Issues

Lower Taxes for All Texans:

Senator Williams fought successfully to lower state spending in the 78th Legislative Session.  Williams championed budget cuts to state general revenue spending of 3% compared to the previous biennium.  This was the first reduction in state general revenue spending since World War II.

Williams has successfully continued the fight to keep state spending in line with population and inflation growth during the 79th and 80th Sessions.  State general revenue spending has grown at less than half the rate compared to the last Republican state senator to represent Senate District 4. 

On May 12th, 2007 Texans went to the ballot box and overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment which will allow seniors and disabled Texans to take advantage of the $15.5 billion school property tax cut passed during the 79th legislative session. The legislature was also able to set aside an additional $3 billion for future property tax relief for all Texans.

Texans can also expect to see a reduction in their phone bills thanks to the repeal of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) tax (a measure Senator Williams sponsored in the State Senate). The TIF tax has fulfilled its original purpose of paying telecommunications infrastructure costs on schools, libraries, and not-for-profit hospitals.

Illegal Immigration:

Senator Tommy Williams Makes Border Security A Top Priority

On the budget writing Senate Finance Committee, Tommy Williams made sure we fight illegal immigration.  Tommy provided for:

  • more than 200 new personnel to be deployed in the border region for an increased presence on the border
  • $274 million in new funds for border and homeland security including grants to local law endorcement officials
  • new and improved crime lab operations
  • in-car computers for all DPS vehicles
  • the purchase of new aircraft for patrol of the border from the air

Transportation:

Recently, local transportation entities had been held hostage by the Texas Department of Transportation as they had not been allowed to solve transportation needs at the local level. To ensure local transportation entities will be the primary developer of transportation projects within their boundaries, Senator Williams authored and passed SB 792 which will allow local officials to decide how best to provide new transportation infrastructure in our state.

Additionally, the legislature passed a 2-year moratorium on the controversial Trans Texas Corridor. The moratorium allows the legislature to study the impact of allowing private companies to own the right to provide transportation infrastructure in Texas.

Improving Public Education:

For grades 9 – 11, the controversial TAKS test will be replaced with end-of-course exams in the four core subject areas of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The end-of-course exams will begin with 9th grade students in the 2011-2012 school year, and will also test college readiness. Additionally, Senator Williams supported the School Safety Act which will require background checks on all public school employees. The background checks will be easily accessible among all public school districts.

Improving Higher Education:

Higher Education also received a boost with a $2 billion dollar appropriation, up 15% from last biennium. The increased funding will help ensure institutions have the money needed to educate the citizens of Texas. However, the Governor did use his line-item veto authority to make significant cuts to this budget, including a veto of $154 million to fund group health insurance for public community colleges.

School Bus Safety:

On March 29, 2006, a chartered bus transporting 23 soccer players from West Brook High School in Beaumont overturned, killing two girls and causing numerous injuries. The bus was not equipped with seat belts. In response to this tragic accident Senator Williams co-sponsored, and the legislature passed, a new law which requires school buses and buses chartered by schools to be equipped with three point (lap/shoulder) seat belts. Though it is hoped that most school districts will comply immediately, they will have till 2010 to voluntarily comply.

Fighting Crime:

Prescription drug abuse legislation which Senator Williams authored will enable law enforcement to more effectively pursue people who are illegally prescribing prescription drugs. To highlight the problem, in Orange County, one pharmacy dispensed 1.55 million dosages in a 6-month period. In 2006, Orange County had 33 people die from prescription drug overdose and Jefferson County had 58.

Senator Williams was also proud to author SB 244 which addresses the fact that certain circumstances demonstrate a compelling need to temporarily seal search warrant affidavits. The bill allows affidavits to be temporarily sealed by a judge when immediate public disclosure might jeopardize a witness or confidential informant’s safety, or when an affidavit contains information from a court-ordered wire-tap which has not expired. The affidavits can only be sealed for up to 60 days.

Improving Health Care and Cancer Research:

Many significant measures dealing with health care and cancer research passed this session. Senator Williams co-authored the legislation which will increase access to health care and help to stabilize the cost of funding the state’s Medicaid program. The bill expands efforts to stop fraud and abuse, standardizes the way hospitals report uncompensated care to eliminate guesswork, and evaluates possible expansion of integrated care management to areas where it is currently unavailable.

Additionally, cuts made to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 2003 were restored, and a resolution was passed to authorize up to $300 million per year for cancer research and prevention. As a result the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas will be created in an attempt to reduce the prevalence of cancer in Texas.

Defending Freedom of Religious Expression:

The Freedom of Religious Expression measure, which Senator Williams sponsored, protects students who express a religious viewpoint in school, and establishes safeguards to assure a student’s voluntary religious viewpoint, if any, will not be attributable to the school. This legislation does not require a student to express a religious viewpoint; it merely protects them if they do.

Protecting the Right to Bear Arms:

Tommy Williams has earned an A+ Rating from the National Rifle Association.

Senator Williams supported legislation which protects the private, personal information of a concealed handgun license holder by prohibiting public access to personal data such as name, gender, zip code, race and date of birth.

Preventing Annexation of The Woodlands:

In December, 2006 Tommy Williams announced with Houston Mayor Bill White an agreement allowing The Woodlands to avoid forced annexation by the City of Houston.  The Regional Particiaption Agreement and the related legislation was approved by the House and Senate in 2007 and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry. 

In November, 2007 Woodlands voters approved three ballot measures by a 4 to 1 margin insuring The Woodlands residents would be allowed to determine their own future.  This marks the only instance in the history of Texas a community in the ETJ of a city has sucessfully avoided annexation.

Annexation Reform:

Tommy Williams has authored legislation to require voter approval before an area could be annexed by the City of Houston.

Local Park Funding:

The legislature appropriated $157 million over the next 2 years for state parks, an 80% increase from the last biennium. Of the new money, $34 million is allocated for matching funds to local parks like the new Spring Creek Parkway in Montgomery and Harris counties. Spring Creek Parkway will receive $1.5 million dollars.

Jefferson County Waterway and Navigation District:

This legislation changed the name of the district to the Sabine-Neches Navigation District of Jefferson County to more accurately reflect its purpose. The bill also would allow them to charge fees in order to provide security for the channel and contract with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department. The ability to provide security is extremely important since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated the Sabine Neches Waterway as a critical infrastructure. The Waterway is the primary port for military supplies supporting the troops in Iraq and has high petroleum product traffic.

Hurricane Relief:

During the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, we learned that the patchwork of agreements between local governments could not properly provide the sharing of resources needed during a disaster. New legislation will provide a mechanism for local governments to allow an integrated response from other local government entities in times of disaster without the fear of suffering financial hardship as a result.