The following statements from statewide candidates on top Texas issues were collected from e-mailed responses to the questions posed, the candidates' own websites or Texas Tribune interviews conducted during the campaign (when possible, we've linked to the source). You can find other voters' guides here and here.
As the chief executive of state government, the governor signs bills into law, has veto power, appoints numerous state officials, submits the budget to the Legislature and can order special sessions of the Legislature.
How can the governor respond to unemployment?
In 2008, more than half of the jobs created in the entire nation were created in Texas. In October and November of 2009, Texas gained 70,000 jobs while the nation as a whole lost 122,000 jobs. The Texas Enterprise Fund, the largest job creation fund of its kind in the nation, began under Perry in 2003 and is generating more than 55,000 new jobs and $15 billion in capital investment for Texas.
How can the governor ensure people have access to affordable health care?
Under Gov. Perry, Texas has reformed its child protective services, insured more of Texas’ needy children than ever before, and increased health care investments by more than $20 billion while promoting prevention and wellness programs to cut down on future health care costs. Gov. Perry has also led the most sweeping lawsuit reform in the nation, cracking down on junk asbestos claims and frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. Now thousands more doctors, including specialists, are practicing in Texas, bringing greater access to quality health care for Texans.
How can the governor protect the border?
Under Gov. Perry, Texas has been a leader on border security while the federal government has faltered. ... Texas has put more boots on the ground, more technology to use, and more targeted operations to dramatically reduce all crime along the border.
How would you close the state deficit?
We have a process in place. We knew there was going to be a budget shortfall, it’s the reason we asked for a 5% reduction in current programs. We already cut 11% from the governor’s budget. We’ve asked for a 10% budget reduction going forward. ... We have a process in place that has worked well. When we get the budget estimate, the legislature will sit down and we will go through a thoughtful process of prioritization and we will spend the dollars on the things that are important and we will reduce the spending in other areas without raising taxes. We will have a balanced budget at the end of the day because we have a constitutional amendment.
How can the governor respond to unemployment?
In this economy, it's vital that the Governor attract new businesses to the state, allow small businesses to grow, and ensure a skilled workforce through education and job training.
How can the governor ensure people have access to affordable health care?
We must expand enrollment in existing programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid that draw down federal dollars paid in by Texas taxpayers. Texas has lost almost $1 billion in federal CHIP funds because the governor did not act. As governor, I will work with the legislature to expand CHIP, rather than threaten to veto expansion bills that have broad bipartisan support. . . We must create a financial system giving primary care providers sufficient incentives to fulfill this important role. Strengthening Texas' network of community health centers is an important step.
How can the governor protect the border?
As Houston's mayor, more law enforcement officers reported to him than anyone else in Texas. Crime rates in Houston dropped to the lowest levels in decades. … And Bill White will not wait for Washington — he will immediately fund 1250 more positions for local and state law enforcement officers to be deployed along the border.
How would you close the state deficit?
Talk to the legislature and the state employees. … Let’s fund our highest priorities first: public safety, public education. … Delay capital improvements that could be delayed.
As presiding officer of the Senate, the lieutenant governor sets the agenda, appoints committees and casts the deciding vote in case of a tie.
How can the lieutenant governor respond to the economic downturn?
In Texas, fiscal responsibility isn’t just a campaign slogan. It’s a governing philosophy that’s established Texas as one of the most fiscally sound states in the nation and the best place in America to do business. In 2009, he passed real economic stimulus legislation, cutting taxes for 40,000 small businesses in Texas.
How can the lieutenant governor ensure people have access to affordable health care?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi teamed up to force their 2,000-plus page, $1.2 trillion, health care overhaul down the throats of the American people. This budget-busting federal legislation will cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion over the next decade and increase taxes by nearly $570 billion. It will also punish small businesses, penalize Americans who do not purchase coverage, run doctors out of medicine, drive private insurance companies out of business, and may eventually force Texans out of their existing plans and into a government-run program rationed by bureaucrats.
