ARLINGTON – Former State Representative Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) has outraised both of the other candidates combined in the race for the new state house District 93 that includes much of Arlington and Grand Prairie.   Turner’s campaign also has more cash-on-hand than the other two candidates in the race.

From July 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, Turner raised $76,419, ending with cash reserves of $43,951.  Turner’s campaign received a total of 175 individual contributions, two-thirds of which came locally from Tarrant County.  In contrast, the other two candidates together raised a total of $62,295 and had $38,080.83 on hand.

“Our campaign’s strong fundraising is proof that District 93 wants a state representative who has a proven track record of standing up for Democratic priorities and being an effective voice for Tarrant County,” said Turner.  “I am humbled by the strong support we have received from Tarrant County teachers, veterans, union members, small business owners and retirees, and it’s that kind of support that will win this race,” Turner said.  “And while I am thrilled with our fundraising success, this campaign remains, at its core, a grassroots effort focused on fighting for what counts for working families in Arlington and Grand Prairie.”

Turner’s fundraising and cash-on-hand is particularly impressive since he entered the race last July at an 11 to 1 cash-on-hand disadvantage compared to one of his opponents.

“It is clear that Chris Turner has the momentum in this race: given the unique circumstances of this election – redistricting, the primary date postponement and continued uncertainty over the new district lines – our campaign’s fundraising is all the more impressive and meaningful,” said Turner campaign manager, Kate Fox.  “It’s further proof that Tarrant County Democrats know and trust Chris Turner to fight for our values in Austin.”

Turner served both as campaign manager and district director to former U.S. Representative Chet Edwards (D-Waco).  Prior to that, in the late 1990s, Turner was Executive Director of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, working with Democrats in Arlington and Grand Prairie.

In his first term in the House of Representatives, Turner proved he could get results: he passed the landmark law that established a dedicated lottery scratch off ticket for Texas veterans.  This initiative has already raised more than $16 million to pay for much-needed benefits for veterans and their families. Turner also wrote the law that requires electric utility companies to provide notice to consumers when their contract is about to expire.

Turner and his wife, Lisa, have lived in southern Tarrant County for 14 years and their two children, Melissa and Scott, both graduated from Mansfield Summit High School.

ARLINGTON – Today, former State Representative Chris Turner filed to run for the Texas House of Representatives in the new District 93, an open seat that encompasses a significant portion of Turner’s previous district.  Turner had announced he was running to represent Arlington and Grand Prairie in the House in early August.

“District 93 wants a state representative who understands what counts for Texas families: decent jobs, quality public schools, and respect for our seniors and veterans,” said Turner.  “We deserve a representative who has a proven track record of getting things done and is committed to defending Democratic principles.”

Earlier this month, the court made changes to previously redistricted House District 101 and renumbered it to be a new House District 93.  The new House District 93 is still a strongly Democratic seat with no incumbent.  Turner enters the race with a strong advantage, having represented a significant portion of the new district:  45 percent of registered voters and 48 percent of Democratic primary voters live in the South Arlington portion of the district Turner served from 2009 to 2011.

“Chris Turner is a strong Democrat who has never turned his back on our party’s principles.  Chris is a leader who is widely known for being open and accessible and is the right person to stand up and fight to get things done for us in Austin,” said Cynthia Toodle, District 93 precinct chair.

In his one term in the House, Turner proved he could get results. He passed the landmark law that established a dedicated lottery scratch off ticket for Texas veterans, which has already raised more than $16 million to pay for much-needed benefits for veterans and their families.  Turner’s leadership also forced greater transparency from electric utility companies and led to tougher penalties on drunk drivers.  Turner quickly became well-known in Arlington as one of its most visible and accessible members of the Legislature – in two years, he held numerous town hall meetings and workshops for constituents and attended hundreds of community events and meetings.

Turner and his wife, Lisa, are lifelong Democrats who have lived the better part of a decade in South Arlington and have been helping Democrats win tough elections in Texas for 15 years.  Their two children, Melissa and Scott, both graduated from Mansfield Summit High School.

