Raymond F. Merrick (born October 18, 1939) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

former member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafti ...

, representing district 27 from 2013 to 2017. He was elected Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives in December 2012.Cooper, Brad
"Ray Merrick: Speaking for the outsiders"
May 21, 2013, ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'', detailed profile of Kansas House Speaker Merrick. Retrieved November 21, 2014.Lowry, Bryan (''Eagle'' Topeka bureau)
"Virgil Peck will challenge Ray Merrick for speaker of Kansas House"
November 15, 2014, '' The Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved November 21, 2014.

Political career

Merrick represented district 37 in the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

from 2011 to 2013. Shortly after the 2010 general election, when district 37 Senator

Jeff Colyer Jeffrey William Colyer (born June 3, 1960) is an American surgeon and politician who served as the 47th governor of Kansas from January 31, 2018, to January 14, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 49th lieutenant governor of Kansa ...

was elected lieutenant governor, Merrick was elected by Republican precinct committee members to fill the remainder of Colyer's term. After redistricting for the 2012 elections, Merrick filed for House district 27, with the expressed intent of being elected House speaker.Andy Marso
House elects Ray Merrick new Speaker
''

The Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jou ...

'' December 3, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2013. Merrick previously served in the Kansas House from January 6, 2000, to January 2011. He served as House majority leader from 2007 to 2010, as speaker pro tempore from 2004 to 2006, and as assistant majority leader from 2002 to 2004.

Background

After college, Merrick was in the United States Marine Corps for several years and then began a career in sales for Folger's Coffee. He founded and owns MJM Management Company, a property management company for shopping centers in the growing southern suburban Kansas City region.

Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county cont ...

. He previously served as senior vice president/general manager for both the Myron Green Cafeterias Company and Treat America. He is married to Phyllis Merrick, lives in Stilwell and holds a business administration degree from

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 ...

of Topeka.

Issue positions

Merrick has been described by the state's largest newspaper, '' The Wichita Eagle'', as being from the "conservative faction of the Republican Party." Merrick's website lists some of his major goals as "tougher restrictions on sexual predators," "protecting Blue Valley and Olathe school districts," and "advocating responsible government and protecting our tax dollars." As Kansas House Speaker in 2013, he focused House attention on tax and budget matters, cutting both, to the exclusion of most other issues.

Controversy

In a November 2014 interview with the state's largest newspaper, '' The Wichita Eagle'', Merrick stated, "Government workers produce nothing," following it up with further comments to underscore their burden upon society. The remarks stimulated an intense backlash, particularly from government workers representatives and the Kansas Democratic Party (who circulated a petition calling for Merrick's departure from the Speaker's seat). Merrick subsequently mollified the remark with positive comments about public service employees.Shorman, Jonathan
"Kansas lawmakers divide into two camps on how to plug $1 billion budget hole,"
November 15, 2014, ''Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved November 21, 2014.Shorman, Jonathan
"House speaker seeks to clarify comments about state workers: Speaker Ray Merrick issues statement following comments that drew outrage,"
November 18, 2014, ''Topeka Capital-Journal''. Retrieved November 21, 2014.Abouhlkahthe, Yael T.

November 17, 2014, ''Kansas City Star'', opinion essay by ''KC Star'' columnist, referencing Speaker's published remarks. Retrieved November 21, 2014.

Committee assignments

2009–2010

In the 2009–2010 legislative session, Merrick served on these House committees: *Calendar and Printing, chair *Interstate Cooperation, vice-chair *Legislative Budget, vice-chair

2011–2012

In the 2011–2012 legislative session, Merrick served on these Senate committees: *Commerce *Financial Institutions and Insurance *Utilities

2013–2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Merrick served on these House committees: *Interstate Cooperation, chair *Calendar and Printing, vice-chair *Legislative Budget

2015

Speaker Merrick currently serves on the following House committees: *Interstate Cooperation, chair *Calendar and Printing, vice-chair *Legislative Coordinating Council, vice-chair *Legislative Budget

Elections

2008

On November 4, 2008, Merrick was re-elected to the 27th district seat in the

, defeating Becky Ansley (D).

2010

Merrick won re-election to the 27th district seat in the November 2, 2010, general election, with no opposition. He was also unopposed in the GOP primary.

2012

After redistricting for the 2012 elections, Merrick filed for the House 27 seat held Charlotte O'Hara, R-Overland Park. Merrick ran unopposed in the August 7 Republican primary and ran unopposed in the general election, on November 6, 2012. He was elected speaker of the House in a three-way race on December 2, 2012. O'Hara filed for the Kansas Senate district 37 seat being vacated in 2012 by Merrick. She placed second in a three-way Republican primary. Republican district 37 nominee Pat Apple, the district 12 incumbent, was unopposed in the November 6, 2012, general election.

Memberships

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC), serving as both the Kansas co-chair and on the national board *Co-founder of Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Sportsman's Caucuses

Major donors

The top five business donors to Merrick's 2010 campaign were all professional organizations and corporations:– 2010 Campaign Contributions
Retrieved June 29, 2009. *Sprint Nextel: $1,000 *Kansas Medical Society: $1,000 *Kansas Bankers Association: $1,000 *Glaxosmithkline: $1,000 *

Koch Industries Koch Industries, Inc. ( ) is an American privately held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in the ...

: $1,000

References

External links

Official websiteSenator Ray Merrick on the Kansas Legislature SiteProject Vote Smart profileKansas Votes profileState Surge – Legislative and voting track recordProfile
at Ballotpedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick, Raymond 1939 births Republican Party Kansas state senators Living people Speakers of the Kansas House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Washburn University alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Stilwell, Kansas