Steve Toth

Toth is unopposed in the March 3, 2020 Republican primary. He will face Democrat Lorena Perez McGill again in the 2020 general election in November. He defeated McGill by a two to one margin, 67% to 33% in 2018.

On January 11, 2019, Toth filed House Bill 792 (Senate Bill 345) with the 86th Legislature and entitled it the Jones Forest Preservation Act ("Jones Forest Act"). The Jones Forest Act protects the 1,722 acre William Goodrich Jones State Forest from development. Texas A&M University suggested that the university would develop a Texas A&M campus on the land, which sits next to The Woodlands, Texas. Neighborhood associations in the area complained that the development would add to traffic congestion and eliminate a forest that has been part of Texas heritage since 1923. It was passed by both the Texas House and the Texas Senate and sent to Governor Greg Abbott on May 25, 2019.

In January 2019, he was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee by Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. On January 25, Toth along with Will Metcalf and Cecil Bell filed House Bill 1042 which would require Texas schools and law enforcement agencies to establish active shooter response plans and law enforcement agencies to conduct annual drills while also requiring law enforcement to immediately contain or eliminate a threat.

On February 7, 2019, Toth filed the JD Lambright Local Government Ethics Reform Act (HB-1495), which requires cities, counties, and other political subdivisions statewide to post contracts they have with taxpayer funded lobbyists and to post how much they are paying the lobbyists. It was filed in the Senate by Brandon Creighton on February 8 as Senate Bill 710. The house bill was passed by both chambers and was sent to the governor for signature on May 29, 2019. Governor Abbott signed the bill into law on June 14, 2019.

In February 2019, Toth co-authored Texas House Bill 1500 which would ban abortions after the detection of an unborn child's heartbeat. He also co-authored Texas House Bill 896 which would prohibit abortion. In March 2019, Toth became a cosponsor of SB 22 which prohibits government entities from providing taxpayer funded resources (including cash, goods, services, and anything of value) to Planned Parenthood. It was a response to a Planned Parenthood's $1-per-year rental agreement with the City of Austin for a clinic. It passed both chambers and was sent to Abbott on May 25, 2019 for signature. The bill was signed into law by Abbott on June 7, 2019.

On March 5, 2019, Toth introduced Texas HB 3145, the School Lunch Bill. It clarifies that each parent, including the non-custodial parent, in a divorce can visit their child during school lunch and school activities regardless of possession schedule. It passed both chambers and was sent to the governor on May 28, 2019.

In March 2019 Toth introduced Texas House Bill 2518 which aims to reduce cannabis possession from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor. To take it down from B to C would remove jail time for simple possession (180 days is the current penalty) and lower the monetary penalty from $2,000 down to $500.

Toth did not agree with governor Abbott’s orders concerning the coronavirus. I took it upon himself to hold a public press conference and Blatantly and intentionally disregard the use of personal protection devices. https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/Montgomery-County-lawmaker-thumbs-nose-at-15248653.php

On March 6, 2018, Toth won the Republican nomination for Texas House District 15 over Waters by 78% to 21%. Toth received the largest vote margin of any candidate in Montgomery County, defeating Waters by 58% of the vote, a three to one margin. Waters reported that during the primary she received $41,769 and spent $61,685, spending more in campaign contributions than she received.

In the November 2018 general election, Toth faced Democrat Lorena Perez McGill. Toth indicated that in the general election against McGill he would be focusing on lowering property taxes, passing tax reform, and raising teacher salaries. From July through September 30, 2018, Toth raised $65,756, spent $7,026 and had $56,896 on hand. For the period from September 28 to October 27, 2018, Toth raised $24,279, spent $30,722, and had $51,629 on hand. On Election Day, Toth defeated McGill 67% to 33%, a two to one margin.