 “In his previous term in office, Chris Turner quickly became one of Arlington’s most visible, effective, and respected public servants,” said Dan Dipert, Arlington business and community leader and the treasurer of Turner’s campaign. “Chris has the drive, experience and work ethic to get the job done for those he represents. We need Chris Turner representing District 101 in Austin.”

“Chris Turner is a champion when it comes to protecting and improving education in Texas,” commented Dr. Judith Carrier, a lifelong Arlington education leader. “From early childhood to higher education, Chris Turner wants to ensure every child receives the best education possible and every adult has access to new learning opportunities. We need Chris Turner in Austin fighting for our priorities.”

“Chris Turner proved, in two short years, that he is well-qualified to lead in the Texas House,” commented Joe Chavez, Tejano Democrats of North Texas President and a former Arlington police officer. “He quickly established himself as an effective representative of Tarrant County’s diverse population.”

 “No candidate will serve the new District 101 better than Chris Turner,” said Deborah Spell, precinct chair and District 101 resident. “As a Precinct Chair, I have met and interacted with many public servants. Chris is one of the hardest-working individuals for his constituents that I have ever met. We need Chris Turner in Austin!”

 “As a resident of the new District 101, I cannot imagine having anyone else working on my behalf in Austin,” commented grassroots activist and District 101 resident, Adrena Stephney. “Chris Turner cares deeply about our community.”

“I am honored and humbled by the tremendous grassroots support our campaign has already generated,” Turner said. “We’ll be building on this support in the weeks and months ahead, because this district wants and deserves a representative who will stand with working families and fight for the common sense values we share.”

In his first term in the House of Representatives, Turner proved he could get results: he passed the landmark law that established a dedicated lottery scratch off ticket for Texas veterans. This initiative has already raised more than $16 million to pay for much-needed benefits for veterans and their families. Turner also wrote the law that requires electric utility companies to provide notice to consumers when their contract is about to expire.

Numerous groups recognized Turner’s work in the House: he was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, “Legislator of the Year” by the Vietnam Veterans of America, “Freshman of the Year” by Texas Watch for his work on consumer protection issues, and “Best of the House” by the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT).

Turner and his wife, Lisa, have lived the better part of a decade in South Arlington and their two children, Melissa and Scott, both graduated from Mansfield Summit High School.

ARLINGTON – Today State Representative Chris Turner (HD-96) unveiled DWI legislation to be filed during the 82^nd Legislative Session, set to begin in January 2011. The measures were announced at a press conference held at Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center in Arlington and Turner was joined by Chairman of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, Pete Gallego, Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, local law enforcement officials, and Loubna ElHarazin, the mother of Abdallah Khader, who was severely injured by a drunk driver.

The proposed legislation stems from the February 2009 incident that nearly took the life of then 2-year old Khader, who is now in a permanent vegetative due to the actions of a repeat drunk driver.

“The incident that severely injured young Abdallah Khader demonstrates the need for additional DWI reforms,” said State Representative Chris Turner. “It is also a reminder that lives are lost and changed forever when people chose to drink and drive.

“The real tragedy is that someone with multiple DWI convictions was able to get back in his car and drive, which happens far too often with grave consequences,” continued Turner. “While no legislation can undo the tragedy that has been experienced by this young family, we need to do all we can to provide some measure of justice and hopefully prevent other families from going through this kind of pain and anguish.”

“Drunk driving is a tragic problem in Texas and I am heart-broken about what has happened to this family and so many others,” Chairman Pete Gallego said.  “I commend Representative Turner for his work on this important legislation and look forward to helping pass these needed reforms.”

Turner intends to file at least two measures addressing DWI during the next legislative session.

