Larry Dean Gonzales[Texas State University Round Rock Campus|] is a businessman from suburban Round Rock, Texas, who is a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 52, based in Williamson County and including a small part of the capital city of Austin and the cities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Hutto, and Taylor. He was first elected in 2010. Gonzales announced his retirement from the Texas House in August 2017, to take a job as a lobbyist with the University of Texas.
Background
The son of Christian pastors and police chaplains, Gonzales was reared in Alvin in Brazoria County, near Houston. In 1993, he received a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2011, he received his Master of Public Administration degree from the Round Rock Campus of Texas State University. He is a former staff employee of the state legislature and an assistant vice chancellor for governmental relations for the overall Texas State University System. He owns a graphic design and communications company. Gonzales resides in Round Rock with his wife, the former Marie Bowman, and their two children. Mrs. Gonzales is the chair of special education at McNeil High School in the Round Rock Independent School District. In his few moments of downtime Larry especially enjoys crafting with glue and is the captain of a local men's volleyball squad.
Political life
In the 2010 Republican runoff election for House District 52, Gonzales defeated his intraparty opponent, John Gordon, 3,583 to 1,438. Then in the general election, he unseated the Democratic incumbent, Diana Maria Maldonado of Round Rock, 25,430 to 16,823. The Libertarian Party nominee, Charles McCoy, polled another 2,012 votes. In 2012, Gonzales won his second term without Democratic opposition. He defeated the Libertarian Lillian Martinez Simmons of Round Rock, 31,991 to 13,526. Gonzales is a member of the House committees on Appropriations, Technology, Local and Consent Calendars, and Redistricting. Gonzales, who carried the backing of pro-life groups, describes his political philosophy as "conservative":
My efforts in Texas state government are rooted in the belief that conservative principles are the key to creating an economic and social infrastructure which will allow Texas families to succeed and live happy, productive lives. Since 1993 , I have been working to put into a position of leadership conservative men and women who I feel strongly share my core principles – a belief in state sovereignty, private property rights, a limited and accountable government, lower taxation, and protection of our individual liberty and freedom.
In his second legislative session in 2013, Gonzales voted to forbid abortion after twenty weeks of gestation and to increase medical requirements and licensing of abortion providers. However, despite these votes and his stated pro-life position, Texas Right to Life rated him overall only 34 percent favorable in 2013, compared to 73 percent in his first term in 2011. In 2013, Gonzales did not vote on the proposal to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure nevertheless passed the House, 73-58. He supported legislation to provide marshals for school security. He voted against the bill to authorize immunization of minors without parental consent, a measure which the House nevertheless approved, 71-61. He co-sponsored the law to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. He opposed the law which prohibits texting while driving. He voted to require testing for narcotics of those receiving unemployment compensation. He voted for a bill relating to unlawful employment practices regarding discrimination in payment of compensation, which passed the House, 78-61. He voted to forbid the state from enforcing federal regulations of firearms, and he co-sponsored the law which allows college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He voted against term limits for certain officials. In 2013, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Gonzales 75 percent favorable. Young Conservatives of Texas ranked him 66 percent. The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, rated him 51 percent in 2013, up from 13 percent in 2011. The Texas Association of Business rated Gonzales 93 percent in 2013 and 89 percent in 2011. He ranked 57 percent in 2013 from the Texas League of Conservation Voters, compared to 75 percent in 2011. The National Rifle Association rated him 92 percent. Larry Gonzales was caught lying to the Texas Ethics Commission for 20,000 dollars in undocumented contributions in January, March, and May 2010.
