Candidates for Fort Worth area Texas House District 95 on the November 8 ballot
Taylor Mondick
Political party: Republican
Age as of November 8, 2022: 34
Campaign website: My95.win
Occupation: Small business owner & Youth Sports Coach
Education: Hawaii Pacific University, Biology: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): No
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Member of several local political clubsWork with House of HopeFounder of We the People DFW
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Top 3 donors are all local residents
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
Unlike my opponent, who has had ample time to show up for her constituents, I am an active member of the community who understands the wants and needs of District 95. She’s out of touch and I’ve got my finger on the pulse.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?
Crime, Inflation/Property Taxes, Infrastructure
Should property taxes be lowered? What can the state do to lower property taxes for Texans? Be specific.
Yes, 100%. We need to use the budget surplus to buy down property taxes, cut state spending, specifically the administrative state with our 160 state agencies, scale back scale back funding for higher Ed. capital expenditure projects, and require more accountability and oversight in all departments using taxpayer funds.
What should the state do to address immigration at the Texas-Mexico border?
Continue using military forces to their fullest capacity.Bolster resources to border towns.Form tri-state alliance with Arizona and New Mexico to find solutions.
Do you support changes to Texas gun laws? If so, what changes? Would you support raising the age to buy AK-style rifles from 18 to 21?
I would support such a change if we also raised the age of eligibility for the military.
How should Texas continue its efforts to make schools safer?
Employ police officers, RSOs and pay them well.
Enforcing school, safety requirements, accountability, and oversight with penalties for schools that do not maintain safety protocols.
Working locks are a must no brainer. Administrators need to be held accountable for this.
More training for staff, including trauma/first responder training.
Should Texas change its abortion law to make exceptions for rape and/or incest? At what point in a pregnancy should abortion be barred, if at all?
I’m spending time listening to my constituents about this matter.
What can the state do to help students who are lagging behind grade level in subjects like math and reading? What specific policies do you support to improve achievement in Texas schools?
I’d like to see technology removed as a teaching device & let our teachers teach. I’d support making a policy requiring soft skills like character Ed, Tech Ed, and SEL programming to be set aside until hard skills like math & reading are improved. Removing these soft skills allows additional time for the teachers to focus on hard skills.
Should there be a statewide ban or limit on gender-affirming health care treatments for transgender Texans younger than 18? Which medical procedures or treatments and why? How should such a ban/limit be enforced?
Children have the right to express their emotions freely. However, medical procedures are forever, and I think if the law requires children to wait until eighteen to get something as trivial as a tattoo, hormone therapy and reassignment surgeries should be held to the same standard, at the very least.
Do you support Medicaid expansion? What changes would you like to see in the healthcare system to make care more affordable and accessible?
I support the idea behind Medicaid expansion, which is more affordable and accessible healthcare. First, I would like a more streamlined process for eligibility, including increased operating times for in-person applications/renewals and a more user-friendly online process. Next session, adequate funding for our community-based organizations and public health centers would be beneficial. Moreover, using SNAP as a gauge for Medicaid enrollment and overlapping the eligibility requirements would save time and allow expedited coverage for more people.
Texas is expected to have a huge budget surplus in the coming legislative session. How should those dollars be spent and what priorities should be addressed with those dollars?
The surplus should be used to buy down as much property tax as possible.
Should Texas loosen its marijuana laws? Would you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational and/or medical use?
Yes, I support the legalization of marijuana for both recreational and/or medical use.
Should Texas legalize casino gambling? Should the state legalize sports betting? If so, what should be the framework and parameters?
Legalize sports betting. People are placing “illegal” bets to the tune of more than $5 billion a year. Roll it into the Lottery Commission and call it a day.
Has the state done enough to fix the power grid? What should be done going forward to ensure its successful operation, particularly in times of extreme weather?
I think the big corporations should be held accountable when they’re the sole provider of Texas’ electricity needs.
Nicole Collier
Political party: Democrat
Age as of November 8, 2022: 50
Campaign website: votenicolecollier.com
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Bachelor of Science in Political Science - University of Houston; Juris Doctor - Texas Wesleyan School of Law
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
Yes - State Representative House District 95
Please list highlights of your civic involvement:
Former Tarrant County Precinct Chair and Election Judge. Board of Trustee Member of Medical City of Fort Worth, Ex-Officio Board Member of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, Board Member of the Downtown Fort Worth Tax Increment Finance District, member of the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association, Tarrant County NAACP, Tarrant County Coalition of Black Democrats, past Board Member of the William M. McDonald YMCA and Immediate Past Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Rusty Kelley - $2500; Texas Orthopedic Association PAC - $2500 and Texas REALTORS PAC - $2500
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
As an resident of HD95, I have developed strong ties with the community. I enjoy and consider it an honor attending various community events; hosting town halls on various topics such as financial literacy and safe schools; using my voice to advocate for more diversity in awarding state contracts, increasing housing opportunities by supporting quality, affordable housing tax credits for HD95; increasing consumer protections in debt collection claims; advocating for public schools and educators to have the necessary resources and tools to thrive; expanding access to healthcare for Texans, and hosting the annual “Reading with the Rep.” event and an annual Veteran’s Breakfast for HD95 families, to name a few.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?
My office sent a survey to residents of HD95 who voted in the 2020 general election and based on the responses, the three biggest issues for HD95 were reducing gun violence, access to affordable healthcare, and reinforcing the state’s power grid were the top three responses.