The first will enhance the penalty for those who drive drunk and as a result injure another person to the point that their victim is in a permanent vegetative state. Currently, DWI assault is classified as a third degree felony and can include injuries as wide ranging as a broken arm to severe brain injuries such as those sustained by Abdallah. The new legislation would dictate that if the victim is in a persistent vegetative state as a result of a drunk driving incident, the perpetrator would face a charge punishable by a 2^nddegree felony or 2 to 20 years in prison.

The second measure would clarify the law regarding previous out of state convictions and ensure that they are weighed equally in Texas courts. Although current Texas statute already outlines this, additional clarification is needed in order to ensure that previous convictions from other states are considered equally. For example, if a conviction in another state included time in a penitentiary, but is classified by name as “misdemeanor” in that state, yet would be classified as a “felony” by Texas statute, the court must consider the others state’s conviction a felony. This would require the court to look at the severity of the sentence in determining the equivalent Texas charge, regardless of whether or not the other state called it a “misdemeanor” or “felony.”

Stewart Richardson, who changed the lives of the Khader family forever when he rammed his pick-up truck into the back of their Honda Accord in February 2009, had been previously convicted of three DWIs in Iowa and additional DWIs in other states. The measure proposed by Turner would ensure that the courts treat previous convictions equally.

Legislation may be pre-filed for the 82^nd Legislative Session beginning in November.

“It is great news that the Tracy family will have Houston’s extensive medical expenses paid and that the baby will have health insurance going forward. I commend Doug and Kim for their tenacity in fighting for their son, and am grateful to have had the opportunity to help in this situation. I thank Mike Geeslin, the Texas Commissioner of Insurance, for his quick response to my inquiries and BlueCross BlueShield of Texas for working with us to come to a fair resolution for the Tracy family.”

AUSTIN – Today State Representative Chris Turner was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). With over 90,000 members and 403 posts across the state, the Texas VFW is the largest veterans organization in the state. The award was presented during the opening joint session of the annual VFW state convention.

According to the Texas VFW, Turner is the first freshman legislator to receive this award.

“Representative Chris Turner has been a staunch advocate for our state’s veterans and their families,” said Roy Grona, Texas VFW State Adjutant-Quartermaster. “Because of his work and leadership on veterans issues, more Texas veterans are getting the help they need and deserve.”

“I am incredibly honored and humbled by this recognition,” Turner said. “The Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars are the true heroes to the 1.7 million veterans in our state. I am proud of the work we did to pass the lottery scratch-off bill, which is benefitting countless veterans across the state of Texas.”

During the 81st Legislative Session, Representative Turner authored and passed several pieces of legislation benefitting veterans and their families. Most notably, Turner authored House Bill 1299, creating a scratch-off lottery ticket to benefit the Permanent Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA). The FVA provides grants to aid veterans and their families in times of financial need and support PTSD counseling and other veterans’ services. The lottery ticket was released on November 9, 2009 and has raised over $5.5 million for the FVA.

Turner, who was named “Freshman of the Year” by the bipartisan House Veterans Caucus and given the “Leadership Award” from the Texas Veterans Commission and “Legislator of the Year” by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Texas State Council, also passed legislation requiring institutions of higher education to designate a financial aid specialist to be trained on issues related to veterans’ programs, including the GI Bill and the Hazelwood Act.

He was also the House sponsor of legislation to allow state employees, who are members of military reserves or National Guard, to continue to accrue their sick and vacation leave time while they are on active military duty.

State Reps. Kent, Miklos and Turner respond to recent rate hikes by Texas’ largest insurance provider

AUSTIN – Today State Representatives Carol Kent, Robert Miklos and Chris Turner renewed their call for comprehensive insurance reform in light of last week’s announcement that State Farm, Texas’ largest homeowners insurance provider, will raise rates by 4.5% in May, just seven months after an 8.8% rate hike. This comes on the tail of recent rate increases by both Allstate and Farmers Insurance.

“Most families in North Texas haven’t seen their incomes go up by double digits this year, yet these big insurance companies think it’s ok to increase their premiums by double-digit percentages,” said Representative Chris Turner (HD 96-Burleson). “With Texans already paying the second highest homeowners insurance rates in the nation, this is unacceptable.”

