BRYAN HUGHES,
Republican
1. What are your top priorities if elected into office, and how do you plan to address them?
Getting the Texas economy moving again and providing good jobs for East Texas families. The best thing we can do here is to get the government out of the way by keeping taxes and regulations low and making it easier to Texans to start new businesses and expand existing ones. A growing economy means more jobs and more opportunities for everyone.
Redistricting will be a major issue during the next session. I’ll be working to make sure that our area is represented well and that our unique interests are protected.
We also must make sure that our Texas elections are secure and safe. Mail-in ballot fraud is a growing problem, and Texas must pass legislation to stop it. We want every eligible voter to vote. We do not want a process that allows people to cheat.
2. What is the best way to diversify the economy and add jobs right now?
The best thing we can do for business and jobs is to keep taxes and regulations as low as possible. We can also continue to recruit new businesses to our area, and this is much easier to do when our taxes are low and our regulations on business are not onerous.
3. How will you achieve representing your constituents and getting the Texas public’s voice heard?
I travel across Northeast Texas to events where I can connect with folks and hear their concerns and ideas. From civic clubs to community events and lots in between, I look for opportunities to connect with my constituents - the people I work for. We also connect through social media, email, phone calls and traditional correspondence. The pandemic has made getting together more difficult, but new tools like telephone town halls and Zoom calls help us stay connected.
4. What are your thoughts about the state’s finances, and what programs would you like to see added or done away with?
We are blessed to be in Texas. Because of conservative and prudent financial decisions - and because Texans continue to work hard and grow the economy even during tough times - the Texas budget is in much better shape than most. As we prepare the budget for next session, we will focus on the state’s core responsibilities: public education, public safety, transportation.
We’re finding ways to save money just like families and business have to when the economy slows down. We’re finding programs we can do without and programs we can reduce. We’re also be putting off major expenditures that had been planned (equipment that was going to be replaced we can keep in service a little longer, etc.). Through these measures we will balance the budget without raising taxes. A tax increase is the worst thing we could do when folks are hurting.
5. Are there any tax budgeting reforms you’d want enacted in next year’s legislature, and what are those?
In the last session I co-authored the bill to give folks much-needed property tax relief and to control the future growth of the property tax. We still have work to do here.
I also co-authored and passed the bill to BAN a state income tax in Texas.
Texas needs to implement zero-based budgeting. Each state agency should justify every dime in their budget, so that the taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.