[2] He struggled with the condition in his childhood education, spending his fourth grade year in a special school that used phonics-based techniques.
[7][5] In December 1995, Bonnen announced his candidacy in the Republican primary to succeed state representative Jack Harris, who was retiring from the legislature to run for a county commission seat.
[8] As a candidate, Bonnen sought to reduce government regulation of business and education, allowing schools greater flexibility in establishing their curriculum, budget, and teaching methods.
[7] Bonnen also supported sending misbehaving students to boot camp facilities, and eliminating parole for criminals, to be paid for by returning to the work farm system.
[7] After winning second place in the four-way primary race by just ten votes,[5] Bonnen won an April 1996 run-off election to clinch the Republican nomination.
[12] He spoke out in defense of the county detention center against allegations of improper use of force, with Bonnen characterizing proposed legislation as a state effort to usurp local government.
[15] Also in 2007, Bonnen gained national attention for authoring Texas House Bill 1098 to overturn a controversial executive order by then-Governor Rick Perry mandating administration of the newly developed HPV vaccine to sixth-grade girls.
He co-sponsored bills forbidding state enforcement of federal firearms regulations, allowing college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security, and reducing the time required for an individual to procure training to obtain a concealed handgun license; the latter measure cleared the House, 116–30.
[18] He authored HB 1914, the passage of which increased the allowable time between parole hearings for the egregious crimes of capital murder and aggravated sexual assault.
[4] The Legislature also passed legislation to eliminate the rape kit backlog, slow the growth of property taxes, and improve emergency preparedness and disaster response.
[27] Bonnen apologized following a 2019 controversy in which Michael Quinn Sullivan, the president of conservative advocacy group Empower Texans, secretly recorded Bonnen making negative comments about other legislators, and offering the group press credentials providing floor access in exchange for their working against moderate Republican members.
[32] He also voted for HJR 38 to authorize a constitutional amendment banning a state income tax, a measure that passed the House 100–42.