Profile in Courage: Texas Rep. Brian Harrison

In an age where politicians rush to restrict freedoms in the name of “safety” and “the children,” it takes rare courage to say “no” to overreaching government paternalism. Fortunately, Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Waxahachie) has consistently stood firm against a growing tide of nanny-state legislation. While many of his colleagues have rushed to impose counterproductive vaping rules or demand intrusive and unlawful age verification rules for digital consumers, Harrison has taken a principled stand for individual liberty and limited government. For his fearless opposition to popular-but-pernicious restrictions, Harrison is without question a Profile in Courage.

Rep. Harrison has achieved more at the age of 43 than many politicians do during a career in the state legislature or Congress. Shortly after graduating from Texas A&M University in 2004, Harrison journeyed to Washington, DC to work in a variety of roles, including at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Bush administration. Harrison was praised by his colleagues for his strong work ethic and commitment to professional public service. Unfortunately, this exemplary public service record was unfairly attacked by critics. When President Trump chose Harrison to help coordinate the federal government’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, critics slammed the President for appointing a “dog breeder” to such an important role. The truth was that, between serving Presidents Bush and Trump, Rep. Harrison and his family took on caring for labradoodles as a hobby, and turned that hobby into a successful business. But, to Harrison’s and President Trump’s critics, having longtime HHS and entrepreneurial experience was somehow a negative.

After his second stint at the HHS helping to battle the deadly coronavirus and government regulations that stood in the way, Harrison returned to Texas to fight for small-government ideals in the state legislature. Since his election to the Texas House of Representatives in 2021, Harrison has been a consistent and often lonely voice advocating for limited government, free markets, and individual choice.

That continued consistency has taken a great deal of political courage as the Texas legislature, like many others across the country, embraces heavy-handed approaches to technology regulation.

The Texas Legislature is embracing passing poorly written regulations that would harm consumers. Recently, Governor Abbott signed a bill (SB 2420; known as the “App Store Accountability Act”) that would require app stores on tablet devices and smart phones to verify users’ ages when creating accounts. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance noted in testimony against the bill, the legislation would not only violate the First Amendment by placing significant barriers on digital expression but also raises significant cybersecurity concerns. Rep. Harrison rightly noted, “As Texas government grows, liberty is diminished. The government is not supposed to be your parent!”

Unfortunately, governments at federal, state, and local levels are determined as ever to play parent. There’s a serious issue when 80 percent of lawmakers (in a supposedly freedom-loving state) vote to erode constitutional freedoms and enact nanny-state restrictions on the digital domain.

In an era when political expediency so often trumps principle, Rep. Harrison’s willingness to stand alone for liberty is a welcome rarity. For challenging big government policies, standing up for families and businesses, and refusing to surrender to the panic of the moment, Rep. Harrison is most certainly a Profile in Courage.