How can the lieutenant governor protect the border?
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst believes the federal government has failed to uphold its responsibility to secure the border and stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into Texas. … David led the Texas Senate in providing more than $60 million per year to enhance border security, hire additional law enforcement officers and invest in new border surveillance technology.
How would you govern state spending?
Over the past seven years as Lt. Governor, David Dewhurst has worked to control government spending, erase a $10 billion budget deficit and pass the largest tax cut in Texas history — reducing local school property taxes by more than $7 billion per year.
How can the lieutenant governor respond to the economic downturn?
Texas is failing to provide the educated workforce we need to both fill and attract the growing number of jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Giving education more than lip service is critical to long-term employment growth, and ensuring the growth goes beyond minimum wage jobs.
How can the lieutenant governor ensure people have access to affordable health care?
Republicans have made clear that they plan to start the budget cutting with Health and Human Services. I’ll work to prevent cuts to CHIP and Medicaid, because I understand that taking health care away from the most vulnerable simply passes down costs to local property-tax payers.
How can the lieutenant governor protect the border?
We need to keep up the pressure on Washington to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who stay out of trouble, pay a fine and learn English.
How would you govern state spending?
It’s an economic necessity to tap the Rainy Day Fund to prevent cuts to public schools. I won’t support any new taxes for those already paying their fair share.
The attorney general is the state's top lawyer. The AG defends the state and its agencies when they are sued and represents the state in lawsuits against other entities.
How can the attorney general respond to the economic downturn?
When federally controlled General Motors sought to gut Texas’ law and put Texas car dealerships and their employees at risk, Attorney General Abbott objected in GM’s federal bankruptcy proceedings.
Should Texas legalize gay marriage?
Texas law defines marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. Attorney General Abbott has fought efforts to undermine Texas' law and the basic family structure in our state. He understands that traditional marriage is the cornerstone for a strong and stable family.
How can the attorney general help Texans have access to affordable health care?
Stopping fraudulent, deceptive, and illegal practices within the healthcare system has been a hallmark of General Abbott's tenure. The Attorney General has taken strong action to 1) stop fraudulent health discount cards from being sold to Texans without health insurance, 2) end deceptive marketing of unproven dietary supplements, and 3) promote fair competition by health care providers. ... General Abbott has successfully defended legal challenges to Texas’s tort reform laws helping create a stable environment to attract new businesses and create new jobs.
Should Texas reform child support policy?
Child support directly benefits the children and saves taxpayer money by avoiding additional state welfare. Since taking office, Attorney General Abbott has collected over $13,816,024,291 for Texas children. ... Recognizing that a child’s life is enriched when both parents are involved, the Attorney General’s office also helps local counties with grants to domestic relations offices to help parents without custody develop and maintain meaningful relationships with their children and use funding to help parents with child support cases resolve custody and visitation disputes.
How can the attorney general protect the environment?
Working with Texas’ environmental regulators, the Office of the Attorney General has brought enforcement action against alleged violators of Texas health, safety, and environmental protection laws. His record includes the largest penalty ever levied against a company for violation of the Texas Clean Air Act. General Abbott’s enforcement of environmental laws sought actions help keep Texas’ water safe, air clean, and surroundings safe for Texas families.
How can the attorney general respond to the economic downturn?
Wall Street misconduct harmed Texans and our economy. Texas’ top ten investments lost $35 billion (2007-2009). Such losses, the physical impact to children, the elderly and to all vulnerable citizens, our $18 billion Texas deficit, individual and business economic losses, massive agency cutbacks and unemployment are legacies of Wall Street misconduct putting Texas and the rest of the country into the Great Recession. The Texas Attorney General should protect the economic and physical well being of the people. As Attorney General, I’ll fight to get our money back from Wall Street and declare the margin income tax unconstitutional and help businesses create new Texas jobs.
Should Texas legalize gay marriage?
I oppose legislation that would prohibit private employers from offering benefits to same sex couples. The Texas Constitutional Marriage Amendment does not prevent such benefits. By its nonsensical wording, it purports to ban all marriage.
