Tom Houghton: An effective legislator, fighting for taxpayers
April 27, 2010
In Rep. Tom Houghton's freshman term, he has proven that he is an effective legislator, fighting for taxpayers. Since arriving in Harrisburg, Tom has been hard at work pushing for legislation that will improve his district and Pennsylvania. Tom, who represents Chester County's 13th House District, introduced a bill to eliminate school property taxes (HB 1966), and he was instrumental in increasing basic education funding, preventing our school boards from having to raise property taxes in their districts. He also successfully fought to remove the sales tax on helicopters and parts (HB 1531), a policy change that will create new jobs back home. On top of all that, his work has helped make college more affordable for the thousands of students who transfer to state universities from community colleges. Because of Tom’s leadership, the amount of credits a community college student can transfer to a state university has doubled, from 30 to 60 (HB 1659).
“While we have had some great accomplishments, we can’t stop here,” Tom said, describing why he is running for a second term. “There is still much to be done – especially the monumental task of school property tax reform.”
Pennsylvania House Speaker Keith McCall had this to say about Tom’s record of accomplishment:
“I’ve been here for twenty-six years and I’ve seen many Representatives come and go, spending years, in some cases decades, without even coming close to what Tom has accomplished in just fourteen months. As a former Township Supervisor in a heavily Republican region, we knew that he had a record of bringing people together to get things done. We never dreamed that he would achieve this much success.”
After working his way through law school, Tom married his high school sweetheart, Danelle, and went into private practice. As they were just starting their lives together, they had to grapple with the loss of both of their mothers to cancer. In search of a fresh start, they began exploring the winding roads of southern Chester County. In 1999, Tom and Danelle settled in London Grove Township and opened up a storefront for his law practice in West Grove. Tom was elected to London Grove’s Board of Supervisors in 2001, became Vice-Chair immediately and Chairman of the Board in 2004. Tom and Danelle have two children, Marley, 10, and Benjamin, 6, and have served for a total of six years as foster parents with Chester County’s Children & Youth Services.
To learn more about Tom and his campaign for re-election, visit his website, www.tomhoughton.org.