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By Kris Smith
With the recent redistricting nationwide, United States Congressman Jake Ellzey (TX-06)’s district changed exponentially, removing most of the urban communities and replacing them with more rural constituents. Ellzey gained a portion of Freestone County but lost the majority of Arlington.
Congressman Ellzey is a 20-year Navy veteran, serving as a fighter pilot as well as a JTAC on Seal Team 5. The Naval Commander Ellzey knew as a young child, after a plane ride with his father, all he wanted to do was fly. During his two decades of service, Commander Ellzey deployed nine times, serving 5 combat tours – four as a fighter pilot and 1 with Seal Team 5.
A decorated military officer, holding two Bronze Stars and 8 Air Medals, the Commander rounded out his service as the Air Boss on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan carrier. After his retirement, with his wife Shelby and children, Ellzey was a successful local businessman in Ellis County, until the decision was made to run for State Representative.
With the passing of the late Congressman Ron Wright in February of 2021, he decided to join the 22 other candidates to fill the unexpired term. In a run-off election in May of the same year, Ellzey went head-to-head with Susan Wright, the late Congressman’s widow. Garnering 52% of the vote, Congressman Ellzey prepared to take office, beginning with hiring staff at his DC office. Since that time, the Congressman has opened two local offices – in Waxahachie and Corsicana.
Bouncing between the two local offices as well as in DC, Congressman Ellzey’s Communications Director, and Corsicana native, Scott Gilfillan stated, “We will be looking to expand with another office in the future.”
Ellzey stated, “I proudly work with the people, from my staff to the people who elected me.” Congressman Ellzey hosts Tele Townhall meetings regularly to keep his district fully informed of the decisions being made in Washington DC. ‘
Congressman Ellzey sits on two committees in DC – House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. He also serves on the latter’s subcommittee Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Since his first day in Washington, Congressman Ellzey has sponsored 4 bills, beginning with the HR 5516: VITAL Assessment Act. HR 5516 implements changes related to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) Program, which focuses on enhancing student veterans’ academic success and retention by assisting with things like mental and physical health. According to the Congress.gov website, the VA must report on the program and establish best practices, goals, and measures for the program that are uniform among the VA’s medical centers. The bill also requires the VA to conduct outreach among the Armed Forces, veterans service organizations, institutions of higher learning, and noncollege degree programs regarding the VITAL program. Additionally, the VA must assess the feasibility and advisability of including the suicide rate for student veterans in the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
This bill was introduced October 2021 and passed the House in November 2021. HR 5516 was received in the Senate, read twice and has been referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Congressman Ellzey and his staff look forward to assisting the people of District 06 in the future and welcome a visit to their local offices during normal business hours.
You can visit his website ellzeyfortexas.com or follow his social media profiles to get up to date information.
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