Legislative record
Workman led a three-candidate Republican primary in 2010 for the right to challenge the Democratic incumbent representative, Valinda Bolton. He polled 5,521 votes (39.4 percent); Holly Turner and David Sewell trailed with 4,984 votes (35.6 percent) and 3,5047 votes (25 percent), respectively. [11] In the runoff election, Workman defeated Turner, 3,639 votes (53.7 percent) to 3,133 (46.3 percent). [12] Then in the 2010 general election, Workman unseated Bolton, 29,873 votes (49.7 percent) to 27,773 (46.2 percent). A Libertarian Party nominee, Kris Bailey, held the remaining 2,485 votes (4.1 percent). [13]
In 2012, Workman won re-nomination over fellow Republican Ryan H. Downton (born c. 1977), a lawyer, businessman, and non-denominational Christian from Austin. Downton waged a conservative primary challenge and attempted to depict Workman as too moderate for Republican voters. [14] Nevertheless, Workman prevailed, 9,652 votes (66.9 percent) to Downton's 4,786 votes (33.1 percent). [15] Workman then won his second House term in the general election of 2012, when he defeated the Democrat Chris Fransden, 49,220 votes (58.1 percent) to 31,294 votes (36.9 percent). A Libertarian Party nominee, Roy Nicholas Tanner (born c. 1977), also of Austin, held the remaining 4,216 votes (5 percent). [16]
Workman is a member of two House committees: (1) Business and Industry and (2) Economic and Small Business Development. He is also a member of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing. [9]
Legislative voting records
A pro-life legislator, Workman in 2013 supported the ban on abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the measure passed the House, 96-49. He supported companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers, [17] a move which opponents said could lead to closure of many such clinics. These issues brought forth an unsuccessful filibuster in the Texas State Senate by Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 is the Democratic nominee for governor against the Republican Greg Abbott. [18] In 2011, Workman supported two other anti-abortion measures. One forbids state funding of agencies which perform abortions; the other, requires a woman procuring an abortion to undergo first a sonogram. Supporters of the sonogram claim that a woman could change her mind about an abortion once she witnesses the development of the unborn child. [17] Despite Workman's support for these four measures, the Texas Right to Life Committee rated him only 67 percent and 72 percent favorable in 2013 and 2011, respectively. [19]
Workman voted against the establishment of the taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure cleared the House, 73-58. He supported legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. He co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Workman voted against the adoption of the biennial state budgets in 2013 but for the 2011 budget. He voted for the bill to prohibit texting while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. He voted to require testing for narcotics of those individuals receiving unemployment compensation. [17]
Workman supported the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. He co-sponsored a similar measure to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He voted to reduce the time required to obtain a concealed-carry permit. He backed the redistricting bills for the state House and Senate and the United States House of Representatives. [17]
In 2011, Workman voted to establish guidelines for indigent health care. He voted against the prohibition of smoking in public places. He voted to reduce spending by state agencies and to levy a sales tax on Internet transactions. The latter passed the House, 125-20. He supported picture identification of voters casting a ballot; [17] the measure finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely without incident in the primaries on March 4, 2014. [20]
Interest group ratings
Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Workman 85 percent favorable in 2013 but only 40 percent in 2011. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave him a cumulative score in 2013 of 67 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated him 86 percent in 2013 and 69 percent in 2011; the Sierra Club scored him 33 percent in 2011. The National Rifle Association rated Workman 92 percent in 2012. [19]
In 2011, the interest group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility named him a "Taxpayer Champion" and scored him 88 percent favorable; however, his 2013 TFR rating dropped to 53 percent and was given a rating of 63% in 2015. [21] Associated Builders and Contractors named him a "Champion of Free Enterprise". The Texas Association of Business similarly designated Workman a "Fighter for Free Enterprise" and in 2013 gave him a cumulative score of 86 percent. The Texas Conservative Coalition honored him as a "Courageous Conservative". In the 2011 legislative session, the National Federation of Independent Business gave him a 100 percent score. [3] [19]
