Block, Upload, Automoderated users, edit, move, protect, rollback
57,799
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder |name=Phillip Wayne "Phil" Stephenson |nationality=American |office=Texas State Representative for<br>from District 85 (Fort..."
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Phillip Wayne "Phil" Stephenson
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative for<br>from District 85 (Fort Bend, Jackson, and Wharton counties
|party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|term_start=January 2013
|term_end=
|preceded=[[Jim Landtroop]] (transferred to District 88 and defeated)
|succeeded=
|birth_place=Duncan, [[Oklahoma]], USA
|birth_date=February 4, 1945
|residence=Wharton, Texas
|occupation=[[Business]]man
|spouse=Barbara Stephenson
|children=Two children
|religion=[[United Methodist]]
|alma_mater=Plainview (Texas) High School<br>
South Plains College<br>
[[Texas Tech University]]
}}
'''Phillip Wayne Stephenson''', known as '''Phil Stephenson''' (born February 4, 1945),<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyEhtstOUfg|title=Phil Stephenson's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>is a [[Certified Public Accountant]] from Wharton, [[Texas]], who is a [[Republican Party]] member of the [[Texas House of Representatives]] for District 85 based in Wharton, Fort Bend, and Jackson counties in the southeastern portion of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5743&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=Stephenson~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Phil Stephenson|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
==Background==
Stephenson is a native of Duncan in Stephens County in southern [[Oklahoma]] southwest of Lawton. At some point, he moved to Hale County, north of [[Lubbock]], Texas, where he graduated in 1964 from Plainview High School in Plainview. He then attended the two-year South Plains College in Levelland Texas, and then [[Texas Tech University]] in Lubbock, from which he received in 1969 a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.<ref name=votesmart/>
Since 1976, Stephenson has owned the CPA firm, Stephenson and Company. After college, he worked as senior accountant for Main Lafrentz and Company in [[Dallas]], Texas. He is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.<ref name=votesmart/>
Stephenson and his wife, Barbara, have two children, Scott and Allison. He is a [[United Methodist]].
<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
From 2000 until his election to the state House, Stephenson was an elected member of the nonpartisan board of trustees of Wharton County Junior College. From 1997 to 2000, he was the chairman of the Wharton County Republican Party.<ref name=votesmart/> In 2000, Stephenson ran for the District 28 seat in the Texas House but was defeated by the [[incumbent]] Democrat, Robert L. "Robby" Cook, III, 29,937 (63.3 percent) to 17,321 (36.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 28), November 2000.</ref> District 28 then included Bastrop,, Colorado , Fayette]], and Wharton counties, east and south of the capital city of [[Austin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=166&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=Robert~gender=~last=Cook~leaderNote=~leg=~party=Democrat~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Robert L. "Robby" Cook, III|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
In 2012, House District 85 was fully reconfigured through [[redistricting]] under the 2010 census. Previously represented in West Texas by Republican [[Jim Landtroop]] of Plainview, where Stephenson had graduated from high school, the district was relocated to Ford Bend, Jackson, and Wharton counties west of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. Landtroop was moved to District 88 and unseated after one term in the 2012 Republican primary by the [[Moderate Republican]] Ken King of Canadian in Hemphill County in the Texas Panhandle.<ref name=genelection/>
Stephenson and Lee Duggan contested the District 85 Republican nomination, which Stephenson won by 736 votes, 5,944 (53.3 percent) to 5,208 (46.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> Stephenson then won the general election by defeating Democrat former District 27 representative, Dora Olivo, 28,626 votes (58.3 percent) to 20,435 (41.7 percent).<ref name=genelection>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 85), November 6, 2012.</ref>
Representative Stephenson is a member of the House committees on (1) Pensions and (2) Government Efficiency and Reform.<ref name=votesmart/>
===Legislative positions===
In 2013, Stephenson supported the ban on [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; the measure passed the House, 96-49. He co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.<ref name=votingrecords/> These issues brought forth an unsuccessful [[filibuster]] in the [[Texas State Senate]] from Wendy Russell Davis of [[Fort Worth]], who in 2014 was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for [[governor]] against Republican [[Greg Abbott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Filibuster in Texas Senate Tries to Halt Abortion Bill|author=Manny Fernandez|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|date=June 25, 2013|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref> The Texas [[Right to Life]] Committee rated him 78 percent favorable on [[pro-life]] issues.<ref name=ratings/>
Stephenson supported the bill to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure passed the House, 73-58. He co-sponsored legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. He also co-sponsored the extension of the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. He voted to adopt the biennium state budget. He voted against the bill to prohibit [[texting]] while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. Stephenson voted to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving [[unemployment compensation]]. He voted against the "equal pay for women" measure, which passed the House, 78-61.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Stephenson co-sponsored the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. He co-sponsored legislation to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He supported legislation 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]]. King voted for term limits for certain state officials.<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyIEcstOUfg|title=Phil Stevenson's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
===Interest group ratings===
In 2013, Stephenson's rating from [[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s [[Eagle Forum]], formerly managed in Texas by [[Cathie Adams]], a former interi8m state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, was 73 percent favorable. The Young Conservatives of Texas ranked him 55 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters scored him 71 percent. The [[interest group]], Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated him 40 percent favorable, a low rating for a Republican lawmaker. However, the Texas Association of Business in 2013 scored him 87 percent favorable. The [[National Rifle Association]] rated him 92 percent.<ref name=ratings>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyIGKMtOUfg|title=Phil Stevenson's Ratings and Endorsements|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Phil}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Accountants]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[[Category:United Methodists]]
