John E. Davis (Texas politician)

John Edward Davis (born July 7, 1960)^[1] is a roofing contractor from his native Houston, Texas, who was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives representing House District 129 in Harris County^[2] from 1999-2015. Davis did not seek a ninth term in the state House in the primary election held on March 4, 2014.

Background[]

Davis received two degrees, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston and in 1987 a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He also holds a third degree, a Bachelor of Business Administration, which he obtained in 1982 from the Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco.^[3]

Davis is affiliated with Rotary International and the Salvation Army in Pasadena, Texas, and the Chamber of Commerce in the Clear Lake Area. He is a member of the University Baptist Church in Houston.^[3]

In 1984, Davis, a fifth generation Texan, married the former Jayne Anne Reed. He has three sons, Reagan, Samuel, and Gaston Davis.^[4]

Political life[]

After five terms in the District 129 House seat, Republican Mike Jackson, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was elected in 1998 to the Texas Senate, District 11 seat in the Texas State Senate to succeed Jerry E. Patterson. Davis ran in the Republican primary for the position and with 39.6 percent of the vote was placed into a runoff election,^[5] which he won with 62 percent of the ballots cast.^[6]

Davis then won the general election with 70.6 percent of the vote. Since 1998, he has had easy reelection contests, with his closest races having come in 2006 and 2008, when he still exceeded 57 percent of the ballots cast in both contests.^[7]

Davis in his last regular session chaired the House Economic and Small Business Development Committee and sat as well on the Public Education Committee.^[3]

Davis was the vice chairman of the former Texas House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike Devastation. He also once served on the Medicaid Reform Legislative Oversight Committee. He is a past recipient of the "Legislative Excellence Award" from the Brain Injury Association of Texas and the Award for Public Service by the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association.^[4]

Briscoe Cain, Sheryl Berg, Mary Huls, Jeff Larson, Chuck Maricle, Dennis Paul, and Brent Perry competed for the Republican nomination to succeed Davis. Sheryl Berg led the field on March 4, 2014 with 2,806 votes (25.6 percent), 50 votes more than her runner-up, Dennis Paul, who polled 2,756 votes (25.1 percent). The two will meet in a runoff election on May 27. Brent Perry finished third with 1,869 votes (17 percent).^[8] Paul defeated Berg for the Republican House nomination and then won the seat in the general election.

Legislative voting records[]

Representative Davis in 2013 supported the ban on abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the measure passed the House, 96-49. He voted for companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers,^[9] a move which opponents said could lead to the closure of many abortion clinics in the state. These issues brought forth an unsuccessful filibuster in the state Senate by Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 is the Democratic nominee for governor against the Republican Greg Abbott.^[10]

In 2011, Representative Davis supported two other anti-abortion measures. One forbids state funding of agencies which perform abortions. The other requires that a woman undergo a sonogram before procuring an abortion. This legislation is based on the view that a woman could change her mind about an abortion once she witnesses the development of the unborn child through the latest technology.^[9] Despite his votes on those four issues, the Texas Right to Life Committee, according to Project Vote Smart, rated Davis 30 percent favorable in 2013 and 56 percent in 2011 but 102 percent in 2003. The National Abortion Rights Action League rated him 20 percent in 2005.^[11]

Davis sponsored the establishment of the taxpayer-funded school breakfast program. He co-sponsored legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. He also co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Davis voted for the adoption of the biennial state budgets in both 2013 and 2011 budget. He voted to require testing for narcotics of those individuals receiving unemployment compensation.^[9]

Davis supported the bill to prohibit the state government from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. He co-sponsored the bill to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in buildings and vehicles in the name of campus security. He supported the bill 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. He voted against term limits for certain state officials. In 2011, Davis voted to permit texting while driving, but he reversed course in 2013 and voted to prohibit the practice.^[9] Davis voted in 2013 against an "equal pay for women" bill, which passed the Legislature but was vetoedoed by Governor Rick Perry.^[12]

In 2011, Davis supported a resolution to reduce funding for state agencies. He voted to expand the sales tax to Internet transactions to match existing laws for brick and mortar stores; the measure passed the House 125-20. Davis voted against a bill to prohibit smoking in public places. He voted to establish eligibility for indigent health care. He voted for corporal punishment in public schools; the bill nevertheless passed the House, 80-64. Davis voted to require colleges and universities to make student centers compatible with traditional family values. To guarantee the integrity of the election process, Davis supported picture identification of voters.^[9] The law finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely without incident in the primaries on March 4, 2014.^[13] In 2013, Davis supported related legislation to forbid a voter from turning in multiple ballots.^[9]

Interest group ratings[]

Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Davis 58 percent favorable in 2013, 32 percent in 2011, 64 percent in 2009, and 84 percent in 2007. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave him a cumulative score of 75 percent but only 40 percent in 2013. The interest group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated Davis 30 percent favorable in 2013 and 0 percent in 2011, low rankings for a Republican lawmaker. The Texas Association of Business, however, awarded him a cumulative career score of 87 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated him 86 percent in 2013; the Sierra Club, 60 percent in 2011. The National Rifle Association scored Davis 92 percent in 2012 and letter-grade "A" in all of his previous term. The Libertarian Party rated him 59 percent in 2009 on matters of economic issues and personal liberties.^[11]

References[]