Joan Huffman, Republican*
281-980-3500
www.electjoanhuffman.com
-How has your background prepared you for this role?
Upon completion of law school, I spent many years as a prosecutor, then as a district court judge. During this time, I handled tens of thousands of cases. This experience and leadership I bring from my career as chief prosecutor, special crimes gang prosecutor, and legal counsel to the Organized Crime Narcotics Task Force for the Harris County District Attorney's office has afforded me a unique perspective as I serve in the Texas Senate.
My leadership role and common sense approach to solving issues has allowed me to build strong relationships and work with members of both parties, to better represent my constituents, resolve issues and secure funding for my district in an efficient and effective manner.
As State Senator, I have and will continue to advocate for policies that protect the most vulnerable citizens and improve the lives of hardworking Texans.
-What are some key issues you have tackled since first being elected in 2008?
Some of the key issues I have worked on since being elected in 2008 are the fight against human trafficking, child sexual assault and abuse, and online sex predators. I have authored laws that give prosecutors powerful tools to bring to trial and imprison criminals who sexually assault or abuse children.
In the last legislative session, I helped to pass the biggest reform in decades to Texas public education. The reform included a reduction to the number of end of course exams from 15 to five. It is my hope that we will continue to look at innovative ideas to further improve the education system in Texas during the 84th Legislative Session.
I have also voted for tax cuts and against burdensome regulations, was the Senate Sponsor of "loser pay" legislation—all of which have allowed for a healthy business climate in Texas; creating good-paying jobs, economic growth and an overall greater opportunity for all Texans.
-If re-elected, what would your priorities be?
If voters allow me the opportunity to continue serving as their state senator, my priorities will continue to be border security, human trafficking, addressing traffic congestion, improving public education, job creation, and the continuation of a thriving economy.
I will continue leading the fight against human trafficking and human smuggling across our border. I am currently writing legislation that will strengthen the penalties for those convicted of human smuggling and will update and expand the definition of human smuggling to match realities on the ground, adding a new offense for "continuous smuggling" in Texas law.
I will also continue to be an advocate for those suffering with mental illness. During the 83rd Legislature, I worked closely with many leaders in the mental health community to write and sponsor a bill, which has created a pilot program in Harris County to treat those with mental illness, rather than repeatedly incarcerate them in the Harris County Jail for low-level crimes. It is our hope and belief that this pilot program will result in a great cost savings to the taxpayers, reduce crime, and become a model for other counties to use, allowing those suffering from mental illness to receive the proper care they need from mental health providers in the community.
-What challenges face District 17?
I believe that our greatest strength also presents us with our greatest challenge. That is, the population growth that has taken place in Senate District 17 and throughout Texas.
This district is home to some of the fastest growing suburbs in the nation. With population growth, comes significant challenges as to how we fund, build, and maintain our transportation infrastructure to support the growth.
As a result of more families moving to Texas, our schools have also experienced rapid growth. This presents serious challenges both at the state and local level for funding enrollment growth and building and maintaining facilities to meet the demands.
Additionally, while we are fortunate to have access to some of the best medical facilities and doctors in the world, the Medicaid population growth and the continuous rise in healthcare costs continues to pose challenges for the state budget and to healthcare providers, individuals, families and businesses.
-On the other hand, what has helped District 17 prosper?
Senate District 17 is a wonderfully diverse district, both in constituency and economic opportunities. I believe that job and economic growth, a strong educational system throughout the district and an inviting business climate with a variety of industry represented are some of the reasons Senate District 17 has continued to grow and prosper.
It is an honor to work on behalf of the individuals, families and businesses represented in [District] 17. I will continue working hard to ensure that Texas remains a leader in economic growth, and that our children and grandchildren are provided a strong foundation in which they have the most opportunities to succeed.
Rita Lucido, Democrat
713-822-8876
How has your background prepared you for this role?
I have had some experience serving in community organizations, significantly with some of the large nonprofits in the Houston area. The work I did with those organizations showed me the importance of setting policies and planning and how to look at problems from a higher level to get a bigger picture. Additionally it showed me how diverse populations can come together. I see that as badly missing in our Texas Legislature. There is less talk of policy and more talks of politics. I believe the work I have done with this number of organizations prepares me to work with different groups of people and come up with some solutions that can help the people of District 17.
What are some key issues you would like to tackle?
One of the most important issues facing District 17 is our transportation needs and challenges. We are bound by two of the most congested roadways in the city. The people of Fort Bend County rely on these roadways to make their commutes. These major roadways must be planned thoughtfully and we must invest in them wisely. We have been kicking the can down the road but the Legislature is not doing a good job to make sure our transportation is properly funded. One thing I see now is for the past six years, the Texas Department of Transportation has run up $16 billion in debt. One third of every dollar for transportation is spent on debt service. We are going to have some revenue surplus going to in the legislative session in January. We need to look at what is going on in these departments and figure out a way to fund them properly and set policies so they can operate to the benefit of everyone.
If elected, what would be your top priority?
I am very interested in working in a bipartisan way with legislative members on those Medicaid dollars as part of the Affordable Care Act. We have 6.2 million people living without health insurance in Texas. We could be coming up with a way to ensure our fellow citizens are taken care of and put politics aside and do something good for our state. I think it is unfortunate that we have a district of people who are smart and innovative, but we have not had the leadership in the senate district to match that. I would like to go to Austin and be an innovator and go-to person to talk about smart policies in this state and call on population of District 17 to help craft these policies.
What challenges face District 17?
I fear with the lawsuit recently ruled on by several courts, the Legislature is going to try and say they don't want to do anything different for education funding until that ruling is passed. One of the main plaintiffs in that lawsuit is Fort Bend ISD. They are the primary plaintiffs who sued the state over school funding. We need to fund our school systems. I have spoken with parents and students, and they are angry with what is passing as education in their classrooms. Our teachers are having to spend hundreds of dollars of their own money just to supply a classroom. These are things the district should be providing, but we have cut finding so badly. The 2011 cuts were really devastating. We lost 12-13,000 educators. I think a lot of people in District 17 live in the suburban areas of the district because they are looking for good schools. Now these schools are being decimated by these cuts.
On the other hand, what has helped District 17 prosper?
[District 17] is a very well educated part of the state. [About] 40 percent of us have college degrees as opposed to 20 percent statewide. It is a fairly affluent district with a large middle class. It is a district of innovative engineers, doctors, researchers and other professionals. The heart of [the energy corridor] lives and works in District 17. The prosperity we are blessed with here in Texas kind of found its tone in District 17. Texas is fortunate. We have great wealth and great benefits, and District 17 has seen the benefit of that more than many other parts of the state.
*denotes incumbent
