News

Will there be enough electricity for this week’s frigid temps?  How should you prepare?

December 19, 2022

Texas has made big strides in electric reliability over the last year. Improvements include weatherization of facilities, requiring onsite backup fuel for generators, mapping of critical infrastructure, improved communication and multiple other services at ERCOT to bring additional generation online quickly if needed. However, with the big cold snap predicted for this week I do believe some reasonable preparations are in order.

            This winter, the estimated peak power consumption for Texans is roughly 67,000 megawatts (MW). If everything goes as planned, ERCOT expects on average around 87,000 MW of electricity to be available. (Installed capacity is much higher but ERCOT uses historical data to discount a significant amount of wind and solar generation that will not be available due to suboptimal weather.)  

            That sounds like we have plenty of capacity to spare. However, about 10,000 MW of the estimated 87,000 MW available comes from wind and solar generation (renewables). The rest is dispatchable generation from nuclear, coal and natural gas power plants (thermal generation). Wind and solar can provide energy at low cost but they are not always available when you need them. Simply put, the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine at the right time.

            Texas needs more natural gas fired generation.  Natural gas is abundant here, clean and relatively cost effective.  However, the federal government has created a real disincentive to expanding this reliable, dispatchable power source. The fed heavily subsidizes wind and solar. Rule one of government is that you always get more of what you subsidize and less of what you tax.

As a result of the federal subsidies, for many years now almost all of the new generation in Texas has been in renewables.  Precious little new thermal generation has been added to the ERCOT grid. 

            On top of the subsidies, the Biden Administration has aggressively discouraged new thermal generation.  After all, from a company’s perspective, would you invest a billion dollars in a natural gas plant when your president is saying his goal is to shut you down?

            My point is this—take reasonable precautions as the cold snap approaches. No one expects another Storm Uri but you can’t with absolute certainty predict the weather.  On high power consumption days our thermal generation will be stressed which can lead to unexpected equipment malfunctions. And based on historical data, we can’t rely on the renewables to be available unless the wind and sun are just right.  

            So, bottom line, don’t panic or be worried but be prepared. Just in case, it doesn’t hurt to make sure you keep a full tank of gas this Christmas week. Pick up any prescriptions you may need and have some food at home that doesn’t require cooking. It’s always a good idea to have some bottled water in the house. With temperatures possibly staying below freezing for 48 hours, make sure you follow normal protocols related to protecting your outside faucets, indoor plumbing and especially your pets. All of this will make it easier to “weather” any temporary power outage that we could potentially experience.
Sincerely,


Representative Phil King
Senator Elect, Texas Senate District 10

Tomorrow is the Day. Your Voice, Your Vote.

November 7, 2022

Friends, 

Like so many of you, I am deeply concerned about the future of our nation.

As a father and grandfather, I worry about the country and the path we are on. For so many reasons, it’s simply unsustainable.

But this I know: Texas remains a beacon of opportunity and a model for low taxes, limited government and individual freedom.

That’s why tomorrow is critical. If the Democrats were to ever gain a foothold in Texas by winning a statewide office, it would be a troubling omen – because as we all know if we ever lose Texas, we’ll lose the nation.

If you voted early, thank you.

Many of you wait until Election Day to cast your votes. Tomorrow, please don’t let anything get in the way of you getting to the polls and casting your ballot for every Republican, from Governor Abbott down to your local county offices, and everything in between.  Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. See below for a list of voting locations near you. 

As always, Terry and I appreciate your prayers, support and friendship. 

Sincerely,

Phil King
Senator-elect, Senate District 10
State Representative, House District 61


Election Day Voting Locations by County

Brown County

Callahan County

Johnson County

Palo Pinto County

Parker County

Shackelford County

Stephens County

Tarrant County

Wise County

Vote Early This Weekend!

October 27, 2022

Dear Friends,

Have you already voted? If not, have you made a plan to do so? Early voting continues until Friday, November 4th. 

As a reminder, this coming weekend is your only opportunity to vote on a Saturday and Sunday. That’s a great time to vote as you are out and about (see the links below for voting times and locations).

This is no time to take anything for granted.    

You may have seen that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been barnstorming the state for weeks, visiting counties all over the Lone Star State and reminding fellow Texans of the stakes in this election. From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, across West and East Texas and lots of places in between, Lt. Gov. Patrick is leaving no stone unturned. He’s working to turn out conservatives and make sure that Texas remains the national leader in jobs, growth, opportunity and freedom.   

