State Representative Phil King of Weatherford wants to shift the burden of school funding from the local property tax to the state. The concept is a good one and could save Texas homesteads, according to Americans for Prosperity state director Peggy Venable, as property taxes are an impediment to Texans enjoying the American dream of home ownership.

“I can assure you that we definitely need Phil King back in Austin, Texas,” Abbott said in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center.

State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford sparked a debate that promises to produce fireworks all across Texas when he revealed that he and about 30 other state legislators had been working on a plan to replace property taxes with consumption taxes as the chief source of public school funding.

“I am absolutely convinced that my constituents, and frankly, the voters across Texas would rather pay a sales tax when they purchase something than a property tax for the rest of their life,” King said speaking by phone Wednesday.

King said, “Over the past several months, I’ve talked about this proposal at almost every service club and chamber in my district, and the response is always the same: Texans overwhelmingly prefer the sales tax to out of control property taxes. They know there is a better way to finance public education without punishing businesses, taxpayers and jeopardizing the American Dream of home ownership.”

“I have 6,500 names of people who are on the voter registration rolls and should not be,” King said. “We know there are tens of thousands in the state.”

State Rep. Phil King, chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, spoke briefly at the press conference, emphasizing the benefits of high-speed Internet. He noted school curriculums are increasingly reliant on the Internet, and pointed out the importance of sending kids off to college Internet-proficient.

Representative Phil King of Weatherford authored a bill that would have allowed the Secretary of State to verify citizenship using information in a data base like birth records and social security numbers.

Texas Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, is considering offering financial incentives for companies to build low-polluting coal-fired power plants in Texas.

Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee named State Representative Phil King as Co-Chairman of his Texas Leadership Committee, it was announced October 19, 2007.