Priorities

An informed electorate is vital to democracy. My views differ from the incumbent’s—if you agree with any, I ask for your support to help flip this seat and improve life for all Texans.

Priorities

An informed electorate is vital to democracy. My views differ from the incumbent’s—if you agree with any, I ask for your support to help flip this seat and improve life for all Texans.

Legalization of Marijuana

Despite tough rhetoric, Texas leaders have failed to address cannabis reform and adequately fund criminal justice, leaving gaps that the market inevitably fills. Underfunded forensic crime labs struggle to process critical evidence, underscoring the need for proper criminal justice funding and responsible cannabis legalization. Now is time to #FundCriminalJustice and legalize cannabis the right way.

As discussions around cannabis reform continue, many Texans are seeking reliable information about cannabis genetics, cultivation, and the legal cannabis industry. Educational resources and cannabis genetics providers such as Get Seeds Right Here help consumers learn more about cannabis strains, breeding, and responsible cultivation practices.


  • Let’s start with the words: “marijuana” is a slang word used to politicize the plant that was injected into our laws nearly one hundred years ago.  The plant is Cannabis sativa.  The difference between hemp and marijuana is a legal line in the sand drawn at 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by dry weight. 

    The cannabis plant produces hundreds of different chemicals, most of which are considered therapeutic.  The most studied class are cannabinoids such as THC or cannabidiol (CBD).  The second most studied class are terpenes ⎯ which give cannabis (or basil or lemons or pine trees) its smell.  Together cannabinoids, terpenes, and other chemicals found in cannabis are a synergistic offering of healing for humans and animals. 

    Texas needs to make some big changes and make them fast.  We have an anemic “low-THC” medical cannabis program that limits what types of diseases and symptoms can be treated as if legislators know more about practicing medicine than doctors.  The program also purports to cap the THC level at 1%.  Which is, well, dumb.  Medicine comes in milligrams, not percentages.  

    Our hemp program is more heavily regulated than the medical cannabis program requiring third-party independent labs to test harvested hemp to make sure the THC levels are low enough.  Reliable testing and accurate labeling are essential to consumer health and safety ⎯ which is why black-market products can be so dangerous.  Black market products aren’t tested and labeled reliably and can have dangerous pesticides, molds, and additives in them. 

    As tough as current Texas leaders like to sound, ironically, their failure to deal with cannabis reform and adequately fund criminal justice has created a void, and the market will always fill a void where there is money to be made.  Our forensic crime labs are hideously underfunded and lack the ability to test mystery substances in black-market vape pens much less process rape kits and dangerous drugs quickly.  In short, Texas is doing cannabis bass-ackward.  We need to #FundCriminalJustice and legalize cannabis the right way.

    In the name of conservatism, some only want to “decriminalize” but not “legalize.”  But that would only lead to more black-market traffic.  Decriminalization, legalization, and expansion of medical cannabis are a three-legged stool.  You have to establish each leg in coordination or the stool collapses.

    Texas should move forward quickly by learning from the mistakes and successes of other states.  A healthy cannabis regulatory regime should focus on some core values: 

    • Cannabis should not be regulated more heavily than other products unless there is a valid scientific, medical, or public safety reason to do so.

    • The regime should promote public health and safety while creating economic opportunity for as many Texans as possible. 

    • Regulations and taxation should accomplish a clear goal without economically burdening the industry ⎯ or patients.

    Now, for some details:  Make Texas competitive in the industry nationally both for research and commerce.

    • Texas is far behind other states, but by reasonably regulating the industry and taxing wisely Texas can leap ahead given its diverse growing climates, strong agricultural sector, transportation infrastructure, and medical research institutions ⎯ not to mention a market two-thirds the size of Canada.

    • Encourage a broad range of products, potency, and cannabis varieties so that physicians, patients, and consumers can experiment and choose what’s right for their individual endocannabinoid system (ECS).  (The ECS is the primary master regulation system for bringing the body back into a state of balance; it regulates pain, inflammation, mood, sleep, cognition, and more.)  As other states implemented adult-use, medical product scope and availability often suffer.

    Focus on consumer safety and accessibility

    • Prohibit use by minors without a prescription, but address offenders with health education, not criminal or juvenile charges.

    • Require third-party independent full spectrumtesting and labelingof all products meaning both dominant cannabinoids and terpenes.  Most legal states only require labeling of THC and CBD potency.

    • Prohibit marketing and packaging that attracts children. Require child-proof packaging.

