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The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced this week that State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) has earned an ‘A+’ rating, the organization’s highest score, on their legislative scorecard, as well as the organization’s endorsement for the 2010 election cycle.

“Representative King’s high rating and endorsement is based on his strong and tireless support for Second Amendment issues in the Texas Legislature,” said NRA spokeswoman Tara Reilly Mica.

“Protecting the Second Amendment is more important today than ever before as our right to bear arms faces constant threat from the left,” commented King, “This is an issue that is extremely important to both my constituents and conservatives across the state, and I look forward to continuing to fight to preserve our Second Amendment rights in the coming legislative session.”

King has been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights throughout his tenure in the Texas Legislature. Over the past few legislative sessions he has authored several significant pieces of legislation, including a bill to allow employees with their concealed handgun permit to store firearms in their car while parked on company property. In November, King and several other legislators filed an amicus brief supporting the NRA’s stance in the pivotal Supreme Court case of McDonald v. City of Chicago in an effort to have Chicago’s ban on handguns declared unconstitutional.

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This week Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) announced his appointment of State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) to the House Select Committee on Fiscal Stability. King has served on the House Committee on Ways and Means since January of 2009 and brings a free-market, fiscally-conservative viewpoint to the panel.

King stated, “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to ensure the fiscal stability of our great state for years to come. I will fight for Texas to continue down the path of lower taxes and fewer regulations on business that has seen our state flourish amidst the recession, while other states like California are floundering.”

The select committee will assess Texas’ ability to meet its current and future budget obligations and analyze whether any possible budget shortfalls are due to the current recession alone or more systemic problems.

Dallas Morning News

Robert T. Garrett

AUSTIN – Control of the Texas House is up for grabs and will be decided this fall in a handful of districts, many of them in Dallas County.

Both parties have challenges but reasons for high hopes, too.

Republicans, who hold a 77-73 edge, need to squelch potential fallout from an unusually large number of primary challenges.

And they’ll be campaigning against incumbent Democrats without help from their fundraising whiz of the past two decades, former Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland.

Democrats probably lack a ticket-topper who can fire up young and minority voters the way Barack Obama did in 2008.

They also must interrupt a raucous national political conversation to bring a message to suburban independents that Republicans who run state government have harmed students, commuters and families.

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This week Americans for Prosperity – Texas (AFP) released their legislative scorecard for the Texas Legislature, giving State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) an “A” rating for his role in defending the American Dream.

Grades for AFP’s Report Card were determined on a numerical basis based by the legislators’ votes on key issues which relate to fiscal restraint and fewer regulations.

AFP State Director Peggy Venable stated, “Texas remains the beacon of fiscal sanity in this country because of the leadership of Phil King and other like-minded legislators. Representative King deserves recognition for steering Texas in the right direction.”

Venable went on to say, “Legislators who received A’s on the AFP-Texas report card voted in a manner which promoted individual liberty, lower taxes and fewer onerous regulations, and we should thank them for voting to protect our pocket books.”

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The following statement was made today by State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford):

“Last night’s Senate vote on healthcare was a blow to liberty and our Constitution, but don’t lose heart – we haven’t lost the fight. This is still America. Standing together, we are just one election away from turning the tide by restoring conservative leadership in Washington and Austin! As your state representative, I know I’m desperate for help in Austin where conservatives are hanging on by thread. We’ve bound together in an organization called the Texas Conservative Coalition. Please check out our website: http://www.txcc.org/. I think you’ll find it encouraging. Don’t be discouraged, instead be committed.”

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In light of reports that Private Francheska Velez was pregnant when she was shot and killed by Major Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood Military Base, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) has joined with thirty of his conservative colleagues in the Texas Legislature in calling for the United States Army to charge Major Hasan for taking the life of an unborn child, in addition to the existing thirteen charges of premeditated murder.

King, a member of the Texas Conservative Coalition, stated, “We were all shocked and appalled at the senseless tragedy that Major Hasan unleashed at Fort Hood. For justice to be fully won, the death of an innocent, unborn child must be reflected in the legal charges against Major Hasan.”

The TCC letter cites the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), as amended by the 2004 Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Furthermore, in 2003, the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 319, which provides that a person who commits an offense that results in harm to, or the death of a fetus can be prosecuted in generally the same manner as an offense committed against an individual.

The TCC letter, which was signed by 31 members of the Texas Legislature, reads:

“We believe that the murder of Private Velez’s unborn child must be prosecuted… Indeed, such action would underscore the fundamental point that unborn children must be afforded the same legal protections against offenses that can be committed against individuals, such as homicide.”

