Texas House of Representatives District 112

Angie Chen Button

Angie Chen Button is the current representative and the Republican Candidate. A former Board Member of Dallas Area Rapid Transit and six-term State Representative, Chen Button is a Certified Public Accountant and a retired Marketing Manager for Texas Instruments, and a mother to one son. Chen Button’s top priorities include expanding healthcare coverage for Texas women and children, improving school safety measures and mental health services for Texas teachers and students, and reducing property taxes for homeowners.

Angie Chen Campaign Website

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

“Angie joint authored legislation to ensure that the people who are around children the most—teachers and school employees—have the training and resources to better protect the children and teens most at risk of exploitation. She also championed legislation to end the backlog of untested rape kits in our state and to help prosecute the violent offenders. Angie worked to secure funding for human and sex trafficking investigative teams and anti-gang squads at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Angie will continue the fight to stop human trafficking in Texas and to provide protections to the victims of this heinous crime.”

Education Funding & Teacher Pay

“This past session, [Angie] passed new school safety legislation, including suicide prevention measures, increasing the number of security personnel, and building renovations to make [public] schools more secure. She also supported $4.5 billion in student-centered education reforms and reduced recapture allowing more local dollars to flow into our local schools. She also made sure that $2 billion went to across the board pay raises for our educators and made sure that the Teacher Retirement System was actuarially sound.”

Texas Economy & Taxes

“Angie is committed to property tax reform. This past session, Angie passed legislation providing $5 billion in property tax relief and requiring voter approval any time a proposed property tax increase exceeds 3.5%. Next, she’s looking to reform the appraisal process to make sure that tax bills decrease.”

Healthcare

“Angie Chen Button passed a healthcare bill that improves maternal and newborn healthcare and the quality of services provided to Texas women and children. She secured funding for programs that connect families to nurses and community resources and supported legislation that made telemedicine more accessible. Angie also increased funding and access for women’s health programs to ensure low-income women have the care they need.”

Immigration

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Reproductive/Women’s Health

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Infrastructure & Environment

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Social Services

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Brandy Chambers

Brandy Chambers is the Democratic Candidate. A practicing attorney with over two decades of experience in employment law and civil rights defense, Chambers is also the Co-Vice President of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, and a mother to one daughter. Chambers’ top priorities include expanding Medicaid to cover more Texans – especially women and children, investing more state funds in education, resolving inequality in our legal system, and reducing property taxes for Texas homeowners.

Brandy Chambers Campaign Website

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

“With the help of the local NAACP and Black law enforcement officers, I drafted a set of police accountability proposals that I will work with the Texas Legislative Black Caucus (TLBC) and all interested members to prioritize and enact.”
“By continuing to incarcerate all criminal infractions, we are building a pipeline to overcrowded prisons and continuing the cycle of poverty and dysfunction. I support systems of specialty courts, where the focus is rehabilitation when appropriate.”
“Texas must address bail reform. The system now essentially holds alleged offenders in jail if they are unable to financially secure their release. [... ]We need to institute a system where the judiciary can decide on the potential harm to the community if the alleged offender is not held in jail. This determination should not be dependent on financial resources available to the alleged offender.”
Human Trafficking
“A Dallas study shows human trafficking victims have a common history of early DPS incidents combined with truancy and runaway incidents. Currently there is no system to allow agencies involved to see each other's information, empowering them to potentially identify a high-risk victim.
To end this modern-day slavery, I will write a bill to mandate a statewide system to allow state agencies to retrieve data available to identify high-risk victims.”

Education Funding & Teacher Pay

“We can fully fund public education by closing massive corporate tax loopholes benefiting businesses that don’t need it.”
“I support full-day, quality pre-K because of its proven return on investment.”
“I will always oppose vouchers which take money from public schools and go to charter and private schools, that are not held to the same standards of admittance and testing. I also oppose high-stakes testing which makes millions for testing companies, and only shows the performance of a student on a given day.”
“Cost of living increases and skyrocketing health insurance premiums are the result of unequal retirement plans. We can give educators the same retirement benefits that lawmakers give themselves.”

Texas Economy & Taxes

“The incumbent state representative voted to restrict revenue for cities despite protests and warnings from the Garland mayor, Richardson mayor and many other North Texas leaders. I agree with the stance taken by these mayors. Restricting revenue will not provide true property tax relief from extreme appraisals. The incumbent also voted against exempting emergency districts, which provide critical fire and emergency services. Arbitrary tax caps are not an effective way to run cities. We need lawmakers to work with local elected officials, not against them.”

