Texas State Representative Ken King, a Republican from Canadian, Texas, has represented House District 88 since 2013. Over seven regular legislative sessions, King has positioned himself as a conservative representing Panhandle and South Plains values. However, a closer examination of his record shows a legislator who consistently burdens taxpayers, expands government, and undermines family values—far from the fiscal responsibility conservatives expect.

A Failing Grade

An incriminating indictment of King’s tenure comes from his consistently poor performance on TFR’s Fiscal Responsibility Index.¹ The Index evaluates lawmakers on votes related to the size and role of government, focusing on lower taxes, reduced waste, pro-family reforms, and individual liberty. 

In 2025, King scored² a dismal 55%, earning an “F” grade, the lowest among Republicans, and even tied with a Democrat. He even scored more poorly than Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Ryan Guillen.³ This year was not an aberration. King has scored seven straight “F”s, every single session, highlighting a profound disconnect between his rhetoric and actual actions. King routinely prioritizes bigger government over fiscal prudence.

Policy Matters 

King’s voting record further exposes his failures. He has supported numerous bills funneling taxpayer dollars into corporate welfare and unnecessary programs. For instance, he backed HB 1268,⁴ HB 5616,⁵ and HB 4811,⁶ which created new or expanded incentives and subsidies for businesses at the expense of ordinary Texans. Similarly, King voted for SB 22,⁷ a corporate welfare boondoggle that allocated $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds to Hollywood elites, subsidizing an industry often with liberal agendas contrary to Texas values. These measures divert resources from families struggling with rising costs to prop up favored sectors.

Beyond corporate giveaways, King’s votes have expanded government bureaucracy and entitlements. He supported SB 5,⁸ HB 2249,⁹ and HB 1203,¹⁰ creating or expanding new taxpayer-funded programs that inflate state spending. Even more concerning, he endorsed bills like HB 1716¹¹ and HB 1201,¹² expanding Medicaid—mirroring federal overreach that Texas conservatives have long opposed. Texas families already burdened by healthcare and other costs, and shouldn’t foot the bill for broader entitlements that encourage dependency.

King’s record also threatens core freedoms and family protections. He voted for HB 366,¹³ which criminalizes memes in political advertising, potentially punishing Texans with up to a year in prison. This bill raised serious First Amendment concerns among conservatives, stifling free speech in a state that prides itself on liberty. Additionally, he backed HB 2284,¹⁴ which mandates new occupational licenses that hinder economic opportunity, and HB 2858,¹⁵ which establishes a foreign-worker program with Mexico, rather than prioritizing American jobs. These policies undermine working families by increasing competition for employment and failing to address border security or wage protections.

King supported SB 646,¹⁶ a state-run student loan forgiveness program akin to Biden’s federal schemes. This program forces hardworking Texans, many of whom paid off their own debts or never attended college in the first place, to subsidize others’ choices. 

But it doesn’t stop there. King voted for SB 293¹⁷ (the last vote on legislation the House took), which raised lawmakers’ pensions at taxpayer expense and empowered an unelected bureaucracy to do so in the future. This flies in the face of what taxpayers across the State expect their lawmakers to do in Austin. 

On the budget front, King helped pass SB 1,¹⁸ the state’s bloated appropriations bill, which increased state funds spending by 42% over two sessions. This unsustainable growth threatens Texas’s economic future, saddling future generations with more taxes and bigger government, while largely neglecting the people’s demands for tax relief. 

Chairman of State Affairs 

As Chair of the powerful House State Affairs Committee, King’s influence extends beyond votes. 

King has actively killed numerous conservative reforms by simply denying bills a hearing in his committee. 

In 2025, he blocked¹⁹ several bills to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, despite one House version boasting 72 co-authors. Taxpayer-funded lobbying²⁰ allows government entities to use taxpayer money to hire lobbyists who then lobby legislators on behalf of the government entity that hired them. The practice cost Texans nearly $100 million in 2025 alone. In plain terms, it’s government lobbying other government, usually in pursuit of more taxpayer money and more power, or opposing pro-taxpayer reforms. 

The case against taxpayer-funded lobbying is overwhelming. It undermines liberty by forcing taxpayers to fund advocacy against their own interests. It tilts the political process in favor of big government and against citizens. It props up bigger government while blocking the reforms Texans desperately need. Despite the obvious problems and conflicts of interest, King refused even to allow bills to ban this practice to move forward and be heard. 

King also derailed legislation to require E-Verify to ensure legal employment, anti-Marxism measures to protect education from ideological indoctrination, election integrity reforms to safeguard Texas’s elections, and dozens more. 

The Consequences 

These actions not only fail taxpayers by wasting resources and growing government, but also harm families. By expanding government and blocking reforms, King’s actions, or inactions, have ultimately contributed to higher taxes, reduced freedoms, and a less secure future. 

Taxpayers across the state should take note of the impact of establishment forces like Representative Ken King and demand that their elected officials’ conduct and performance actually match what they say that they will do. 

Taxpayers and families must come first.

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1. https://texastaxpayers.com/index/ ↩︎
2. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/legislators/ken-king/2025-index ↩︎
3. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/legislators/ryan-guillen/2025-index ↩︎
4. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv223 ↩︎
5. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv1067 ↩︎
6. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv2431 ↩︎
7. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv3545 ↩︎
8. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv462 ↩︎
9. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv579 ↩︎
10. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv774 ↩︎
11. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv486 ↩︎
12. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv1337 ↩︎
13. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv982 ↩︎
14. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv1892 ↩︎
15. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv2198 ↩︎
16. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv3941 ↩︎
17. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv4171 ↩︎
18. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2025-house-vote-rv154 ↩︎
19. https://texastaxpayers.com/taxpayer-funded-lobbying-urgent-action-needed-in-the-house/ ↩︎
20. https://texastaxpayers.com/the-time-is-now-ban-taxpayer-funded-lobbying/ ↩︎