and gas industry in Texas while the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism committee has jurisdiction over the state’s public lands, hunting and fishing regulations, as well as other wildlife-related issues.
One month into the start of the legislative session, Representative Bailes has filed significant legislation addressing property tax relief, truth in agriculture labeling, support of education, and protection for taxpayers against exorbitant gas price gouging.
A lifelong rancher and agriculturalist, Ernest Bailes was raised on his family’s dairy and beef cattle operations in East Texas. He grew up in Shepherd and earned his B.S. from Texas A&M University in 2004. After graduation, Ernest founded his company, Repro Select, an advanced reproductive services provider for cattle and whitetail deer producers across the south-central United States.
Ernest serves on numerous boards and committees, including the San Jacinto Farm Bureau, Texas Deer Association, and the Shepherd ISD Technology Advisory Board.
Ernest and his wife Courtney have been married for 17 years and have two sons, Cinco and Rigby, who attend Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD, where Courtney is a schoolteacher. The Bailes family are active members of the First Baptist Church in Evergreen, Texas.