Laura R. Smith, J.D.
Assistant Vice President for Legislative Affairs
Laura R. Smith is Assistant VP for Legislative Affairs in UTMB’s Office of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs. Along with the Vice President for Health Policy and Legislative Affairs, she directs UTMB’s work with the Texas Legislature. She also works with UTMB’s federal affairs team and with Congress and state and federal agencies on health care financing and policy issues important to UTMB.
Laura has spent the last 25+ years working in legislative affairs and health policy, both in and out of the state Capitol. Laura served as health and human services policy and budget advisor to three state legislators – Senator Ray Farabee from 1986 to1988, House Speaker Gib Lewis in 1991 and 1992, and Senator and later Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff from 1997 through 2002. In these positions, she helped develop state policies on indigent care, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance, organ donation, end-of-life care, mental health, substance abuse, provider regulation, and social services. She was Associate Commissioner for Policy Development at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission from 1992 to 1997, helping the newly formed agency implement legislative health and social service directives.
She has also worked in mental health care in a variety of roles: providing direct services to children with severe mental illnesses and their families at Austin State Hospital from 1977 through 1979; helping implement class action mental health and mental retardation settlement agreements as Texas Legal Services staff attorney from 1984 to 1986; and directing the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation’s government affairs operation from 1988 to 1991.
She holds a B.A. from UT Austin (Plan II degree with concentrations in biology and English, 1975); an MA from Incarnate Word College (Child Care, 1979), and a JD from UT School of Law (1983).
laursmit@utmb.edu
512.450.5031
Laura has spent the last 25+ years working in legislative affairs and health policy, both in and out of the state Capitol. Laura served as health and human services policy and budget advisor to three state legislators – Senator Ray Farabee from 1986 to1988, House Speaker Gib Lewis in 1991 and 1992, and Senator and later Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff from 1997 through 2002. In these positions, she helped develop state policies on indigent care, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance, organ donation, end-of-life care, mental health, substance abuse, provider regulation, and social services. She was Associate Commissioner for Policy Development at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission from 1992 to 1997, helping the newly formed agency implement legislative health and social service directives.
She has also worked in mental health care in a variety of roles: providing direct services to children with severe mental illnesses and their families at Austin State Hospital from 1977 through 1979; helping implement class action mental health and mental retardation settlement agreements as Texas Legal Services staff attorney from 1984 to 1986; and directing the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation’s government affairs operation from 1988 to 1991.
She holds a B.A. from UT Austin (Plan II degree with concentrations in biology and English, 1975); an MA from Incarnate Word College (Child Care, 1979), and a JD from UT School of Law (1983).
laursmit@utmb.edu
512.450.5031