Cindy Burkett

In 2011, Burkett supported two other anti-abortion measures. One forbids state funding of agencies which perform abortions. The other requires that a woman undergo a sonogram before procuring an abortion. This legislation is based on the view that a woman could change her mind about an abortion once she witnesses the development of the unborn child through the latest technology.[12] According to Project Vote Smart, the Texas Right to Life Committee rated Burkett 87 percent favorable in 2013 and 71 percent in 2011.Burkett in 2013 supported the ban on abortion after five months of gestation; the measure passed the House, 96-49. She co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers,[12] a move which opponents said could lead to the closure of many abortion clinics in the state. These issues brought forth an unsuccessful filibuster in the state Senate by Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 was the Democratic nominee for governor against the Republican Greg Abbott.[13]

Burkett co-sponsored the bill to prohibit the state government from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. She sponsored the measure to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in buildings and vehicles in the name of campus security. She co-sponsored the bill to reduce the time required to obtain a concealed-carry permit. She backed the redistricting bills for the state House and Senate and the United States House of Representatives. She voted against term limits for certain state officials.[12]

Burkett held an A rating from the NRA.

Burkett co-sponsored legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. She also co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Burkett voted for the adoption of the biennial state budgets in both 2013 and 2011. She voted to require testing for narcotics of those individuals receiving unemployment compensation. She voted against the "equal pay for women" law, which passed the House, 78-61, but was vetoed by Governor Rick Perry.[12]

In 2011, Burkett voted against legislation to outlaw texting while driving, but she reversed herself and supported the ban in 2013. She voted in 2011 to reduce funding for state agencies. She voted to levy a sales tax on Internet transactions to match existing laws for brick and mortar stores' the measure passed the House 125-20. Burkett voted against the prohibition of smoking in public places. She voted to establish eligibility for indigent health care. She voted for corporal punishment in public schools; the bill passed the House, 80-64. To guarantee the integrity of the election process, she supported picture identification of voters casting a ballot.[12] The measure finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely without incident in the primaries on March 4, 2014.[14] In 2013, Burkett sponsored related legislation to forbid a voter from turning in multiple ballots.[12]

Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party rated Burkett 80 percent favorable in 2013 and 88 percent in 2011. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave her a cumulative score in 2013 of 74 percent. The Texas Association of Business, which awarded her a cumulative score of 92 percent, named her a "Champion for Free Enterprise". The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated her 64 percent in 2013; the Sierra Club, 33 percent in 2011.[15] The National Rifle Association scored Burkett 92 percent in 2012 and letter-grade "A" in her previous term.[15]

Burkett won reelection in the November 8, 2016, general election with 30,501 votes (55.2 percent) to the Democrat Rhetta Andrews Bowers' 24,795 (44.8 percent).[16]