Qualifications
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?
Lawyer; Master in Public Affairs; State Senator; Travis County Judge; etc - two decades of experience on and managing professional teams, budgets, tax rates, purchasing and contracts.
Budget Surplus
How do you think Texas should use its Budget Surplus?
The state has enjoyed two bienniums with historic budget surpluses The Rainy Day Fund is projected to hit $28B. I would tap the fund immediately to assist low income Texans with health insurance costs in the first year after loss of ACA tax credits. I would also advise the Legislature on the cost avoidance and economic benefits of 1-time Fund investments in water infrastructure, statewide extreme
Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs)
What oversight measures will you support to ensure that ESAs (school vouchers) are funded and administered transparently?
I will honestly audit the voucher program, showing who benefits most, least or not at all. I will also show how publicly subsidizing exclusive private schools is gutting public schools, which must accept any Texas child and are closing at an alarming rate due to underfunding and overregulation. I will also vigorously review the $50M Odyssey contract to administer the program.
Budget Management
How will you ensure budget transparency so taxpayers can easily see how their money is allocated and spent?
To build public trust, I will pursue modernization in the Comptroller’s office to enhance transparency and increase accessibility. There should be a web-based dashboard providing easy-to-navigate overview of revenue and expenditures, supported by clear textual and graphic explanations that make it easy for the average Texan to understand how public funds are invested and performing.
Efficiency
What changes would you make, if any, to the office of the comptroller?
I will immediately rebuild the nonpartisan tax and audit expertise that has either fled or been fired since my opponent’s appointment. I will follow the law and follow the money, refocusing the office on fair and efficient tax collection, revenue estimation and economic forecasting and away from punitive & duplicative oversight of public schools and politically motivated investigations.