Government Transparency & Ethics

“Politicians shouldn't pick their voters, and our incumbent has voted five times for maps that discriminate.
Fair maps for Texas are on the ballot this November, and their impact will be felt far beyond state lines. That’s because when Democrats control redistricting, maps will be drawn to accurately represent Texans. No more “packing and cracking” to dilute minority voting strength.”

Healthcare

“My first priority once in office is to expand Medicaid coverage. With the expansion, for every dollar Texas pays we will receive $9 back. In addition, it will allow affordable healthcare access to over 1.4 million uninsured Texans (pre-COVID numbers, before millions of Texans lost their jobs, and with them, employer-subsidized insurance). It will create jobs, give rural hospitals and clinics the ability to hire more doctors, nurses and staff as well as expand their services.”

Immigration

“I support our state’s immigrant families who work hard and bring so much to Texas. They add culture and prosperity—spending billions and paying billions in taxes annually.
I support our state’s history of welcoming refugees who fled their homes due to famine, war, or religious and political persecution.
Attempts to block legal refugees with the cries of illegal immigration is shameful and incomprehensible.”

Reproductive Health

“No one should be denied health care, including access to abortion, because of where they live or how much money they make. Scoring political points by removing safe health care options doesn't protect "life," but actually endangers it. Texas has a terrible history of unconstitutional legislation, leading to court challenges that go all the way to the Supreme Court. Not only are these bills a drastic state power overreach, but they are also costly, as we pay the legal fees associated with The State of Texas defending unconstitutional laws.”

Infrastructure & Environment

“New laws and regulations on siting and better zoning enforcement would address environmental racism. Zip codes shouldn't have more impact on health and well-being than genetic codes.”
“Texas should create incentives for businesses and localities to engage in recycling programs. We must let go of a past when oil and gas fossil fuels were king. To reach net zero emissions we must embrace renewable energy, starting first with state buildings and eventually transforming our energy system into 100% renewable by 2050. Texas can aid displaced fossil fuel workers with job training, prioritized job placement, and housing assistance. Until then we can: raise energy efficiency standards and programs funded by taxpayers; require state agencies to do strategic planning with climate change in mind; require oil and gas operators to increase their controls on methane releases; and provide more power to local government to require more resilient energy-efficiency buildings. ”

Social Services

“When I’m elected, I will sponsor and champion a paid sick leave bill, because worker health and safety IS public health and safety. As we are seeing, the absence of paid sick leave can be a matter of life and death. No worker should have to choose between staying home to recover from illness or take care of a loved one, and earning enough to pay the bills. Likewise, no customer should have to choose between getting a needed product or service and contracting an illness because a working person lacks access to paid sick leave. Paid sick leave benefits employers and employees alike.
Raising the minimum wage isn't just the smart thing to do to boost spending power, it's morally right. It’s beyond time to raise the minimum wage.”

Shane Newsom

Shane Newsom (Libertarian Party) is running for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 112. He advanced from the Libertarian Party convention on March 21, 2020. Newsom was born in Grapevine, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree from DeVry University in 2001. His career experience includes working as a computer programmer.

Shane Newsom Campaign Website

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

“People die daily from this "war on drugs". If these substances were legalized, we could then regulate it and increase overall public safety. The American people will no longer be forced to pay for an ineffective and unconstitutional "war" they never asked for.”

Education Funding & Teacher Pay

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Texas Economy & Taxes

“Our taxes are out of hand and excessive.[...] I will start with ending the ridiculous contracts for useless purchases such as government building decorations, office supplies, etc, and transition to more affordable, quality products. We do not need extravagant tile, artwork, or statues at government office buildings. That money could easily be reallocated to humanitarian efforts that benefit the public. That money could be used to help feed impoverished children and keep long-held promises of care for veterans.”

Government Transparency & Ethics

“We deserve the freedom to spend our hard-earned income how we see fit. We deserve the freedom to have a say in how these funds are spent and who spends them. It is NOT the government's place to make these decisions for us.”
“Everyone should have the same rights. Rights do not belong to a singular group of people, they belong to ALL HUMANS.”
“We need to start focusing on the rights of all regardless of race, ability or gender. The government should have no say in who I can marry, what I do with my body.”

Reform Austin