News

State Representative Phil King

Today marks the final day of the 83rd Texas Legislative Session. While it is likely we will be called back by the Governor into a special legislative session in the very near future to address redistricting, I wanted to share with you some of what was accomplished this session.

The following are just a few of the bills that I supported and/or sponsored, which I believe will keep Texas the best place in the country to raise a family and do business:

• Small business tax relief: HB 500 is a bill that offers over $700 million in business tax relief and makes permanent the $1 million small business tax exemption.
• Water: We passed two significant bills related to water. HB 4 puts in place a $2 billion water infrastructure bank, which will provide more than $27 billion in long-term funding for small communities like those in Parker and Wise counties to improve and enhance their water systems, ensuring the water needs of Texas are met for generations to come. HB 2767 is a bill I authored that removes the barriers to recycling produced water and frack water in the production of oil and gas.
• Drug testing for recipients of unemployment benefits: SB 21 takes a critical step toward decreasing fraud and ensuring the taxpayers of Texas are not subsidizing addictions of benefit recipients.
• TRS reform: The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), one of the largest pension funds in the nation, has had over $26 billion in unfunded liabilities and could not fully cover promised benefits to teachers and educators. TRS will now be actuarially sound moving forward, because of SB 1458, a reform bill that will ensure it will be there to provide for teachers for decades to come.
• Public education high stakes testing reform: HB 5 is a bill that will reduce the number of end-of-course assessments from 15 to 5. The bill also eliminates intrusive state mandates on our schools and provides flexibility for students to develop their individual talents and pursue their interests.
• Eminent domain: I was the sponsor of SB 655, which will protect Texas landowners by clarifying and strengthening existing law related to eminent domain in Texas to prevent certain entities from exercising that authority for improper purposes.

Some of the issues I believe the legislature must still address are: protecting human life through more stringent abortion laws; adequate transportation funding to ensure Texas remains the premier state in which to do business; greater education reform that will allow parents and school districts the flexibility to teach children the way they see fit, as opposed to bureaucrats in Austin; and legislation to enhance and expand our 2nd Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. I pledge to you that I will continue to work hard to see these issues addressed.

It has been an honor to serve the people of House District 61 during this legislative session. I look forward to continuing to work hard to limit the size of government to ensure that Texans have as much room as possible to prosper and enjoy their lives.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – This past weekend Governor Perry signed SB 655, sponsored by State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford), into law. This legislation clarifies and strengthens existing law related to eminent domain in Texas to prevent certain entities from exercising eminent domain for improper purposes.

“The legislature has made good strides over the past several years in protecting Texas landowners from abuses in the use of eminent domain,” King stated, “S.B. 655 adds to these protections by limiting the circumstances under which the ever-growing water and wastewater districts in Texas may exercise this authority. These districts will now be limited to exercising eminent domain only if the property they plan to take will be used for a public use, as opposed to ‘public purpose.’ The public use requirement is a much higher burden for the condemning authority to meet.”

S.B. 655 received more than a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the legislature, and is therefore effective immediately.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – Today, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) successfully passed H.B 2767, a bill that removes impediments of water recycling in oil and gas production.

The total water use for hydraulic fracturing in Texas has increased from about 11 billion gallons in 2008 to approximately 26 billion gallons in 2011. Total water use is only expected to grow as studies project maximum water use up to approximately 58.5 billion a year by 2020. Under current practice, over 80% of all oil and gas wastewater is disposed in underground injection wells instead of being treated and re-used in drilling and hydro-fracturing activity.

“H.B. 2767 seeks to establish a framework to encourage water recycling in the oil and gas industry, a crucial step we must take as oil and gas production water usage continues to grow,” King stated, “The recovery of oil and gas waste is essential to support growth in the Texas oil and gas industry while preserving our precious water resources that are so strained during this long drought.”

H.B. 2767 will now go to the Texas Senate for approval.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – Today, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) successfully amended H.B. 7, a bill dealing with certain revenues and accounts, to put in place a more stringent spending cap for the legislature. The amendment states that the legislature may not spend more than the rate of growth in population of the state plus the rate of growth of inflation.

“Texas has done a good job of being fiscally responsible with its spending during the tough economic times we have faced over the past few years,” King explained, “However, it is very important that we implement a conservative spending cap to ensure that even in the good times, Texas does not become irresponsible with its taxpayers’ dollars like the federal government has done.”

