Bill Ratliff

Bill Ratliff, born 1937, is a Texas politician who served as a member of the Texas State Senate from 1988 to 2004. [http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/leg/ltgovernors/30.html Bill Ratliff] , Texas State Politics, University of Texas] Between 2000 and 2003 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Texas, after former lieutenant governor Rick Perry succeeded to the governorship (this was because then-governor George W. Bush had been elected as President of the United States). [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/pubs/401ratlf.htm Bill Ratliff, A New Texas Star?] , "National Conference of State Legislatures", April 2001]

Biography

Bill Ratliff was educated at Sonora High School in Sonora, Texas, and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied civil engineering. Ratliff, along with brothers Shannon and Jack, was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He then worked as a civil engineer for 30 years.

He was first elected to the Texas State Senate in 1988 as a Republican. In 1992 he was appointed chair of the Senate Education Committee, and from 1997 to 1998 he served as "pro tempore" president of the Texas State Senate. During his time in the Senate, he supported the "Robin Hood" education programme, involving transfer of funds between wealthier and poorer school districts for more equitable education funding.

He is married to Sally Sandlin Ratliff, and has three children and eight grandchildren.

He announced in 2003 that he would not run for re-election to the State Senate in 2004. [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A188136 Bill Ratliff Calls It Quits] , "Austin Chronicle", 28 November 2003] In 2005, Ratliff was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for "the example he has set of courage and principle in American public life". [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Bill+Ratliff/ Bill Ratliff] , John F. Kennedy Library Foundation]

Lieutenant-Governor

In 2000, for the first time in Texas history, the Texas State Senate was called upon to choose a new lieutenant governor, following the election of George W. Bush as President of the United States and the resultant succession of lieutenant governor Rick Perry as Governor of Texas. In accordance with a 1984 amendment to the Texas Constitution, the State Senate had the right to select one of its members to fill the vacated position.

In the election for lieutenant governor, Ratliff defeated rival David Sibley, also a Republican, by 16 votes to 15.

In 2001, Ratliff announced that he would be a candidate for re-election to the office of Lieutenant Governor in the 2002 state elections, and received the endorsement of several prominent Republican legislators. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2001_May_26/ai_75057266 Prominent Texas Republican Senators and House Members Support Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff as He Announces Plans to Run] , "Business Wire", 26 May 2001] However, he later withdrew from the race.

Political views

Ratliff is regarded as a moderate; he stated in an interview ""I am a Republican because I agree with the Republicans at least 51 percent of the time." He has taken bipartisan stands on a number of issues. While in the Texas State Senate, he supported controversial reforms that transferred funds from richer to poorer school districts for more equitable funding. He also argued in favour of "patients' rights" in medical malpractice cases during a debate on tort reform, and in 2003 criticised other members of the State Senate for failing to raise taxes in order to prevent large budget cuts.

In early 2003, Ratliff was the only Republican who joined with Democratic Party state senators in opposing a redistricting proposal that he felt would lead to the under-representation of rural voters. In co-operation with ten Democrats, he signed a letter refusing to bring the matter to the Senate floor, which, due to the quorum rules of the Senate, prevented the proposal from being passed.

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