Pro-Life

In keeping with the principles of the House we were able to defund Planned Parenthood and add $12.3 million for abortion alternatives. This, coupled with $30.4 million in federal matching dollars for the Healthy Texas Women program, helped the House to meet its obligation in promoting top tier health programs for numerous Texas women and children. We were also successful in passing a partial-abortion ban and prohibited the sale of fetal tissue and organs.

Embryo Donation

I was incredibly proud to pass one of only two pro-life bills this legislative session. HB 785 requires physicians who perform assisted reproductive procedures to inform their patient about donation and adoption for unused embryos, as well as requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to provide embryo adoption information on their website. It was signed by the Governor on June 1st, 2017.

Border Security/Sanctuary Cities

Border security received a boost of an additional $800 million which includes 250 new troopers to expand operations along the Texas-Mexico border, and 50-hour work week for all Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers statewide. The legislature also tasked the Legislative Budget Board and DPS to study available federal resources over the legislative interim.

The Sanctuary Cities Bill, SB 4, strengthens state sovereignty in enforcing immigration law by creating penalties for local entities and campus police departments that adopt or enforce policy which prohibits enforcement of immigration laws.

Fiscal Conservatism

Each session we have passed balanced budgets, controlling spending while voting to reform property taxes. Texas has a robust Rainy Day Fund to deal with emergencies or an economic downturn, and our state has a top credit rating. I will continue to advocate for fiscal restraint and fiscal conservatism.

Veteran Student Protection

It was brought to my attention that across the state, student veterans were being dropped from their courses, and assessed late fees after their military tuition benefit were delayed. HB 846 was filed to ensure that institutions of higher education were prevented from placing stricter guidelines on student veterans using these benefits, and ensure that they have access to their education.