By Bob Allen
The Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission presented state Sen. Wendy Davis with its Horizon Award for leadership in public service in recognition of her efforts to curb predatory lending practices in the state.
Davis, a Democrat from Fort Worth, received the award at a June 21 luncheon jointly sponsored by the CLC and the Baptist Center for Ethics during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Fort Worth.
Davis was the author of two bills that sought to limit abusive, high-cost payday and auto title lending. One bill sought to ensure that Texas service members received the protections afforded them under the federal Military Lending Act that had gone unenforced in Texas.
“The passion and knowledge that Sen. Davis displayed this session on behalf of borrowers pushed reform efforts further than we ever expected,” said CLC Director Suzii Paynter. “Though there is work that remains, our gains would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Sen. Davis and her staff.”
Davis, an attorney and business owner who at age 19 was a single mother working two jobs to make ends meet, was elected to the Texas Senate in 2008, defeating a longtime incumbent in a race widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Texas politics in recent times.
With reporting by Texas Baptist Communications.