|name=Phillip Wayne "Phil" Stephenson
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative for<br>from District 85 (Fort Bend, Jackson, and Wharton counties
|party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|term_start=January 2013
|term_end=
|preceded=[[Jim Landtroop]] (transferred to District 88 and defeated)
|succeeded=
|birth_place=Duncan, [[Oklahoma]], USA
|birth_date=February 4, 1945
|residence=Wharton, Texas
|occupation=[[Business]]man
|spouse=Barbara Stephenson
|children=Two children
|religion=[[United Methodist]]
|alma_mater=Plainview (Texas) High School<br>
South Plains College<br>
[[Texas Tech University]]
}}
'''Phillip Wayne Stephenson''', known as '''Phil Stephenson''' (born February 4, 1945),<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyEhtstOUfg|title=Phil Stephenson's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>is a [[Certified Public Accountant]] from Wharton, [[Texas]], who is a [[Republican Party]] member of the [[Texas House of Representatives]] for District 85 based in Wharton, Fort Bend, and Jackson counties in the southeastern portion of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5743&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=Stephenson~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Phil Stephenson|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
==Background==
Stephenson is a native of Duncan in Stephens County in southern [[Oklahoma]] southwest of Lawton. At some point, he moved to Hale County, north of [[Lubbock]], Texas, where he graduated in 1964 from Plainview High School in Plainview. He then attended the two-year South Plains College in Levelland Texas, and then [[Texas Tech University]] in Lubbock, from which he received in 1969 a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.<ref name=votesmart/>
Since 1976, Stephenson has owned the CPA firm, Stephenson and Company. After college, he worked as senior accountant for Main Lafrentz and Company in [[Dallas]], Texas. He is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.<ref name=votesmart/>
Stephenson and his wife, Barbara, have two children, Scott and Allison. He is a [[United Methodist]].
<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
From 2000 until his election to the state House, Stephenson was an elected member of the nonpartisan board of trustees of Wharton County Junior College. From 1997 to 2000, he was the chairman of the Wharton County Republican Party.<ref name=votesmart/> In 2000, Stephenson ran for the District 28 seat in the Texas House but was defeated by the [[incumbent]] Democrat, Robert L. "Robby" Cook, III, 29,937 (63.3 percent) to 17,321 (36.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 28), November 2000.</ref> District 28 then included Bastrop,, Colorado , Fayette]], and Wharton counties, east and south of the capital city of [[Austin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=166&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=Robert~gender=~last=Cook~leaderNote=~leg=~party=Democrat~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Robert L. "Robby" Cook, III|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
In 2012, House District 85 was fully reconfigured through [[redistricting]] under the 2010 census. Previously represented in West Texas by Republican [[Jim Landtroop]] of Plainview, where Stephenson had graduated from high school, the district was relocated to Ford Bend, Jackson, and Wharton counties west of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. Landtroop was moved to District 88 and unseated after one term in the 2012 Republican primary by the [[Moderate Republican]] Ken King of Canadian in Hemphill County in the Texas Panhandle.<ref name=genelection/>
Stephenson and Lee Duggan contested the District 85 Republican nomination, which Stephenson won by 736 votes, 5,944 (53.3 percent) to 5,208 (46.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns, May 29, 2012.</ref> Stephenson then won the general election by defeating Democrat former District 27 representative, Dora Olivo, 28,626 votes (58.3 percent) to 20,435 (41.7 percent).<ref name=genelection>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 85), November 6, 2012.</ref>
Representative Stephenson is a member of the House committees on (1) Pensions and (2) Government Efficiency and Reform.<ref name=votesmart/>
===Legislative positions===
In 2013, Stephenson supported the ban on [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; the measure passed the House, 96-49. He co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.<ref name=votingrecords/> These issues brought forth an unsuccessful [[filibuster]] in the [[Texas State Senate]] from Wendy Russell Davis of [[Fort Worth]], who in 2014 was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for [[governor]] against Republican [[Greg Abbott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Filibuster in Texas Senate Tries to Halt Abortion Bill|author=Manny Fernandez|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|date=June 25, 2013|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref> The Texas [[Right to Life]] Committee rated him 78 percent favorable on [[pro-life]] issues.<ref name=ratings/>
Stephenson supported the bill to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure passed the House, 73-58. He co-sponsored legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. He also co-sponsored the extension of the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. He voted to adopt the biennium state budget. He voted against the bill to prohibit [[texting]] while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. Stephenson voted to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving [[unemployment compensation]]. He voted against the "equal pay for women" measure, which passed the House, 78-61.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Stephenson co-sponsored the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. He co-sponsored legislation to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He supported legislation 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]]. King voted for term limits for certain state officials.<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyIEcstOUfg|title=Phil Stevenson's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
===Interest group ratings===
In 2013, Stephenson's rating from [[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s [[Eagle Forum]], formerly managed in Texas by [[Cathie Adams]], a former interi8m state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, was 73 percent favorable. The Young Conservatives of Texas ranked him 55 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters scored him 71 percent. The [[interest group]], Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated him 40 percent favorable, a low rating for a Republican lawmaker. However, the Texas Association of Business in 2013 scored him 87 percent favorable. The [[National Rifle Association]] rated him 92 percent.<ref name=ratings>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/49730/phil-stephenson#.UyIGKMtOUfg|title=Phil Stevenson's Ratings and Endorsements|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Phil}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Accountants]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[[Category:United Methodists]]