Congressman Kevin Brady Legacy Wall

Childhood

Congressman Brady was born in 1955 in Vermillion, a small town in South Dakota. He was one of five children born to Nancy and William Brady, and he grew up in Rapid City. Congressman Brady was 12 years old when his father was killed; he credits his mother with raising him and his siblings in difficult circumstances while nevertheless instilling in them the values of optimism, independence, faith in God, and the importance of community service. He also acknowledges that her commitment to keeping him and his siblings out of trouble meant, in part, keeping them busy, with church, sports, scouting, school activities such as student council, and more.

Education

Congressman Brady attended Central High School in Rapid City, where he was a four-sport athlete and student council president. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in mass communications from the University of South Dakota, where he is a Distinguished Alumnus.

Congressman Brady's lifetime in public service began shortly after his graduation from college, when he began working for the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce. This organization, dedicated to helping support economic development and business growth in the Rapid City Area, was Congressman Brady's first foray into the importance of business development support as a part of a healthy market economy.

Rapid City Common Council

Congressman Brady's first elected office was as a member of the Rapid City Common Council, the formal name for the municipality's City Council.

A New Texan

In 1982, Congressman Brady departed Rapid City for a new opportunity in the State of Texas, where he continued his work supporting economic development and business growth through a new role with the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. In 1985, he joined the South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, helping to support business growth in the area that would become The Woodlands Township.

The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce

Congressman Brady ultimately led the organization — renamed The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce — for 11 years. In this tenure, Congressman Brady became even more committed to free enterprise, volunteerism, and building a vibrant community. He helped lead successful elections to build critical infrastructure for our growing region: schools, roads, libraries, and establishing Montgomery College, and he worked with local business leaders to establish key programs like the Education for Tomorrow Alliance, The Woodlands Economic Development Partnership, Shenandoah CVB, and the annual Economic Outlook Conference.

Texas House of Representatives

Congressman Brady was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1991. He was the first resident of The Woodlands to serve in the Texas Legislature, where he served as a strong advocate for the needs of his constituents and The Woodlands community.

During his terms in the Texas House of Representatives, Congressman Brady helped secure $6 million to build the initial facilities for Montgomery College on SH 242. He also authored the law that created The Woodlands Township Improvement District, which would become the legislative foundation for The Woodlands Township, and he established the Texas Birth Defects Registry. As a state representative, he was named one of the 10 Best Legislators for Families and Children.

Member, United States House of Representatives

In 1997, Brady was elected to represent the Texas 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his 26 years in Congress, he was known as a national champion for economic freedom and a widely admired statesman devoted to tackling complex issues and finding bipartisan solutions. One of the most popular congressmen in Texas history, he won re-election in his district every two years until his retirement in 2023.

During his time in Congress, Congressman Brady played a key role in bipartisan efforts including IRS reform, retirement system reform, and tax policy reform. He was essential to the approval of trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, as well as Canada and Mexico.

Congressman Brady also focused on health care issues, including physician payment reform and other issues related to personalized, quality, and affordable care, including post-acute care reform, hospital reimbursement, maternal mortality, Medicare, diagnostics, cancer hospitals, kidney care, rural health care, medical innovation, and value-based care. He also established and funded the Conroe VA Clinic and its four expansions.

Congressman Brady also worked to lead and support efforts to spur new treatments and cures for rare diseases, including Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary Immune Deficiency, and Juvenile Batten's Disease.

• Chairman, (2015–2019) and Republican Leader (2020–2022), House Ways and Means Committee
• Chairman, Joint Economic Committee of the House and Senate (2013–2014)
• Chairman, Joint Committee on Taxation (2017–2018)
• Chairman, Health Subcommittee, Ways and Means
• Chairman, Trade Subcommittee, Ways and Means

Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee

Congressman Brady was only the third Texan to serve as the Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. As the 66th Chairman of the Committee, he authored the first successful major reform of trade rules since 9/11; he successfully passed 13 free trade agreements, including the historic U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA); and he secured historic reforms in health care, retirement, and energy.

Working with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Chairman Brady successfully negotiated an end to the 40-year ban on selling U.S. crude oil overseas — a reform credited with the creation of thousands of new U.S. jobs and securing energy independence. In 2019, the U.S. first became a net exporter of all oil products, including both crude oil and refined petroleum products.

In the signature achievement of his tenure, Chairman Brady authored the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the first comprehensive tax reform since President Ronald Reagan. This law included tax cuts for families and local businesses, and it is credited with supporting the creation of millions of new jobs, the highest household income and lowest poverty rate in half a century, and a return of U.S. jobs and investment from overseas.

Through his work with The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, his tenure as a Texas State Representative, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and as an active member of the community of The Woodlands, Texas, Congressman Brady received many awards and accolades.

• Americans for Prosperity – Pioneers of Prosperity Award
• WITA/WITF Lifetime Achievement Award for International Trade
• The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award
• Tax Foundation Distinguished Service Award
• American Farm Bureau Federation - Golden Plow Award
• Energy Infrastructure Council – Guardian of America’s Security
• Texas Legislative Conference - Texan of the Year
• Pulmonary Hypertension Association Lifetime Achievement Award
• Faith & Freedom Coalition Friend of the Family Award
• Immune Deficiency Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
• AMA Award for Outstanding Government Service
• Outstanding Texas Political Leader-of-the-Year

Congressman Brady was an avid baseball player all his life, beginning with Little League, continuing through two South Dakota high school championship teams and through college. During his service in the U.S. Congress, Congressman Brady played second base on the Republican side of the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity for 26 years. He speaks of Congressional baseball not only as an opportunity to raise significant funds for charity, but also as a treasured experience of bipartisan sportsmanship and a chance to forge friendships on both sides of the aisle.

He was awarded the MVP title three times and finished with a .371 batting average. He was inducted into the Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

This saying, attributed to President Harry S. Truman, is one that Congressman Brady embraces wholeheartedly.

Growing up, he was an avid reader and visitor to his local library. In the summers, he would check out 10 books — as many as he could carry in his bicycle basket — each week, read them all, then go back to the library for more. As he entered the professional world and began his career in public service, Congressman Brady continued to read for education and for pleasure, and he came to see it as an essential element of his abilities and his success.

Throughout his career in Congress, he remained committed to spending time with children in their classrooms. He would read to elementary-age children, with Peter W. Barnes's and Cheryl Shaw Barnes's House Mouse, Senate Mouse, a perennial favorite, and leave the students with bookmarks printed with “Leaders are Readers” as a keepsake and a reminder.