How can the attorney general address the issue of illegal immigration?
The federal judge properly ruled that the Arizona law overstepped legal bounds, discriminating against persons legally present. … Texas has not received a fair share of federal funding and assistance for enforcement and security. … Texas taxpayers should not bear the unfair burden for immigration enforcement and border security, a federal responsibility. The Attorney General should pursue Texas’ right to fair share of federal dollars by asserting our quasi sovereign interests.
How can the attorney general help Texans have access to affordable health care?
When Attorney General Greg Abbott opted to join the partisan legal battle against health care reform he effectively sued to block 4.3 million Texans from receiving health care insurance. Greg Abbott's attack on the health care bill is an absolute legal loser, wasting Texas' taxpayer dollars. … The Texas Attorney General has the duty to protect insurance consumers, and the power to attack companies for deceptive trade practices and unconscionable activities. The Attorney General has the duty to protect Texas consumers from profiteers seeking to cheat the public.
Should Texas reform child support policy?
Yes. The Texas AG should accurately enforce the existing standards for collection of payments and arrears, something the AG’s office has not done under Greg Abbott. We must change the computer system, under which Mr. Abbott has been miscalculating child support since he came to office. These significant errors include improper exclusion of legal debts owed custodial parents and children; these legal debts do not appear on the books. … We must retrain the career lawyers to learn the proper law, devote the federal dollars we receive to go after delinquent parents.
How can the attorney general protect the environment?
With respect to the BP disaster, the Texas Attorney General has massive power to demand industrial contingency plans via a subpoena-like tool called a "civil investigative demand." A similar CID to each energy company operating in the Gulf of Mexico would reveal all prior and current plans. The State should work towards compliance instead of filing resource-wasting lawsuits against cleaner air. The AG should comply with the EPA and national pollution laws. The Texas Attorney General should fight for funding for pollution remediation.
The Department of Agriculture regulates agricultural businesses, collects statistics on crops and livestock and regulates pesticide use.
What is the most pressing problem facing Texas agricultural businesses and how can the commissioner address it?
The greatest threat to Texas agriculture today is an overreaching, over burdensome federal government that is forfeiting America’s competitiveness by implementing policies that are proven in their cost but dubious in their benefits. USDA's proposed changes to Packers and Stockyards Act rules seek to unweave investment in science and research that has greatly improved beef quality and consumer satisfaction. EPA actions of declaring CO2 as a pollutant and seeking to regulate IT under the Clean Air Act have been criticized from both sides of the climate change debate. The much debated Cap and Trade agenda is in reality an energy tax that will drive up the cost of energy, fertilizer and other major inputs necessary for competitive agriculture production and this will give our competitors from other countries another advantage over Texas and American producers. Remember, what is bad for agriculture is bad for consumers. We must protect and enable the future of our domestically sourced food supply.
What do you think of the EPA’s proposed regulations on livestock methane emissions?
It is ludicrous to think the government can or should prohibit naturally-occurring gasses, much less that this should be done with a regulatory framework designed for industrial emissions. [The EPA has] tried to regulate air quality so tightly that natural biological functions, like a cow burping, could need government permission.
How would you ensure food safety?
Americans enjoy the safest food supply in the world and we must continue to use science, research and close scrutiny of our food systems to ensure we are continuously moving forward to protect consumers. I will continue to closely to scrutinize the actions of both federal and state food safety agencies.
Why should Texans vote for you?
Texans should demand accountable, efficient government that is responsive to the taxpayers. Voters should know that if they re-elect [me], I will again be honored to fight against overreaching and over burdensome federal and state mandates that threaten our jobs and our ability to produce food and fiber, vigorously protect consumers, save taxpayer dollars by promoting common sense healthy living programs for our children, and be a tireless advocate for our state’s farmers, ranchers and all consumers.
What is the most pressing problem facing Texas agricultural businesses and how can the Commissioner address it?
