Charlie Geren

Legislative positions

In 2013, Geren supported the ban on abortion in Texas 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,^[12] a law that opponents claim could shut down many abortion facilities. In 2011, Geren sponsored a bill which requires a woman procuring an abortion in Texas to undergo first a sonogram. The measure passed the House, 107-42. Supporters of the ultrasound legislation said that a woman may change her mind about an abortion once she witnesses the development of the fetus through the advanced technology. On another abortion restriction measure in 2011, the prohibition of state funding of agencies which perform abortions, Geren did not vote.^[12] The Texas Right to Life Committee rated Geren 67 percent favorable in 2013, 62 percent in 2011, and 63 percent in 2005. In 2003, his second legislative session, Right to Life had rated him only 17 percent.^[13]

Geren voted for legislation 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 voted to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses; the measure passed the House 117-24. He voted for the adoption of the biennial state budget in both 2013 and 2011. He voted to require testing for narcotics of those individuals receiving unemployment compensation. Geren supported HB 950, a bill relating to unlawful employment practices regarding discrimination in payment of compensation ^[14] which passed the House, 78-61.^[12]

Geren voted to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. He co-sponsored related legislation to permit 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 in Texas. Geren voted against term limits for certain state officials. He voted to prohibit texting while driving. He voted for redistricting bills for the state House and Senate and the United States House of Representatives.^[12]

In 2011, Geren voted to reduce funding for state agencies. He voted to establish eligibility standards for indigent health care. He voted for the institution of corporal punishment in public schools; the measure passed the House, 80-64. As a restaurant owner, he voted against the prohibition of smoking in public places; the measure passed the House 73-66. He voted for a sales tax on Internet transactions; the measure passed the House, 125-20. He supported photo identification for voters casting a ballot in Texas,^[12] a measure which took effect in October 2013.^[15]

Interest group ratings

Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum rated Geren 70 percent favorable in 2013, 35 percent in 2011, and 63 percent in 2009. The Young Conservatives of Texas scored him a 56 percent lifetime score. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated him 83 percent in 2013; the Sierra Club, 38 percent in 2011. The interest group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated him 37 percent in 2013 and 50 percent in 2011, low scores for a Republican lawmaker. The Texas Association of Business gave him a cumulative score of 82 percent over his entire legislative career. The National Rifle Association scored Geren 100 percent in 2012 and assigned him "A" ratings for all previous House sessions. The Libertarian Party in 2007 rated Geren 53 percent on both economic issues and personal liberties. In his first legislative session in 2003, he was rated 100 percent by the interest group Texans for Lawsuit Reform.^[13]

Geren, an ally of Joe Straus, the moderate Republican former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, faced unsuccessful Tea Party movement opposition in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016, from Bo French.^[16] Geren defeated French again in the March 6, 2018, Republican primary.