Texas House of Representatives District 52 - Reform Austin

Texas House of Representatives District 52

Lucio Valdez

Lucio Valdez is the Republican Candidate. A police and military veteran, Valdez is a former three-term Hutto City Council Member, a retired Sergeant Major for the U.S. Army after 33 years of service, and a father of three boys. Valdez’s top priorities include securing the Texas border, increasing healthcare funding for women and children , reducing property taxes for Texas homeowners, and improving school safety measures.

Lucio Valdez Campaign Website

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

“Fight to fully fund local police departments”
“Secure our border, and keep human trafficking and drug cartels out of our schools and communities”
“I support the brave women and men who risk their lives everyday to keep our communities and schools safe. I'm proud to pledge my continued support.”

Education Funding & Teacher Pay

“Pass school safety laws, including suicide prevention measures, increasing the number of security personally, and building renovations to make schools more secure"

Texas Economy & Taxes

“Cut and cap property taxes for working families and seniors”

Government Transparency & Ethics

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Healthcare

“End surprise medical billing to prevent patients from receiving unexpected bills for medical care they believed was covered by their insurance”

Immigration

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

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

James Talarico

James Talarico is the current Representative for State House District 52, and the Democratic Candidate. A Round Rock Native, Talarico is a former public-school teacher and Executive Director for an education-based nonprofit organization. Talarico’s top priorities include growing the Texas economy and local workforce, increasing state funding for public schools, expanding access to healthcare coverage across the state, and lowering property taxes for Texas homeowners.

James Talarico Campaign Website

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

“I respect the second amendment rights of our constituents and believe that Texas should lead the way in promoting safe firearm regulations.”
“We must reform our criminal justice system to center rehabilitation and restoration, starting with legalizing marijuana, reforming bail bonds, and divesting from privately-owned prisons.”
I also plan to support the George Floyd Act, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus’ comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation as well as policies to disrupt the school to prison pipeline.”
“As a former teacher, I know how important it is to support policies that disrupt the school to prison pipeline. [...] as a member of the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, I authored and supported legislation to decrease the use of incarceration and civil penalties, as well as increase rehabilitation and restorative justice programs.”

Education Funding & Teacher Pay

“As a former teacher, I’m deeply committed to ensuring educational equity for our kids and educators.”
“As we confront the economic and public health crisis of COVID19, we will need to protect the commitment we made to our schools and educators for additional funding and support through HB 3, the first major overhaul in our state’s school finance system since before I was in Kindergarten”

Texas Economy & Taxes

“The property tax buy-downs in our recent school finance legislation, HB 3, was a good start, but many Texans are still struggling under the weight of large property tax bills. I’ll make sure the state government pays its fair share of school funding, meaning lower property taxes for all of us.”
“I’ll support holding our government accountable and working towards a budget that does not pay for the pandemic off the backs of our children or working-class Texans, but one that increases the state minimum wage and ensures equal pay for equal work for all Texans.”
“We can rebuild the Texas economy by providing well paying, safe jobs for Texans who need them. We cannot fix our state’s economy overnight, but by providing the most vulnerable Texans with employment and by supporting Texas businesses, we can get back on track.”

Government Transparency & Ethics

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Healthcare

“The best way to reduce our state’s high uninsured rate is by expanding Medicaid, but the Texas Legislature refuses to accept billions of our own federal tax dollars available to expand health coverage.
“Last session, I supported an amendment that would have expanded Medicaid in our state. Though this amendment did not pass, I will continue to work for expanded access to affordable healthcare for Texans.”
“Additionally, we need to vastly expand preventative care, meaning ensuring yearly check-ups and basic health needs are affordable even for poorer communities.”

Immigration

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Reproductive/Women's Health

Reproductive justice, healthcare access, and gender equity are all top priorities of mine because they’re foundational issues.
A person’s decision to have an abortion should be left up to them in consultation with their doctor. The government should not police these decisions.
Addressing our state’s maternal mortality rate requires long-term investments in available, affordable, and judgment-free preventative care for all people. [...] While I will never compromise on the constitutional rights of Texans, I will continue to work to find common ground with Republican lawmakers to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies through scientifically-valid sex education and accessible contraception.

Infrastructure & Environment

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

Social Services

Nothing listed on Campaign website for this issue

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