Each session of the Texas Legislature is entirely different – and the 87th was unlike any other. We had a highly successful session – passing a wide variety of important and conservative legislation. We passed a fiscally conservative, balanced state budget – decreasing spending overall. We passed pro-life legislation, including the Heartbeat Bill and the bill I authored (HB 1280 Capriglione/Paxton), the Human Life Protection Act. I helped increase the amount available to the Alternatives to Abortion program by 25%.
We had multiple Second Amendment victories, including Constitutional Carry and the bill I sponsored (SB 19 Schwertner/Capriglione) that bans discrimination by lenders against gun and ammo manufacturers.
After hearing from so many of our constituents on a variety of of issues we passed other conservative items. We passed Religious Freedom legislation to prevent governments from closing churches. We supported our law enforcement officials by prohibiting cities from defunding the police. We continued the fight against property tax increases by requiring voter approval for certain debt offerings. We passed legislation that I co-authored to ban critical race theory from being taught in our schools. I authored legislation (HB 1925 Capriglione/Buckingham) that would mitigate the homelessness problem while preventing related unlawfulness.
We worked to make sure that Texans had easier access to healthcare and included a prescription cost-saving program. We made school finance reform a priority, keeping our promises on school funding and even increasing the Foundation School Program formula funding. I passed, authored, and sponsored legislation that will help prevent some of the crippling cyber attacks we have seen nationwide.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you in the Texas House. This past year has been so difficult for us, our children, our first responders, our nurses, our teachers, our small businesses – everyone. But I am proud of how Texans persevered through these difficult times, and I want to be there for you as we face new challenges. While we had several successes this past session, there is more work that needs to be done. Today, I am announcing for re-election in 2022 and humbly ask for your support once again.
In total, we sent over 1,000 bills to the Governor's desk. While the ink is still drying on those bills, I wanted to give you the details. I am holding multiple legislative recaps, and I wanted to personally invite you to attend.
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