News

Weatherford Telegram

State Representative Phil King

During this time of year, especially during Presidential election years, it’s very easy to become disenchanted with all of the noise coming from both sides. I would like to urge you to do your best to break through the rhetoric, TV ads, emails and all the rest of it and put yourself in the mindset of an employer looking to hire a new employee. Think of the candidate as someone you are solely responsible for hiring to the position he or she may be running for (Justice of the Peace, Congressman, President, and anything in between).

Spend some time thinking about those traits that you would want in your employee: solid values and convictions, experience, maturity, and a strong work ethic. Does the candidate have a work record that shows they are effective at their job? You should also take into consideration what the requisite skills and knowledge base for the job to which the candidate is applying are, and whether or not they have those tools to serve in that position. Is this individual a person of character – are they someone you would trust your company’s money with?

Take President Obama for example. Many people voted for him based on his smooth talk and rock star image and not because he had a proven record or was necessarily the most trustworthy candidate (in fact, you may argue that he had a complete lack of experience for the job of President). Sadly, his lack of experience has damaged this country to the point that it will require years of work and reform to repair.

Too often we put our elected officials on a pedestal and forget that they are elected to WORK and SERVE we the people. Elections should not be a popularity contest, but rather should be about making the choice of which candidate will be the best servant and representative of our interests. It is essential to “hire” someone that is going to be a good steward of our taxpayer dollars and practice fiscal restraint in government spending. We must begin to think of our elections as a hiring choice if we are going to right the ship and begin to fix our country’s economy.

Back here at home, this November I’m asking you to review my employment record and ask all of these questions about me. I would appreciate the opportunity to keep working for you in the Texas House of Representatives to keep Texas on the path of economic prosperity. It has truly been an honor to serve you in Austin and I hope that you will find my track record is one that has produced good results for the residents of Parker and Wise counties.

Please join me at the polls to ensure that we hire the best people for the job to ensure that the United States and Texas remain the best place in the world to work and live.

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

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

Little Rock, AR – The following statement may be attributed to Governor Mike Huckabee:

“Huck PAC and I are proud to endorse Phil King for re-election as Texas State Representative in District 61.

“Since his election in 1998, Phil has made a lasting impact on Texas public policy; serving as the Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee, one of the key committees in the Texas House, for three legislative sessions.

“A commonsense conservative who consistently leads by example, Phil has rightfully earned a glowing reputation among his peers. He has earned a reputation as a principle-driven conservative who consistently provides key leadership in passing some of Texas’ most sweeping public policy legislation.

“Phil is a true family man who understands the importance of social issues like the right to life, and traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Endorsed by Texas Right to Life, Phil King has a perfect pro-life voting record and truly understands that being pro-life is not a political position, but a moral responsibility.

“Phil King has been a tireless fighter for conservative values in the Texas House. He is known as a mentor, spending countless hours recruiting and training new conservative legislators ensuring the conservative brand remains strong in Texas. Phil King is the definition of a servant leader.

“I hope you will join Huck PAC and me in supporting Phil King for re-election as Texas State Representative in District 61.”

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

Austin – In reaction to today’s Supreme Court decision, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) has released the following remarks and information:

King remarked: “While legal and healthcare scholars are still struggling to decipher what today’s Supreme Court decision on Obamacare means, one thing is certain – the Court ruled to uphold the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act, which will have a major impact on Texas businesses.”

Here are a few points on what this means for Texas businesses:


• The Texas comptroller’s office estimates that from 2010 to 2019 Texas businesses will pay approximately $9.3 billion in penalties under the employer mandate.
• The mandate requires employers to offer their employees a health insurance policy that meets the minimum essential health benefits established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. If an employer does not offer such coverage, an annual maximum penalty of $2,000 for all employees after the first 30 employees is assessed.
• Offering coverage, however, does not guarantee protection from the penalty. If the policy costs more than 8 percent of an employee’s household income, and if the employee obtains insurance through a state exchange, the employer must still pay the penalty. If one or more employees qualify for and receive a subsidy in the state insurance exchange, then the employer is assessed the lesser of $2,000 for all employees beyond the first 30, or $3,000 for each employee that receives subsidies in the exchange.
• The law differentiates between those businesses with fewer than 50 employees and those with more than 50 employees. The biggest difference between these two business sizes is that the employer mandate applies to the latter but not the former. This distinction creates a significant disincentive for growth for small businesses as they approach the 50 employee mark and consider the compliance costs that come with hiring the 51st employee.
• The Texas economy has been the most successful economy of all 50 states over the last decade. The state’s low tax and low regulatory structure are a key driver of this economic success, but the health care law threatens the state’s continued prosperity. The regulatory, tax, and administrative burdens posed by the health care law create a significant drag on business growth.
• The rising cost of business driven by compliance, employee coverage, and penalties will force medium size business to either merge with one another to gain economies of scale, sell their business to larger competitors, or shut down completely. The future of Texas business under the health care law is one in which small businesses stay small, large businesses stay large, and growth is muted.

