Phil King (Texas politician)

Phillip Stephen "Phil" King (born February 29, 1956) is a Weatherford, Texas, attorney who has been a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives since 1999. He represents District 61, which encompasses Parker and Wise counties to the west of Fort Worth.

King was nominated without opposition in the 1998 Republican primary when the incumbent, Ric Williamson, did not seek re-election. In the general election, King defeated the Democratic candidate, Brenda Brown Rotramble, 21,200 (65%) to 11,626 (35%). (At the time, the district included a portion of neighboring Cooke County.)

King ran unopposed in 2000.

In 2002, King defeated the Democratic candidate Mack Dobbs, 25,525 (69%) to 11,475 (3%).

In 2004, King once again ran unopposed.

In 2006, King defeated the Libertarian candidate Richard Forsythe, Jr., 27,470 (80% to 6,696 (20%), in the general election the Democratic Party did not field a candidate.

In 2008, King faced two opponents in the general election, Democratic candidate Charles William Randolph and (once again facing) Libertarian candidate Forsythe, defeating them 48,879 (73%) to Randolph's 16,308 (24%) and Forsythe's 2,205 (4%).

In 2010, King defeated the Libertarian candidate, Richard Forysthe, Jr. 34,513 (86%) to 5,508 (14%), in the general election.

In 2012, King defeated Green Party candidate Matthew Britt, 55,737 (89%) to 6,954 (11%).

In 2014, King again defeated candidate Matthew Britt (who ran under the Democratic Party banner), 36,466 (83%) to 7,451 (17%).

King has supported legislation that would institute parental notification and parental consent.

In the regular and then the three special legislative sessions of 2003, King authored the congressional redistricting legislation favored by the Republican Party, which won more than 55 percent of the total votes cast in thirty-two separate congressional races in the 2002 midterm elections even though the Republican Party obtained just fifteen of the U.S. House seats. The changes led to a temporary 21–11 Republican majority within the Texas delegation to the U.S. House. After the 2006 elections, however, that margin was reduced to 19–13 Republican. After 2008, it became 20–12 Republican.

In 2005, King was the House sponsor of Senate Bill 5, which deregulated Texas telecommunications laws and banned Texas cities from participating in projects that offer free wi-fi in airports and public spaces.

In the 2005 special session on school finance, King proposed a one-cent increase in the state sales tax (6.25 cents) in order to lower the property tax cap for school district funding.

King has been involved in many other legislative matters, including tests for steroid use by high school athletes, ways to prevent abortion clinics from circumventing the parental notification law, and the proposal that voters at the time of registration be able to furnish proof of U.S. citizenship.

In 2008, an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram found that the president of AT&T had written a letter urging employees to help re-elect King, then head of the House Regulated Industries Committee. During the 2008 primary election cycle, King was given over $200,000 from utility and energy company PACs. King also took gifts from CenterPoint Energy Vice President Scott E. Rozzell, a violation of the state’s law governing gifts to public officials.

In 2009, King was fined $1,300 by the Texas Ethics Commission of using campaign funds for personal expenses.

Prior to his legislative service, King was a captain in the Fort Worth Police Department, an instructor at his alma mater, Dallas Baptist University, and a Parker County justice of the peace. He currently serves as an officer in the Texas State Guard.

King obtained his Bachelor of Arts and M.B.A. degrees from Dallas Baptist University in Dallas. He procured the Juris Doctor degree from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. King and his wife, Terry, are active members of Trinity Bible Church in Weatherford. The couple has six children and eight grandchildren. Terry King is a direct descendant of Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford.