Link to this race https://www.vote411.org/ballot?lwv-ballot-widget-raceid=20824139THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 3. LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT Sec. 4. ELECTION AND TERM OF MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The Members of the House of Representatives shall be chosen by the qualified voters for the term of two years. Representatives shall take office following their election, on the day set by law for the convening of the Regular Session of the Legislature, and shall serve thereafter for the full term of years to which elected. (Amended Nov. 8, 1966, and Nov. 2, 1999.)Sec. 7. QUALIFICATIONS OF REPRESENTATIVES. No person shall be a Representative, unless he be a citizen of the United States, and, at the time of his election, a qualified voter of this State, and shall have been a resident of this State two years next preceding his election, the last year thereof a resident of the district for which he shall be chosen, and shall have attained the age of twenty-one years.(Amended Nov. 2, 1999.)Two-year term. The Texas House of Representatives has 150 members from separate districts across the state. With the Texas Senate, the Texas House: enacts and amends laws; passes the state budget and raises or lowers taxes; passes proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution; and redraws congressional and legislative district maps every ten years. The Texas House has the exclusive power to impeach officials. Current annual salary: $7,200, plus $221 for every day the Legislature is in session, including any special sessions.Map https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/fyiwebdocs/PDF/house/dist65/m1.pdf
Campaign Phone
(972)5917436
Occupation
Software Engineer
Education
BS Computer Information Systems 1997 (DeVry University)
Experience
18 Total Years Serving on 2 Different Planning and Zoning Commissions
Other Address
Incumbent: No
I have served as a planning and zoning commissioner in North Texas for a total of 17 years, Cedar Hill, TX (8), and The Colony, Texas (9). I am very knowledgeable about the growth of North Texas. I know exactly how we got here. I know exactly where we are headed. And, I know exactly what we need to do based on the data. North Texas cities have been planning for this time for over 25 years. Planning and Zoning boards, like the ones I served on for 17 years, manage this growth.
I am a software developer by training. I'm very logical in my thought process and data-driven in my actions.
I have served on various non-profit boards over the past 25 years, from the Board of a leadership training program to the board of a private elementary school.
I practice "Radical Honesty" and I'm trained in "Nonviolent Communication". These skills give me the ability to be 100% honest and integrity with my words while at the same time working to reach a consensus that works for everyone.
The border is primarily a federal issue. The best use of our resources is to work with the federal government and do our part as a border state, just as every other border state does to ensure that US border policy is sound and consistent. Texas is 1 of 19 other states that border another country. We should be leading the other 18 states in working with the federal government. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to address the problems of US border security. But we should be a leading voice at the federal table, rather than going renegade with policies and procedures that are not in alignment with any of the other 18 states. Going it alone on border security will only make an already bad situation worse.
I like to think of Texas as the gateway state that it is, rather than just another border state. Yes, we have a responsibility to protect that gateway. But we also have a responsibility to protect it in a way that is in alignment with larger US border protection efforts.
My top priorities for education are Teacher Recruitment and Retention. A large supply of well-prepared and well-paid teachers in our public schools is the best way to prepare our children for the future. We must increase teacher pay. We must invest in the teacher recruitment pipeline.
Texas will be largely Hispanic over the next decade. There is a 20-point educational achievement gap between the Hispanic high school graduation rate compared to the Anglo graduation rate. This educational achievement gap directly correlates to the income gap in the state. We must address the Hispanic Educational achievement gap to address the income gap. Today, annual per capita income in Texas is $31,000. If the income gap remains, which is driven by the educational achievement gap, annual per capita income will drop to $17,000 by 2035. We will have more people making less money.
Funding and fixing our public education system is how we keep Texas financially afloat in the future.
Climate change, although a global issue, has local consequences. It has a direct impact on the cattle, oil, and gas industries. Hence, states are ground zero for climate change policy. While the world is working to solve this problem, states have the responsibility of implementing those solutions.
It's our job to see that global initiatives don't negatively impact the state's key industries. Where mitigation is needed, it's the state's responsibility to step in and mitigate. When businesses need support to implement global mandates and meet federal guidelines. It's the state’s responsibility to help businesses adhere to those mandates and guidelines.
