Erin's agenda for Texas

I'm proud to be a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate. Texas has the site of too many tragic mass shootings as well as smaller, but no less tragic gun deaths. We need a regulatory structure that encourages safe and responsible gun ownership, not careless and dangerous ownership. The overwhelming majority of Texans support common-sense gun safety policies like closing background check loopholes, safe storage guidelines, and restricting access to weapons of war. To address mass shootings, the most important things Texas can address in the short term are raising the age for purchase of assault-style weapons to 21, restricting access to large magazine clips, and mirroring the regulation of semiautomatic rifles to current regulation of semiautomatic handguns. Currently semiautomatic rifles are regulated like hunting rifles.

Texas has put off investing in our infrastructure for too long. I am a leader in the Texas House for investing in updating our aging electrical grid, establishing more interconnection with neighboring grids, investing in energy efficiency, and encouraging innovative technologies that will both make our grid more reliable and reduce demand. By adopting new technologies, Texas can keep its place as an international energy leader and keep the lights on.

In Texas, counties have little power to plan for growth and guide development in their unincorporated territory. Cities and counties need the power to determine how their communities look and operate when it comes to regulations like dark skies, hours of operation for businesses, minimum wage requirements, noise ordinances, and water conservation policies. I’ll continue to stand up for our cities and counties to have the tools they need to manage our rapid growth.

Property tax bills have risen tremendously in recent years. The biggest driver of rising property taxes is the state scaling back funding of public schools and transferring that burden on to school districts, forcing districts to raise property taxes, cut services, or both. When property values go up, the state contribution to our public schools goes down. These high property Taxes mean the average Texan pays more in state and local taxes than the average Californian. The best way to counter this trend is for the state to pay its fair, at least 50%, for our public schools instead of passing the buck to property taxpayers.

During the 88th legislative session, we delivered nearly $13 billion of property tax relief by increasing the homestead exemption, reducing school district tax rates, and capping appraisal value growth for non-homestead properties. This important tax relief will help offset rapidly rising appraisals in Hays County. Homeowners in House District 45 should see their property tax bills around $1200 this year.

Many residents of House District 45 do not work in the same city that they live in, with the majority traveling up IH-35 every day to work in Austin. That commute continues to get longer and longer, eating up valuable time spent with family and loved ones, among other frustrating effects.

Texas needs to focus strategically on multimodal and regional transportation options (including mass transit) to help Central Texans with their commutes, which will result in less wear and tear on roads that the state is struggling to maintain currently.

Further, I oppose any public tax dollars going towards the building of toll-only roads. No Texan should have to pay twice to drive on a road.