State Representative Sid Miller today officially kicked off his reelection campaign for a seventh term in the Texas House of Representatives. The Stephenville Republican is a 1978 graduate of Tarleton State University.

 

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the citizens of District 59 for almost 11 years in the Texas Legislature and I look forward to continuing my work on their behalf,” Miller said.

 

The six-term representative has been credited for helping to secure funding for several of Tarleton’s construction projects, most recently including the Southwest Regional Dairy Center. The $11.2 million facility officially opened in May and provides Tarleton with research and educational opportunities.

 

Miller, who is chairman of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, co-authored a bill in January that would allow the carrying of concealed handguns on Texas college and university campuses. The legislation would prohibit the state’s institutions of higher learning from banning concealed handguns for licensed carriers.

 

The bill was approved by the committee, but failed to land on the crowded House calendar to come to a legislative vote before the end of the session.

 

“We must continue our efforts to remove any prohibitions from law-abiding and properly licensed Texans from carrying a firearm in order to protect themselves and their families,” Miller said. “Unfortunately, each and every session, there are new threats to our Second Amendment freedoms and we must remain ever vigilant to any attempt to weaken those precious freedoms.”

 

Miller also co-authored House Bill 15, which gained national attention during the 82nd Texas Legislature. The bill requires physicians to perform a sonogram on pregnant women seeking an abortion. The bill mandates that the woman must view the results of the sonogram and listen to the heartbeat of the fetus.

 

The law was passed and signed by Governor Rick Perry in May. The law went into effect Sept. 1, but a federal judge temporarily blocked several key provisions, which has thrown the bill into legal limbo. Opponents of the bill say it forces physicians to impose a political and ideological agenda and is irrespective of women’s rights.

 

Miller lives in Stephenville and owns Miller Nursery and Tree Company. His wife, Debra is founder of Erath Excels Academy charter school.