For a more detailed report on the costs of Obamacare on Texas businesses, you may visit Texas Public Policy Foundation’s full analysis by clicking here.

Weatherford Telegram

State Representative Phil King

The Barnett Shale is responsible for over 100,000 jobs in North Texas and produced over $11 billion in annual output in 2011 alone. Barnett Shale activity accounted for 38.5 percent of the incremental growth in our local economy over the past decade. While our communities continue to benefit from the oil and gas industry, Barnett Shale activity has declined dramatically, primarily due to low natural gas prices and the high cost of drilling in our urban and suburban areas. This is why it was so disturbing when I read about a local city’s recent decision to implement a new local tax on each gas well on top of very high permitting and other fees already in place.

It concerns me that a municipality would attempt to raise revenues with a tax focused on a single industry, particularly an industry that has provided tremendous economic benefit for the residents of North Texas and the entire state of Texas. This sector of our economy drives job growth and provides billions of dollars in revenue for state and local municipalities. The oil and gas industry paid $9.3 billion in taxes and royalties to the State of Texas in 2011. Cumulative economic benefits in the Barnett Shale region from 2001-2011 include $65.4 billion in output and 596,648 person years of employment.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) today expressed his frustration with the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to include Wise County in its DFW non-attainment area. Yesterday the EPA announced their designation of Wise County to the non-attainment area, citing their belief that pollution levels had increased in the county due to natural gas exploration activities in the Barnett Shale.

This announcement comes in the wake of extremely controversial comments that surfaced last week made by the EPA Administrator over Texas, Al Armendariz, regarding the oil and gas industry. Armendariz’s comments that the EPA was out to “crucify” the oil and gas industry were made in 2010, but just released days ago, and led to his resignation last week.

“I’m very concerned that these new regulations are based on bad science and divisive politics,” King stated, “It is highly suspect that days after the head EPA official in Texas proves that the agency has animosity towards the most important economic driver in our state, that these job killing regulations are put forward by that same agency. It is nothing short of shameful that the Obama Administration continues to target and harm hardworking Texans to further their petty political games.”

King further explained that this attempt to add new air regulations seems to be the latest attempt of the federal government to encroach on Texas’ sovereignty. Over the past couple of years, the EPA has assumed control of regulating certain manufacturing and processing plants in Texas by invalidating Texas’ own successful Flexible Permits Program; devised a regulatory scheme for “cross-state emissions,” resulting in many Texas electric generation plants planning to shut down operations; injected themselves in local oil and gas production issues; and launched a study on Texas natural gas producers’ fracking procedures. All of these functions have been previously under the authority of the state of Texas. King noted that federal courts have ruled against the EPA in at least two of these instances recently, showing that the EPA has overstepped its authority.

King joined dozens of local, state, and federal officials earlier this year in calling for the EPA to reconsider their pending designation of Wise County, among other counties in Texas, into the non-attainment area.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – Today State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) announced that the Texas Transportation Commission has approved an almost $10 million expenditure for maintenance and safety improvement projects on roads impacted by the energy sector in the Barnett Shale area. King has worked tirelessly since the Barnett Shale boom began to ensure that adequate resources are allocated for this area to maintain the safety of the roads.

“I’m very pleased that the Commission has taken this action in light of the damage local roads have sustained over the years from the heavy Barnett Shale related truck traffic,” King stated, “The energy industry has been such an important driver for our local economy, but it does come with the reality of road damage. The decision by the Commission to move forward with these improvement projects in our area is a good step in the right direction to address this reality.”

The Texas Department of Transportation is expected to begin work this summer on these safety improvement projects.

Contact Information:
(817) 381–8282

AUSTIN – Today, State Representative Phil King (R- Weatherford) pledged support for the Texas Budget Compact, a set of five key principles for a stronger Texas outlined by Governor Rick Perry to keep Texas on the path to prosperity.

“In the shadow of the Obama Administration’s out-of-control tax and spend policies, Texas must stand strong and fight to keep our budget as lean as possible,” King explained, “Texans are already taxed enough at every turn and cannot afford for government to take even more of their hard earned money. By adopting strong, conservative policies now, we can ensure that Texas remains the number one place in the country to do business. That’s why I am pledging my support for the Texas Budget Compact.”

With increasing pressure on the Texas budget, particularly due to the skyrocketing cost of Medicaid mandated by the federal government, Texans expect their leaders to commit now to the polices and discipline that are required for Texas to maintain a strong economy and to remain the top job-producer in the nation. Looking ahead to the next legislative session in 2013, the Texas Budget Compact is an effort to unite state leaders to keep Texas on solid financial ground by following its guiding principles:

1. Practice truth in budgeting.
2. Support a Constitutional limit of spending to the growth of population and inflation.
3. Make the small business tax exemption permanent, and oppose any new taxes or tax increases.
4. Preserve a strong Rainy Day Fund.
5. Cut unnecessary and duplicative government programs and agencies.

