Education
“You can’t grow your economy if you don’t have an educated workforce.” – Those words from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick could not be more true. Texas is leading the way with bold, conservative education reform that ditches the idea of “college for all” and instead gives students and their parents multiple pathways to a career. Teachers, administrators and students must be held accountable for competent performance. The system should be free from undue bias, which can distort students' perspectives on the world they must interact with to be competitive in a global market.
March 31st, 2015
For those seeking a state legislature weighing a raft of major policy overhauls, it might be hard to beat Texas, where, by the scheduled end of the session on June 1, there could be a private school choice program for the...
March 27th, 2015
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is preparing to leave Earth for a very long time -- and to make U.S. spaceflight history. On Friday at 3:42 p.m. ET, Kelly will ride a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station and...
February 27th, 2015
State funding for college campus construction projects has been described by many around Texas as “long overdue.” Leaders in the Legislature have agreed on the fundamentals in recent years but have been unable to come to a...
February 20th, 2015
"A robust and reliable road system is vital to the success of the Texas economy and is demanded by Texas families. Currently, there are insufficient funds exclusively dedicated to funding our state's transportation needs,...
January 3rd, 2015
In this episode I share some tips for becoming a better writer!
October 7th, 2014
For high school students who’d like to follow the footsteps of these heroes, I’d like to point out one of the many ways you can serve our nation. We have five service academies that that teach young students like you the...
September 16th, 2014
On August 28, I wrote a piece questioning the militarization of our local police departments. In that article I asked some tough questions concerning the need for local law enforcement agencies to have military surplus items...
August 29th, 2014
It’s back to school time and last week as I dropped my daughter Caroline off at her first day of first grade, I remembered the excitement that a new school year brings.I wanted to give a message to our students: seize the...
August 8th, 2014
Space inspires future generations to dream big and work hard. Many Americans remember where they were 45 years ago when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. The first foot prints on the moon’s surface were made by Americans.As...
July 22nd, 2014
As a parent and grandparent, I know there’s nothing more rewarding than building a family. But I also know having kids can come at a high cost. This week, the House will vote on two bills to streamline our current tax code...
March 29th, 2015
On April 11th I am joining my North Texas congressional colleagues as well as Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz in hosting the North Texas U.S. Service Academy Forum. The forum is an informational event for North Texas...
March 15th, 2015
Saturday, I participated in the FIRST Robotics Alamo Regional Championship in San Antonio. I delivered opening remarks and more than 3,000 students, parents, and teachers attended the regional competition.
February 23rd, 2015
My field representative, JD Kennedy, recently met with Bastrop Independent School District Deputy Superintendent, Barry Edwards, and Chief Financial Officer, Sandra Callahan, to discuss H.R.
January 5th, 2015
Austin - The Texas House will continue to strengthen college and career readiness in the upcoming legislative session by providing additional training for high school guidance counselors, Speaker Joe Straus said Monday.
December 30th, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is calling for entries in the 19th annual Adopt-A-Beach “Treasures of the Texas Coast” Children’s Art Contest. The deadline to submit artwork is Tuesday, March 3.”
September 26th, 2014
Two very important events are coming up in October. Read below for more details!October 3rd: Congressional Youth Advisory Council – EXTENDED APPLICATION DEADLINETen years...
September 11th, 2014
There are many issues that we encounter and deal with as a community on a local, city, state, and a national level. Some are more controversial than others, obviously. There is one issue that can tear apart an education...
August 15th, 2014
Following reports that students throughout the country are losing their jobs and having their hours restricted because of an ObamaCare requirement, I introduced the Student Job Protection Act.ObamaCare requires certain...
July 23rd, 2014
We will not conform. We will not conform. We will not conform. No, it isn't a chant or a mantra. It's a statement of fact. Something that we as grassroots activists should be used to by now. How about another group of...
July 21st, 2014
The Common Core. Now that we've established that you have heard of it before, let's go a little deeper into the topic. We've all heard that our education system is broken, right? Then, one would assume that Common Core...