This is a Republican primary race. Do you promise, if elected, to abide by the RPT platform? And if not, please enumerate what problems you have.
Yes
What was your position on the prospects of removing the Alamo cenotaph and your involvment?
I was so outraged by the plan to move the cenotaph that I authored and threw down the legal challenge that kept the Cenotaph in front of the Alamo, where it belongs. I have consistently fought for every piece of legislation that protects our monuments, markers and medallions. Additionally, I authored and passed the only piece of legislation this session protecting our monuments markers and medallions. I want to be clear, there will be no re-imagining of our Texas history under my watch. We have a duty to protect our history for future generations and we will keep Texas the shining star that it is for future generations. The biggest compliment is to be endorsed by people who have fought with you on tough issues. That is why I am proud to be endorsed by President Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and the most conservative Texas Senators.
As a new TGLO commissioner, what did/are the first two changes you made/envision making?
I am going to identify all available state lands that could be used for a state border wall and then begin construction as soon as practicable. Most people don’t know that the first section of the border wall was built by the GLO as a levee for flood mitigation. I will continue my commitment to gaining complete operational control of our border. My record is clear, I put the teeth in the sanctuary city bill, tripled funding for border security and voted for every measure in the senate that would secure our border. I will also be taking a serious look at the Alamo plan to see if it needs any revisions. Lastly, one of the most important jobs of the GLO is hurricane recovery. With the benefit of hindsight, I think we can make significant improvements in the recovery process.
What are the three main reasons you are running for this office? Do you see any potential conflicts of interest?
I am running for this office because we need a proven conservative to be the tip of the spear to fight against the liberal left and what they’re trying to do to our history and oil & gas industry. I am passionate about veterans issues and the education of our children. I will work tirelessly to secure funding for our veterans programs and our public education. Having lived on the gulf coast in a rural community, I take seriously the responsibility of stewarding our Texas lands and taking care of those in need during hurricane or flood recovery. I do not see any potential conflicts of interest.
Why have you chosen to run for Texas Land Commissioner rather than Texas Agriculture Commissioner or Texas Comptroller?
I love serving Texas in the Senate. However, when I saw the void open in the General Land office, I gave up the easy path of reelection to the Senate because I believe Texas needs a proven fighter, who has stood in the fire and prevailed, to protect the Texas we love for future generations. Each of the statewide offices are important and for different reasons. When I looked at the opportunities to serve Texans, the GLO most aligned with the issues I'm passionate about: our public lands, our oil and gas industry, our history and culture, our public schools, veterans, and securing our border. My commitment to the border is part of why President Trump endorsed me, and I look forward to continuing his efforts. Additionally, my strong record is why Senator Cruz, former Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Dan Patrick and the most conservative state Senators have endorsed me.
What differentiates you from your opponents?
I am a proven and effective conservative fighter. You can comb through thousands of votes of mine in committee and on the Senate floor and you will find a consistent, reliable conservative fighter who could always be counted on for the tough votes. You do not have to take my word for it, or trust in promises, you can vet me by looking at my actions in office. My stance is unequivocally clear: I am the authentic conservative running for Texas Land Commissioner and I will run that agency in a manner consistent with our conservative beliefs and principles. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, which is why I’m happy to stand behind my record in the Texas Senate in which I voted for every conservative priority. I have served Texans in many ways in appointed and elected office. I was appointed to the State Board of Educator Certification by Governor Rick Perry and served as vice chair as elected by the board members. I served on the Lake Travis ISD school board before being elected to the Texas Senate.
Please describe your experience in land management.
I am a residential, commercial, and agricultural property owner. I grew up on a ranch, I come from a ranching family. There’s a century ranch in my family, I currently am the president of my corporate ranching entity and believe we must fight against eminent domain. I’ve prioritized rural Texas in my time in the Senate which is why we passed one of the largest broadband access bills this past session. My Senate district is rural, and I care deeply about preserving rural Texas. That is where our Texas values come from, and that is the root of who we are.
Please discuss the challenges the TGLO faces in dealing with the federal Bureau of Land Management and how you propose to meet those challenges.
Texas is an amazing and vast place. Our total surface area is 267,000 square miles, which is 170.9 million acres, over 92% of which is privately owned. The Permanent School fund surface acreage consists of over 700,000 acres of “sovereign land” meaning it has never been privately owned. However, some of that privately owned land has permanent school fund owned minerals. The Permanent University fund consists of 2.1 million surface acres with minerals included. Additionally, Texas is unique in that it owns our submerged lands out to 3 marine leagues or 10.36 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas General Land Office manages state lands and mineral rights totaling 13 million acres. This includes vast properties in West Texas, Gulf Coast beaches and bays and all “submerged” lands, as well as a variety of state agency acreage and timberlands in East Texas. Historically, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asserted federal ownership of some of this land, including the disastrous “waterways of the US”. I plan on being a loud and strong advocate for our state’s rights against the Federal government's attempts to infringe on those rights. As your Texas Land Commissioner, I will stand up against anyone who attempts to infringe on Texas' property rights. If necessary, my office will challenge the federal government's unconstitutional seizure and arbitrary taking of land that belongs to Texas. Texans have always defended their land and their rights. When it comes to property, don’t mess with Texas.
Please list any federal grant monies you would refuse because of federal "strings."
I am an unapologetic conservative who believes in individual liberty and would never accept any grant money from the federal government that would infringe on our liberties. At this time, I cannot see any federal grant money that I would accept through the GLO that has strings attached that are in opposition to my conservative values and vision for the office.
What new initiatives should the TGLO undertake to ensure the preservation of Texas' family farms and ranches?
