Larry Phillips (Texas politician)

Lawrence A. "Larry" Phillips
Texas State Representative from District 62 (Fannin and Grayson counties)
Incumbent
Assumed office
2003
Preceded by Ronald H. Clark
Personal details
Born April 5, 1966
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Robin Lynn Phillips
Residence Sherman, Grayson County

Texas, USA

Alma mater Baylor University

University of Houston Law Center

Occupation Attorney

Lawrence A. Phillips, known as Larry Phillips (born April 5, 1966), is an attorney from Sherman, Texas,[1] who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 62 (Fannin and Grayson counties).[2]

Biography

Phillips received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco. He procured his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center in Houston.[3]

Phillips initially won his seat in 2003 in a special runoff election with nearly 66 percent of the vote; his defeated opponent was the Democrat Donnie Jarvis, also of Sherman.[4] The vacancy appeared when U.S. President George W. Bush appointed Republican State Representative Ronald H. Clark of Sherman as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, based in the branch court at Beaumont in southeastern Texas. Clark had held the state House seat since 1997.[5]

Phillips is the chairman of the House Transportation Committee and a member of the committees on (1) Ethics, (2) Redistricting, and (3) Border and Intergovernmental Affairs.[2] Phillips secured his latest full term in 2010 with nearly 88 percent of the ballots cast over the Libertarian Kenneth Myers. No Democrat sought the seat.[3] Phillips has also been a member of numerous committees to date:

82nd legislature

81st Legislature

80th Legislature

79th Legislature

78th Legislature

Texas House Ethics Panel

In November 2010, State Representative Bryan Hughes, an attorney from Mineola in Wood County in east Texas, withdrew his support for a second term for moderate Republican Joe Straus of San Antonio as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Hughes charged that Straus was punishing intraparty conservative opponents with unfair redistricting. Hughes based his claim on a conversation with one of Straus' staffers.

Hughes said that he was told two East Texas members were being especially earmarked through redistricting, then Representative-elect Erwin Cain of Sulphur Springs and Dan Flynn of Van. Representative Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville, a Democrat-turned-Republican and chairman of the House Ethics Committee, called upon Hughes to reveal the name of the informant.[6]

Under oath at his own request, Hughes identified the informant as Representative Phillips. Before the Ethics Committee, Phillips removed himself as a member for the duration of the hearing and denied Hughes's accusation. The phone conversation between Hughes and Phillips was not recorded. The committee did not reach a judgment because of the lack of corroborating witnesses.[7][8]

References

  1. "Rep. Larry Phillips". manta.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Larry Phillips". house.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Larry Phillips". texastribune.org. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  4. "Special election returns, January 7, 2003". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  5. "Ronald H. Clark". lrl.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  6. "Elise Hu, "Bryan Hughes Withdraws Support for Straus," November 10, 2010". texastribune.org. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  7. "Texas House committee won't act on Rep. Phillips' alleged threats, November 23, 2010". KXII-TV.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  8. "Patrick Brendel, "Texas House Ethics Panel Takes No Action on Alleged Redistricting Threats by Vice-Chair Phillips," November 23, 2010". americanindependent.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ronald H. Clark
Texas State Representative from District 62 (Fannin and Grayson counties)

Lawrence A. "Larry" Phillips
2003

Succeeded by
Incumbent