As State Representative for District 57, Jim:

• Passed legislation to strengthen the penalties for injuring a child or adult while passing a school bus that is loading or unloading students
• Fought to keep college tuition rates from skyrocketing
• Fought to protect Lake Waco as a drinking source for more than 100,000 Central Texans
• Fought to preserve our community’s ability to send one of its own to Congress in Washington, D.C.
• Passed a law ending the tax on troops called to active military service – helping small business owners and military personnel by stopping their unemployment insurance premiums from rising
• Authored legislation to fully restore teachers’ health insurance
• Supported lowering property taxes through additional state funding for public education from reliable revenue sources to ease the burden on Texas homeowners
• Fought to maintain proven education standards to ensure accountability and quality public schools
• Defeated efforts to pass private school voucher programs and take public tax dollars from public school children
• Defeated efforts to expand and create “virtual” charter schools that drain critical tax dollars from public schools in our communities
• Enhanced the ability of rural communities to acquire economic development grants through the Rural Foundation
• Added $250 million to the Texas Infrastructure Fund, which gives grants to rural schools and libraries for technology
• Ensured the safety and security of Texans by supporting Homeland Security legislation to develop a statewide homeland security strategy and ensure effective, rapid response in the event of an emergency
• Supported legislation requiring mandatory rollbacks of homeowners insurance rates and closing loopholes exploited by insurance companies to raise rates
• Supported teachers by reimbursing costs for school supplies, reducing paperwork and strengthening discipline standards in the classroom