Rep. Rose, Toni

Biography

State Representative Toni Rose is serving her 6th term in the Texas House of Representatives. She represents the 110th District, which encompasses the vibrant communities of Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove and Balch Springs in Dallas County. Representative Rose is a proud alumna of Paul Quinn College. Her legislative focus includes mental health reform, access to affordable healthcare, and criminal justice reform.

Throughout her legislative career, Representative Rose has received widespread recognition for outstanding legislative work. Texas Monthly Magazine ranked her among the 10 Best Legislators in its '2023: Best and Worst Legislators' list. Additionally, the Texas Tribune has hailed her as the most influential woman in the Texas House.

Representative Rose serves as the Vice Chair of the following committees: House Subcommittee of Article II Appropriations, House Committees on Calendars and Human Services. She's also a member of the Redistricting Committee and the newly formed House Select Committee on Health Care Reform.

In her leadership role on the Appropriations Committee, Representative Rose has led the charge for many important budgetary items. These include providing free breakfast to every child who qualifies for reduced-price meals, expanding re-entry services to give individuals returning from incarceration the support needed to rebuild their lives, and increasing funding for Healthy Community Collaboratives to expand services to persons experiencing homelessness throughout the state. Representative Rose also secured budget resources for mental health initiatives, including funding for the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern, the new psychiatric state hospital in Dallas.

Her laser focus on improving healthcare outcomes has driven her to pass numerous health care bills, including legislation that extends postpartum pregnancy benefits from two months to 12 months. This legislative remedy will enable new moms to receive medical and psychological care for an extended timeframe. Representative Rose also is responsible for legislation boosting the medical treatment of patients with Sickle Cell Disease. In this regard, her legislation strengthens medical school curriculum requirements to include a sickle-cell focus and improves the education of healthcare professionals. Another of her important healthcare wins encompasses legislation modifying regulations enabling more Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Centers to operate in Texas. These centers are vital to parents of medically complex children because they offer parents the ability to work outside of the home and provide children an opportunity to interact and learn with other children.

Her other achievements include extending Dallas County's ability to transport senior citizens to county health and wellness events, designating December 1st as Rosa Parks Day in Texas, and establishing a Statewide Interagency Aging Services Coordinating Council to develop five-year strategic plans for the state's aging population.

Representative Rose currently serves as Financial Secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. She also is the Deputy Whip of the Texas House Democratic Caucus.

Additionally, she holds memberships in the following professional organizations: NAACP Dallas Branch, League of Women Voters of Dallas, Paul Quinn National Alumni Association, Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, United Negro College Fund, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club, National Council of Negro Women, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Her former roles and appointments include Chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, 1st Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, Secretary of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and Treasurer of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women).

Representative Rose continues to be a fierce champion for District 110 and the State of Texas!