# Phil Boots > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phil_Boots > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phil_Boots.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Boots > Source revision: 1350116928 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Phillip** "**Phil**" **L. Boots** is an American politician from [Indiana](/source/Indiana). He was a [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) member of the [Indiana Senate](/source/Indiana_Senate), representing the 23rd District between 2006 and 2022. ## Education and business career Boots graduated from New Market High School and [Milligan College](/source/Milligan_College).[2] He owns several [central Indiana](/source/Central_Indiana) businesses,[3] and is president of Boots Bros. Oil Co., Inc., an operator of convenience stores.[2] ## Political career Before being elected to the state Senate, Boots was a [Montgomery County](/source/Montgomery_County,_Indiana) commissioner.[2] In the state Senate, Boots has proposed eliminating the [board of county commissioners](/source/Board_of_county_commissioners) for all of [Indiana's 91 counties](/source/List_of_counties_of_Indiana) (in 2008),[4] cosponsored [civil forfeiture](/source/Civil_forfeiture) reform legislation (in 2017),[5] was the sole member of the state Senate Public Policy Committee to vote against [hate crimes](/source/Hate_crimes) bill (Senate Bill 12, in 2019)[6][7] and was the sole Republican to join with the [Democrats](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) in voting against a bill to ban [dilation and evacuation](/source/Dilation_and_evacuation) abortion (in 2019).[8] In 2015, he sponsored legislation that would legalize the placement of low-stakes [video gambling terminals](/source/Video_lottery_terminal) in Indiana bars and [truck stops](/source/Truck_stop).[9] Boots voted in favor of a [adding a ban on same-sex marriage](/source/U.S._state_constitutional_amendments_banning_same-sex_unions) to the [Indiana Constitution](/source/Indiana_Constitution) in 2011, but voted against the proposed ban in 2014.[10] In 2013, Boots introduced a "[nullification](/source/Nullification_(U.S._Constitution))" bill that would purport to authorizes the [Indiana General Assembly](/source/Indiana_General_Assembly) to declare federal laws unconstitutional and would have declared the 2010 [Affordable Care Act](/source/Affordable_Care_Act) (ACA) to be unconstitutional and unenforceable in Indiana. The supposed doctrine of "nullification" was expressly repudiated by the [U.S. Supreme Court](/source/U.S._Supreme_Court) in *[Cooper v. Aaron](/source/Cooper_v._Aaron)* (1958), and the ACA was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in [a 2012 ruling](/source/National_Federation_of_Independent_Business_v._Sebelius).[11] In 2014, Boots proposed an amendment to allow [employers to discriminate in hiring](/source/Employment_discrimination) on the [basis of religion](/source/Religious_discrimination); Boots's proposal prompted vehement objections from Democrats.[3] Boots has sponsored legislation in 2016 to block local governments in Indiana from passing ordinances requiring employers to provide employees notice of their scheduled hours in advance,[12] and sponsored legislation in 2017 to block local governments in Indiana from enacting "[ban the box](/source/Ban_the_box)" ordinances.[13] In 2018, Boots, as chairman of the state Senate Pensions and Labor Committee, blocked an [equal pay](/source/Equal_pay) bill (introduced by Democratic Senator [Jean Breaux](/source/Jean_Breaux)) from receiving a hearing by the committee.[14] ## References 1. ["Our Campaigns - IN State Senate 23 Race - Nov 07, 2006"](https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=310286) 1. [Phil Boots for senator?](https://www.journalreview.com/stories/hunting-is-for-women-too,74452), *Crawfordsville Journal Review* (February 2, 2006) (February 2, 2006). 1. Dan Carden, [State senator favors religion-based hiring](https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-senator-favors-religion-based-hiring/article_ad40074e-3af6-540e-a424-6a90b0cb9713.html), *The Times of Northwestern Indiana* (February 27, 2014). 1. Riley, Don (January 23, 2008). ["Bill Would Eliminate County Commissioners Statewide"](https://archive.today/20130209054938/http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=83493). WIBC. Archived from [the original](http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=83493) on 2013-02-09. 1. Fatima Hussein, [Could Indiana pass forfeiture reform this year?](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/01/17/could-indiana-pass-forfeiture-reform-year/96081686/), *Indianapolis Star* (January 17, 2017). 1. Kaitlin Lange, [Indiana hate crimes bill passes first hurdle. Here's what that means](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/18/indiana-hate-crimes-bill-passes-first-hurdle/2903538002/), *Indianapolis Star* (February 18, 2019). 1. Mark Peterson, [Indiana hate crimes bill moves through Senate committee](https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Indiana-hate-crimes-bill-moves-through-senate-committee-506007491.html), WNDU (February 18, 2019). 1. Brandon Smith, [D&E Abortion Ban Headed To Governor's Desk](https://indianapublicradio.org/news/2019/04/de-abortion-ban-headed-to-governors-desk/), Indiana Public Radio (April 3, 2019). 1. [Indiana Bars and Truck Stops Wanting to Gamble](https://indianapublicradio.org/news/2015/02/indiana-bars-and-truck-stops-wanting-to-gamble/), Network Indiana (February 12, 2015). 1. Tony Cook & Barb Berggoetz, [Indiana Senate approves limited gay marriage ban](https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2014/02/17/indiana-senate-prepares-for-vote-on-gay-marriage-ban/5554363/), *Courier-Journal* (February 17, 2014). 1. [Ind. senator wants Legislature empowered to nullify federal law](https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ind-senator-wants-legislature-empowered-to-nullify-federal-law/article_8d62201d-0f63-57ab-a8ac-f0bffef8992b.html), *The Times of Northwest Indiana* (January 8, 2013). 1. Dan Carden, [State may bar local governments from regulating work schedules](https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-may-bar-local-governments-from-regulating-work-schedules/article_bbbbffa2-7dc0-56a0-8653-5e7cfe60d3ed.html), *The Times of Northwest Indiana* (January 6, 2016). 1. Fatima Hussein, [Indiana ACLU, NAACP want governor to veto felony hiring bill](https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/04/19/indiana-aclu-naacp-want-governor-veto-felony-hiring-bill/100134348/), *Courier-Journal* (April 19, 2017). 1. [Equal-pay law sought by Indiana lawmakers](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/01/17/indiana-lawmakers-call-equal-pay-law/1036597001/), *Indianapolis Star* (January 17, 2018). ## External links - [Official profile](http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/legislators/legislator_philip_boots_865/) from the [Indiana General Assembly](/source/Indiana_General_Assembly) website --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Phil Boots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Boots) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Boots?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.