According to USA Today, Texas has moved past New York as the nation’s second largest economy, and the Wall Street Journal has credited Texas’ low taxes and employer-friendly environment with helping make Texas the job creation capital of the nation. Additionally, Texas consistently ranks among the top states for Fortune 500 headquarters.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

AUSTIN – State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) today lauded the organization Texans for a Conservative Budget for their hard work in laying out a conservative roadmap for the next Texas budget. King announced his intention to work toward achieving many of the measures included in the plan during the next legislative session.

Revamping the public education system in Texas by ending expensive, unnecessary mandates on school districts; reducing welfare entitlement spending; cutting over-regulation, and unnecessary state programs; and implementing spending and taxing limits, are just a few of the measures included in the plan.

“Heading into the next legislative session Texas is facing a deficit of several billion dollars, which will only be a portion of the deficit created by increased expenditures Texas will be responsible for under Obamacare. This proposal is a bold, strategic template for the Legislature to use when considering how to address the challenges facing our state,” King explained, “Although there is room for debate over the details of this budget plan, I strongly endorse the principles and concepts behind this roadmap. I would like to thank all of the organizations that worked so hard to put this plan together and look forward to working closely with them next session to pass the most responsible and effective budget we can for Texas.”

Texans for a Conservative Budget is an organization comprised of several grassroots groups that rolled out a comprehensive budget proposal yesterday at the Texas Capitol. A summary of the plan may be found at the following link: http://www.texaspolicy.com/pdf/2012-03-RealTexasBudgetSolutions-2013andBeyond-TCB.pdf.

Contact Information:
(817) 381-8282

The Texas Department of Public Safety is again urging Spring Breakers to avoid traveling to Mexico as a result of continued violence throughout the country.

According to published information from the U.S. Department of State: *

• 12,903 narcotics-related homicides were reported the first nine months of 2011 alone.
• The number of U.S. citizens reported as murdered in Mexico increased from 35 in 2007 to 120 in 2011.
• U.S. citizens have fallen victim to transnational criminal activity, including homicide, gun battles, kidnapping, carjacking and highway robbery.
• Rape and sexual assault continue to be serious problems in resort areas.
• Some bars and nightclubs, especially in resort cities such as Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Tijuana can be havens for drug dealers and petty criminals.
• Crime and violence are serious problems throughout the country and can occur anywhere.
• The State Department now urges U.S. travelers to defer non-essential travel to all or parts of 14 Mexican states, four more than 2011.

The situation in Mexico today is significantly different than it was just a decade ago,” said McCraw. “Many crimes against Americans in Mexico go unpunished, and we have a responsibility to inform the public about safety and travel risks and threats. Based on the unpredictable nature of cartel violence and other criminal elements, we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time.”

DPS acknowledges that many travel to Mexico without incident, but the risks cannot be ignored. Travelers are encouraged to carefully research any planned trips.

Travelers should always check the U.S. Department of State website for the most up-to-date information related to security issues in Mexico. (See *http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html.)

U.S. citizens living or traveling in Mexico are urged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

Dear Friend,

Heading into this year’s election cycle with all of the confusion surrounding redistricting in Texas, it is extremely important that we focus on what this election is truly about. Here are a few facts that should help shed some light on what we are facing:

• According to the 2010 Census data, almost half of all Americans live in households that receive government benefits.
• This last fact is most disturbing given that 49.5% of Americans pay NO income tax. In other words, 50% of Americans are paying for the other 50%.
• The federal government now borrows 43 cents for every dollar it spends – in 2007 the government only borrowed 5 cents for every dollar it spent!
• The federal debt grows by over 4 billion dollars a day!
• In the next state budget, under Obamacare, Medicaid is slated to cost Texas taxpayers $30.7 billion – this budget $17.1 billion was appropriated for the same program. (Please note this is Medicaid, not Medicare.)
• Projections under Obamacare show that Texas’ Medicaid caseload could be up to 8.4 million by 2014, an 88 percent increase from today! 2.2 million Texans are currently on Medicaid.

This course is clearly not sustainable. As you can see, the stakes are higher than ever that we defeat the Obama Administration in November and get a handle on our spending at the national and state level. As Texans, we must not only stand up to the out-of-control federal government, but also look at innovative ways of reforming our own system. As a conservative, I believe it is our duty to get our fiscal house in order so that Texans have more money in their own pockets to help their families and businesses prosper. Economic freedom is key to a prosperous Texas and a prosperous America. Our fight against Washington begins in Austin. I appreciate your support in this fight for our future. It is a pleasure to serve you in the Texas Legislature.

Sincerely,

Phil King

Sources: Legislative Budget Board, Texas Public Policy Foundation, New York Times, Heritage Alliance, Mercatus Center, US National Debt Clock