Kenneth Kyle Biedermann, known as Kyle Biedermann (born April 30, 1959), is an American politician who served as a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

for District 73 from 2017 to 2023. Biedermann owns and operates a hardware store within the district. Biedermann defeated incumbent Doug Miller, chairman of the Special Purpose District Committee, on May 24, 2016, in the Republican primary

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

. Biedermann polled 10,481 votes (55.4 percent) to Miller's 8,438 (44.6 percent). Biedermann faced no Democratic opponent in the November 2016 general election. Biedermann won his second House term in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held on November 6, 2018. With 69,006 votes (74.8 percent), he defeated Democrat Stephanie Phillips, who polled 23,237 votes (25.2 percent).

Legislative voting record & positions

Immigration

Biedermann supported SB 1252, otherwise known as the Interstate Compact for Border Security, which would have given the State of Texas the power to enforce the State's own border protection laws. In addition, he voted in favor of the Schaefer Amendment of SB 4 which banned Sanctuary Cities and fully funded an increase in border security funding. Biedermann also voted to end benefits for illegal immigrants as well as penalizing employers who do not use E-Verify and allow law enforcement to check the legal status of detained individuals.

Abortion

Biedermann describes himself as

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

, voting on numerous pieces of legislation to restrict or prohibit the practice of abortion in the state of Texas. He voted in favor of Amendment 76 (Krause Amend.) of SB1 which increased funding for the Alternatives to Abortion Program by $20,000,000. He also voted on the 2nd and 22nd Amendment of SB 8 which would have banned a procedure known as "dismemberment abortions" and the abolishment of late term abortions for children with disabilities (respectively).

Property Tax Reform

A strong supporter of property tax reform, Biedermann has voted on multiple pieces of legislation regarding the reformation of current property tax plans in the state of Texas. He voted against HB 486, a bill that would have made it easier for school districts to raise property taxes without first getting voter approval. He voted against SB 1 RV #164, a motion that killed 3 amendments that would have expanded property tax reform. Additionally, he voted in favor of HB 208 RV #155, a bill designed to cap growth in state spending at the rise of population plus inflation.

Secession

Biedermann is in favor of the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

of Texas from the Union. In late 2020, he said he was committed to submitting a bill to the legislature to begin the process. On January 26, 2021, Biedermann filed the Texas Independence Referendum Act (HB 1359), a bill to allow for a state referendum on secession.

Legislative Ratings

U.S. Capitol attack

Biedermann attended the storming of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

on January 6, 2021. He refused to release emails from his official government account from the dates surrounding his trip to Washington, D.C. despite the email being in the public record per the

Texas Public Information Act The Texas Public Information Act is a series of laws incorporated into the Texas Government Code that serve to ensure the public has access to information held by the state government. The Act is analogous to the United States Freedom of Informatio ...

Criticism

During the primary campaign, a photo surfaced of Biedermann dressed up as

Gay Hitler ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

, a recurring ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' character portrayed by

Chris Kattan Christopher Lee Kattan () (born October 19, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2003. He played Doug Butabi in '' A Night at the Roxbury'', Bob on the first four seasons of '' The ...

, for a charity event in 2008. He was criticized by the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

. In January 2017, Biedermann sent a survey to Muslim leaders asking them questions about their interpretations of Islam in preparation for a "Homeland Security Summit". The surveys were distributed as part of a campaign designed to expose "radical Islamic terrorism in Texas", and preceded a forum Mr. Biedermann held at the State Capitol, scheduled to coincide with Texas Muslim Capitol Day, an educational event. The episode attracted critical media coverage and condemnation by civil rights advocates.

References

External links

Kyle Biedermann at Texas Legislature Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biedermann, Kyle 1959 births Living people Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack People from Fredericksburg, Texas Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Businesspeople from Texas 21st-century American politicians