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Guest Column by Rep. Phil King

As a board member of the Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC), the conservative caucus of the Texas Legislature, I am excited talk to you about our roadmap for a responsible state budget.

During these difficult economic times, with congressional spending reaching over $1.5 trillion in the name of economic stimulus, the Texas Legislature has a responsibility to demonstrate fiscal restraint. Upholding sound budgeting practices will keep Texas from falling into the fiscal disrepair that the rest of the nation is experiencing.

Over the past six years, Texas has prioritized state spending and exercised fiscal responsibility, so it is by no mistake that Texas is one of only seven states to enter 2009 without a budget deficit. While California, for example, enters its budget cycle buried in red ink (with over $40 billion in state debt), Texas remains well in the black.

The TCC, in a recent letter to legislative colleagues and through press releases across the state, has proposed firm measures to ensure that your state government remains financially sound through these uncertain times:

1. Reduce current General Revenue and General-Revenue dedicated spending by 2.5 percent for the FY 2010-11 budget.
2. Maintain a Rainy Day Fund balance of at least five percent of state’s total budget.
3. To the extent possible, limit the use of federal “stimulus” funds to one-time expenditures, or expenditures with a sunset date that matches the end-date of the “stimulus” money.
4. Constitutionally limit state budget growth.

My pledge to you is that I will hold firm to the principles that have kept Texas’ state government financially sound while so many other states are near financial collapse. This requires hard decisions but no more difficult than the tough decisions you make in your family and business every day of this recession. I also pledge to you that I will work against any and all efforts to increase your tax burden this legislative session. This is the time to make sure families and businesses keep more of what they earn. This type of fiscal policy is the single best “stimulus” to keep Texas’ economy strong.

State Representative Phil King

The 81st Legislative Session is officially underway, as House committee assignments were announced by Speaker Joe Straus this past Thursday. After serving ten years in the House of Representatives, I know that each session brings its own set of challenges. This session, I am looking forward to working on the important issues that arise in the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Public Safety.

Both of these committee placements hold a great deal of importance for District 61. As a former police officer and judge, I understand the complex issues and the importance of the jurisdiction that the Public Safety committee holds. Over the next four months, this committee will oversee all matters pertaining to law enforcement including important state agencies such as the Department of Public Safety and the Commission on State Emergency Communications. Additionally, we will have an opportunity to address border security issues and the growing crime problems in South Texas. I plan to apply my law enforcement and judicial background in order to see that our state continues to uphold the safety and security of our citizens as a top priority.

In my opinion, during this session, the decisions made by the House Committee on Ways and Means will be critical for Texas during these very challenging economic times. This is why I exercised my seniority appointment for placement on this committee. As a strong fiscal conservative, I am committed to ensuring we keep our state’s tax policy centered on lowering the tax burden on Texas families and small businesses. There are already numerous bills pertaining to our existing state tax or revenue statutes filed in the House that will come through this committee. One of these proposals would dramatically mitigate the burden on small businesses caused by the state Margins Tax, placing a higher floor on the small business exemption. Additionally, there is my proposal of a constitutional amendment that would dedicate 25 percent of all future surplus revenues to property tax reduction. These items among many others will dictate our state’s fiscal policy for the next biennium, and I plan to work hard to see our state uphold fiscal restraint and responsible budgeting.

While working on the important issues of these two committees, I will continue to work on local matters that many of you have taken the time to bring to my attention. As always, please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns.

It is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Elizabeth Campbell

Parker County developers and real estate agents are joining cities who believe the new Upper Trinity Ground Water Conservation District is overstepping its authority and not listening to residents’ concerns.

The developers and cities are at odds with the district over temporary rules that took effect Jan. 1 that require a 2-acre minimum for drilling a new water well and fees assessed for wells that pump over 25 gallons a minute.

The district maintains that it was created to conserve water and monitor usage, which is what voters overwhelmingly approved in 2007.

Jim Duncan, a Weatherford real estate broker and government affairs chairman for the Greater Metro West Association of Realtors, said there are concerns about the 2-acre minimum for drilling a new well. He said people are worried that landowners with lots smaller than 2 acres may not have water for their land, thus reducing its value.

