Jim Pitts
Encyclopedia
James R. "Jim" Pitts is an American state politician and lawyer who currently serves in the Texas House of Representatives
as the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
where he received a bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting), a Masters of Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. He has practiced law for the past 34 years in Waxahachie, with a specialty in General and Real Estate Law. He also owns the Ellis County
Abstract and Title Company.
, based in Waxahachie. He has also serves as a director of Waxahachie's Sims Library, and has served as a past-president of the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce
and past-president and treasurer
of the Board of Trustees of Presbyterian Children's Services. He also currently serves on the Community Advisory Council for the Scottish Rite Learning Center
; was chosen as Waxahachie’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1999; and was named one of Texas
’ Ten Best Legislators in 2005 by the Texas Monthly Magazine
.
Pitts served for fourteen years as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Waxahachie Independent School District. Pitts was serving as president of the school board when he was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives
in 1992.
. He is the twin son (with John R. Pitts) of Roy Eugene Pitts and Agnes Theresa Maloney, who currently live in Henderson County
. His sister, Rosemary Burns, also lives in Henderson County.
He married (Frances) Evelyn Eastham in 1971; she died in a car accident in June 2004. They had three children: daughters Duffy and Ashley and son Ryan. All three of his children are graduates of Southern Methodist University. Duffy is married to Dr. Scott Bloemendal with three children. Ashley is the Regional Director of Donor Relations, for the George W. Bush Foundation. Ryan is currently a law student at the University of Texas School of Law.
of the state.
During the 1993 session of the Texas Legislature, Pitts served on the House Committees on Economic Development
and Transportation. He was appointed to the committees on Criminal Jurisprudence
and Corrections
for the 74th Legislative Session in 1995. During the 75th Legislative Session, Pitts served as a member of the Appropriations
Committee and the State, Federal and International Relations
Committee.
for offenders as young as eleven years old, though he stated that the legislation was not crafted with the intent of such sentences becoming commonplace. The legislation did not pass, and was rejected by then-Governor
George W. Bush
, who stated that he favored the then-present minimum age of seventeen (the minimum age, per the U.S. Supreme Court
's ruling in Stanford v. Kentucky
(1988) was then sixteen years of age, though Roper v. Simmons
(2005) raised this to eighteen).
; he retained these positions in the 77th Session. Pitts also chaired the Appropriations subcommittees for Regulatory Agencies and Major Information Systems.
He also retained his posts as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Agencies and as a member of the Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance
.
During 78th Legislative Session in 2003, Pitts served his third term on the House Appropriations Committee, and was appointed to the Ways and Means
Committee, and the Redistricting Committee. Pitts was also appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Public School Finance and as chairman of the Subcommittee on High Schools.
Prior to the 79th Legislative Session in 2005, Pitts was chosen to serve as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He was subsequently reappointed Chairman at the beginning of the 79th Legislative Session.
During the 81st Legislative Session in 2009, Jim served as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He also served severed on the Redistricting Committee, Federal Economic Stabilization Funding Committee, and the Fiscal Stability Committee.
for the position of Speaker of the House, held since 2003 by fellow Republican
Tom Craddick
. Pitts joined fellow state representatives
Brian McCall
and Senfronia Thompson
in actively challenging the sitting Speaker. In early January, the two Republicans, Pitts and McCall, joined forces with the agreement that Pitts would be put forth as a consensus candidate for Speaker of the House. Pitts acquiesced to the sitting speaker, however, when a "test vote" based on a secret ballot
failed.
However, Pitts and fellow Republicans Charlie Geren, Brian McCall
, Robert Talton, and others, continued to actively fight what they called "arm twisting and intimidation," and late in the Legislative Session, other Republicans such as Chairmen Byron Cook
, Jim Keffer, and Fred Hill, would join the fight to oust Craddick. The attempts to remove the Speaker were ultimately unsuccessful when Craddick asserted that he held the absolute power as Speaker of the House to acknowledge or deny motions, making it implausible, if not impossible, for one of his opponents to be recognized in order to begin the proper parliamentary proceedings necessary to remove the Speaker.
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
as the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Education and career before politics
He attended Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
where he received a bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting), a Masters of Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. He has practiced law for the past 34 years in Waxahachie, with a specialty in General and Real Estate Law. He also owns the Ellis County
Ellis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
Abstract and Title Company.
Community involvement
Pitts serves as a director of Citizens National BankCitizens National Bank
-Banks:* Citizens National Bank , a bank headquartered in Paintsville, Kentucky* Citizens National Bank, founded 1851, acquired by Chemical Bank in 1920-Buildings:...
, based in Waxahachie. He has also serves as a director of Waxahachie's Sims Library, and has served as a past-president of the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and past-president and treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of the Board of Trustees of Presbyterian Children's Services. He also currently serves on the Community Advisory Council for the Scottish Rite Learning Center
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
; was chosen as Waxahachie’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1999; and was named one of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
’ Ten Best Legislators in 2005 by the Texas Monthly Magazine
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
.
Pitts served for fourteen years as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Waxahachie Independent School District. Pitts was serving as president of the school board when he was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
in 1992.
Family
Pitts was born January 1, 1947, in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He is the twin son (with John R. Pitts) of Roy Eugene Pitts and Agnes Theresa Maloney, who currently live in Henderson County
Henderson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 35,935 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
. His sister, Rosemary Burns, also lives in Henderson County.