The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration along with King’s amendment.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – Today, State Representative Phil King (R – Weatherford) renewed his call for the head of the Travis County Public Integrity Unit to resign. Rosemary Lehmberg, the Travis County District Attorney, is currently serving a jail sentence for a DWI conviction in which she was three times over the legal limit. She has refused to resign from office. Ms. Lehmberg heads the Public Integrity Unit, the only law enforcement organization in Texas whose sole responsibility is to ensure the integrity of public officials.

King stated, “Anyone can make a mistake, but the belligerence Ms. Lehmberg showed to the police officers and jail personnel was extraordinary. The public should go on-line and review these recordings.”

Videos show that Ms. Lehmberg had to be physically restrained by jail personnel; even a “spit mask” was necessary. In recordings Ms. Lehmberg is seen arguing with officers and kicking the door to her cell.

Lehmberg: “If you wanna take me to jail, take me to jail. And you’re gonna ruin my career.”

Lehmberg: “I don’t care who you are but take these [expletive] handcuffs off me. Now! I mean like now! I am not drunk. I am not a criminal. I’m the [expletive] district attorney!”

The Public Integrity Unit was created by the legislature to investigate crimes by public officials. It is funded by the state, and the legislature may move the unit and its funding to another agency.

“I was a police officer for 15 years and I can assure you that any officer would have been terminated immediately for such conduct. In fact, I’m sure Ms. Lehmberg would fire her assistant prosecutors had they been arrested and then shown such direct contempt for the law,” King stated, “I strongly encourage Ms. Lehmberg to do what her position of public trust requires and immediately resign.”

State Representative Phil King

Friend –

As this legislative session moves along I wanted to update you on some of the important pro-family legislation my colleagues and I are working on to help strengthen religious liberty and protect the unborn.

One of the key pieces of pro-life legislation moving through the process is H.B. 2364, The Pre-Born Pain Act. This bill prohibits the performance of abortions after 20 weeks, making sure that abortions are never performed on unborn children capable of feeling pain. This bill will present attorneys fighting the legal battle against abortion in federal courts a new, unique approach to fight against the taking of the life of unborn children.

I am also proud to support a couple of very important religious liberty bills this session. First, HJR 110, is a constitutional amendment that says the state government may not burden a person’s freedom of religion. This bill is made necessary by recent misguided court cases in Texas disallowing students to say prayers at high school football games. H.B. 1525, the Religious Equal Access Act protects the right of a religious organization to gather and meet in public. H.B. 1525 codifies into Texas law the findings of the U.S. Supreme Court ensuring that all speech is protected and allowed in government-owned properties in our state, and prohibits school districts from treating religious organizations differently than they treat secular organizations regarding access to school campuses during non-instructional hours.

These are just a few of the bills the legislature is working on to help protect family values in Texas. All of them have an uphill battle, but I am committed to fighting for their passage. It is so important that we all continue to battle the moral decay of society in our homes, schools, churches, and halls of the legislature. Thank you for your support on these important issues. It is a pleasure to serve you in the Texas Legislature.

Sincerely,

Phil King

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) today expressed his frustration with high stakes testing and the public education system’s test-driven accountability system. As former Commissioner Robert Scott has stated, testing has become “a perversion of its original intent.” The heavy emphasis on testing as a measure of success in Texas public schools is failing our students.

“There is a better way to measure teacher, school, and student accomplishments than to have an education based primarily on testing,” King stated, “We must relieve districts of these burdensome mandates so schools can transition over to student-centered education. This will not only help school districts to manage their budget in tough economic times, but it will allow our students to receive a high-quality education where they will become more competitive and prepared.”

King went on to explain that there is a time and place for testing, however, it was never meant to be the main focus of our children’s education and such an arduous task for our teachers and faculty. Educators need to be given the flexibility to apply a range of learning experiences for our students to create high-quality education that is a well-rounded experience for all students.

“That is why I filed H.B. 290, which will allow school districts to have options and flexibility in testing their students,” King stated, “Schools would have the ability to select an assessment test that best fits their unique community.”

King said he has a strong belief that our local school boards and superintendents should have the ability to manage their funds and programs in a manner that best fits their community, and that history proves that local control remains the best system for managing education.

H.B. 290 will be heard in a public hearing in the House Committee on Public Education tomorrow, March 12th, at the Texas Capitol.

