In the Senate, he was the Chairman of the Tourism and Wildlife Committee, and a member of the Business and Commerce, General Government, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committees, as well as the Subcommittee on General Government and Transportation.
[1] He is known for being the Senate author of both the Kelsey Smith-Briggs Child Protection Reform Act and the "Stand Your Ground" law.
[2] In 2010, Coates worked to steer a $10-million state contract to a private company that had hired his mistress Haley Atwood.
[3] In May 2014, Coates was arrested in Texas on a complaint of driving while intoxicated.
[8] In 2010, at the age of 60, Coates admitted to his wife that he was having an affair with a 29-year-old married lobbyist, Haley Atwood.