Larry Phillips (Texas politician)

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 (which serves Delta, 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

• Border & Intergovernmental Affairs
• General Investigating & Ethics
• Oversight of Criminal Justice
• Redistricting
• Transportation (Chair)

81st Legislature

• Culture, Recreation & Tourism
• General Investigating & Ethics (Vice Chair)
• Oversight of Criminal Justice
• Transportation (Vice Chair)
• Transportation Funding, Select (Chair)

80th Legislature

• Culture, Recreation, & Tourism
• General Investigating & Ethics (Chair)
• Intermediate Care Facility Services, Select (Chair)
• Operation & Management of the Texas Youth Commission
• Private Participation in Toll Projects
• Transportation (Vice Chair)

79th Legislature

• Culture, Recreation, & Tourism
• Election Contests, Select
• Transportation (Vice Chair)

78th Legislature

• Construction-Related Workers' Comp, Select
• Election Contests, Select
• State Cultural and Recreational Resources
• Transportation (Vice Chair)

Controversy

In 2011, Texas Monthly ranked Larry Phillips as one of the worst legislators of the 2011 session, citing his work ethic and inability to work well with others.^[6]

In 2013, During the 83rd Texas Legislative Session, Phillips again caused controversy by voting "nay" (or voting against) House Bill 950 which would have required equal pay/ compensation for women. ^[7]

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.^[8]

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.^[9][10]

He is one of the only Republican Rep. that strongly supports the sunset bill and the enhancement of Toll Roads. ^[11]

References