You can learn more about his tour here.

Thanks again for your friendship and support.    

Sincerely,
Phil King
Senator-elect, Senate District 10
State Representative, House District 61

PS Please forward this email to your friends, co-workers and family as a reminder that early voting is well underway. Election Day will be here before you know it. Let’s vote!

Early Voting Times & Locations 

Brown County

Callahan County

Johnson County

Palo Pinto County

Parker County

Shackelford County

Stephens County

Tarrant County

Wise County

Early Voting Starts Today

October 24, 2022

Dear Friends,

The polls are open! Early voting for the November 8th election has now begun and runs through Friday, November 4th.

You may have seen or heard of some polls that show Republicans with comfortable leads. 

I urge you: ignore these polls. Democrats would love nothing more than to lull you into a sense of complacency to keep you at home.   

The truth is, Democrats have been pouring money into Texas trying to turn our state blue and implement their leftwing agenda here, and they’ve showed us what that looks like. Under Biden’s regime we’ve seen runaway inflation, unprecedented gas and grocery costs, a porous open border, supply chain gridlock, and a weakened national economy.  

It’s imperative that Republicans turn out and vote for every race all the way down the ballot. Let’s make our conservative voices heard!

For early voting locations and times please use the following links below. 

Sincerely,
Phil King
Senator-elect, Senate District 10
State Representative, House District 61

Early Voting Times & Locations 

Brown County

Callahan County

Johnson County

Palo Pinto County

Parker County

Shackelford County

Stephens County

Tarrant County

Wise County

Primary Runoff Election: Polling Locations & Sample Ballots

May 16, 2022

Early Voting Begins Today!

Today marks the first day of early voting for the Primary Runoff Election. This is a very important election with several statewide races on the ballot including Attorney General, General Land Office and Railroad Commissioner. In addition to statewide races, we also have many local races and precinct chair races on the ballot. I have included a sample ballot for each county linked below. Every vote counts and can make a significant difference in this election. So please tell all of your family and friends to vote today. Hope to see you at the polls!

Early Voting runs Monday, May 16th (TODAY) through Friday, May 20th.  Election Day is on Tuesday, May 24th.

An easy way to find polling locations is to log into “My Voter Portal” on the Secretary of State website for a list of all voting locations in your county. I have also included links below for voting locations and sample ballots by county.  


Brown County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Callahan County 
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Johnson County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Palo Pinto County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Parker County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Shackelford County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Stephens County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Tarrant County 
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Wise County
Voting Locations & Sample Ballots

Representative King serves House District 61 in the Texas Legislature.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute and is the past National Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.  A former Fort Worth police officer, King currently serves in the Texas State Guard.  He earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from Dallas Baptist University, where he served as an adjunct professor and taught Constitutional Law. He earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth (formerly Texas Wesleyan).  Phil and his wife Terry are active members of Trinity Bible Church in Weatherford where Phil is an attorney and small businessman.  They are the proud parents of six children and are blessed with seventeen grandchildren.  

Election and Your Coming Property Tax Appraisal

April 10, 2022

Constitutional Amendment Election


On Saturday, May 7th there will be two propositions on the ballot. Both of these were bills passed during the Legislative Special Sessions of 2021. Below is a summary of what these propositions would do. Early voting will begin on Monday, April 25th.  

Proposition 1 will benefit individuals with an over 65 or disabled exemption on their homestead.

Ballot Language

 
The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”

Summary

  • If an individual has an over 65/disabled exemption on their home and this proposition passes, they will receive a reduction on school district property taxes.
  • HB 3 from the 86th Legislature compressed school maintenance and operation tax rates across the board except for over 65/disabled because their rate was already lower than the new compressed rate for everyone else.
  • This amendment will provide for the same percentage reduction in an individual’s school district tax rate that everyone else received in 2019.  
  • There are 1.8 million over 65 exemptions and 180,000 disabled exemptions, on average these households will see a $100 reduction the first year and $125 reduction in the second year; the reduction will continue to grow each year.
  • If there is additional school M&O tax rate compression provided by HB 3 in the future, individuals with an over 65/disabled exemption will receive the same percentage tax rate deduction automatically if this amendment passes.
  • This amendment will become effective as of January, 1, 2023, if it passes.