In November, Allstate announced a 9.8% jump in their homeowner’s insurance rates. In January, Farmers Insurance, the third largest insurance company in the state, proposed raising rates 10% statewide and 11% for North Texas area customers. According to the Dallas Morning News, after Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin called the hikes, “excessive and discriminatory,” Farmers agreed to only increase their rates by 4.5%. However, the company will be allowed to charge the excessive rate through March 2011 and keep the premiums they have already overcharged.

Currently, insurance companies are required to notify the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) of rate increases, but TDI has no authority to block these rate hikes.

“The insurance commissioner should have the power to stop outrageous rate increases,” said State Representative Robert Miklos (HD 101 – Mesquite). “By increasing their rates by double digits in less than a year, State Farm is sending a message that it is ok to for insurance companies to line their pockets at the expense of consumers.”

In an attempt to combat overnight rate hikes by insurance companies, legislation has been filed in the past to create a “prior approval” system, which would give TDI the power to approve or deny these rate increases and give the agency true oversight over this industry. Many of the filed measures would have allowed for increased public input when insurance companies ask to raise their rates.

“During the next Legislative Session, when TDI is up for sunset review, we need some common sense oversight to protect homeowners.” said State Representative Carol Kent (HD 102 – Dallas). “There are far too many North Texas families struggling to make ends meet in this economy, and raising their insurance rates over and over again will just make that struggle even harder.”

In late May, the Legislative Sunset Advisory Commission, comprised of six member of the Texas Senate and six member of the Texas House, will begin to review TDI. Once the review process is complete, the advisory committee will present its recommendations to the 82nd Legislature.

State Representatives Carol Kent and Robert Miklos represent Dallas County districts. Representative Chris Turner represents southern Tarrant County.

Good Morning, Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars!  Thank you, Roy, for your very kind introduction, your words mean a lot.  More importantly, thank you for your leadership for our state, both with the VFW and with the Texas Veterans Commission.  It was my honor and privilege to work alongside you in the last session of the Legislature, and I look forward to continuing our work together.

I am truly honored and humbled that you asked me to speak to you this morning.  It’s a privilege for me to be on the same stage as Governor Rick Perry and former Houston Mayor Bill White and other distinguished guests.  But the greatest honor is to be with all of you, the veterans of our nation’s armed forces who have risked life and limb to serve our nation, and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.  For the spouses of veterans who are here today, we owe you a special thank-you, as well.  Families of service members sacrifice so much for our nation, sacrifices that are difficult to measure and impossible to repay.

As a member of the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee, I have the privilege of working on a variety of issues affecting our servicemen and women, our veterans and their families.  My work on these issues is guided by a recognition and a realization that there is simply no way that the tremendous sacrifices made by veterans and their families can ever be appropriately repaid, no matter how many laws benefitting veterans are passed in Austin or in Washington.  The sacrifices made by those who serve, and their families, are simply too great.

What I hope we can do is honestly recognize and appropriately honor those sacrifices with efforts that will have real meaning for those who have worn our nation’s uniform.  This morning I will mention a few such efforts that came out of the recent legislative session.

As you all know, we passed an important and overdue measure to provide a complete property tax exemption to all veterans who are 100% service-connected disabled.

Because of the leadership of Senator Leticia Van de Putte, who chairs the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee, we extended education benefits for veterans and their families through the Texas Hazelwood Act, and I am pleased a provision I authored to extend benefits to the spouses of 100% disabled veterans was included in that measure.

I also authored legislation to require Texas colleges and universities to have a designated financial aid employee who is well-trained on the GI Bill and Hazelwood so that veterans and their family members have help navigating those bureaucracies.  It is my goal to see that our veterans receive every last dime, whether it is state or federal, of education benefits they have earned through their service.

