A few minutes ago, the 83rd Legislative Session convened and I had the honor of being sworn in as a member of the Texas House of Representatives representing House District 101. I am so humbled by the trust the voters have placed in me to represent our community in Austin. A new legislature represents the …
This year’s Legislature will have a different look and feel. New faces will make up nearly a quarter of the Texas House, and many government watchers believe that this could be one of the most conservative sessions ever in Austin. Five of Tarrant County’s seven new House members are ranked among the top 12 freshman lawmakers expected to be the most conservative in the 83rd legislative session.
Rep.-elect Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, was the only local House freshman not to make Hailey’s list.
He said he hopes that both parties can work together.
“The Republicans no longer hold a supermajority, and as a result, there will be a greater need for bipartisanship and compromise,” Turner said. “It is my hope that we can tackle the issues facing our state pragmatically, not based on political rhetoric.”Our state is changing very rapidly, and all the members must take the needs of the changing population into account.”
The selection of a speaker will be one of the first orders of business in the 150-member House on Tuesday when lawmakers open their 140-day biennial session to deal with state spending and host of other issues.
Although Straus is favored to easily retain his post in the GOP-controlled House, Simpson’s challenge perpetuates an element of conservative dissent that has periodically dogged the speaker through his two terms in the leadership post. A threatened conservative uprising in 2011 evaporated when Straus’ two challengers withdrew.
Rep.-elect Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, a Democrat who will represent the new district in east Tarrant County, says he plans to cast his vote for the incumbent speaker and is calling for a more bipartisan approach in the Republican-controlled House to deal with issues such as health care, education and transportation.
“I think Straus is clearly going to be elected speaker again'” he said.
Each year countless guns change hands at thousands of guns shows nationwide — including quite a few in North Texas.
But the way those guns are sold could soon change if President Barack Obama and gun control advocates succeed in closing the “gun show loophole” that has been hotly debated for years as criminal justice officials explore ways to keep weapons out of the wrong hands.
… [S]tate Rep.-elect Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said he believes closing the loophole is reasonable.
“I think we should have background checks for all gun purchases,” Turner said. “I think the American public expects that. We want to know when someone purchases a gun, there’s no criminal or other history that would prevent them from buying it.”
State Rep.-elect Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said Perry should be keeping the focus on more pressing issues about government spending rather than focusing on politically charged social issues.
“Gov. Perry is once again ignoring the issues that matter to Texans, including reversing his devastating cuts to public schools and women’s health care, reducing the huge number of uninsured and investing in basic infrastructure so we can grow our economy.”The next legislative session is far too important to simply become a partisan sideshow in the governor’s 2016 presidential campaign.”
So, last week we had a big election. Obviously, I was pleased with most of the outcomes, from the presidential race on down, but what did we learn from it? … Finally, we saw that candidates who were willing to stand up for our schools and against the divisive rhetoric we hear out of Austin could be successful in the face of well-financed, negative Republican campaigns.
Thank you. Our victory is the result of the hundreds of volunteers and donors and the thousands of voters in District 101 who believe we need change in Austin and want to have a representative who is not afraid to stand up to the special interests and partisan agendas. I am so honored that the voters have placed their trust in me to fight for their families in our state’s capitol.
I am honored by your support and know that by working together, we will win this race and give our new district a strong, effective voice in Austin.
This morning, we learned that Governor Rick Perry is making the shortsighted and ill-informed decision to not pursue Medicaid expansion or set up a state insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act. The governor’s announcement is about politics, nothing more, and will only serve to lengthen Texas’ unfortunate reign as the state with the highest rate of uninsured.
Chris at TCC Southeast Campus rally for education and awareness about the Trayvon Martin case: “We have so much to learn from one another, understanding our different backgrounds, life experiences, and culture helps us all become better people. We can respect, appreciate and celebrate our differences, but we don’t have to fixate on them. We don’t have to fear them. And we don’t have to let them divide us.”
Political Ad Paid for by the Chris Turner Campaign, Dan Dipert, Treasurer.