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Press Release
Representative Thomas Latham Hits the
Reelection Campaign Trail
January
21, 2008 - The Honorable Thomas Latham, State Representative
for District 101, which serves Sunnyvale, Mesquite and Balch
Springs,
is already on the reelection campaign trail midway through
his first term in office. Representative Latham was elected
in November 2006 and completed his first Legislative Session
last May.
Highlights
of his term in office included coauthoring and passing The
Castle Doctrine, which increases Texans’ rights to
use force when protecting their property; Jessica’s
Law, which significantly increased penalties for child predators;
a bill preventing fraudulent use of a child’s personal
directory information; a bill to increase the penalty for
burglary of motor vehicles; a bill to increase the penalty
for graffiti; a bill to eliminate the telecommunications
infrastructure fund tax from local phone bills; a bill to
place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to eliminate
property tax on one personal vehicle also used for business
purposes; a bill preventing the Governor from mandating every
girl receive a papillomavirus vaccination; a bill to increase
the penalty on intoxication assault against police and fire
first responders; a bill to make it a crime to use or exhibit
firearms in school parking lots or on school buses; and a
bill to renew the Texas Tomorrow Fund.
 Representative Latham also authored and passed a bill requiring
police officer ID cards to show specific pieces of information
to reduce criminal impersonation; a bill providing continuing
education opportunities for truancy magistrates; a bill requiring
line-of-duty injury coverage for all volunteer police and
fire personnel; a bill closing a loophole in the public information
law that has required municipalities to release certain personal
information of minor children involved in city programs like
youth sports; and a bill to allow Department of Public Safety
officer polygraph examinations for those who want to serve
on federal task forces.
“It has been an incredible experience to serve as
State Representative for this community,” Mr. Latham
said. “I have spent more than three decades in law
enforcement and have seen where the law works and where it
does not and to have the opportunity to make an impact on
improving the laws that protect our people is a responsibility
I will never take lightly.”
For his efforts he was just named the Region 10 Legislator
of the Year by the Association of Texas Professional Educators.
He also earned the 2007 Fighters for Free Enterprise Award
from the Texas Association of Business. He has been appointed
by the Texas Conservative Coalition to its Task Force for
Voter Integrity and Illegal Immigration Studies, as well
as the Task Force for Property Tax Reform Studies. He is
the Vice Chair of the Texas House of Representatives Law
Enforcement Committee and serves as a member of the House
Urban Affairs Committee.
 As part of his campaign, Mr. Latham is announcing the launch
of his Re-Elect Thomas Latham Campaign online store in response
to many supporters’ requests for T-shirts.
The address is http://www.cafepress.com/lathamfortexas.
“They want to wear them around town to do what they
can to help reelect me in the March 4 Republican Primary
so we made it easy for them,” Mr. Latham said. “It’s
fun. You can order just about anything with our reelection
sign graphic on it – T-shirts, coffee mugs, kitchen
aprons. Mary ordered me an apron, which I think is her subtle
way of saying she wants me spending more time at the grill.” (DISCLAIMER:
Neither Representative Latham nor his campaign profit from
this website. It's simply set up as a matter of convenience
through a private online merchandising company.)
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