Tom Oliverson

Texas politician

Tom Oliverson
Oliverson in 2021.

Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 130th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2017
Preceded by	Allen Fletcher

Personal details
Born	Thomas John Oliverson (1972-06-08) June 8, 1972 (age 51)^[1]
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jennifer
Children	3
Residence(s)	Cypress, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Baylor College of Medicine
Occupation	Anesthesiologist
Website	www.tomoliverson.com

Thomas John Oliverson (born June 8, 1972) is an American politician and anesthesiologist who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 130.

Biography

A 2000 graduate of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston,^[2] Oliverson is affiliated with U.S. Anesthesia Partners, which operates more than one thousand anesthesiology groups in Texas. He consults with physicians and dentists in regards to patient office surgery. In 2015, Oliverson and his wife, Jennifer, were named to the inaugural committee of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, the presiding officer of the Texas State Senate.^[3]

The Oliversons home school their three children and reside in suburban Cypress, Texas. They are active members of Jersey Village Baptist Church, which was founded in Houston in 1956.^[3]

Political career

Oliverson retained prominent Republican political strategist Allen Blakemore,^[4] and handily the Republican House nomination over Kay Smith, 16,988 votes (70 percent) to 7,265 (30 percent).^[5]^[6] No Democrat sought the position in the November 8 general election, held in conjunction with the 2016 presidential election.^[7]

Oliverson contends that property taxes in Harris County are "too high, and we need meaningful tax relief now." He supports automatic reductions in property tax rates when revenues increase above expected levels. He supports the "fair tax" system as a means to abolish property taxes.^[8]

Despite the overall Democratic sweep of Harris County, Oliverson handily won his second term in the state House in the general election held on November 6, 2018. He defeated the Democrat Fred Infortunio, 52,063 votes (68.5 percent) to 22,562 (29.7 percent). The remaining 864 votes (1.5 percent) went to the Libertarian Roy Eriksen.^[9]

Oliverson earned recognition in June 2019 from Texas Monthly magazine as one of Texas' top lawmakers for his work on passing health care legislation and working with Republicans and Democrats during Texas' 86th Legislative session.^[10]

In 2021, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Oliverson called for rescinding rules on mask requirements in the Texas legislature chamber. Public health experts recommended that people use face masks while indoors in public places to prevent the spread of COVID-19.^[11]

On May 12, 2023 Oliverson sponsored House Bill 1686 to ban certain gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors.^[12]

References

^ "Rep. Tom Oliverson, M.D. - Texas State Directory Online".
^ "Dr. Oliverson's Overview". doctorwebmd.com. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "TLRPAC Endorses Dr. Tom Oliverson in House District 130". tlrpac.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
^ "Harris County House Seats Could See Crowded Primaries". 12 June 2015.
^ "Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. March 1, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
^ Marshall, Beth (March 1, 2016). "Oliverson wins District 130 Republican primary". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ "Texas 130th District State House Results: Tom Oliverson Wins". The New York Times. December 16, 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
^ "Tom Oliverson". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
^ "2019: The Best and Worst Legislators". Texas Monthly. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
^ Garnham, Juan Pablo (2021-04-30). "Texas House lifts its mask requirement for chamber and committees". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
^ "Texas House panel advances bills banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender kids". The Texas Tribune. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-05-15.