I sacrificed all for my country. My son is paying with his life.
Twenty-four years ago, my 16-year-old son made a terrible mistake. Since then, he has been serving a life sentence in Texas prison for capital murder.
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Let judges handle bail, and keep Texas safer
Let the men and women we elect to administer justice decide how best to administer it. Don’t tie their hands by outsourcing that decision to an algorithm. And don’t ask them to make pretrial release decisions blindfolded, without the full picture of a criminal defendant’s background, as is the case currently.
Stop criminal prosecution of poor and low-income debtors in Texas
The criminalization of poverty is not limited to the broken and unconstitutional cash bail system in our state. It also includes subjecting poor, low-income and working-class Texans to criminal prosecution for failing to timely repay unconscionable payday loans.
Transformative higher education to serve a thriving state
We are privileged to live in a state with growth opportunities on all fronts. Simply meeting today’s demand for a career-ready workforce will not be enough to sustain our economic advantage. It is more important than ever to prepare college students to become highly skilled professionals who can lead Texas into a future of even more significant impact.
Texas should encourage the right to vote — and protect voters from intimidation
Recently, state officials announced that a number of individuals voted in elections without the requisite citizenship, knowing the data was not yet reviewed or vetted. There is not a problem of non-citizens registering and voting in Texas — there is a data problem. Even worse, government officials purposely took advantage of that known data problem to plant doubt about the integrity of the voting system.
We’ve built a big tent, now let’s get lawmakers to act
Money really does matter in public education, and it is a message we are seeing carried by a wide range of voices — from philanthropy to business, policy experts to child advocates, parents to locally elected officials. It is an investment the state can and must make if we are to achieve the education and workforce goals established by the state’s 60x30 TX plan.
Librarians are teachers
Excluding school librarians from the pay raise bill is extremely unfair and ignores their true role — not just as classroom teachers, but as campus teachers. It will discourage our best educators from entering this crucial field, inhibiting student achievement in the future.
Securing the future of educators
The Legislature should increase state contributions to the TRS Pension Trust Fund to 8.6 percent from 6.8 percent. This would increase the base funding and open the door for retirees (95 percent of whom have no Social Security) to receive a desperately needed cost-of-living increase.
Texas A&M thanks its student veterans for going above and beyond
Texas A&M senior Matthew Curtis spends most of his rare free time working on a life-saving tourniquet device, hoping to reduce the human challenges of trying to rescue a bleeding arm or leg. “In a stressful situation, your ability to concentrate and perform fine motor movements decreases drastically,” Curtis said, referring to those precious, agonizing minutes that follow being wounded. “As much as possible, equipment should compensate for that, which means it should be as simple to apply as possible, so that you don’t have to think about what you’re doing.”
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe brings jobs to Texas; keeps entertainment spending in state
On February 15, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas welcomed its two-millionth visitor to Naskila Gaming. Naturally, quite a celebration took place. The lucky gentleman from Crockett was showered with prizes — including significant free play on the electronic bingo games that are the feature of Naskila Gaming — for his moment of historic happenstance.
Property tax relief, improved school funding must go together
Property tax relief is inextricably tied to improved school funding. Locally elected, locally accountable school board members know that property tax restraints cannot be addressed in isolation without detrimental effects to Texas schools. Over the past decade, the Texas Legislature has shifted more and more of the burden for funding the state’s public schools onto the shoulders of local taxpayers because of an outdated school finance system.
Texas trauma hospitals need continued state funding
When most of us think of trauma events, we think of mass casualty events like school shootings, natural disasters or terror attacks. But each year, more than 130,000 Texans experience trauma injuries requiring hospitalization. Often these hospitalizations require medical care of the highest specialization — neurosurgery, orthopedics, burn care — as well as long-term physical rehabilitation services.
Texas Republicans — and Beto — are more conservative than their national parties
During the 115th U.S. Congress (2017-2018), the 25 members of our GOP delegation to the House once again demonstrated that Texas Republicans are, on average, notably more conservative than their GOP colleagues.
Investing to ensure every child’s success
Texas has a tremendous opportunity to begin to meaningfully transform the prospects of the 3.1 million low-income and English-learning students in Texas.
Anyone believe local property taxes in Texas should rise faster?
Allowing voters to weigh in on tax increases over 2.5 percent each year only strengthens the ultimate local control — by empowering citizens with stronger oversight of the governments they elected to serve them.
Including foster care and homeless students in higher education
Homeless and former foster care students have surfaced on the radars of Texas legislators this year, and Texas institutions of higher education should pay close attention.
Water rates are rising
The 86th Texas Legislature is in session, and water utility customers from across the state should be watching two issues that have the potential to impact water rates and the ability of rural utilities to serve their customers in the future. Many consumers are unaware of how these issues may affect them and cause their water rates to increase.
Mandate or machinations? Unpacking efforts to set the legislative agenda
Set aside the hand-waving and vague muttering that “elections have consequences,” and the evidence for a public mandate on school finance and propert taxes is pretty thin. It likely has more to do with the new governing dynamic among Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Dennis Bonnen.
UTEP’s top-tier designation benefits Texas and beyond
For the past 30 years, The University of Texas at El Paso has experienced unprecedented growth in facilities, academic programs and enrollment. This growth is the direct result of our success in articulating a clear and bold vision and mission, and in pursuing our goals through highly intentional and agile strategies.
Texas needs to patch holes in guardianship safety net
There is no time like the present to patch the holes in our guardianship safety net and keep Texas as a national leader in guardianship reform.