According to the most recent "Cost of Voting Index" Texas ranks 5th in the US as the most difficult state to vote in.
For starters, we have to rejoin the E.R.I.C. (Electronic Registration Information Center) system to ensure that we can easily verify a person's ability to register to vote. We have too many people moving to and through the state to NOT have the most reliable way to ensure accurate voter rolls.
We have to pass automatic voter registration legislation. Currently, 24 states have automatic voter registration. Texas is too large to NOT be one of them.
Lastly, we have the longest voter "waiting period" allowable by law. People are not eligible to vote until 30 days after registering. While 19 other states allow voter registration up to election day. I believe Texas should be one of them. If we don't have a waiting period to buy a gun, then we shouldn't have a waiting period to vote either.
I view gun violence as a healthcare crisis. A lot of research has been done on viewing gun violence as a contagious disease rather than just a crime issue. This brings more mental health and support services to the conversation that we currently leave out of the discussion when we view it as only a criminal issue.
We must raise the legal age to obtain assault weapons to at least 21. I am personally OK with banning them altogether, but raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase them would be a step in the right direction. Under federal law, Americans buying handguns from licensed dealers must be at least 21. However, Texas law only requires buyers of any type of firearm to be 18 or older. This allows an 18-year-old to buy an assault weapon when they can't even buy a handgun. This is a broken policy.
Every gun sale should require a background check. Texans can buy guns through private sales and gun shows to avoid federal background check requirements. We have to close this loophole.
Meet Detrick DeBurr Democratic Candidate for the Texas House of Representatives District 65
Campaign Phone
9728414295
Occupation
Attorney
Education
Harvard University, B.A. in Government 2001; University of Texas School of Law, J.D. December 2003
Experience
Approaching 20 years of law practice at Scheef & Stone, L.L.P. in Frisco, Texas
Other Address
Incumbent: No
Twenty years of practicing law and trying cases has prepared me to speak into and vote on legislation in the ways that my constituents would expect me to. I have run and am running a medium-sized business, and I know what challenges small business owners face.
As a husband and a dad, I know the challenges families are facing: rising property taxes, inflation, worries about schools and what they are teaching, caring for the previous generation, and concerns over whether life will be better for our children than it has been for us.
As a member of the team that obtained the only acquittal in a legislative impeachment proceeding in Texas history, I know what it's like to prepare for and be in the fight of your life, and I plan to take that fight to Austin.
Our state funds and resources are best used in taking action to close the border. Border communities are stressed to the brink dealing with illegal immigration. The Mayor of El Paso said three months ago that his city is at "a breaking point," and illegal immigration has only increased in the last three months. The federal government has abandoned its obligation to secure the border from invasion, and it is straining our health care system, our criminal justice system, and our schools. Texas must use its own resources to end illegal immigration from Mexico.
In order to ensure that our public schools are effective, we need to ensure that they are safe from violence, are free from indoctrination through DEI and critical theory initiatives, are free from pornography and other inappropriate content, and that our teachers are well-cared for. This means increasing teacher pay. At the same time, we need to ensure school choice for every child in Texas so that the funding follows the student and make sure that children are not stuck in failing schools. 33 states have some form of school choice, and Texas should, too.
None. Everywhere resolving climate change has been a point of emphasis for state government has led to needless spending, administrative bloat, decreased energy independence, and corrupt handouts where the government picks winners and losers. California has a $54 billion climate budget, and the express purpose is to move its economy off of oil and gas. Oil and gas is essential to the flourishing of the Texas economy, and that industry employs and supports countless Texas families.
We need to expend more effort as a state detecting, investigating, and prosecuting voter fraud. We need to take additional steps to prevent illegal voting by non-citizens, non-residents, and felons. We need to combat vote harvesting through improper mail-in voting. We need to have ballot procedures that are fully auditable with hand-marked, voter-verifiable paper ballots. We should be moving toward voting procedures that do no require the use of machines. We should be pushing back against the ongoing efforts to federalize elections.
We need armed personnel in schools. We need more significant prosecution and punishment of violent offenders who are likely to recommit violent crimes with firearms. We need to end gun-free zones so that responsible gun owners are free to protect their families in every space.
Candidate has not yet responded.
