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(817)596-8100

WEATHERFORD – Following months of work by the Legislature and policymakers, a reduction in the size of the Texas Universal Service Fund (“TUSF”) is one step away from a successful conclusion.

The Texas Universal Service Fund review began with the passage of SB 5, groundbreaking legislation in 2005, which directed the Texas Public Utility Commission to determine what changes needed to be made to the fund to better reflect today’s competitive marketplace. State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford), the chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, sponsored the bill.

“When we began this process in 2005, the most important consideration we had was to make sure that we reduced the taxes associated with the fund, which every Texas consumer will see as a smaller charge on telephone bills,” State Rep. Phil King said. “At the same time, we knew we had to do this in a way that balanced our desire to reduce taxes with our goal of ensuring that ratepayers see the ultimate benefit.”

On April 9, the Texas Public Utility Commission reported that all parties involved in the process had agreed to a balanced settlement that will be good for all Texans. The parties to the proceeding included the PUC staff, large telephone carriers, the cable industry and the Office of Public Utility Counsel, which is the PUC’s in-house consumer advocacy arm.

Currently, the TUSF is funded by an assessment on consumer’s telephone bills, currently 4.4 percent. “The proposal now before the commissioners will result in a 64% reduction in the size of the fund, and that’s good news,” King said. “But it accomplishes this in a way that serves the interests of rural customers, and that is a critical consideration for the folks in Parker and Wise counties, and so it is also a critical consideration for me.”

The TUSF was originally created to ensure that telephone service would remain affordable for Texans, particularly in rural areas, as the industry transitioned from regulated monopolies to a consumer-driven free market. The proposed reduction in fees imposes strong restrictions that carefully limit any potential rate changes in rural areas.

The proposed settlement will now go before the commissioners of the PUC for consideration. A final vote could come as soon as April 25.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform’s Political Action Committee endorses Rep. Phil King for re-election in HD 61 because of his commitment to a fair, honest and efficient civil justice system.

Rep. King’s support of lawsuit reform has helped to restore respect for the law in our State and has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs for our citizens, added hundreds of billions of dollars to the state’s economy, enhanced productivity and encouraged innovation. Texas is now more competitive in the global economy because we have gone from being the “lawsuit capital of the world” to one of the best civil justice systems in America.

Rep. King’s commitment to lawsuit reform has also greatly improved health care in Texas. Our State has added thousands of new doctors since passage of medical liability reform, especially in high risk specialties such as neurosurgery, orthopedics, obstetrics, and emergency room care. Hospitals have taken their liability savings and invested them in improved indigent care, new equipment, and upgraded facilities.

It takes courage to stand up to the powerful personal injury trial lawyers the way Rep. King has, and therefore he deserves the support of all of us who want a balanced and fair civil justice system.

Source: Baptist General Convention of Texas www.bgct.org

Staff

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Christian Life Commission filed a complaint today with the Texas Ethics Commission against Texans for Economic Development, a political action committee of racetrack owners and supporters of video slot machines, alleging the group could be using corporate funds inappropriately to try to influence legislative races.

In its last regular sworn report filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, Texans for Economic Development reported receiving political contributions from two corporations – Retama Development Corp., a Texas group, and Call Now, Inc. a Nevada corporation. Reports filed with the commission show, on their face, that the corporate contributions were accepted by the PAC for political purposes.

In Texas elections, use of corporate money for political purposes, to advocate the election or defeat of a candidate, is a third degree felony under state law. Had Texans for Economic Development intended to use the corporate funds for non-political purposes, such as administration of the political action committee, they would have reported the corporate contributions on Schedule C-2 of its sworn report. TED reported the contributions under Schedule A, which is for political contributions intended to be used for political expenditures.

“We have watched this PAC over the years, and been dismayed at the handful of individuals and entities that continue to push the slots-or-nothing agenda at racetracks in our state,” said Suzii Paynter, CLC director who filed the complaint. “This filing brings to light the gravity of the misuse of corporate funds in our political process.”

Other than one fee paid to the state, all expenditures of Texans for Economic Development previously reported to the Texas Ethics Commission have been used to support the election or defeat of candidates, Paynter said. No administrative costs for the PAC have been filed.

“We hope that the Ethics Commission’s staff will aggressively and thoroughly investigate this complaint to insure the laws of our state are protected and respected by the gambling industry.” said Weston Ware of Texans Against Gambling.

“The public has the right to know how the gamblers are using the corporate money they have received. At the very least, TED seems to have filed grossly inaccurate reports, which deceive the public as to the intended use of corporate funds. More urgently, the Texas Ethics Commission must determine with all due haste, whether corporate money has been used against certain House incumbents, who TED has openly bragged about targeting for defeat.”

In media reports, Texans for Economic Development Treasurer Tommy Azopardi admitted the group budgeted $1 million to impact about a 25 House races during this election cycle. Their advertisements running in some of these districts attempt to influence voters through the use of thinly veiled “issue” ads. Based on activity across the state, TED has clearly targeted Representatives Phil King, R-Weatherford, Betty Brown, R-Terrell and Nathan Macias, R-Bulverde, who are all opposed to the expansion of gambling in Texas.

Texas Insider

Staff

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC today announced that State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) is the recipient of TLR’s Civil Justice Leadership Award for his support in leading the fight to improve medical malpractice and civil justice laws in Texas.