“We all want to have water for our children and grandchildren, but I find it hard to believe that one set of rules fits four counties,” Duncan said.

The Upper Trinity Ground Water District serves Parker, Hood, Wise and Montague counties.

Weatherford Democrat

Phil Riddle

Weatherford State Rep. Phil King lost his committee chairmanship when Joe Straus took over as Speaker of the House. But King said he landed exactly where he wanted to be.

King’s primary committee assignments include the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Public Safety.

King, who last session chaired the now-defunct Regulated Industries Committee, said many will consider his new assignment a demotion, but he doesn’t look at it that way.

“Not at all,” he said. “Ways and Means is exactly where I wanted to be. I have faced a lot of frustration dealing with the states’ gross margins business tax, property taxes and sales taxes. Now I have everybody in one place to work out the issues all together.”

State Representative Phil King

It is an unfortunate reality that Texas is one of the nation’s leaders in drunk driving fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 1,569 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Texas in 2006 and more than 63,500 were injured. This session, the legislature has an opportunity to change these disturbing statistics and save lives in Texas.

House Bill 379 and Senate Bill 170 would require all those convicted of drunk driving to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicle. Current policy only requires an interlock device if the convicted person agrees to probation as a result of the conviction. Today, approximately 83 percent of all those convicted of a DWI choose serving jail time over probation. These individuals get back on the road with no mechanism to deter them from driving under the influence.

Eight states now mandate interlock for all drunk driving convictions. In fact, in New Mexico, the first state to pass the all-offender ignition interlock bill, they have seen remarkable progress. The recidivism rate for drunk driving offense has dropped by 60 percent and alcohol related traffic fatalities have decreased by approximately 34 percent. Those are actual lives saved by good public policy.

Over the next several months as the 81st Legislative Session progresses, I will support the bi-partisan efforts of Rep. Linda Harper-Brown and Senator Rodney Ellis in the fight to keep drunk drivers off the road.

It is an honor to serve you in the Texas Legislature.

Phil King

State Representative Phil King

On January 14, 2009, The Weatherford Democrat published the results of an important online poll they conducted. One of the questions given was “what do you feel is the most pressing issue for the Texas Legislature?” To that question, 28 percent responded property taxes were number one on their list of priorities and concerns.

We all hear stories almost every day of someone losing their home to foreclosure. Part of that is caused by high property taxes which now account for 17 percent of the average residential mortgage payment in Texas! Despite the fact you may have paid off your home loan, you never truly “own” your house because you continue to pay property taxes. In reality, you just rent your property from the government. Combine this with the all too common appraisal creep and it’s no wonder why so many Texans — like me — consider changes in the property tax system an urgent priority for Texas. That is why I have filed HJR 38.

This constitutional amendment, if passed, would dedicate 25 percent of all future state budget surpluses to the reduction of school property taxes. Had this been the law, your local school property taxes would have dropped this year from $1.04 per $100 valuation to approximately 85 cents per $100 valuation without lowering revenue to any school. And most years, Texas has a budget surplus so additional buy-downs would come automatically in future years.

Changing tax law is very difficult and this will be a tough bill to pass. It requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of both the Texas Senate and the House and then the legislation must be approved by voters in a state-wide referendum. Only then would the new law go into effect.

The beauty of this approach is the tax relief for Texans with no negative effects on revenue for our public schools. I recognize the importance for the legislature to be incredibly mindful of our responsibility to adequately fund public schools and relieve much of the financial burden they are currently facing. I am confident that without major reform, the public school funding system faces a very difficult future and the real potential for complete collapse.

HJR 38 will help a lot, but its only part of the solution. The true remedy is to replace Texas’ property tax system with a consumption-based tax, such as the sales tax, and this will remain one of my top legislative priorities.

It is an honor to serve you in the Texas Legislature.

State Representative Phil King

On Tuesday, January 13, the Texas Legislature kicked off the 81st Legislative Session. Over the course of the next five months, I look forward to serving Parker and Wise counties in my sixth term in office, continuing to provide leadership on key public policy issues while upholding conservative fiscal and social principles.

