AUSTIN — Rep. Walle stood firm in his opposition to the Republican state budget which will make draconian cuts to every level of government and result in the closure of countless schools and nursing homes. During a legislative session dominated by divisive issues, Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston) earned bi-partisan support for several measures, including items to protect consumers, improve access to nutrition benefits, and keep students in classrooms.
“Throughout the legislative session, I fought hard alongside my Democratic colleagues to lessen the cuts to vital state services and education,” said Rep. Walle. “When it came time to vote, I stood in opposition to the budget that leaves so many vulnerable Texans behind.” Rep. Walle is continuing to fight cuts to public school funding, which are still being debated during the current special session
Rep. Walle made improving quality of life one of his top priorities. He filed House Bill 190 in an effort to bring a noise ordinance to Harris county. “It’s important that the state legislature begin to talk about allowing residents of our county to be protected from loud noise, and I was proud further the conversation,” said Rep. Walle. Additionally, Rep. Walle passed a measure to protect water ratepayers by requiring water utility companies to inform their customers of the reasons for a rate increase.
In the midst of an enormous deficit, Rep. Walle passed a key piece of legislation that will save the state millions of dollars. House Bill 710 allows the Health and Human Services Commission to use more appropriate technology in detecting fraud, which will save money ultimately allowing more of the budget to be appropriated by the legislature to other causes. “We need all the money we can get to go straight towards protecting our schools and providing our students with the best education we can give them,” explained Rep. Walle.
Rep. Walle also passed measures to reduce the criminalization of our students and keep them in school. House Bill 350 will allow fines associated with Class C tickets issued on school campuses to be discharged though tutoring in the same manner as community service. “Keeping our students in the schoolhouse and out of the jailhouse should be one of our first steps in reducing the dropout rate,” said Rep. Walle.