Proposition 2 will increase the homestead exemption by $15,000.
Ballot Language

“The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”

Summary

  • If this amendment passes the state homestead exemption for school district taxable value purposes will increase from $25,000 to $40,000. 
  • On average, the 5.67 million homesteads in Texas will see a $175 savings in their school district tax bill at the current average statewide school property tax rate.
  • This amendment will be effective as of January 1, 2022 if it passes, so homeowners will see the savings when they receive their property tax bill this fall. 
  • This exemption increase is a permanent and ongoing benefit to homeowners. 

Note on Impact on School Funding 

I think it is important to note, that if one or both of these amendments passes, no school district will lose any revenue they are entitled to receive from the school funding formulas. State dollars will replace any local dollars that a school district would otherwise lose from the passage of these amendments.   

Appraisal Notices Will Be In Mail Soon 


This is a great report explaining the rise in property values due to our skyrocketing real estate market. No matter what your appraisal is, the truth is that the taxes you pay are based on the tax rates adopted by local jurisdictions. Rising appraisals doesn’t automatically correlate with higher tax bills. According to TTARA, without the changes the legislature recently enacted, property tax bills would have been 8% higher in 2021. Most local jurisdictions begin public hearings late in the summer and then will adopt a rate shortly thereafter so I encourage you to follow and engage in that process.  

Having said this, property tax relief and border security are the top two issues facing Texans and are both priorities of mine. There is still much more that can be done to ease the overall property tax burdens on residential property owners and I look forward to working on these issues in the next legislative session.  

Please read this report HERE. 

Common Election Day Questions Answered

February 27, 2022

Can I vote at any polling location? 

The answer is a bit confusing because it is different county by county. 

Brown, Callahan, Palo Pinto, Parker and Tarrant counties allow county wide voting which means you can vote at ANY election day voting site.  

For Johnson, Shackelford and Stephens counties voting occurs at your designated voting precinct. Your precinct number can be found on your voter registration card.  If you can’t find your registration card you can also determine your precinct HERE.  (There might have been a change in your precinct number due to your local redistricting process.)

Where are the voting sites?

For a list of Election Day voting locations check out philking.com/vote.  We have a link set up for each of Senate District 10’s counties.

Do I need to bring my voter registration card?

You don’t have to have your voter registration card to vote.  Just bring a good ID.  If you can’t locate a valid ID you can still vote provisionally with later verification.  Just tell the poll workers your situation.  They are happy to help. 

When can I vote?

Early voting has closed but Election Day is Tuesday, March 1 and the polls will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM.  As long as you’re in line before 7 PM you’ll get to vote. 

Did my mail-in ballot get counted?

If you voted by mail you can track your ballot here HERE to make sure your vote is counted! 

What are the propositions on my ballot? 

The Republican Party of Texas has ten propositions on the Republican primary ballot.  These are unlike the Constitutional Amendments that you voted on in November where upon passage, it became law.  Rather these propositions are gauging voters’ interest in a particular topic facing Texans.  These propositions are then used by RPT and Texas Republicans on what issues should be considered for legislative priorities next session.   For a list of the propositions on the Republican primary ballot click HERE.

I hope this information has been helpful, and I of course would appreciate your vote on Tuesday.

Thanks,

Phil

The Primary Election is Here!

February 14, 2022

Early voting for the March 1 Republican primary has now begun, and I humbly ask for your vote to serve as State Senator in District 10.

I am grateful to have earned almost every key endorsement in this campaign, whether from conservative leaders, pro-life organizations, second amendment advocates, those who wear the badge and keep our communities safe, as well as those fighting to defend religious liberty and our traditional values.  If you haven’t had a chance to see some our key support, you can review our list HERE.

But the most important endorsement is yours!  You can early vote at any location in your county between February 14 – February 25.  Election Day is on March 1!
For early voting locations and times please use the following links below.

If you are voting by mail, the Secretary of State has launched a new digital tool that allows you to track your ballot.  Click HERE to track your ballot by mail.  

 Sincerely,


Phil King
State Representative
Candidate for Texas Senate District 10


Brown County

Callahan County

Johnson County

Palo Pinto County

Parker County

Tarrant County

Shackelford County

Stephens County


Representative King serves House District 61 in the Texas Legislature.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute and is the past National Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.  A former Fort Worth police officer, King currently serves in the Texas State Guard.  He earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from Dallas Baptist University, where he served as an adjunct professor and taught Constitutional Law. He earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth (formerly Texas Wesleyan).  Phil and his wife Terry are active members of Trinity Bible Church in Weatherford where Phil is an attorney and small businessman.  They are the proud parents of six children and are blessed with sixteen grandchildren.  

