The Wise County Messenger sent the following questions to Texas House District 64 candidates running in the March 5 Republican Primary. Here are there responses.
Andy Hopper
Andy Hopper
Software Engineer
Residence: Wise County north of Decatur.
List of current civic activities/past civic experience:
I enlisted in the Texas State Guard in 2014 as a way to serve Texas. I am currently a Chief Warrant Officer assigned to T6 at Camp Mabry, which has won three consecutive Best of Texas awards and saved Texas an estimated $20 million.
Amanda and I joined with a handful of other Wise County families to start Wise County Conservatives, an influential Republican grassroots organization that is affiliated with 9 other conservative organizations across nine counties in North Texas. Because of my involvement in the Texas Republican grassroots, I was awarded the 2022 Champion of Freedom Award by Grassroots America: We The People.
I was also honored to serve as the Senate District 12 Caucus Chair at the 2022 Republican Party of Texas State Convention and am a member of the Decatur Rotary.
What is the biggest challenge the constituents in HD 64 face and how would you address it?
Texas must fully secure its border without the feds. More information can be found on my plan in question #2.
Texas must also secure its elections and restore faith in the system by periodically purging voter rolls, eliminating hackable machines, ensuring ballot chain of custody, and requiring physical poll lists and signatures.
Property taxes are immoral, are an extremely inefficient form of revenue, and ensure that Texans never actually own their homes but eternally rent them from the Government. Texas must fully transition to a consumption tax over 5-10 years by capping the record growth of state government (40%/$67B over last biennium), compressing local rates, and broadening the sales tax base. (Income taxes are, and should forever remain, unconstitutional in Texas.)
Locally, access and availability of water is the issue for HD64 and Wise County specifically. More information on this in question #5.
What can be done to address border security and the current crisis at the border at the state level? Do you support/would you propose any particular legislative changes to address this issue differently?
Texas needs to attain full operational control of our southern border with a permanent operative ‘Border Guard’ within the Texas Military Forces. Our legislature should require the Governor to provide suitable rules of engagement to deter and repel all illegal border crossings, and authorize the use of force against cartels.
I would fully support HB20 (or a variation thereof) which was killed on the Texas House floor in the 88th Regular Legislative session. Texas must end all economic incentives to illegals (in-state tuition, free public education, etc) and require E-Verify for all employers in the state. I would also support making human trafficking a capital offense.
Last fall, there was momentum for the state’s budget surplus being used to substantively address public school funding. That momentum appears to have stalled. With Wise County schools adopting deficit budgets, and some considering the switch to four-day weeks, how would you address education spending as local schools struggle to make ends meet?
Fact: our Legislature is completely unserious about improving education. Last session began with a $33B surplus and, instead of returning that surplus to the people or local jurisdictions, they increased spending by 40% ($67B). They DID pass a massive $18B corporate welfare bill, in open opposition to both the Republican and Democratic state party platforms. They DID pass a $2B digital curriculum vendor bill (HB1605, co-authored by our Legislator) which was widely opposed by educators. In the second special session, conservatives offered up an amendment to the property tax relief package to increase the homestead exemption for teachers by $50K, but this was voted down by our Legislator (882/SB2, RV #24). It should be clear to all that the establishment in the Texas House are kicking the can on education for political gain. The best thing we can do to improve education at all levels is to eject Dade Phelan and any representative that supported him.
Where do you stand on school voucher programs/education savings accounts?
I am in favor of school funding strategies that allow funding to follow the child. Although I would vote for an unencumbered ESA bill if that’s the best we can do, if elected I intend to fight to give parents with school-age kids the right to opt instead for a property and/or sales tax deduction so they don’t have to get money back from the government: they wouldn’t pay it in the first place.
Last session, our previous State Rep (now Senator) Phil King filed SJR72 which would protect parents from government strings, and I would work to get protections like this over this finish-line.
Wise County’s demand for water will eventually outpace current supply/allocations. How do you plan to address the increasing demand for water within your district?
New reservoirs cost billions, and are often 50-year projects. Virtually all experts agree that watering of cultivated lawns on acreage is the single biggest threat to our aquifers. I will propose the following legislative steps to positively incentivize rural property owners to use their land productively:
• Enable local political subdivisions to offer property tax deductions for un-irrigated acreage, akin to agricultural exemptions. This deduction would be available for properties of one acre or more (excluding the land directly under a homestead).
• Repeal the “5-year waiting period” for agricultural properties, and require all political subdivisions to extend agricultural exemptions to properties over one acre that are used for agricultural purposes (other than irrigated row-crops).
In addition, we should enact legislation like HB1889/88R which would study the feasibility of industrial-scale water desalination using brackish groundwater. The Legislature should encourage the General Land Office to pursue this desalination on state property, selling the fresh water back to jurisdictions.
Lynn Stucky
Lynn Stucky
Veteranarian
Residence: Sanger
List of current civic activities/past civic experience: State Representative, Kanakuk Institute Board of Directors, Member of Denton Bible Church, North Texas State Fair Veterinary Volunteer for PRCA rodeo 1983- present, Sanger Chamber Member 1983-present, Denton Chamber of Commerce 1983-present, Texas Veterinary Medical Association 1983-present, Member American Veterinary Medical Association 1983-present
What is the biggest challenge the constituents in HD 64 face, and how would you address it?