But what I am most proud of and worked so closely with the VFW and a number of our veterans groups on was our bill to create a single lottery scratch off game to benefit the Fund for Veterans Assistance.  The fund was created by the Legislature a few years ago to help individual veterans in times of needs and to support groups and organizations, such as the VFW, that provide crucial services to veterans and their families.  While this was a noble idea, the budget writers failed to put any money into this fund.

That’s when statewide veterans leaders came up with the idea of creating a lottery game to benefit veterans, as a few other states have done.  I was honored to carry this legislation, and I have to say, it was quite a challenge to get passed.  It probably didn’t help that I was a freshman and really didn’t have any experience passing laws.  But there’s a reason we have had a lottery in Texas for nearly 20 years and no one has ever managed to create a “dedicated” game like this.  The lottery is an institution that the Legislature does not like to change.  But we want to work on my colleagues in the House.

We explained that if we passed this bill, in no way would we impact public education funding.

We told them that if we were bold and visionary and passed this bill, we would generate up to $8 million a year to help TX veterans.

We could help more veterans with transportation assistance to VA Hospitals.  We could help fund PTSD counseling services that are so critical to so many of our veterans.

We  would be able to do more to reduce the shameful number of homeless veterans in Texas.

And we told them, frankly, that Texas veterans – including the 240,000 young Texans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan – more than deserved this bill.

In the end, we overcame the opposition and the skepticism and passed this bill minutes before the deadline in the House.  We went through a few other legislative gymnastics before it was all said and done, and then Senator Van de Putte passed it out of the Senate on the last day of the session and the governor signed it a few weeks later.

Now, some folks were skeptical when we passed this bill how much of an impact it would really have for Texas veterans.  Would it really work?

I am pleased to be able to stand here this morning and give you a progress report on the Veterans Cash game, which the Lottery Commission launched on November 9th, right before Veterans Day.

In just over two months, as of January 23rd, sales of Veterans Cash totaled $11.2 million.  That means over $2.5 million in proceeds, which are going straight into the Fund for Veterans Assistance to help Texas veterans.  You think that’s going to have an impact?  I do too.

So far, this game has been more successful than I think any of us ever imagined.  We know that the Texas Veterans Commission is carefully reviewing applications for the first grant award, which will be directed to emergency needs for Texas veterans and their families.  The TVC will be considering that award at their February meeting, so we can look forward to real, tangible help for veterans and their families in the very near term.

While this session was undoubtedly a success when it came to veterans issues, I don’t think we should stop there.  I think all of us – not just in the Legislature – but all in our state who care about veterans and their families, need to keep asking what more we can do to honor the service and sacrifice of those who have served.

Can we see that any veteran in the state of Texas who wants to work can get a decent paying job to support his or her family, especially in this tough economy?

Can we do a better job of providing tax relief to the widows and surviving spouses of disabled veterans and service members killed in the line of duty?

Can we see that every veteran who wants to go to school and continue his or her education have the opportunity to do so.?

Can we make sure that every veteran who has PTSD or a Traumatic Brain Injury as a result of serving our country can get the help he or she understandably needs?

And can we agree that no veteran of this nation’s Armed Forces should be sleeping on the streets of any Texas city tonight, and that we’ll do all we can to end the disgrace of veterans homelessness?

I think the answer to all these questions is yes. And by working together, I know we can make these goals a reality.  In closing, as we commit ourselves to taking on these challenges, consider the wise words of our nation’s first President, George Washington:  “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were appreciated and treated by their nation.”

Those words are as true today as they were in Washington’s time and it is my hope that they serve as a guiding principle for elected officials and policy makers in our state and nation.

Thank you very much for having me today.

New $2 Ticket Will Provide Much Needed Funding for Veterans’ Programs

ARLINGTON - Today State Senators Chris Harris and Wendy Davis and State Representative Chris Turner were joined by fellow legislators and veterans’ leaders at a press conference as they purchased some of the first Veterans Cash Texas Lottery scratch-off tickets to go on sale. Stores across the state began selling the ticket Monday, November 9, and the game will be in full circulation by Wednesday, November 11, Veterans’ Day. The proceeds from the ticket will benefit the Permanent Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA).