My Thoughts on Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates & Convening the Texas Legislature for a 4th Special Session

November 29, 2021


Whether you decide to get vaccinated or not, this is your personal decision that should be made only by you—not government. I support your individual liberty and know that you can make the best decision for you and your family without government interference. I believe having personal autonomy over your health care decisions is a core freedom that we must fight to protect.

As you know, whether it’s the border, immigration, inflation, high gas prices or vaccine mandates the majority of Texas’ problems are generated by the federal government. In the federal courts we are fighting hard against the heavy handed vaccine mandates from President Biden and Washington bureaucrats. Texas has filed multiple suits and the feds are feeling the pressure.

It’s more than a bit confusing with so many lawsuits against the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates but here is where we are today. It’s evolving almost daily but the battle continues:

• OSHA mandate (100 employees or more) – halted nationwide by temporary injunction 
• CMS mandate (Medicare/Medicaid providers) – also enjoined nationally
•Federal contractor mandate – enjoined only in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Texas’s suit in progress.

As you may know, in Texas we do have a very strong statewide executive order in place (that has the effect of state law) which prohibits mandates by both governmental entities and private employers. The Biden administration contends that its federal orders supersede Texas law. Texas has asserted in court our belief that the federal government does not have the authority under the U.S. Constitution to order any vaccine mandates. Therein lies the controversy and our fight in court.

I have personally reached out to the Governor’s most senior staff and let them know that I support anything we can do legislatively to stop this unprecedented federal overreach regarding vaccines—including a 4th Special Session. But I also want to share with you the political reality of the Texas Legislature. Earlier this year, I coauthored many of the bills aimed at stopping this gross federal overreach and I sit on a committee that heard some of these bills. Without court intervention, as I discussed above, the federal vaccine mandates on federal contractors and health care workers would require full vaccination by January 4, 2022. In Article 3, Section 39 of the Texas Constitution, for a bill to take immediate effect or have an effective date earlier than 90 days after the session ends, it requires 2/3rd support or 100 votes. In the Texas House, we currently have only 83 Republicans. This is disappointing but a reality.  In other words, even if the Texas Legislature convened today, under the Texas Constitution it would be months before any change in Texas law could go into effect.  Regardless, I want Texas to pursue every avenue of help, including a new legislative session.    

In addition to addressing vaccine mandates, there are several other issues that are very important to me personally and to my constituents that didn’t make it through the legislative process. So, should Governor Abbott call us back in, here is a list of what I believe should be added to the agenda for a 4th Special Session.

-Felony penalties for illegal voting
-Abolish child gender mutilation/modification
-Enhance border security penalties
-Rein in executive powers during emergencies
-Prohibit cities/counties from implementing employment regulations on private business that is in contradiction with state law

We have a long way to go but there is solid progress.   I’ll try to keep you posted as we move forward.

It’s Official!

November 16, 2021
I’m excited to share the news that I have officially filed to run for election to the Texas Senate!
 
Since announcing our candidacy just seven weeks ago, my family and I have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of support.    
 
Texans in Senate District 10 know that the damage caused by the Biden Administration grows more severe with every day:

-Mandates that impose on our liberties;
-Ignoring border security;
-Rising prices on gasoline, groceries, and everything we need to live;
-An all out assault on our very culture, values and so much more.

Texas must fight back. As your state senator, I’ll fight the unacceptable encroachment from Washington upon our rights and liberties. 

 I hope you’ll take a minute to check out our new website at www.PhilKing.com.  We are still updating the site with new endorsements, so if you are not yet added please know we are working to add new supporters every day.   If you haven’t added your name, please do so at https://www.philking.com/endorse/

Finally, we’re preparing for a costly campaign to defeat the incumbent liberal Democrat and win this critical seat for Republicans.   If you are willing to provide a donation of $250, $100, $50, $25 or even $10, every dollar helps us get closer to that goal.

Sincerely,
 
 
Representative Phil King
Republican Candidate for Texas Senate


Representative King serves House District 61 in the Texas Legislature.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute and is the past National Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.  A former Fort Worth police officer, King currently serves in the Texas State Guard.  He earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from Dallas Baptist University, where he served as an adjunct professor and taught Constitutional Law. He earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth (formerly Texas Wesleyan).  Phil and his wife Terry are active members of Trinity Bible Church in Weatherford where Phil is an attorney and small businessman.  They are the proud parents of six children and are blessed with sixteen grandchildren.