Property tax relief continues to be one of the top local issues I hear about when talking to voters. Earlier this month, Gov. Abbott announced the state anticipates a $20 billion surplus in the next legislative session. I will work with Governor Abbott to return those dollars to hard-working Texans. This will build on the $18 billion package I delivered in 2023, where we also increased the homestead exemptions to $100,000. I will work to keep Texas on a path to eliminating local school taxes.
What can be done to address border security and the current crisis at the border at the state level? Do you support/would you propose any particular legislative changes to address this issue differently?
Since 2017, I have delivered more than $12 billion for border security. That includes $3 billion to keep building President Donald Trump’s border wall. My first year in office, I co-authored the state ban on Sanctuary Cities — now one of the smartest border policies in the country. Last year, I co-authored bills to make it a crime to enter the state illegally across the southern border. I also passed a law giving judges the power to order illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin. I also passed tougher penalties for drug smugglers and human traffickers. Because of the federal government’s failure, Texas is being forced to use all of its Constitutional authority to secure our southern border. I will continue to push for initiatives that strengthen our ability to stop these illegal crossings.
There was momentum for the state’s budget surplus being used to substantively address public school funding last fall. That momentum appears to have stalled. With Wise County schools adopting deficit budgets, and some considering the switch to four-day weeks, how would you address education spending as local schools struggle to make ends meet?
In the last session, I fought hard for parents on both sides of the education issue. As one of the budget writers, I helped deliver more than $93 billion for education in Texas. When other lawmakers walked away from the debate on school choice, they left billions in public education funding, teacher pay raises, and school safety increases on the table. They also killed the chance for an amendment I was supporting that would allow Wise County districts to use new development taxdollars to fund the construction of schools rather than using bond elections. This is a smart solution to a local problem that can use the momentum of fast-growth communities to provide improvements for students and teachers. In the next session, I am committed to raising teacher pay and giving rural districts new tools to address growth.
Where do you stand on school voucher programs/education savings accounts?
I remain 100% opposed to vouchers, which are a coupon for the rich. I supported the governor’s proposal for Education Savings Accounts, which offer a detailed oversight of the eligible programs and necessary reporting standards for testing the quality of education, including funding for homeschoolers. More can be done to strengthen the accountability and transparency measures. We can also fund ESAs without abandoning our public schools. Many parents depend on public schools, and we should never turn away from our Constitutional responsibility to provide Texas children with access to a quality, free education. But we shouldn’t close pathways for students in other parts of the state who don’t have access to quality schools. Ultimately, I want Texas to be a hub for opportunity so our children can pursue their own path to success.
Wise County’s demand for water will eventually outpace current supply/allocations. How do you plan to address the increasing demand for water within your district?
Last year, I passed the bill that created a $1 billion revolving fund to help communities in Wise County and other parts of the state access low-cost loans to fund water projects. Last fall, local leaders led a policy discussion on solutions for the next legislative session. There continue to be many ideas on the table. I am committed to working with local leaders to deliver policies that put them in the driver’s seat. With available state and federal dollars, we can start work on infrastructure and facilities to provide reliable access to water for homes and businesses. In addition to those local policies, I will work with state agencies to find regulations that must be repealed to help streamline the timeline for water projects.
Elaine Hays
Elaine Hays
Retired Financial Planner and Asset Wealth Manager
Residence: Runaway Bay
List of current civic activities/past civic experience: Member of Wise County Republican Women, Member Mercy Culture Church, Fort Worth, serving in Altar Ministry. Recently completed first year of a two year training program to become a mentor for survivors of sex trafficking through The Justice Reform. Former counselor and Board President of CareNet Crisis Pregnancy Center, Amarillo, Texas. Former Amarillo City Councilmember 2017-2021
What is the biggest challenge the constituents in HD 64 face and how would you address it?
Population growth and associated concerns regarding availability of water are big concerns for constituents in HD64. As a border state, our wide-open southern border affects all Texans and is another major concern. The other primary concern I hear from voters is regarding property taxes. Since both border and water are addressed in later questions, I will focus on property tax.
Our current property tax system is taxing people out of home ownership. It creates the impossibility for home owners to project their budget for future years and determine affordability. With both the potential for property tax RATE increases as well as VALUATION increases, many owners are effectively being taxed out of their homes. We are placing the burden of a tax on unrealized capital gains for home owners, something we would adamantly decry if government attempted the same method on stocks and other types of investments. It is time to reduce the dependence of local governments on the property tax and shift to a stronger emphasis on consumption tax while broadening the tax base. But this will only bring true relief when the SPENDING side of the equation is contained as well.
What can be done to address border security and the current crisis at the border at the state level? Do you support/would you propose any particular legislative changes to address this issue differently?
