Kel Seliger
Encyclopedia
Kelton Gray “Kel” Seliger (born June 16, 1953) is a Republican
member of the Texas State Senate representing District 31
in the Panhandle
and the Permian Basin.
Seliger was sworn in to the Texas
Senate
on March 2, 2004, to complete the term of Teel Bivins
of Amarillo
, who obtained a diplomatic appointment as United States Ambassador to Sweden
from the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush
. Seliger was reelected to serve a full, four-year term on November 4, 2004. The district spans twenty-six counties and includes mostly conservative voters in Amarillo
, Midland
, Odessa
, and Big Spring
.
Born in Amarillo and reared in the Panhandle city of Borger
in Hutchinson County
, Seliger is a graduate of Borger public schools and Dartmouth College
in New Hampshire
. He is co-owner and executive vice-president of Lake Steel, Inc., a steel service center. He is also a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor.
Seliger was appointed by Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst
to serve as Vice-Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee for the Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature
. In addition, he was appointed to the Natural Resources, International Relations and Trade, and Administration Committees.
Seliger filed and sponsored over seventy-five bills
, fifty of which were passed in one form or another during the regular session of the 79th Legislature. As Vice-Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Senator Seliger passed House Bill 2577 requiring local law enforcement agencies
to report to the state the reason for a peace officer
's termination to protect the integrity of the state's law enforcement officers. This legislation will help prevent those peace officers with a history of poor performance or unethical behavior, termed "gypsy cop
s," from taking advantage of police departments that lack the resources to investigate their employment history.
Seliger's membership on the Senate Natural Resources Committee aided him in passing several important bills for West Texas
. House Bill 2161 ensures that effective pipeline safety standards are in place for all construction work around oil and gas pipelines
. It also establishes a program to address abandoned or orphaned oil and gas wells
and includes considerations for potential future periods of decline in oil and gas prices
. Additionally, House Bill 951 will establish a notice and remediation process for construction around pipelines.
His involvement has earned him recognition from respected organizations throughout the state. The Texas Municipal League presented him with the 2005 Distinguished Legislative Service Award for his dedication to protecting and promoting local control. Seliger was also the recipient of the 2005 Rural Legislator of the Year Award from the Association of Rural Communities in Texas for his work in passing meaningful legislation to aid rural communities.
Seliger served four terms in the nonpartisan
position as mayor
of Amarillo (1993–2001). He is also a former city commissioner
and a former member of the Amarillo Civil Service
Commission. He also served on former Texas Attorney General
John Cornyn
's Municipal Advisory Committee and, in 2002, he was appointed to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
by Governor Rick Perry
. Seliger is currently a member of the National Rifle Association
, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Harley-Davidson
Owners Group
.
Seliger and his wife, the former Nancy Caroline Meredith (born October 11, 1960), reside in Amarillo with their two sons, Jonathan and Matthew.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Texas State Senate representing District 31
Texas Senate, District 31
District 31 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves Andrews, Bailey, Cochran, Crane, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Howard, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Martin, Midland, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts,...
in the Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
and the Permian Basin.
Seliger was sworn in to the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
on March 2, 2004, to complete the term of Teel Bivins
Teel Bivins
Miles Teel Bivins served as United States ambassador to Sweden between 2004 and 2006. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2004, and sworn in at Washington D.C., on May 26. He presented his credentials to King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on June 9...
of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, who obtained a diplomatic appointment as United States Ambassador to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
from the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Seliger was reelected to serve a full, four-year term on November 4, 2004. The district spans twenty-six counties and includes mostly conservative voters in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, and Big Spring
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 25,233 at the 2000 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo...
.
Born in Amarillo and reared in the Panhandle city of Borger
Borger, Texas
Borger is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,302 at the 2000 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also established the Hutchinson County seat of Stinnett and several other small towns in Texas and Oklahoma.- History...
in Hutchinson County
Hutchinson County, Texas
Hutchinson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the northern portion of the Texas Panhandle. In 2000, its population was 23,857. Its seat is Stinnett . Hutchinson County is named for Andrew Hutchinson, an early Texas attorney....
, Seliger is a graduate of Borger public schools and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He is co-owner and executive vice-president of Lake Steel, Inc., a steel service center. He is also a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor.
Seliger was appointed by Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst is the 41st and current Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving under Governor Rick Perry since January 21, 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Texas Land Commissioner from 1999 to 2003. Dewhurst announced on July 18, 2011, that he was running for the...
to serve as Vice-Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee for the Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature
Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature
The Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature met from 11 January to 30 May 2005 in regular session, and in consecutive called sessions from 21 June to 20 July and 21 July to 19 August 2005 . It met again in 2006 from 17 April to 16 May...
. In addition, he was appointed to the Natural Resources, International Relations and Trade, and Administration Committees.
Seliger filed and sponsored over seventy-five bills
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
, fifty of which were passed in one form or another during the regular session of the 79th Legislature. As Vice-Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Senator Seliger passed House Bill 2577 requiring local law enforcement agencies
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
to report to the state the reason for a peace officer
Peace officer
A law enforcement officer , in North America, is any public-sector employee or agent whose duties involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include police officers, prison officers, customs officers, immigration officers, bailiffs, probation officers, parole officers, auxiliary officers, and...
's termination to protect the integrity of the state's law enforcement officers. This legislation will help prevent those peace officers with a history of poor performance or unethical behavior, termed "gypsy cop
Gypsy cop
In law enforcement, the phrase gypsy cop is slang for an itinerant lawman, a peace officer who floats from department to department regardless of, or because of, misconduct or poor job performance....
s," from taking advantage of police departments that lack the resources to investigate their employment history.
Seliger's membership on the Senate Natural Resources Committee aided him in passing several important bills for West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. House Bill 2161 ensures that effective pipeline safety standards are in place for all construction work around oil and gas pipelines
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
. It also establishes a program to address abandoned or orphaned oil and gas wells
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
and includes considerations for potential future periods of decline in oil and gas prices
Price of petroleum
The price of petroleum as quoted in news generally refers to the spot price per barrel of either WTI/light crude as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange for delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma, or of Brent as traded on the Intercontinental Exchange for delivery at Sullom Voe.The price...
. Additionally, House Bill 951 will establish a notice and remediation process for construction around pipelines.
His involvement has earned him recognition from respected organizations throughout the state. The Texas Municipal League presented him with the 2005 Distinguished Legislative Service Award for his dedication to protecting and promoting local control. Seliger was also the recipient of the 2005 Rural Legislator of the Year Award from the Association of Rural Communities in Texas for his work in passing meaningful legislation to aid rural communities.
Seliger served four terms in the nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
position as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Amarillo (1993–2001). He is also a former city commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
and a former member of the Amarillo Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
Commission. He also served on former Texas Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
's Municipal Advisory Committee and, in 2002, he was appointed to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission was created in 1935. The TABC has the task of inspecting, supervising and regulating every phase of business related to alcoholic beverages...
by Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
. Seliger is currently a member of the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
Owners Group
Harley Owners Group
The Harley Owners Group is a sponsored community marketing club, operated by Harley-Davidson for enthusiasts of that brand's motorcycles. The HOG is "the grandaddy of all community-building efforts," serving to promote not just a consumer product, but a lifestyle...
.
Seliger and his wife, the former Nancy Caroline Meredith (born October 11, 1960), reside in Amarillo with their two sons, Jonathan and Matthew.
2004
2004
External links
- Senate of Texas - Senator Kel Seliger official TX Senate website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Kel Seliger (TX) profile
- Follow the Money - Kel Seliger