John M. Zerwas

John M. Zerwas (born March 24, 1955) is a physician from Richmond, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives. He is serving his fifth term as Representative for District 28, which comprises the northwest portion of Fort Bend County. Municipalities (in whole or in part) in the district include Fulshear, Simonton, Weston Lakes, Orchard, Katy, Rosenberg, Cinco Ranch, Misson Bend, and Cumings. It also includes approximately 2,000 residents of the Fort Bend County portion of Houston.

Zerwas and his late wife, Cindy, graduated in 1973 from Bellaire High School and married in 1978. After graduating from the University of Houston, Zerwas earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in 1980 and started a full-time practice in 1985. John and Cindy have four children, John Jr., Joseph, Brandon, Sherry, and two grandchildren, Isabella and Matthew.

On March 1, 2012, John's wife Cindy was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme. She died on August 20, 2013.

Zerwas helped form the First Colony Church of Christ, and was one of its first deacons where his duties included forming the children’s education and children’s worship programs. He worked with the Boy Scouts of America to establish a troop in the Pecan Grove area, serving as cub master and den leader for several years. He also worked with the boys during the summer camp programs. He has participated in medical missions to Guatemala with the group Faith in Practice where he provided anesthesiology for charity surgeries.

Zerwas practices anesthesiology at Greater Houston Anesthesiology (GHA), a group practice he helped start in 1985. He served as president of that clinical practice from 1996 to 2000.

Zerwas has previously served as President of the Memorial Hermann Health Network Providers and Chief Medical Officer of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston.

Dr. Zerwas served as the President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) in 2013. A member of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, he served as President of the organization from 1996-1997. He is also a member of the Texas Medical Association.

Eighty-third Texas Legislature

Zerwas voted for Medicaid expansion, a vote that according to Americans for Prosperity and Empower Texans, would have allowed the implementation of Obamacare in Texas; the amendment however failed to pass.

Eighty-second Texas Legislature

Zerwas served on the House Appropriations Committee as Chair of the Health and Human Services subcommittee, also known as Article II of the state budget. Representative Zerwas again served on the Conference Committee for Senate Bill I, the state budget for the biennium, and was also appointed by House Speaker Joe Straus to serve on the Public Health Committee and Calendars Committee. Texas Monthly magazine, which named Zerwas one of its Ten Best Legislators for the 82nd Texas Legislature, described him as someone who "never engages in ideological battles, never panics. He just argues cause and effect, as a man of science is trained to do."

Eighty-first Texas Legislature

Zerwas was appointed by House Speaker Joe Straus to chair the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Also during this session, he was selected to serve on the Conference Committee for Senate Bill 1, the biennial budget for the State of Texas.

Eightieth Texas Legislature

Zerwas was appointed by House Speaker Tom Craddick to serve on the Appropriations Committee, the Administration Committee, and as Chair of Budget and Oversight of the Land and Resource Committee. Speaker Craddick also appointed him to the Medicaid Reform Legislative Oversight Committee, which was created by Senate Bill 10 during the Eightieth Texas Legislature. During this legislature, he served as Vice Chair of the Select Committee for Services for Individuals Eligible for Intermediate Care Facility Services.