State Representative Phil King

Texas faces its third year of a drought and our reservoirs are only 65 percent full, the lowest levels since 1990. The need for water is one of the highest concerns of the Legislature as our state is on track to experience the second worst drought on record. To illustrate the problem, Texas’s population is projected to jump from 25 million to 46 million by 2060. Within that time water supplies are estimated to decline while the needs of our residential, industrial, and agricultural communities substantially increase.

That is why last week I signed on as a Joint Author to HB 11, which will fund our state water plan by withdrawing $2 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund (reserve fund). This bold legislation, lead authored by Representative Ritter of Nederland, will establish a permanent fund to assist regional entities in funding water projects, including both water infrastructure and reservoirs. Properly structured and managed, its affect can be far reaching.

This investment is large even by Texas standards. But it pales when compared to the $7.62 billion lost to the Texas economy from the 2011 drought alone. For Texas to maintain a strong economy that will create jobs and economic opportunity, we must aggressively address our water needs. This is a very serious problem and must be given thoughtful consideration, debate, and input. Please let me know your thoughts and counsel at [email protected] or on Facebook at facebook.com/PhilKingTX.

State Representative Phil King serves Parker and Wise counties in the Texas House of Representatives.

State Representative Phil King joined other elected officials in this open letter to the Boy Scouts of America:

As state elected officials, we strongly encourage the Boy Scouts of America to stick with their decades of support for family values and moral principles. Capitulating to the liberal social agenda not only undermines the very principles of scouting, but sets the stage for the erosion of an organization that has defined the American experience for generations of young men.

Scouts begin each meeting with an Oath, “to do my duty, to God and my country, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.” By caving in to pressure from the social left, the national leadership would violate each of those principles.

Worse still, the contemplated national policy would throw to the wolves chartering organizations and scout troops that choose to stick with scouting’s historic and legally protected policy. Left to defend themselves from legal attacks, we fear many churches and other entities will choose to simply abandon scouting altogether – it will be the safer course, and one hastening the organization’s eventual collapse.

Rest assured that while adopting this ill-considered and wrongly devised policy might earn temporary kudos, you can never do enough to appease those who want to see the scouts robbed of their moral authority.

We urge you to be morally and physically strong. We urge you to protect all that scouting has been, and all that it can remain.

Letter Signers:

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson

Congressman Kenny Marchant (R-Bonham)

State Senator Ken Paxton (R-McKinney)

State Senator Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth)

State Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury)

State Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston)

State Senator Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood)

State Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels)

State Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake)

State Representative Pat Fallon (R-Frisco)

State Representative Scott Sanford (R-McKinney)

State Representative Jeff Leach (R-Plano)

State Representative Matt Krause (R-Ft. Worth)

State Representative Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton)

State Representative Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands)

State Representative Scott Turner (R-Frisco)

State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford)

State Representative Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker)

State Representative Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound)

State Representative Van Taylor (R-Plano)

State Representative Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)

State Representative Bill Zedler (R-Arlington)

State Representative Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola)

State Representative Drew Springer (R-Muenster)

State Representative Dan Flynn (R-Canton)

State Representative Cecil Bell Jr. (R-Magnolia)

State Representative Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler)

State Representative James White (R-Woodville)

State Representative Rob Orr (R-Burleson)

State Representative James Frank (R-Wichita Falls)

State Representative Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston)

State Representative David Simpson (R-Longview)

State Representative Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood)

State Representative Rick Miller (R-Sugar Land)

State Representative Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford)

State Representative Charles Perry (R-Lubbock)

State Representative Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs)

State Representative Larry Phillips (R-Sherman)

State Board of Education Member Ken Mercer (R-San Antonio)

State Board of Education Member David Bradley (R-Beaumont)

Collin Country Commissioner Pct 3 Chris Hill (BSA Circle Ten Lone StarDistrict Chairman)

Collin County Judge Keith Self

Collin County Commissioner Pct 1 Matt Shaheen

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – The following statement may be attributed to State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford):

“Today I received two new committee assignments, the House Committee on Energy Resources and the House Committee on Pensions. I am exceptionally pleased with these two opportunities.”

“Energy production accounts for over one-fourth of the Texas economy and is an essential driver of our economy in the Barnett Shale area. The Pensions Committee oversees management and investment of some of the largest pension plans in the United States, some of which are experiencing difficulties right now. The Teacher Retirement System alone has over $110 billion in net assets, serving one of every twenty Texans.”

“Both of these committees deal with extremely important topics facing Texas and I am eager and honored to have the opportunity to get to work on these critical issues.”