Ralph Sheffield

Ralph Sheffield
Texas State House, District 55
Incumbent
In office
2009 - Present
Term ends
January 13, 2015
Years in position	4
Party	Republican
Compensation
Base salary	$7,200/year
Per diem	$150/day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	20098
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	N/A
Education
High school	Richfield High School
Personal
Birthday	01/11/1955
Place of birth	Waco, TX
Religion	Methodist
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Ralph Sheffield is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 55 since 2009.

Biography

Sheffield is the Owner of Las Casas Restaurant and All Occasion Catering, and the President/Chief Executive Officer of Sheffield Incorporated.

He is a member of a number of organizations, including the Association of the United States Army, Belton Chamber of Commerce, First United Methodist Church of Temple, Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce, Killeen Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, SPJST, Temple Area Home Builders Association, Texas Association of Business, and Texas Farm Bureau.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Sheffield served on the following committees:

Texas Committee Assignments, 2013
• Defense & Veterans' Affairs, Vice-chair
• Energy Resources

2011-2012

Sheffield served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:

Texas Committee Assignments, 2011
• Defense & Veterans' Affairs
• Energy Resources
• Rules & Resolutions

2009-2010

Texas Committee Assignments, 2009
• Corrections
• County Affairs
• Rules & Resolutions

Sponsored legislation

• HB 575 - Relating to a prohibition on the disclosure and use of certain information recorded or collected by a transponder used to electronically assess or collect a toll.
• HB 576 - Relating to the electronic distribution of information to legislators by state agencies.
• HB 577 - Relating to requiring public institutions of higher education to notify the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) regarding the withdrawal or nonattendance of certain foreign students.

Issues

On his website Sheffield lists six main issues and his positions:

• Good Schools - "Ralph will make it a priority in the Legislature to fight for smaller classroom sizes, greater accountability for your tax dollars in our schools systems, and teacher pay raises to attract and reward talented teachers."
• Low Taxes - "Ralph will make it a priority in the Legislature to reduce the amount a homestead appraisal can increase per year to 3% or 5% and institute reforms that will make appraisal districts more accountable to the people. He believes city and county governments need to start being honest with their constituents and raise tax rates if they believe new revenues are needed instead of hiding behind stealth tax hikes like appraisal creep."
• Private Property Rights and the Trans-Texas Corridor - "Ralph has always opposed the Trans-Texas Corridor and will stand with Bell County farmers and ranchers against any illegitimate land grab."
• A Secure Border - "Ralph will fight for more support for border sheriffs, more resources and technology for our law enforcement and will take the political courage needed to confront this issue to Austin."
• Election Integrity - "When illegitimate votes are cast, legitimate votes are nullified, stripping our cherished rights of their value. Ralph will work to secure the integrity of our elections by requiring photo identification to vote."
• Open and Honest Government -"Ralph believes that government can only maintain the public trust when it operates in the sunlight. He believes taxpayers should have greater access to information about the activities of their government. If a governmental entity spends tax money, taxpayers should have an absolute right to scrutinize every penny. Ralph will work hard to open up the government’s books for all citizens to audit."

Sheffield's answers to the Texas State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test are available. The test provides voters with how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.

When asked his legislative priorities, he replied:

"The key issues of my campaign are providing tax relief, securing our border, defending private property rights, and ensuring our children have the best schools. I believe Bell County and Texas can be an even more attractive place for businesses to relocate, for families to raise their children, and for veterans to make their home after they retire. I'm running for State Representative because I love Bell County, believe in the people of Bell County, and believe in public service. I have always believed in giving back and serving my community."

Elections

2012

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2012

Sheffield ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 55. Sheffield defeated John Alaniz in the May 29 Republican primary election and was unchallenged in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.

Texas House of Representatives District 55 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ralph Sheffield Incumbent	57.4%	6,400
John Alaniz	42.6%	4,752
Total Votes		11,152

2010

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2010

Sheffield won re-election in District 55. He faced no opposition in the March 2 Republican primary and defeated Libertarian Penny Hendrix in the November 2 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 55 2010 General election results
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Ralph Sheffield (R)		24,041	81.10%
Penny Hendrix (L)		5,600	18.89%

2008

On November 4, 2008, Sheffield won election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 55th District, defeating Sam Murphey (D) and Chris Lane (L). Sheffield received 30,189 votes in the election while Murphey received 24,290 votes, and Lane received 1,509 votes. Sheffield raised $656,610 for his campaign; Murphey raised $396,936.

Texas House of Representatives, District 55
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Ralph Sheffield (R)		30,189	53.92%
Sam Murphey (D)		24,290	43.38%
Chris Lane (L)		1,509	2.69%

Campaign donors

2012

Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.

2010

Sheffield raised a total of $68,505 in 2010. Below are Sheffield's top 5 campaign contributors in the 2010 election:

Contributor	2010 total
Farmer's Insurance Group	$5,000
McClane Jr., Drayton	$5,000
McClane Jr., Drayton	$5,000
Whitis, Bradley	$2,600
Rowald, Douglas and Carol	$2,500
Texas House Republican Leadership Fund	$2,500

2008

Below are Sheffield's top 5 campaign contributors in the 2008 election:

Contributor	2008 total
Ralph E Sheffield Jr	$90,546
Stars Over Texas PAC	$55,000
Bob J Perry	$45,000
James R Leininger	$30,000
Texas Restaurant Assoc	$21,500

Scorecards

Empower Texans Fiscal Responsibility Index

Empower Texans produces the Fiscal Responsibility Index as "a measurement of how lawmakers perform on size and role of government issues." The index uses "exemplar votes on core budget and free enterprise issues that demonstrate legislators' governing philosophy." Legislators are graded along a standard grading scale, receiving grades A through F based on their performance during the legislative session.

2011

Ralph Sheffield received a grade of B+ on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index.

• 2011 Taxpayer Advocate. Sheffield was named a "2011 Taxpayer Advocate," which is "An award presented to by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility to legislators based on their strong rating on the most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index."

External links

Suggest a link

• Ralph Sheffield's campaign website
• Texas House of Representatives - Rep. Sheffield
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Campaign Contributions: 2008
• Texas State Directory profile
• Texas Political Almanac HD 55 page
• Texas Tribune profile & bio
• State Surge profile
• Vote-TX.org profile
• Texas Conservative Coalition profile
• Ralph Sheffield on Facebook

References

Political offices
Preceded by '	Texas House District 55 2009–present	Succeeded by NA