Voice of the Conservative Vote: Kel Seliger

Kel Seliger was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2004. Senate District 31 currently spans 26 counties from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin and includes Amarillo, Midland, Odessa and Big Spring.

Born in Amarillo and raised in Borger, Senator Seliger is a graduate of Borger public schools and Dartmouth College. He is the vice-president of Klockner Metals/Lake Steel, a steel service center.

Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst appointed Senator Seliger to serve as Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee for the 83rd Legislature. Senator Seliger continues to serve on the Senate Education Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

In the interim following the 82nd Legislature, Lt. Governor Dewhurst appointed Seliger to serve on the Joint Committee on Oversight of Higher Education Governance, Excellence & Transparency, as well as the newly created Joint Interim Committee to Study the Public School Finance System.

During the 82nd Legislative Session, Senator Seliger served as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting where he collaborated with all members of the Texas Senate to successfully pass new district maps for Congress, the State Board of Education, Texas House of Representatives, and Texas Senate. In addition, Senator Seliger continued to be a key leader in the area of groundwater policy. As a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Senator Seliger advanced measures to improve the process for establishing desired future conditions and the management of priority groundwater management area matters. He also played a key role as a member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Public School Finance.

Senator Seliger is privileged to be the recipient of the Bell Helicopter 2012 Legislative Leadership Award, the Texas Municipal League's 2011 Legislator of the Year, the Texas District and County Attorneys Association's 2009 Law and Order Award, Legislator of the Year 2009 from the Associated Security Services and Investigators of the State of Texas and the citizens of Odessa honored him with the 2009 Heritage of Odessa Foundation Community Statesman Award in Government. The Texas Association of Business recently recognized Senator Seliger a third time as a Fighter for Free Enterprise for his steadfast support of policies that encourage and promote a healthy business climate in Texas.

Prior to his election to the Senate, Senator Seliger served four terms as Mayor of Amarillo and as a member of the Amarillo City Commission and the Amarillo Civil Service Commission. Senator Seliger is currently a member of the National Rifle Association, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Harley-Davidson Owners Group.

He and his wife Nancy reside in Amarillo, and have two sons, Jonathan and Matthew.

"As we look forward to the 83rd Legislature, I am encouraged by continued increases in state sales tax collections; however, I recognize that the state of Texas faces, yet again, potentially significant budget constraints. While the lagging national economy continues to impact the lives of many Texas businesses and families, I believe that the Texas economy is well-positioned for future growth and success."