On May 31, 2017, Toth announced that he would be running for his old Texas House seat, District 15, since the incumbent, Mark Keough, announced he would not be running for re-election but instead run for Montgomery County Judge. Toth's opponent in the Republican primary was Mary "Jackie" Waters of The Woodlands. Toth wants to reduce property taxes for homeowners by implementing an acquisition-based appraisal system. A taxpayer's home value would be set upon the purchase price, regardless of how long the taxpayer lives in the house. Toth wants to encourage the San Jacinto River Authority ("SJRA") to work on the flood control aspects of its mission statement, instead of keeping Lake Conroe at full capacity for recreational purposes. He has also advocated for the directors of the SJRA board to be elected positions and for the directors to have a civil engineering background, to encourage effective floodplain models.

In November 2015, Toth announced his candidacy for Texas's 8th congressional district seat currently held by Kevin Brady. In January 2016, Toth received the endorsement of all Tea Party organizations in Montgomery County, Texas. Professor Jones of Rice University stated: "Toth is certainly a more credible challenger than the typical Republican gadfly who is unknown and unfunded."

Toth did not seek a second term in House District 15 in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014. Instead he ran for the District 4 seat in the Texas Senate, vacated in the fall of 2013 by the resignation of Republican Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, who accepted a position with Texas A&M University in College Station. Toth faced intraparty opposition for the Senate vacancy from neighboring District 16 Representative Brandon Creighton of Conroe, who left the House after four terms, Richard Finely "Gordy" Bunch, who serves on The Woodlands township council, and Michael Galloway, who formerly held the District 4 seat in the 1990s.

In the May 10, 2014, special election Toth came in second place behind Creighton. Creighton received 45.2%, Toth 23.7%, Bunch 21.8%, and Galloway 9.3%.

Toth and Creighton then met in a special election runoff on August 5, 2014. In the special election runoff, Toth was defeated by Creighton 67% to 33% percent. Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said both Creighton and Toth "are significantly more conservative than Williams."

In the March 1, primary, Toth and two fellow challengers held incumbent Brady to 53 percent of the vote. In 2014, Brady had received 68 percent of the vote in the primary. In 2016, Brady prevailed with 64,745 votes (53.4 percent) to Toth's 45,298 (37.4 percent). Two other candidates held the remaining 9.2 percent of the ballots cast.

In his first legislative session in 2013, Toth authored and carried the CSCOPE Transparency Act in the House (SB-1406). The bill brought the CSCOPE (Common Core) curriculum under the purview of the Texas State Board of Education. Toth was a co-sponsor of the measure which drew the most attention of the session, the forbidding of abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the bill passed the House, 96-49. He voted for companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.

In 2013, the Eagle Forum, founded by the late Phyllis Schlafly and managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Toth 95 percent favorable, as did the Young Conservatives of Texas. Texans for Fiscal Responsibility rated him 92 percent. The Texas Association of Business gave him an 80 percent score. He ranked 57 percent from the Texas League of Conservation Voters and 92 percent by the National Rifle Association. Texas Right to Life rated him 112 percent favorable.

Toth won the 2012 election to the State House district 15. In February 2013, newly inaugurated Representative Toth was elected by his colleagues to the House Republican Caucus Policy Committee as the East Texas representative on the panel. Representative Toth was a member of two House committees: Corrections and Criminal Jurisprudence.

In the 2012 Republican primary for the District 15 House seat, the more conservative Toth unseated the five-term incumbent, Rob Eissler, 56.5% to 43.5%. In the general election, Toth defeated the Libertarian Party nominee, Sterling Russell 87% to 13%. No Democrat sought the seat.

Steven Hixson Toth (born November 29, 1960) is an American businessman from Conroe, Texas, who represents District 15 as a Republican in the Texas House of Representatives. District 15 is based entirely in suburban Montgomery County, part of the Houston Metro area in the southeastern portion of the state.

Toth and his wife, Babette Jayne Toth (born 1957), have three children and two grandchildren. They have resided in Montgomery County since 1997.