Bill Keffer
Current roles
Former roles
League of Women Voters 2008 candidate survey
LWV: Please describe the training and experience that qualify you for this office.
Keffer: I previously served in this office from 2003-6. I am already experienced in the legislative process and am a recognized leader in the Republican Party and for my conservative principles. I have over twenty years of experience in grassroots politics, working for numerous candidates and organizations.
LWV: The Texas Legislature in 2007 overhauled business taxes to provide property tax relief for homeowners, but many small business owners in Texas now claim that their property tax decrease was far less than their business tax increase. What measures should be taken to maintain adequate state tax revenues without unduly burdening individual taxpayers or small business?
Keffer: The new gross-margins business tax is unnecessary and is already working an unjustifiable hardship on small business. One local pest-control owner saw his tax liability skyrocket from $1,800 under the previous franchise tax to $23,000 under the new tax- and he didn’t even make a profit. We can pay for property- tax relief through our surplus revenue and continuous scrutiny of our spending.
LWV: Texas deregulated electricity rates with the promise that competition between suppliers would lower consumers’ electric rates, yet rates in Texas remain well above the national average. What measures should be taken to ensure electric power reliability and affordability in Texas?
Keffer: Texas’ power plants are too dependent on natural gas, which has increased significantly in cost. Coal raises concerns with air quality. Environmentalists have paralyzed nuclear energy since the 1970s. Wind is increasing in significance but is still a relatively minor contributor. Continued high utility rates especially hurt Texans on fixed incomes. A prudent plan going forward will include all of these fuel sources, all of which can be provided from within our own state.
LWV: According to the most recent published data of the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel, insurance industry losses in Texas have decreased by 85%, yet homeowners’ rates have fallen by only 4%. What reforms would you support to lower homeowners’ rates in Texas?
Keffer: A significant effort at insurance reform was enacted in 2003, in response to the “mold-crisis” that had led to enormous claims on homeowner policies. The two largest writers of homeowner policies either stopped writing new policies (State Farm) or threatened to leave the state (Farmers). The reforms deregulated the number of forms that are now being used and increased competition by bringing new carriers to the state. More must be done to expand the marketplace.
LWV: The Texas legislature has not increased the gas tax since 1991, and also diverts millions of dollars of transportation funds to other areas of the state budget such as education and the Department of Public Safety. The public has voiced much disapproval of toll roads and public/private partnerships to build new roads. How would you fund construction of new roads and maintenance of existing roads and bridges?
Keffer: Tolls can be an acceptable funding method for new road construction. What is unacceptable is attempting to toll existing free roads. Maintenance of existing roads and bridges should continue to be funded through money dedicated for that purpose.
LWV: If diversions from the State’s transportation fund are stopped, how would you pay for those items that are currently funded by gas tax monies?
Keffer: Diversions of dedicated funds should stop. Texans deserve to have dedicated money go to their dedicated purpose. Gaps resulting from the termination of these diversions should be addressed through the general revenue fund.
LWV: Currently, sales prices of most residential property are disclosed while those of commercial property are not. Do you support public disclosure of commercial real estate sales prices so as to ensure fair and accurate appraisals?
Keffer: The recent issue regarding accurate valuation of property in Downtown Dallas relating to a convention center hotel highlighted the frequent disparities in valuations between DCAD and the market. Reconciling those disparities is a worthwhile objective, but we would need to ensure that disclosure of commercial sales prices didn't just turn into a tool for more tax revenue for government.