    • Distribution should make product available to anyone anywhere in Texas.  (Right now there are only three licensed medical cannabis companies and they are all in the Austin area.)  Allow dispensaries to deliver and have drive-throughs to help people with disabilities access their medicine.  

    • Add low-cost research licenses so that scientists, researchers, and quality control personnel can legally possess cannabis, including plants and products outside the consumer supply chain to help us learn more.

    Make medical cannabis accessible and protect patient safety

    • Abandon the condition lists and let doctors ⎯ not legislators ⎯ practice medicine.

    • Eliminate the THC% cap.  Doctors do not dose in percentages; they dose in milligrams.  Limiting doses interferes with the practice of medicine and keeps patients from the doses they need.

    • Prohibit dispensary personnel from giving medical advice or making unsupported claims about the effects of cannabis.

    Tax but don’t get greedy

    • Excess taxation stifles the industry and innovation without suppressing the black market.  Don’t be California where high taxes, high regulatory costs plus local taxation pile-on stokes the black market.

    • Medicine should never be taxed to the patients.  A purchase filling a medical cannabis prescription should mean no taxes paid on that product.

    • The net benefit to the state should consider both tax revenue and criminal justice cost savings to state and local governments ⎯ something the large urban counties who have chosen not to arrest people for marijuana possession are already enjoying leaving more resources to pursue violent criminals.

    Put the revenue to logical and public-health driven use

    • Colorado dedicates part of its cannabis tax revenue to medical and public health research and to youth education.  Texas can improve on that model and use cannabis taxes to help fill holes in public health care funding whether for physical or mental health care as well as educate kids and adults.

    • Better fund forensic crime labs to identify harmful black-market drugs, counterfeit and unlicensed products, as well as solving violent crimes. (Remember that rape kit backlog? It’s still there.)

    Invest in enforcement of the rules, or bad actors flourish

    • Currently, our state police, DPS, regulates medical cannabis, but a law enforcement agency is not well suited to regulating a health care program.  Cannabis regulation draws from agriculture, health, law enforcement, revenue, and professional licensing agencies. 

    • Create a Cannabis Commission whether independent or as part of an existing agency with the scientific, medical, and testing expertise to effectively regulate cannabis use by ensuring key personnel are funded and receive input from agencies relevant to cannabis medicine and experts in the community.  

    • Ensure that the rules are enforced by funding staff, their training, and state labs, or bad actors will continue to flood the market with potentially dangerous products.

    • Enlist public research institutions both for physical and mental health studies, as well as agricultural innovations and sociological analysis.

    • Collect data from license holders so the state can understand the market’s fluctuations, trends, and anomalies that may warrant legislative or regulatory changes.

    Roll-out new laws wisely while protecting expanded medical cannabis and integrating the Hemp Program

    • Require task force of medical, legal, public health, industry specialists, and other stakeholders to meet with agency rule-makers to advise on the cannabis industry, the medicine, and best practices.

    • Immediately decriminalize so that criminal justice savings can quickly be recognized statewide.

    Require the regulating agency to monitor “statewide access” ⎯ a goal already in state law we are far from reaching ⎯ and market stability then roll out licenses in competitive rounds over time until the market reaches statewide access and stable pricing.  Under-licensing leads to high prices and monopolies (see Florida).  Over-licensing leads to market flooding and lax oversight (see Oklahoma).  Don’t be Florida or Oklahoma!

Abortion

Eighty-five percent of Texas voters support abortion when the mother's health is at risk, but Texas law lacks exceptions for girls facing life-threatening pregnancies, especially without insurance. This oversight underscores the need for leaders who prioritize compassionate, informed policymaking.


  • 85% of Texas voters say that abortion should be allowed if the mother’s health is seriously endangered; however, Texas law provides no exception for little girls who face significant and potentially life-threatening medical risks in carrying a pregnancy to term, especially for those without health insurance.

    Republicans in the Texas Legislature crafted a one-size-fits-all law to apply to a human condition that happens in countless different circumstances. In their rush to punish loose women with no morals, they are also punishing innocent girls and blameless women. Last year, they had to pass a special law providing an exception for ectopic pregnancies and premature rupture of the membranes prior to viability because they had not thought about these things when writing the original bans. Their incompetence in crafting legislation is clear, and we must elect new leaders who know enough and care enough about the details to do what’s right.

    I believe strongly that “If some of us aren’t free, then none of us are free”, so I will never stop advocating for those who cannot afford to flee the state seeking healthcare.

Public Education

The Texas Legislature hasn't raised per-student funding since 2019, despite a $32 billion surplus, leaving schools underfunded and facing budget cuts. Public schools are essential to Texas' economy, and the Legislature's neglect shows the need for new leadership.


