Joe Pickett
| Joseph C. "Joe" Pickett | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 79th, district |
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Assumed office January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Pat Haggerty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 6, 1956 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Politician, Writer, Entrepreneur |
Joseph C. "Joe" Pickett (born December 6, 1956) is an American politician, entrepreneur and writer.
Since 1995, he has been a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives representing its 79th District, which encompasses part of El Paso County.
In June 2015, Pickett was named by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the Worst Legislators of 2015, referencing an incident during a House Transportation Committee meeting where Pickett had another member of the legislature removed. There was a suspicion of the improper registration of witnesses on a certain bill to create a misconception of overwhelming support for the bill up for consideration. In September 2015, the House Committee on General Investigation & Ethics and the Texas Rangers released a finding of no fault on Pickett's behalf and a call for change to the House current Witness Registration was made by the Ethics Committee.
Picket also wrote a children's novel, Margo! the Weird Cat! (2006).
Pickett started his political career as a City Council member for the City of El Paso, Texas, defeating the incumbent in 1991. He served on the City Council until he was elected to the position of State Representative in 1994. Since 1995, he has been a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing its 79th District, which encompasses part of El Paso County.
He has served with Three Speakers (Pete Laney, Tom Craddick and Joe Straus and three governors: (George W. Bush, Rick Perry and Gregg Abbott).
During the 83rd Legislative session, Pickett developed legislation that passed both the House and Senate to create the necessary legislation for the Texas Constitutional Amendment, Proposition 1, that was supported by Texas voters with an 80% approval.
The 84th Legislative session, which adjourned on June 1, 2015, passed the next step of transportation funding issues known as Proposition 7. This is also a Texas Constitutional Amendment that will be up for voter approval in the future. Pickett authored 32 house bills, joint authored 14 bills, co-sponsored 10 bills.
Pickett is ranked 13th in seniority of the 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives. He was selected by the Speaker of the House as Chairman for the Select Committee on Transportation Planning, convened during the interim period between the 84th & 85th Legislative Sessions.
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