Two candidates are vying for a place as the Republican candidate for state representative for District 127 in the March 3 primary election, including incumbent Dan Huberty and Dwight Ford. District 127 includes portions of the Kingwood and Atascocita area. Since there are no Democratic candidates, the winner of the Republican primary will win the seat. Some responses have been edited for length.

*indicates incumbent


Dwight Ford

Years in district: 5

Website: www.dwightford.com


If elected, I would: change the focus of our state government from special interest groups to protecting the taxpayer.

1. What do you see as the most critical project or initiative in your district?

Our district has been under-represented for years when it comes to fighting for protection from natural disasters like flooding. From true tax relief to ongoing improvements, we need legislators who will truly fight and not just give lip service.

2. What bills would you plan to file or sponsor in the next legislative session?


I would file or sponsor legislation prohibiting the violation of the rights and freedoms of individuals, organizations and businesses to exercise their sincerely held religious beliefs by local ordinances or state laws. I would [also] file or sponsor legislation that protects the privacy and safety of women and children in multi-use facilities such as bathrooms, locker rooms and showers in all Texas schools and government buildings.

3. What is the most pressing issue facing the nation’s health care system, and how do you plan to address it?

I would work to implement a healthcare system that gets the government out of our doctor’s office. We need to encourage free market competition and get back to putting patients first. Let’s expand [Health Savings Accounts] and allow consumers to purchase health insurance across state lines. I would fight to ensure that there are protective safety nets for those with pre-existing conditions.

Dan Huberty


Years in district: 20

Website: www.danhuberty.com


If elected, I would: ... address the tough issues facing the State of Texas, just as I have in each of my previous five legislative sessions. During my time in office, I have taken on a range of issues like, public school finance, municipal annexation, high quality prekindergarten, high-stakes student testing and aggregate production operations, addressing each with successful legislation. But there is much more work to do and I look forward to returning to Austin to fight for [House District] 127.

1. What do you see as the most critical project or initiative in your district?


During the 86th [legislative] session, I was able to secure $30 million for a grant to establish an ongoing dredging program in the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston through the Texas Water Development Board, which the agency approved on Jan. 16. Allocating these state funds to this local project helps to mitigate future flooding in our area and address the sustainability of the reservoir as a drinking water source for the region. It is critical that we renew the state’s financial commitment to maintain this vital resource for our most densely populated region in the next session, and I intend to again secure that support ...

2. What bills would you plan to file or sponsor in the next legislative session?

In the next session, I will fight to further the educational reforms implemented by my House Bill 3, also known as The Texas Plan, which I passed in the 86th session. ... I will continue to fight to lower taxes for all Texans by furthering the savings from the passage of [Senate Bill] 2, which would not be possible without the reforms implemented from HB 3. ... In addition, several pieces of legislation that I have filed in past sessions failed to pass and I plan to file those again. These include legislation to create an unbiased overarching authority to manage the operations of the entire San Jacinto Watershed and the continual dredging of Lake Houston; legislation to permit school board members who possess a valid License To Carry (LTC) to carry while performing their duties as a trustee; legislation to allow residents in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality that receives services from a Municipal Utility District which has a Special Purpose Agreement (SPA) with the municipality to vote in those municipal elections; legislation to require the aggregate production operation industry to work with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the public to create Best Management Practices for operators via public comment.

3. What is the most pressing issue facing the nation’s health care system, and how do you plan to address it?


The ever-rising costs of health care in the United States is costing many people their hard-earned money and in some cases, their most valuable commodity—time. It is critical that we take action to contain costs in all areas of health care, but on prescription drug costs, in particular. We need to create opportunities to buy more generic drugs, allow for quicker access and approval by the [Federal Drug Administration] and allow for access to drugs from Canada and Mexico. In addition, we must continue to work toward better interstate policies that permit patients to seek wellness outside of state lines. Finally, we have to control costs of health care providers through transparency. We need to make sure that family practice providers are incentivized to provide services.