  • The Texas Constitution requires the Legislature to support and maintain our public school system, but they have not raised the basic allotment per student since 2019. Indeed, public school funding in Texas has been below the national average since 2011, so it’s no wonder that some schools are not performing at the level that we deserve to expect. Texas is a rich state and there is no reason we should settle for below average anything. Last year the State of Texas had a $32 billion surplus which they had to spend, but instead of spending it on schools or teacher pay, the lion’s share went to support the construction of gas-fueled power plants.

    As a direct result of Republicans’ failure to do its job, many school districts are facing budget deficits requiring them to cut staff and services. 75% of Central Texas school districts that have already adopted budgets for this school year are in deficit.

    Public schools are critical to the economic prosperity of our state because businesses require well educated workers, and public schools are also the primary source of economic activity in many of our small, rural towns. We need them, and we need them to be better. This will not happen if we continue to starve them of money. The Legislature’s under-funding our schools is a clear dereliction of duty, and since they have shown no interest in fulfilling this duty, the only solution is to get a new Legislature.

Private School Vouchers

Governor Abbott's private school voucher plan redirects tax dollars to private schools without accountability or transparency. Texans must oppose this policy to ensure public school funding is prioritized and protected.

  • Our public schools didn’t get a raise in the last legislative session Republicans in the Texas Legislature would not consider it until the Governor Greg Abbott’s Private School Voucher plan was passed into law. This plan would use our tax dollars to help parents pay for sending their kids to private schools, whether those schools be religious or for-profit. Unlike public schools, these private schools have no accountability or transparency requirements. There is no guarantee that your child will be accepted at a private school, and the voucher won’t be enough to cover the whole bill.

    This Voucher Plan is such a bad idea that a bipartisan majority of true Texas patriots managed to stop its passage in the last general session and in each of the four special sessions that Governor Abbott called to keep trying. Our Governor is still determined to see this plan become law. Many moderate Republicans who helped block its passage last year have been replaced on this year’s ballot by extremists who will vote YES in January 2025. If my conservative neighbors continue to vote for Republicans this November, the plan WILL PASS. That’s why I’m asking all Texans to vote Democrats into the Texas Legislature this November.

Water Conservation

As Comal and Hays Counties experience rapid growth, effective water management is essential due to diminishing supplies. Key strategies include infrastructure improvements, local control over development, and incentivizing rainwater systems.

  • Both Comal and Hays Counties are growing rapidly. As our population explodes, we need to manage our water resources more carefully so that we’ll all have enough for everyone in the future at a reasonable price. As our traditional, local water supplies dry up, cities are having to procure water from other sources, often at a greater price, while rural Texans who rely on well water are increasingly vulnerable to declining water tables. We are all proud that folks want to move to our beautiful corner of Texas, but the shrinking water supply must be acknowledged and managed, not ignored.

    There are many things that can be done to address this problem before it becomes a crisis. For example: 1) Increase state funding to replace old, crumbling infrastructure that currently allows obscene quantities of our precious water to leak out into the dirt. 2) Empower local communities, cities and counties to control development and manage growth in order to protect water quality and conserve groundwater. 3) Repeal the Rule of Capture that allows landowners to pump as much as they want without regard for their neighbors. 4) Incentivize the installation of rainwater capture systems. I could go on…

    Unfortunately, Republicans in the Texas Legislature are doing all they can to take power away from local governments, and they seem perfectly happy to treat our water supply as a profitable commodity instead of a Public Resource.

Climate Change and
Energy Policy

Texas must accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I will prioritize policies that expand renewable energy sources, increase solar power adoption, and ensure responsible fossil fuel extraction with stricter environmental regulations.

  • Texas has begun to take steps to transition away from fossil fuels, but as the world’s 8th largest economy, we can and should do more to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases. The Texas economy is big enough and strong enough to let us be a world leader in both the booming renewable energy sector AND in the responsible extraction of fossil fuels.

    When I’m elected, I will work to create more opportunities for individuals and businesses to generate and use their own solar power. I will also work to further increase the share of energy provided to our grid from renewable sources.

    Maintaining a vibrant domestic oil and gas sector in Texas is necessary for our national security, but it must be done responsibly so as minimize pollution and the emission of greenhouse gasses that are endangering our children’s birthright to safe and pleasant environment. As your Representative, I’ll work to increase funding for the capping and cleanup of abandoned wells, and ensure that the current environmental regulations are strengthened, not weakened.