The upcoming fiscal cycle marks a difficult time for Texas. Despite our ability to sidestep much of the country’s economic downturn, Texas, according to the State Comptroller, faces a $9.1 billion shortage to work with for the upcoming two-year budget cycle. Due to this unpleasant reality, state lawmakers have a responsibility to make budget cuts where necessary, making the same tough decisions that you make in your own home when money is tight. There is already talk of dipping into Texas’ rainy day fund, however, I feel strongly that this is not the time to deplete this important emergency fund. The legislature must demonstrate fiscal restraint where necessary, and be realistic with our budgetary goals.

In addition to passing a sound state budget, there are also several important policy issues that this session will present. One of the issues I will be focusing on is Texas’ energy market. There is a growing need to look for new ways to address the market’s volatility, our dependence on natural gas in Texas, and the imminent need for more energy sources due to our growing population.

I have filed House Bill 469, a proposal that will focus Texas on promoting clean coal energy projects. This bill provides financial incentives to build clean coal plants by authorizing the State of Texas to contract with organizations interested in implementing a clean energy project. Environmental concerns with coal driven energy are addressed with the use of this technology, and I hope to see Texas become the first state to successfully build one of these plants.

Furthermore, the economic development possibilities for these projects are incredibly exciting. Each plant will bring 2,000 construction jobs for the building of the plant, and 120-150 very well paying, permanent jobs to Texas. Creating jobs and maintaining our reputation as one of the most business friendly states in the US is the key to preserving a strong, independent and thriving Texas economy.

Over the course of the next several months, my goal is to keep you informed of the events in Austin. Each week I will focus on various issues or important bills that the legislature will be addressing, so please watch for these future updates. As always, please contact my office if we can ever be of assistance at (817) 596-4796.

It is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives.

Weatherford Democrat

Phil Riddle

An anticipated fight in the Texas Legislature, with sides drawn down party lines over voters providing identification, has drawn much media coverage lately.

But, among voters in this week’s www.weatherforddemocrat.com online poll, there is no question.

Almost 90 percent of those participating indicated they would support legislation requiring a valid picture ID to cast a ballot in Texas.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Dave Montgomery

AUSTIN — Legislation requiring photo identification for voters has provoked the first hot-button confrontation of the 2009 Legislature, as Democrats and civil-rights groups unite against an initiative that Republicans say is a top priority of their constituents.

The issue resurrects a partisan battle from 2007, when Senate Democrats blocked a photo ID bill in a standoff against Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the Senate’s presiding officer. As lawmakers returned to work last week, the Republican-controlled Senate pushed through a major rules change to enhance the bill’s chances of passage, igniting an outcry from Democrats in both chambers.

The opposing viewpoints

The Texas Conservative Coalition, the principal organization for conservatives in the Legislature, has made enactment of the ID measure one of its leading priorities. Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, who sponsored a photo ID bill in 2007, said that voter demands for greater “integrity” at the voting booth have intensified over the last two years, in part because of widely publicized fraud allegations against canvassers who registered voters for the advocacy group ACORN.

Gov. Rick Perry, in an interview with the Star-Telegram last week, has also signaled his support for the legislation.

But a coalition of civil-rights and advocacy groups are demanding that the Legislature abandon the measure. They say requiring photo identification at the ballot box will disenfranchise the elderly, minorities, people with disabilities, homeless people and other segments of the electorate that are unlikely to have readily available identification.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Aman Batheja

State lawmakers are preparing to debate whether there is such a thing as clean coal.

Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, has filed a bill offering up to $300 million in tax credits to companies interested in building so-called clean coal plants in Texas. The plants, the first of their kind in the nation, would be designed to sequester at least 60 percent of the carbon dioxide they produce. Under those guidelines, the plants would meet the emission standards of California and Washington, according to supporters.

The bill has backing from more than just energy companies. Democratic Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas is co-authoring the bill. Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, who, citing pollution concerns, strongly opposed a previous proposal by TXU to build several coal plants in Texas, also supports the bill in her role as Texas projects director for Summit Energy of Poulsbo, Wash.

“It’s a pretty diverse group to try and build clean coal plants in Texas,” King said, noting that Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and Donald Hodel, energy secretary under President Ronald Reagan, are also supporters.