Greg on the Issues

To see where Greg stands on the issues, click on a topic below.

Crime [1]
Improve our Public Schools and Reform our Education System [2]
Border Security and Illegal Immigration [3]
Lower Property Taxes and Property Appraisal Reform [4]
Reduce the Growth of Government [5]
Stand Strong for Texas Families [6]
Economic Development, Job Growth, and Lawsuit Reform [7]

Crime

Crime continues to plague our community year after year. According to statistics from the Houston Police Department, crime is rising on the West Side of Houston. While many efforts are handled on the local level, there are measures I will focus on at the state level to address this issue. As your representative, I will ensure our local law enforcement agencies have the proper resources to enforce the laws to their fullest extent. We need to continue to give our prosecutors the tools necessary to get tough on those who break our laws. In addition, I’ll support legislation calling for greater restitution for victims of crime. We all deserve to live without the fear of increasing crime in our communities.

Improve our Public Schools and Reform our Education System

Our children - our most precious asset – must be ready to enter the workforce as responsible, productive and well-educated adults. Achieving educational excellence is a challenging but attainable goal. We need to address the systemic problems more creatively, including giving campus administrators more control and continuing to reward teachers for the improvement of our children’s education. Additionally, taxpayers deserve more accountability, efficiency and transparency for their hard-earned dollars that are invested in our education system. I support strong standards that link funding to increased academic performance and improved graduation rates. In short, this means less money for bureaucracy and frivolous expenses, and more money spent in the classrooms … where our dollars can make a difference.

Border Security and Illegal Immigration

Because the federal government has failed to secure our border, we must do all we can to solve these significant problems. The State of Texas can and must play a larger role to help stop the flood of illegal immigration that strains our healthcare, social services and our criminal justice systems. We must have a well-researched public policy approach to illegal immigration that does not serve as an incentive or encouragement to illegal immigration. I support an increase in state law enforcement resources to focus greater attention on the Texas border.

Many of the problems associated with illegal immigration result from the fact that much of the federal government’s enforcement ability is dependent upon the validity of state documents. I oppose giving drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens and favor penalties against employers who knowingly violate employment laws by hiring illegal aliens. I will support legislation at the state level that helps end abuses in the student & guest worker visa programs, helps combat marriage and legal document fraud, ends in-state tuition assistance to illegal aliens and requires the sponsors of immigrants to repay the cost of social services that are provided to them but not reimbursed.

Lower Property Taxes and Property Appraisal Reform

Property taxes are a fundamental attack on property rights. As I’m campaigning across the district, I continue to hear stories of families and individuals facing financial hardships due to skyrocketing property taxes. Property tax increases often outpace family earnings, and are a barrier to home ownership for low income Texans as well as fixed-income seniors. As long as there are stealth tax increases via unaccountable appraisal creep, this unfair trend will continue. I will fight to lower the appraisal cap so we as taxpayers can keep more of what we earn.

Reduce the Growth of Government

I believe the role of government has expanded beyond its original role and continues to grow with more and more of tax dollars feeding this growth. Reducing government spending is where I intend to place my focus. I will work to make our state government more efficient, as I have at Houston ISD, and eliminate wasteful spending. I also support a stricter constitutional spending limit to prevent government from growing any more than the rate of inflation plus population growth for any given year and I’ll support legislation making it more difficult for the Texas Legislature to raise taxes. I’ll be a strong supporter of making sure revenues raised from a particular fee or tax go to the intended purpose or be refunded to taxpayers.

Stand Strong for Texas Families

I am a strong supporter of the sanctity of human life and will continue to stand strong for pro-life and pro-family values. In addition, I support the traditional family unit and believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, and voted for the constitutional amendment in 2005 that protected traditional marriage. I also believe the state should make stronger efforts to respect the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

Economic Development, Job Growth, and Lawsuit Reform

As a small businessman myself, I know the challenges faced by new startups and existing businesses being forced to deal with burdensome government regulations. Government needs to get out of the way and let businesses engage in commerce and free enterprise. I will focus on efforts to stimulate and attract new business opportunities in our state as well as provide an environment for our existing businesses to grow and prosper in District 149. An important aspect of continued economic development is reducing frivolous lawsuits that wreak havoc on unsuspecting businesses, professionals and individuals. I’m a strong supporter of lawsuit reform because Texas has benefited from a better business environment and improved access to healthcare. I’ll stand up to the personal injury trial lawyers who want to roll back the reforms passed by the Texas Legislature and supported by the people of Texas.