Political career
After Republican Jerry Yost decided not to run for reelection in 1996,Merritt entered the Republican primary and won more than 62 percent of the vote. [7] Merritt went on to win a seat in the Texas House of Representatives after being unopposed in the 1996 general election;in 2008 he was elected to a seventh term. [8] Tommy Merritt co-authored the bill which added "Under God" to the Texas Pledge. [9]
Merritt served on numerous committees in the House: [8]
- Committee on Energy Resources (Chair and Vice Chair)
- Committee on Public Safety (Chairman)
- Committee on Local and Consent Calendars (Member)
- Committee on Redistricting (Member)
- Committee on Transportation (Member)
Throughout his tenure in the House,Merritt built a solid conservative record on issues including opposition to gun control,same-sex marriage,and abortion,as well as lower government spending and taxes.
In 2009,Merritt authored "campus carry" legislation allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons on college campuses, [10] while in 2007,Merritt authored legislation waiving or reducing concealed license handgun fees for military members and veterans. [11]
Merritt strongly opposed same-sex marriage. In 2005,he co-authored the state constitutional amendment that defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman. [12] Merritt also co-authored bills to keep the state from recognizing same-sex civil unions in 2003. [13] [14] 2001, [14] 1999, [15] and 1997. [16]
While a member of the Texas House,Merritt also strongly opposed abortion,co-authoring bills to issue Choose Life license plates in 2009, [17] to institute legal penalties for harm to a fetus in 2003, [18] to ban human cloning in 2007, [19] and to require parental consent for minors to obtain abortions in 2005. [20] 1999, [21] [22] [23] [24] and 1997. [25]
In 2003,Merritt co-authored legislation requiring Texas students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance [26] as well as a bill to guarantee a daily moment of silence in Texas public schools. [13] In 2007,Merritt co-authored legislation to include the phrase "Under God" in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance [27]
Merritt also had a strong record of fighting for lower spending and lower taxes.
In 2009,Merritt co-authored legislation to limit growth in state spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation. [28] That same year,he co-authored a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a 2/3 vote of both houses of the Legislature to raise taxes. [29]
Real property tax reform was another of Merritt's priorities in the Texas House. In 1999,he authored a proposed constitutional amendment to cap property taxes. In 2005 he authored both a bill [30] and a proposed constitutional amendment [31] to bring property tax relief to Texans. In 2009,he again authored legislation to reform property tax appraisals [32] and proposed a constitutional amendment to cap property appraisal increases at the rate of inflation. [33]
In 2009,Merritt co-authored legislation to reform the state's franchise tax,exempting more small businesses. [34] Merritt also authored or co-authored numerous bills to overturn and subsequently prohibit inheritance taxes in Texas in 2005 [35] [36] and 2003. [26] [37]
Merritt also authored the bill establishing the first Texas Legislative Medal of Honor in this history of the state. [38]
Candidacy for Speaker of the House
In November 2008,Merritt announced his candidacy for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. [39] After a meeting,ten Republicans running for Speaker had decided on Joe Straus as the Republican candidate. Merritt stated he was willing to end his own candidacy to support Straus,who won a unanimous vote for Speaker. [40]