As a tireless advocate for rural Texas, I have been called to fight for rural issues and private property rights across the state, which is why I’ve been endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND. I recognize how incredibly important the need for independence is from foreign nations. Which means protecting our ability to produce our own food, medicine, and oil & gas. I have concerns about the future of agriculture and ranching in Texas. I will be actively seeking partnerships to develop policies and initiatives to preserve Texas farming and ranching. Strengthening eminent domain reforms is crucial to protecting Texas farming and ranching as well by not allowing any project to carve our ranches into pieces. Additionally, securing our border will vastly help our farmers and ranchers as they cannot safely navigate their ranches and farms with the current situation in many parts of the state.
Describe the proper role of TGLO in dealing with Texas water issues and list at least two specific initiatives you recommend.
They say whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting. Water policy in Texas, with our rapid growth, is going to be one of the largest issues in our future. My priority is to ensure our Texas water is protected. We know it’s important, we know there are big fights. Some examples of where the GLO is embedded in significant controversies; the coast, the waterways of the United States, the groundwater on state lands, and flood mitigation recovery. I will be looking at these issues and developing initiatives to preserve our precious water and be ready to work alongside the Texas Water Development Board, of which I oversaw their Sunset review process as a member of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, to ensure Texans always have access to clean water. Additionally, we clearly need legislation that allows the GLO to begin flood mitigation projects without waiting for the federal government bureaucracy’s approval. The GLO was the leading state authority on the study that recommended the creation of the Ike Dike Coastal Barrier Project that will ultimately protect our invaluable Houston ship channel and southeast Texas oil and gas and refinery industry from future storms and hurricanes. This project would likely be the largest water and flood mitigation project in modern history and I believe the GLO should remain a vital part of the creation and implementation of the Ike Dike Coastal Barrier project alongside the US Army Corps of Engineers. Together, we would be able to protect future generations of Texans, their homes, livelihoods, our state and nation’s fossil fuel industry, and economy.
Please comment on the TGLO's disaster relief response to the wildfires of 2011 & 2012, and hurricanes Ike(2008) and Harvey (2017)?
I lived on the Texas coast for many years, I know what it’s like to be in the middle of a hurricane and help can never come fast enough, that being said I have grave concerns over what I've seen in past responses. One of my top priorities, if elected, will be to investigate what is not working, and correct those issues to better serve Texans. Additionally, I was a volunteer firefighter in high school and a graduate of the A&M fire school. I believe with the benefit of hindsight, there are many things the GLO can do to better serve Texans in crisis.
Please discuss the proper working relationship between the TGLO and FEMA and what changes can be made to improve relief efforts
I am running for this office to fight for Texans and if that means I have to take on FEMA, then I will. The time to prepare for a disaster is now, when it’s quiet. I plan to establish a strong working relationship with them to ensure that the GLO and local governments have the proper guidance and training to respond to all future disasters. I will do what is necessary, to make sure Texas is resilient and able to deal with these disasters.
Please give your view of the relationship between the TGLO and the Texas Department of Agriculture and what improvements can be made in the working relationship between the two.
Serving on the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission for the past several years has allowed me to do a deep dive into how agencies function and communicate with each other. During the 87th legislative session as Vice-Chair of the Sunset Advisory Commission, I authored and passed the Department of Agriculture’s sunset bill which continued the agency while making substantial and necessary changes. I think coordination is possible and I already have a strong relationship with the agency itself.
What should TGLO do to better protect or prepare Texas coastal regions against natural disasters?
I love all parts of Texas, but we all recognize how important the Texas coast is to our economy and our independence. The GLO is tasked with protecting 367 miles of gulf beaches and over 3,300 miles of bays and estuaries. Currently, the GLO Hurricane Preparedness and Planning initiative pools local, state, and federal resources to prepare Texas' coast. The Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan is GLO's comprehensive long-term planning framework to protect the coast. In addition to this plan, I believe it's extremely important that we address our coastal erosion problem. Sixty-four percent of the Texas coast is eroding at an average rate of about 6 feet per year, with some locations losing more than 30 feet per year. The Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CERPA) program is already in place, but I will work to expand this and other similar programs to fight the ongoing erosion problem in our state. I also believe the GLO should be at the forefront in planning studies and determining where infrastructure improvements should happen. We should identify the areas along the coast that are weak, and allocate our precious resources accordingly. The common theme here is that there are preventative steps that Texas and the GLO can take to mitigate against future storms. We should be allocating the necessary resources for these measures.
What more can the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) do in support of Texas veterans?
I believe we are the land of the free because of the brave, we have a duty to help those who risk their lives to keep us free. In the Senate, I’ve passed many bills helping veterans, from new treatments for PTSD, and filed a bill ensuring the government could never shut down our VFWs. During the third-called special legislative session, I successfully fought for a ARPA funds rider which allocated $35 million to the GLO & VLB for HVAC upgrades and air filtration units for our state Veterans homes. I also passed the Star Spangled Banner Protection Act because I believe our flag and anthem is a representation of what our veterans fight for and why they've made their sacrifice. The mental health of our veterans continues to be an issue, particularly with the longevity of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the importance of mental health of our veterans is and will continue to be a priority of mine and the GLO if I am elected as the next Texas Land Commissioner.
Please describe your views on gambling as a funding source for education and other budget items, and whether gambling should be expanded or reduced. Why?
The GLO has no jurisdiction over gambling, that being said, I am generally opposed to expanding gambling but I always look at each issue when it arises and where I have jurisdiction.
Please describe your philosophy of public land management.
I believe that if the state is going to own land, it must first be a good steward of those lands and ensure they are protected for future generations. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Land Commissioner to make sure all leases and other contracts entered into are never at the expense of the public who is the true owner of these lands. These agreements should be viewed through that lens primarily. If we ensure that the use of our public lands is always to the benefit of the taxpayer, we are making the most effective use of these treasures.