The FVA was created by Legislature in 2007 to aid those who served our nation in uniform, as well as their families. Since its creation, the fund has received very little financial assistance and as a result, organizations that aid veterans in need are having to look elsewhere for grants and funding sources.

“With the launch of this game today, we are saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women of our state who have risked so much in service to our nation,” said Rep. Turner, who pushed the Veterans Cash legislation through the House earlier this year. “The revenue from this game will provide meaningful funding for the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance to help provide grants for job placement services, health care costs and PTSD and TBI treatment for Texas veterans.”

“Texas is currently home to more than 1.7 million veterans who dedicated their lives and service in order to protect our freedoms,” said Senator Harris. “We, as Texans, owe these men and women as well as their families a great debt of gratitude. Veterans Cash will set up the stream of revenue enabling the Texas Veterans Commission, and all Texans, a way to say thank you for a job well done and welcome home.”

“I am thrilled to take part in the release of Veterans Cash which will create the greatly needed revenue source allowing Texas the ability to give back and take care of our returning veterans and their families, who have so selflessly given their service for our protection,” continued Harris.

“On behalf of veterans across the state, I cannot thank Senator Harris, Senator Van De Putte and Representative Turner enough for their hard work to pass the measure creating the Veterans Cash scratch-off and being tireless advocates for veterans and their families.” said John Miterko, Legislative Liaison, Texas Coalition of Veterans Organizations.

The Legislative Budget Board projects that the single scratch-off game will mean an economic impact for the Permanent Fund for Veterans’ Assistance in the amount of approximately $9 million during the first full year it is in circulation.

During the 81st Legislative Session, HB 1299 by State Representative Chris Turner and its Senate companion, SB 421 by Senators Van De Putte and Chris Harris, were filed to create the lottery scratch-off game. HB 1299 passed the House with only minutes to spare and was eventually added to Senator Van De Putte’s SB 1655. The passage of legislation to create this scratch-off ticket has been a top priority for veterans’ organizations across the State of Texas.

Major (Ret) Eliseo "Al" Cantu of the Texas Veterans' Commission stands with State Representative Chris Turner in front of a mock-up of the first Texas Lottery's Veterans Scratch-off game, which will be released on November 9, 2009. Also pictured are State Senators Leticia Van De Putte and Wendy Davis.

IRVING – Today State Representative Chris Turner was presented with the Texas Veterans Commission’s Leadership Award in appreciation for his efforts in passing the measure to create a lottery game to benefit Texas veterans. Turner was given the award after speaking to over 500 people attending the Texas Veterans Commission annual statewide training conference in Irving.

Texas Veterans’ Commission Executive Director James E. Nier  presented Turner with the award, which reads: “His leadership on veterans’ issues has inspired the respect of the entire veterans’ community… his capable, diligent and continued leadership in the Texas House has enhanced the lives of Texas veterans and their families.”

“I am honored and humbled by this recognition, ” Turner said.  “The passage of the veterans lottery bill was a testament to the hard work of every veteran organization in the state, and I am just happy I could be part of this important effort that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of many veterans across Texas.”

Eventually amended to Senate Bill 1655, Turner’s House Bill 1299 created a single scratch off lottery ticket to benefit the Permanent Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA).  The FVA will provide grants to aid veterans and their families in times of financial need and support PTSD counseling and other veterans’ services.  The lottery ticket will be released on November 9 and the expected revenue will be over $8 million per year. This one was on the top priorities for veterans’ organizations in Texas.

Turner, who was named “Freshman of the Year” by the bipartisan House Veterans Caucus, also passed legislation requiring institutions of higher education to designate a financial aid specialist to be trained on issues related to veterans’ programs, including the GI Bill and the Hazelwood Act.  He was also the House sponsor of legislation allowing state employees who are members of military reserves or National Guard to continue to accrue their sick and vacation leave time while they are on active military duty.