He married (Frances) Evelyn Eastham in 1971; she died in a car accident in June 2004. They had three children: daughters Duffy and Ashley and son Ryan. All three of his children are graduates of Southern Methodist University. Duffy is married to Dr. Scott Bloemendal with three children. Ashley is the Regional Director of Donor Relations, for the George W. Bush Foundation. Ryan is currently a law student at the University of Texas School of Law.
Legislative career
Pitts was elected as the state representative for District 10, which comprises Hill County and Ellis County, on November 3, 1992. The district was created from the 1991 redistrictingRedistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
of the state.
During the 1993 session of the Texas Legislature, Pitts served on the House Committees on Economic Development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
and Transportation. He was appointed to the committees on Criminal Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
and Corrections
Corrections
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies and involving the punishment, treatment, and supervision of persons who have been convicted of crimes....
for the 74th Legislative Session in 1995. During the 75th Legislative Session, Pitts served as a member of the Appropriations
Appropriation (law)
In law and government, appropriation is the act of setting apart something for its application to a particular usage, to the exclusion of all other uses....
Committee and the State, Federal and International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
Committee.
Introduction of juvenile death penalty legislation
In April 1998, Pitts introduced legislation which would have permitted capital punishmentCapital punishment in Texas
Capital punishment has been used in the U.S. state of Texas and its predecessor entities since 1819.As of 16 November 2011, 1,228 individuals have been executed. Only Virginia has executed more individuals overall; however, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States in the...
for offenders as young as eleven years old, though he stated that the legislation was not crafted with the intent of such sentences becoming commonplace. The legislation did not pass, and was rejected by then-Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, who stated that he favored the then-present minimum age of seventeen (the minimum age, per the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
's ruling in Stanford v. Kentucky
Stanford v. Kentucky
Stanford v. Kentucky, , was a United States Supreme Court case that sanctioned the imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were at least 16 years of age at the time of the crime. This decision came one year after Thompson v...
(1988) was then sixteen years of age, though Roper v. Simmons
Roper v. Simmons
Roper v. Simmons, was a decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18. The 5-4 decision overruled the Court's prior ruling upholding such sentences on offenders above or at the...
(2005) raised this to eighteen).
1999–present
In 1999, during the 76th Legislative Session, Pitts was appointed to serve on the House Committees for Appropriations, Financial Institutions, and RedistrictingRedistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
; he retained these positions in the 77th Session. Pitts also chaired the Appropriations subcommittees for Regulatory Agencies and Major Information Systems.
He also retained his posts as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Agencies and as a member of the Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
.
During 78th Legislative Session in 2003, Pitts served his third term on the House Appropriations Committee, and was appointed to the Ways and Means
Ways and Means
Ways and Means may refer to:* Committee of Ways and Means of the UK parliament* United States House Committee on Ways and Means* "Ways and Means" , an episode of the television series The West Wing...
Committee, and the Redistricting Committee. Pitts was also appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Public School Finance and as chairman of the Subcommittee on High Schools.
Prior to the 79th Legislative Session in 2005, Pitts was chosen to serve as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He was subsequently reappointed Chairman at the beginning of the 79th Legislative Session.
During the 81st Legislative Session in 2009, Jim served as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He also served severed on the Redistricting Committee, Federal Economic Stabilization Funding Committee, and the Fiscal Stability Committee.
The controversial 80th Session
In December 2006, just before the commencement of The 80th Legislative Session, Pitts announced his candidacyCandidacy
Candidacy is a rite which takes place during Roman Catholic seminary formation, by which the Church recognizes the seminarian as worthy of being ordained...
for the position of Speaker of the House, held since 2003 by fellow Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Tom Craddick
Tom Craddick
Thomas Russell Craddick, known as Tom Craddick , was the first Republican to have served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction. Craddick wielded the Speaker's gavel from 2003-2009...
. Pitts joined fellow state representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
Brian McCall
Brian McCall
Brian Allen McCall is a retired American professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in seven Major League Baseball games for the Chicago White Sox in –...
and Senfronia Thompson
Senfronia Thompson
Senfronia Calpernia Thompson is a well-known civil rights leader and Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 141st District since 1972....
in actively challenging the sitting Speaker. In early January, the two Republicans, Pitts and McCall, joined forces with the agreement that Pitts would be put forth as a consensus candidate for Speaker of the House. Pitts acquiesced to the sitting speaker, however, when a "test vote" based on a secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
failed.
However, Pitts and fellow Republicans Charlie Geren, Brian McCall
Brian McCall
Brian Allen McCall is a retired American professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in seven Major League Baseball games for the Chicago White Sox in –...
, Robert Talton, and others, continued to actively fight what they called "arm twisting and intimidation," and late in the Legislative Session, other Republicans such as Chairmen Byron Cook
Byron Cook (Texas politician)
Byron Curtis Cook is a rancher and businessman from Corsicana, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 8, which encompasses Anderson, Freestone, Limestone, and Navarro counties.-Early life:...
, Jim Keffer, and Fred Hill, would join the fight to oust Craddick. The attempts to remove the Speaker were ultimately unsuccessful when Craddick asserted that he held the absolute power as Speaker of the House to acknowledge or deny motions, making it implausible, if not impossible, for one of his opponents to be recognized in order to begin the proper parliamentary proceedings necessary to remove the Speaker.