Prior to and concurrent with his legislative service,King practiced law as a self-employed attorney with a specialization in civil litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). [5] He has spoken prominently on the positive benefits of residential treatment centers in addressing mental health problem in youth.
King served as president of the Utah Association for Justice (formerly the Utah Trial Lawyers Association),a professional organization representing civil trial attorneys in the state. [6]
Utah Legislature
In 2008,when Representative Roz McGee left the Legislature and left the seat open,King was unopposed after an opponent withdrew,and won the three-way November 4,2008 general election with 8,487 votes (56.2%) against Republican nominee Jeffrey Morrow and Constitution candidate Jared Beck, [7] who had run for Utah State Senate in 2006.
House minority leader
King had the reputation as being "more combative" than previous minority leaders in the State House of Representatives. In 2016,King criticized Republican leadership of the House for "shut(ing) out Democrats from discussions about whether to expand Medicaid for the poor." [8] He was succeeded in 2023 by Angela Romero.
Committee assignments
During the 2016 legislative session,King served on the Executive Appropriations Committee,the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee,the House Judiciary Committee,the House Revenue and Taxation Committee,and the House Rules Committee. He also served as the House minority leader. [3] In the 2022 legislative session,King served on the Executive Appropriations Committee,the Federalism Commission,the House Business and Labor Committee,the House Judiciary Committee,the House Legislative Expense Oversight Committee,the Legislative Audit Subcommittee,the Legislative Management Committee,Natural Resources,Agriculture,and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee,and the Subcommittee on Oversight. [9]
Gun policy
Throughout his career,King has sponsored gun control legislation. In 2019,King sponsored HB 148,"Universal Background Checks for Firearm Purchasers" that would require background checks for all gun sales,but it was not given a committee vote. [10] [11] In 2020,King sponsored his and it was tabled by the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee by an 8–3 vote. [12] In 2022,King sponsored a modified version of the bill previously sponsored,which would require background checks for all non-federal firearms licensees,law enforcement agencies and officers and family members as exceptions. The House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee rejected the bill on an 8–3 vote. [13]