While we're the second largest agricultural commodity producer in the nation, we don't do much in the way of producing value added products from those commodities and that's where farmers and ranchers can see enhancements to their profits (for example, cotton clothes from cotton grown here). My goal is to dramatically expand markets by focusing on targeted marketing strategies (rather than just the one size fits all GoTexan), creating Limited Agricultural Co-ops and building a market based biofuels industry here.
What do you think of the EPA’s proposed regulations on livestock methane emissions?
Although the EPA has backed off on this proposed rule making, should it come back Hank would aggressively fight it. The reality is that there are far more significant sources of carbon emissions that we should be looking to restrain instead of controlling livestock emissions.
How would you ensure food safety?
Hank's reform consolidates food safety functions under the TDA, as it is in most states.
Why should Texans vote for you?
The Texas Department of Agriculture isn't just about cattle or cotton, it's also about making sure consumers get the gasoline for which they're paying. If you eat, drink or fill up a car with gas, the TDA is supposed to protect you. Unfortunately that's not happening, which is why Texas needs a new Commissioner.
The top responsibility of the Texas General Land Office is managing leases of the state's vast land and mineral holdings for energy and mineral development. The proceeds go to the Permanent School Fund to help pay for public education. You can watch a 45-minute debate between the land commissioner candidates, moderated by the Tribune’s Evan Smith here .
In light of the BP oil spill, how would you respond to offshore drilling?
We’re the best oil spill response team in the U.S. We don’t intend to do anything different. We’ve been doing this for two decades, and we’re the example for the rest of nation.
How should Texas respond to alternative energy production?
Texas leads the nation in installed windpower — we surpassed California four years ago. We had the first offshore lease for wind power in the U.S. and more acreage leased for windpower. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.
In light of the BP oil spill, how would you respond to offshore drilling?
We must have every single energy option available to Texas, including drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But we must make sure drilling is done safely. We learned from the blow-out that it was not a fail-safe method. We have to make sure that whoever drills has a clean record. The Land Office should have a policy in place to prevent drilling in submerged land. Neither the federal government nor any state governments have enough money to deal with the consequences of the oil spill. I will move the Land Office and the Legislature to work with the federal government to come up with a plan so we can react quickly to prevent damage and pay for the consequences of what has been obvious malpractice.
How should Texas respond to alternative energy production?
We as a state must make up for the revenue lost from the diminution of resources like oil and gas. We should lease state land for wind farms, instead of private wind farms in west Texas. Using state land would funnel funds into the Permanent School Fund and provide renewable energy close to metropolitan areas.
The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil, gas, natural gas pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines and coal and uranium surface mining operations. The three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
How can Texas respond to environmental problems like the BP oil spill?
The Railroad Commission should put preventative maintenance in place to ensure that something like that doesn’t happen on shore. You have to fight for more field inspectors. Everybody wants more field inspectors- but we have to take funding from the administrative overhead and divert it to field worker salaries.
How would cap and trade regulations affect Texas?
The current regulation is a disaster in many respects, primarily because it promotes coal and punishes natural gas. It’s not a well-thought out piece of legislation by Congress.
Do you see the purpose of the commission changing as new kinds of energy production become available?
Only if the legislature gives it authority to regulate and become involved in other forms of energy. Right now, the RR commission can only act under the authority given to it by the legislature. A lot of the issues that are arising now with solar and wind, like solar panel arrays, a matter in which the commission has extreme expertise. They should be given authority of regulation and oversight over wind and solar power generation — not the transportation, not the power lines — but the generation side of it.
How can Texas respond to environmental problems like the BP oil spill?
As we drill for the energy we so badly need, the number one priority must be the safety of our citizens. [Natural gas p]ipeline safety is one of the primary responsibilities of the Railroad Commission and will be my top priority as Commissioner.
Do you see the purpose of the commission changing as new kinds of energy production become available?
We must encourage the development of these technologies by fostering predictable business and regulatory climates that allow these technologies to progress quickly and affordably.