“Rep King’s strong commitment to lawsuit reform in Texas has helped boost our state’s economy and ensure that doctors are not forced to flee the state because of unreasonable medical liability costs,” said TLR PAC Chairman, Richard J. Trabulsi, Jr.. “With Rep. King’s critical support, we have been able to pass lawsuit reforms that are restoring fairness, balance and predictability to the Texas civil justice system.”

“Passage of important legislation to reform our civil justice system, beginning in 2003, would not have been possible without the vigorous backing of Representative King, who has served on the House Civil Practices Committee in the last three legislative sessions,” Trabulsi said.

TLR’s Civil Justice Leadership Award is presented to lawmakers who courageously stand up to personal injury trial lawyers and support a fair, honest and balanced civil justice system in Texas.

Representative King serves in the Texas House representing District 61which includes Parker and Wise counties. He serves as Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee and co-chairs the Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee. King serves on the Civil Practices and Redistricting committees. Additionally, he sits as a member of the joint House and Senate Committee on the Power of Eminent Domain.

TLR PAC is the political arm of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the state’s largest civil justice reform organization. TLR is a bipartisan, volunteer-led coalition with more than 16,000 supporters residing in 818 Texas communities and representing 1,266 different businesses, professions and trades. For more information about TLR visit www.tortreform.com.

Contact Information:
(956)821-7925

Weatherford – The Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) is proud to announce their endorsement of State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford). YCT gathered members from across the state to join King in a block walking day and to officially announce his endorsement in the March 4th Republican Primary.

“Phil King is a true conservative leader in the Texas House. He represents the people of Parker and Wise counties with honor and distinction, and we are glad to endorse his candidacy,” explained Laura Elizabeth Morales, Director of Public Relations for the Young Conservatives of Texas. “The energy and passion that he has for working for Texas and his deeply held conservative principles make him a truly outstanding leader.”

The Young Conservatives of Texas commend Representative King’s battle against government spending with innovative thinking such as abolishing the school property tax system and moving to a state-wide consumption tax.

The Young Conservatives of Texas is a non-partisan, grassroots, conservative youth organization that has been fighting for conservative values for more than a quarter century in the Lone Star State. YCT has chapters at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, West Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas.

Contact Information:
(817) 596-8100

(Austin) State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) this week was endorsed by the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) in his race for re-election to House District 61. King is the only candidate in the District 61 Republican Primary to have received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

Alice Tripp, Legislative Director of TSRA stated, “Phil King’s voting record and conti nued support for 2nd Amendment rights and the rights of Texas hunters is deeply appreciated.”

The Texas State Rifle Association is the affiliate state organization of the National Rifle Association and gives ratings and endorsements for candidates based on their voting records for 2nd Amendment rights.

Contact Information:
(817)596-8100

Weatherford – State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) expressed his appreciation today for the overwhelming grassroots financial support demonstrated in campaign finance reports filed today with the Texas Ethics Commission. King reported more than 180 donations from grassroots supporters in Parker and Wise counties totaling $33,295.

King said, “As we walked door to door on Saturday, I was encouraged by the positive response I received on the front porches across Weatherford. Today, I am humbled and overwhelmed by the fact that so many of my local supporters believe in me enough to make a personal contribution to our campaign. I will continue to work hard and personally ask my fellow citizens for another opportunity to work for them in Austin.”

Representative King faces a primary opponent in the March 4th Republican primary. Phil and his wife, Terry, have six children and reside in Weatherford.

Contact Information:
(817)596-8100

State Representative Phil King stands up for property owners in Parker and Wise counties on World Energy Television. In this informative panel discussion with Phil King and industry leaders, learn about your property rights along with other issues related to gas production in the Barnett Shale.

Click here to watch this video online.

Contact Information:
(817) 596-8100

Weatherford – State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford), Co-Chairman of the Huckabee Presidential Campaign in Texas, made the following statement tonight:

“I joined Mike Huckabee’s campaign because I was confident in his character and integrity, his strength of conviction on the core conservative issues of faith and family, and his ability to relate to ordinary people. Governor Huckabee’s victory in Iowa tonight is a huge breakthrough win and confirms my belief that he will earn our party nomination and win the presidency.”

Contact Information:
Peggy Venable, 512-476-5905

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.

The need for property tax reform is great. Texas has the 13th highest property taxes in the country and Texans rank 45th in the country in home ownership. Even many retired citizens whose taxes are frozen and own their homes are paying property tax bills equivalent to what their mortgage payments were.

“Our property tax system is rife with inequities,” said Venable. “It is often arbitrary and is taxing unrealized value. A consumption tax is more simple, fair and transparent.”

Shifting education funding from the local property tax to a state consumption tax would also keep school funding equity issues out of the courts.

Even before the current sub prime market problems, Texas foreclosure rates were fourth highest in the country per capita, with 1 in every 549 households in the process of foreclosure in January 2006.

The constitutional amendment passed in 1997 to place a 10% appraisal cap on homesteads has been woefully inadequate in keeping property tax increases in check. Appraisals continue to increase dramatically across the state and tax bills have grown 45% in five years. While political subdivisions have gamed the system, medium home prices grew 31% during that 5 year period and inflation grew only 14.8%.

Using constitutionally dedicating state budget surpluses — beyond the increase in population and inflation – to lowering property taxes would help address escalating property tax bills.

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Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org