The policies of the Biden administration have caused an illegal invasion into Texas, an invasion of Mexican cartel-driven migrants, drugs and sex trafficking. Without a secure border, we have no national sovereignty, and as a border state, Texas shoulders a greater economic burden of illegal immigration through education, healthcare, infrastructure and more. Therefore, Texans must defend Texas.
Texas can declare an invasion by the cartels under the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 10. Texas can strengthen our defense structure and allocate more resources to actual deterrence and repelling illegal entry rather than assisting in processing. We can add cartels and any government officials colluding with them to the federal “Engel List” to block them from entering the U.S. We can replace funding that was removed from federal government spending to require DNA testing on adults crossing our border with minor children to determine familial relationship to stop the inhumane sex trafficking that is occurring with knowledge from our own U.S. agencies. We can replace motion sensors that were removed by the Biden administration. Bottom line, there is much we can do and must do to secure our border and protect the safety of Texans and all Americans.
Last fall, there was momentum for the state’s budget surplus being used to substantively address public school funding. That momentum appears to have stalled. With Wise County schools adopting deficit budgets, and some considering the switch to four-day weeks, how would you address education spending as local schools struggle to make ends meet?
The state legislature could be a better partner to local schools by being consistent and timely in their transfer of approved funding. Schools should not be left in limbo trying to efficiently steward tax payer dollars as they prepare annual budgets. I support directing surplus state dollars to buy down Maintenance & Operating expenses at the local level. Texas had a record surplus in the past legislative session, but matched it with a 42% increase in spending that could have been directed to buy down more M&O to help schools and taxpayers shouldering the burden of increasing property taxes.
School districts are not carbon copies of each other and so there is not one financial solution that can be applied across the board. Districts that are dealing with aging infrastructure will have more burden on their maintenance than school districts with new construction. Some districts will be better financial managers than others. The state can not control or achieve equal outcome but they need to be a reliable funding partner for local school districts.
As a former fiduciary of other people’s money, I am keenly aware of the need to be diligent and effective in prioritizing needs vs wants. Government tends to want to do more, and so they spend more. We need to be cautious managers of taxpayer dollars and allocate to the greatest needs, which would include the education of our next generation.
Where do you stand on school voucher programs/education savings accounts?
I support parental empowerment so families can provide the best education for their children as determined by the parents. As a parent of four amazing children, my husband and I utilized multiple forms of education including private school, homeschool and public school to match the needs of each child during essential times of their development.
Regarding ESAs, I have spoken with numerous educators and home school families and heard their concerns and where they stand on this issue. Administrators resent what they view as redirecting dollars that should come to public funding (as well as resenting the freedom given to others that they are not afforded in curriculum decisions) and home/private schools are concerned about government interference in curriculum.
Texas is not leading on this policy decision. We have over 20 years of data from over 25 states that have implemented ESAs. Based on decades of actual data, government has not gotten more intrusive and public education has not been undermined. Instead, data shows that a relatively low percentages of families utilized the resources and transferred their children to other learning alternatives, but the overall education scores improved. Leading to a partial conclusion that the potential competition from other sources helped improve the “product” from the public school systems.
I would have voted against HB1, the school voucher program driven by Gov. Abbott in the last legislative session. Not because it included ESAs, but rather because of everything that was thrown into the bill to try and create enough “enticements” to garner enough support. 1) Besides including basic skills assessments in areas such as reading, writing and arithmetic, HB1 included “behavioral” assessments. These are the “thinking, feeling, opinions,” assessments that I believe need to be removed from public schools, not expanded to private/home school. 2) Virtual learning was expanded across the state. If 2020 taught us anything, we should have learned that children did not do well learning online, out of the classroom. Testing has shown that our kids lost 1-2 years of development. But instead of learning from this, HB1 doubled down by expanding (and requiring) virtual options. One program involved kids creating an avatar of themselves to “sit” in classrooms with other “students”. I view this as further dehumanizing of children as living individuals. They can create their “preferred” self rather than embracing who God created them to be. All this expansion of virtual learning requires additional hardware, software, training workshops, etc. This was going to be very profitable for numerous technological providers. Not teachers. 3) HB1 expanded TEA by over 400 positions. This expansion of bureaucracy is the direct opposite direction of where I think we should be allocating public education dollars. 4) Without specifically restricting ESAs to citizens, the bill would have left open the ability of illegal immigrants to access these education dollars.
Wise County’s demand for water will eventually outpace current supply/allocations. How do you plan to address the increasing demand for water within your district?
The water issue is a very serious issue facing Wise County. It will take collaborative efforts between city, county, state and federal entities to address this crisis. Available resources change annually and so it is imperative to stay engaged at all levels. Working with the Texas Water Development Board to pursue eligible grants and low-interest loans will be a key factor. Rural and small communities have opportunities that require diligence to pursue potential funding. Additional reservoirs and adequate conveyance systems will be needed and these are not developed quickly and therefore, need to be pursued sooner rather than later. Pumping centers within new subdivision can help improve efficiency and change water usage behavior to improve conservation efforts. Wise County is redirecting development patterns away from individual, private wells on every lot along with requiring groundwater availability studies on developments of 4 or more lots. These are all steps in the right direction.
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