Michael A.
Andrews
(Mike)

Mike was a president of his freshman Democratic class, and in 1990, he was named one of the “Rising Stars” of Congress by the prestigious National Journal. He was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, which has primary jurisdiction over federal tax legislation, healthcare, trade and welfare policies. He was also a member of the Budget Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.

During his service in the Congress, Mike was a leader in bipartisan efforts to draft and pass legislation important to America’s energy and trade sectors. He became a leading advocate for energy tax incentives, critical to the oil and gas industry. Those incentives have proven to be critical to the sustainability of the industry and the development of oil and gas reserves in the United States. In addition, he focused on the burgeoning renewable energy sector, and in the private sector, he continues to play a leading role in the drafting and passage of legislation important to the wind and geothermal industries. He is a leading advocate to promote America’s renewable energy policies.

Mike served on the Healthcare Subcommittee of Ways and Means and was active in developing and reforming the nation’s healthcare and welfare policies. He continues to be involved in the private sector, having been a member of the Board of Advisors of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Development Board of The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

In Congress, Mike was a leader regarding historic preservation issues, introducing and advocating passage of a number of legislative measures to utilize the U.S. Tax Code to save and restore historic structures for commercial use. He is a Trustee Emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and an author of a widely recognized book about the restoration of historic public buildings, Historic Texas Courthouses.

In addition, Mike is actively involved in American foreign policy issues as a member of the influential Council on Foreign Relations.

Upon graduation from The University of Texas and SMU School of Law, Mike was a law clerk for a U.S. district judge and an assistant district attorney in Houston. Before entering Congress, he practiced law in Houston, specializing in commercial litigation. He was a partner with Vinson & Elkins, LLP from 1995—2002.

Publications

• "Crude Oil Export Ban: Outdated Energy Policy, Inconsistent Foreign Policy", The Hill, June 6, 2015
• "Prosecutions and Politics Shouldn't Mix" with Tom Spulak, The Hill, December 2, 2013
• "Tax Reform 2013: It Can Happen,” The Hill, June 11, 2013
• “Energy Policy and Tax Policy Are Inseparable,” with Abraham Shashy Jr., Congressional Quarterly Roll Call, June 21, 2013
• “Andrews: Oil, Gas Tax Breaks Not Giveaways,” with Abraham Shashy Jr., Houston Chronicle, July 29, 2013
• Author, Historic Texas Courthouses, (2006)
• Author: “Tax Simplification,” 47 SMU Law Review, 37 (1993)