HOUSTON, TEXAS — Former Texas state Representative Garnet F. Coleman, who represented Houston’s House District 147 for more than three decades, died September 23 of natural causes, according to his family. He was 65.

Coleman served in the Texas House from 1991 until his retirement in 2022, representing parts of central and southeast Houston. Over the course of his legislative career, he focused heavily on health care access, mental health policy, criminal justice reform and investment in Houston communities and public institutions.

His family said details about funeral services and other arrangements will be announced at a later time and asked for privacy as they mourn.

A Long Record on Health Care

Among Coleman’s most significant areas of work was health policy. He helped establish Texas’ Children’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1999 and continued working on funding and eligibility issues affecting children’s access to care.

During four legislative sessions, Coleman served on the House-Senate budget conference committee as the Texas House’s lead writer for the health and human services portion of the state budget. In that role, he worked on funding for health coverage, mental health treatment and HIV/AIDS services.

He also played a role in the development of Texas’ Medicaid 1115 Transformation Waiver, which brought billions of dollars in federal support to health care providers across the state. During the Obama administration, Coleman was selected for a working group of state legislators focused on national health reform.

Mental Health and Criminal Justice

Coleman’s legislative work also included measures involving mental health and law enforcement. He passed Texas mental health parity legislation in 1997 and later supported crisis intervention training for peace officers.

In 2017, Coleman was a principal House sponsor behind the Sandra Bland Act. The law expanded mental health-related procedures in county jails, required independent investigation of certain jail deaths and added training and reporting requirements for law enforcement and corrections agencies.

He also backed legislation supporting mental health training for school and university employees and worked on policies intended to divert some people experiencing mental health crises toward treatment rather than jail.

Houston Development and Higher Education

Beyond statewide policy, Coleman maintained a strong focus on Houston. He helped create several management districts, including the Greater Southeast, Midtown, Downtown and East Downtown management districts, and supported tax reinvestment zones intended to encourage development in different parts of the city.

He was also a longtime advocate for Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University and the University of Houston. His work included securing funding for historically Black universities, helping protect Texas Southern University’s independence and supporting the creation and expansion of academic programs and facilities.

At the University of Houston, Coleman supported efforts that led to the creation of the Hobby School of Public Affairs and the university’s medical school, along with broader funding initiatives for higher education.

A Veteran Voice in the Texas House

Coleman held leadership roles in the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Texas Legislative Study Group House Caucus. Throughout his career, he was known for concentrating on policy affecting communities that often faced barriers to health care, education and economic opportunity.

The Texas Tribune reported Thursday that Coleman’s family confirmed his death and noted his more than 30 years of service in the Legislature. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows also publicly remembered Coleman as a passionate advocate for Houston and for underserved communities.

Coleman retired from the Legislature after the 2021 legislative cycle, ending one of the longest tenures in the Texas House at the time.

In announcing his death, the family asked that he be remembered for his public service, his dedication to his family and what they described as his enduring commitment to uplifting Texans.

Featured image: Former Texas state Representative Garnet F. Coleman at a press conference. Photo by Tipowell0403/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.