Royce West is a lawyer and public servant who was first elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, where he has represented the 23rd Senatorial District. During his tenure, he has been named by Texas Monthly as one of the 25 most powerful people in Texas politics, and he has been selected for the magazine's biennial “Ten Best Legislators in Texas” list twice, as well as receiving mention on the Associated Press' “Movers and Shakers” list and the Texas Insider's "Best Legislators" list. Senator West is Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and is a member of Senate committees: Education K-16, Finance, Local Government, and Redistricting, Special.

Senator West’s key initiatives include the creation of college admission opportunities for all students, including the establishment of the University of North Texas at Dallas, Dallas' first state-supported, four-year university, the development of the UNT Dallas College of Law, and authorization for a Pharmacy school. Senator West has also increased financial aid for college students and funding for the TEXAS grants programs. Additionally, he passed legislation that created the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University, increased funding for at-risk youth programs, awarded greater compensation to victims of violent crime, established new standards for child care, enhanced enforcement of protective orders, and made better use of criminal justice resources through legislation that created a system of progressive sanctions.

Senator West is a champion for public education, including new programs that provide curriculum choices for public schools. He has promoted school and student accountability efforts, opposed A-F implementation, and fights tirelessly for more funding and educational resources for Texas school children. As one of the original authors of the Top 10% Rule that provides automatic admission to state universities for Texas high school students who graduate at the top of their classes, Senator West has continued his advocacy for the program and has successfully led efforts to oppose those who would abolish it. He also passed legislation that will allow credits earned at community colleges to be readily accepted by four-year universities.

To promote inclusiveness in the procurement practices of state agencies in working with Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), Senator West created the “Doing Business Texas Style - Spot Bid Contract Fair” and regularly sponsors procurement workshops and seminars. He also instituted the D23 Goes 2 Work Job Fair in 2015, which connects employers with those seeking work.

In addition to his senatorial duties, Senator West is the managing partner in the law firm of West & Associates, L.L.P. He has been a member of the State Bar of Texas since 1979. Overall, Royce West is a dedicated public servant who has used his legal skills to effect positive change in his community.

In his role as a State Senator, Royce West has used his legal skills to effect change for all Texans, by passage of impactful criminal justice, education, healthcare, economic development, and land use bills and other legislation. Royce, against stiff legislative opposition, passed Texas’ first racial profiling bill. West added transparency to police interactions with citizens through the passage of the first body camera law in Texas. His relentless determination in finding solutions to advert deadly consequences between law enforcement and citizens inspired him to pass the Community Safety Education Act (SB30). The law better defines behavioral expectations between police and citizens during their interactions, especially during traffic stops. The law was placed in the state’s driver license manual and police academies, making it mandatory study and test material.

In 1993, he created the Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program to provide the college students in Senatorial District 23 the opportunity to secure and actively participate in internships that will provide them with viable employment experience in their majors or fields of interest.

He is also a caring father to his children, a grandfather and devoted husband to Carol R. West, CPA, as well as an active member of Concord Church Dallas.