King continued, “It is imperative that our laws and system of justice value the life of Private Velez’s innocent unborn child just the same as they value the lives of Major Hasan’s thirteen other victims.” King concluded, “We hope the Army will answer our call to make the charges against Major Hasan fully reflect the extent of his horrific crime.”

Weatherford Democrat

State Representative Phil King

The global warming debate continues. The Copenhagen Global Warming Summit is being held this week in Denmark and while world-renowned scientists still disagree on the effects, liberal extremists in Washington are working harder than ever to advance their own political agendas in its name.

Capitol Hill Democrats are now touting the federal “Cap and Tax” legislation as the newest solution to global warming. When you boil it down, “cap and tax” simply amounts to a federal energy tax. Since Texas produces and consumes more energy than any other state, our economy will be hit the hardest. As Texans, we need to remain vigilant to ensure that this legislation does not pass.

A June 26, 2009 opinion editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled, “The Cap and Tax Fiction,” explains: “As the cap is tightened (in future years) … the price of permits will skyrocket … and the costs of buying these expensive permits will be passed to consumers … The whole point of “cap and tax” is to hike the price of electricity and gas so that Americans will use less. These higher prices will show up not just in electricity bills or at the gas station, but in every manufactured good, from food to cars. Consumers will cut back on spending, which in turn will cut back on production, which results in fewer jobs created or higher unemployment. Some companies will instead move their operations overseas, with the same result.”

Weatherford Democrat

Staff and Wire Reports

Against the backdrop of the recent White House Jobs Summit, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) called for a smarter, limited government approach to job creation that he says is a proven alternative to federal stimulus spending and intervention in the private sector economy.

In a late-week release, King said although Texas remains better off economically than the rest of the nation, the most recent unemployment figures illustrate the imperative for a targeted and responsible state-level plan to grow the economy and create jobs.

“We know that the federal stimulus package has failed,” King said. “The national unemployment rate now stands above 10 percent and each job purportedly ‘saved or created’ has cost taxpayers $250,000. If President Obama wants ideas on how to get the economy back on a sound footing, he should look to Texas.”

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Against the backdrop of the White House Jobs Summit being held today, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) called for a smarter, limited government approach to job creation that is a proven alternative to federal “stimulus” spending and intervention in the private sector economy.

Although Texas remains better off economically than the rest of the nation, the most recent unemployment figures illustrate the imperative for a targeted and responsible state-level plan to grow the economy and create jobs.

King stated, “We know that the federal stimulus package has failed. The national unemployment rate now stands above 10 percent and each job purportedly ‘saved or created’ has cost taxpayers $250,000. If President Obama wants ideas on how to get the economy back on a sound footing, he should look to Texas.”

Texas’ unemployment rate of 8.3 percent is too high, but remains lower than the national rate of 10.2 percent and the 12.5 percent rate in California. Texas remains relatively strong in large part because taxes are comparatively low, lawsuit reform has been a success, insurance reforms have worked and sensible state spending has allowed the state to put a sizeable deposit in the Rainy Day Fund.

King pledged, “Over the next year, I will continue to build support for policies that are proven to work: cutting taxes and letting the free market work. The Obama way is the wrong way.”

“So far, Texas has weathered the current economic crisis relatively well thanks to sound tax policies and targeted job growth programs put in place over the last six years,” noted King. He continued, “We must engage in a vigorous debate about state fiscal and economic policy. Washington must hear that there is a better way to create jobs: the Texas way.”

King concluded, “We know tax cuts and workforce development programs work. My job is to make sure that before the next session begins we develop a plan to help Texas remain the economic leader nationally.”

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Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) announced today that Texas Transportation Commission has approved two new highway projects significantly impacting Parker County. King stated, “Our support of Proposition 12 in the 2007 Bond Referendum has resulted in two projects that will immediately benefit the residents of my district.”

The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved roughly $2 billion in highway projects throughout the state, aimed at increasing safety, rehabilitating pavement, expanding highway corridors of statewide significance and reducing traffic congestion in cities across the state.

“Fortunately, the commission has allotted over $40 million dollars of the Proposition 12 bond funds to make improvements for Parker County’s roadways,” King said, “The two projects encompass major sections of the I-20 corridor both east and west of Weatherford.”

To select projects, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) staff utilized a collaborative approach. TxDOT districts and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) were asked to develop a list of all needed projects that fit the bond program’s requirements and criteria to evaluate them.

“We work with our partners around the state to establish a prioritization process that would help meet transportation needs statewide as agreed upon by this group of experts,” said Deidre Delisi, Texas Transportation Commission chair.

More information, including a complete list of projects selected from Proposition 12 funding, can be found on TxDOT’s website, www.txdot.gov.