As a graduate of the Amarillo public school system, I believe in our public education system. Yet, for too long we have seen our teachers poorly paid, districts underfunded, and our  property taxes continue to rise. Texans all over the state deserve an education system of which they can be proud. With strong funding at the state level to all our rural and urban schools, we can ensure no child is limited due to their postal code. I aim to ensure the money reaches the classroom, increase teacher pay, and drive advancements in technology to better enhance the basic curriculum of math, science, and literacy, thereby improving student engagement. While we are at it, in a state that has over $20 billion sitting in its “rainy day” fund, no child should face hunger while attending our public schools!
Returning the freedom to choose career opportunities through strategic partnerships with community colleges, trade schools, and universities will best prepare young Texans for their future with an early start and affordability.  When we invest in our students, we invest in the future of Texas: It is that simple.

Our current healthcare system is a MESS. Private insurance, private hospitals, and big pharmaceutical companies raised their costs to increase their profits exponentially, all while Republican officials in Texas have denied the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid programs. Putting politics over Texans, the current Republican majority has continuously hurt middle- and low-income Texas by not providing access to the available care plans that other states and Americans engage. This has left millions of Texans, especially low-income families, without health insurance coverage. As a result of not expanding Medicare and Medicaid programs in Texas, Republicans are adding to the healthcare crisis as these uninsured families seek care through the emergency room, which has a higher cost, leading to financial strain or debt. The unpaid debt then hinders the hospital because the blocked Medicare and Medicaid expansion prevents the hospital from receiving money for services rendered. This raises costs as the hospitals absorb the debt. Medicare and Medicaid expansion will allow Texans their freedom to choose the right healthcare for them.
In short; Republicans wanted to “own the Libs”, but they only hurt our friends, neighbors, and relatives. They played politics, and Texans suffered. Together, we can turn this around!

Texans deserve the freedom to choose the healthcare that works best for them! By removing the ban on interstate health co-ops and funding to non-profit insurance agencies we will bring a greater level of competition and freedom of choice to the market. I support providing free-market solutions that will lower insurance costs for individuals and employers by breaking the grip the current monopolies hold over Texans.
When we invest in Texans healthcare, we invest in the future of Texas. By providing investments to preventative care, mental health care, and addiction recovery, we can significantly reduce the billions of tax payer dollars that are spent reimbursing emergency rooms for treating uninsured  individuals. We can provide coverage for hard-working Texans to keep them healthy and engaged in the workforce, while reducing the tax burden felt by Texans. Being free and healthy go hand in hand.

Texas is as vast as it is beautiful, and District 86 is no exception. With miles of farm and ranch land, our small local communities often face difficulty with funding. Without the tax base of big urban areas, and agriculture exemptions that are crucial to our farmers and ranchers, small communities must often rely on grant funding to provide the basic infrastructure and hazard mitigation efforts that are necessary for their community. That is why the panhandle of Texas has more volunteer fire departments than we do paid fire departments. The federal funding is hard to come by for these folks, as many of the determining factors for granting funding are rooted in population density which puts our rural communities at a further disadvantage. This funding is used to purchase fire response vehicles, equipment for firemen in the field, and training, all of which is costly, but necessary to keep our communities safe. When our communities are not granted the additional funding, they have to stretch an already limited budget, making decisions to forgo repairs or update equipment.
It is time to level that playing field by instituting policy that changes the determining factors for grant awards. Increasing the competitiveness of rural and small community applications should increase the opportunity and amount of funding granted to our district.

In their personal lives, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike typically create, and live by, a budget. It is not a far stretch to demand our government do the same. As your State Representative, I will work tirelessly to champion those policies that are fiscally responsible while maximizing the effect of every tax dollar entrusted to the Texas House of Representatives. I stand to bring pro-business policies and long-term economic stability to all Texans while maintaining one of our greatest virtues as Texans: compassion.  It is the responsibility of your Representative to deliver the maximum benefit for the best cost, reduce waste and abuse, and reappropriate those dollars into services and programs that can serve the communities of District 86 better. By bringing new industry and empowering small business owners, we can seek new revenues to tackle current issues, like high property taxes and low school funding, providing much-needed relief to Texans.
Being fiscally responsible is not a partisan issue: it’s the responsibility of every person seeking public office, and it is a commitment I make to you!

The greatest freedom we can enjoy is the ability to make choices for ourselves. Yet, Texas Republicans have set their sights on controlling Texas women, their healthcare, and the decisions that are reserved for women and their healthcare provider. It is not the authority of the Texas government to intervene in medical decisions of its citizenry. Texas must take action to restore the freedom of self-determination back to women. I pledge to stand with the women of Texas, and will vote to pass legislation that overturns the total abortion ban enacted by the Republican legislature.
Standing with Texas women also means rising to implement equal pay, equal treatment, and passing comprehensive paternity leave, so that every Texan can have the future they deserve. Standing with Texas women is standing for freedom for all!