Should property taxes be lowered? What can the state do to lower property taxes for Texans? Be specific.
Texas relies heavily on the collection of sales and property taxes as a source of state revenue followed by billions of dollars in federal funding for the state. Property taxes fund vital local services such as police and fire departments, public schools, libraries, county roads, city streets and more. According to the Texas Comptroller, the appraisal district of each county sets the value of property each year but the Comptroller’s office is responsible for ensuring their compliance with Texas law. Property taxes should be lowered but at the same time, the state must fully fund public education, reduce the healthcare coverage gap by expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, reduce unfunded mandates on local governments and provide meaningful oversight and guidance to the board of directors of local appraisal districts.
What should the state do to address immigration at the Texas-Mexico border?
Having a legal pathway to citizenship can be vital to reducing illegal migration into the U.S. While passing comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level will go a long way in addressing immigration at the Texas-Mexico border, maintaining safety remains a top priority. Listening to, and investing in, our border communities will likely help offset some of the constraints they are experiencing. Texas must continue to enforce existing border and immigration laws and in taking steps to address the increased number of asylum seekers and migrant crossings, Texas must act in a manner that is swift, fair, consistent, and humane.
Do you support changes to Texas gun laws? If so, what changes? Would you support raising the age to buy AK-style rifles from 18 to 21?
Texas holds some of the most lenient gun laws in a nation with more civilian-owned firearms than people. We can enact common sense gun laws that do not limit one’s constitutional right to bear arms. A comprehensive approach starts with expanding behavioral and mental health services and extreme risk protective orders (red flag laws), closing background check loopholes, limiting the sale of high-capacity magazines, requiring the reporting to law enforcement of lost or stolen firearms, and raising the age to buy assault-style rifles from 18-21, are important steps that can be taken to reduce gun violence = all of which I do support.
How should Texas continue its efforts to make schools safer?
It takes money to properly equip our public schools with the tools and resources needed to maintain and create a safe environment. Providing adequate funding would be a start. Our per-student funding is one of the lowest in the nation and our public schools are feeling that. Attracting and retaining quality school counselors while offering a competitive salary is one step for the state. Reducing class sizes, paying livable wages for employees, supporting our educators, less reliance on standardized testing; trusting our educators by allowing them the freedom to teach instead of loading them with guns or mandates on what they can or cannot teach impacts school safety; as well as what I mentioned in the previous question about needed changes to Texas’ gun laws.
Should Texas change its abortion law to make exceptions for rape and/or incest? At what point in a pregnancy should abortion be barred, if at all?
I believe in one’s freedom to choose when and how to start a family as permitted under the provisions of Roe v. Wade. Texas is not adequately prepared for the economic consequences of a government gestational mandate let alone the negative impact Texas’ abortion laws will have without an exception for rape or incest.
What can the state do to help students who are lagging behind grade level in subjects like math and reading? What specific policies do you support to improve achievement in Texas schools?
It takes money to properly equip our public schools with the tools and resources needed to foster an environment that allows students to thrive. Providing adequate funding to school districts to allow them to create and maintain wrap around services that meet the needs of their specific communities would be a start. For example, some school districts invest in programs and services that support student access to healthy foods or programs that assist in promoting safety in the student’s home and community and it takes money to power those programs. But our per-student funding is one of the lowest in the nation and our public schools are feeling that. Reducing class sizes, paying livable wages for employees, supporting our educators, less reliance on standardized testing; trusting our educators by allowing them the freedom to teach, are all meaningful avenues to improving student success.
Should there be a statewide ban or limit on gender-affirming health care treatments for transgender Texans younger than 18? Which medical procedures or treatments and why? How should such a ban/limit be enforced?
Gender-affirming health care includes scientifically-based medical treatment. For transgender Texans younger than 18 it can include a wide variety of care necessary to respect and honor the individual including addressing them by their name or pronoun and allowing them the freedom to wear clothing that aligns with the person’s gender identity. During the 87th Texas Legislature, testimony was provided to the House Committee on Public Health, which I sit on, that explained the strong medical oversight that went into providing hormone therapy including counseling and mental health evaluations - a process that can take years. In light of the divisive rhetoric that has been spewed, unfortunately, hormone therapy for teenage transgender Texans has become scarce, if available at all.
Do you support Medicaid expansion? What changes would you like to see in the healthcare system to make care more affordable and accessible?
Yes. Texas must make meaningful changes and investments in our state’s health and human services system by ensuring access to contraception, expanding Medicaid coverage for the more than 1.4M nonelderly, uninsured adults. Reducing uncompensated care for our local county hospitals is also important.
Texas is expected to have a huge budget surplus in the coming legislative session. How should those dollars be spent and what priorities should be addressed with those dollars?
It depends because there is a lot of time between now and the start of the legislature. Investing in our infrastructure including the power grid, fund the expansion of Medicaid, reduce reliance on the collection of property taxes by providing property tax relief, reinforce our public education and higher education systems, increase Medicaid reimbursement rates to encourage more provider participation which can lead to increased access to healthcare, and reinforce the state’s emergency/disaster stockpile.
Should Texas loosen its marijuana laws? Would you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational and/or medical use?
Yes and Yes.
Should Texas legalize casino gambling? Should the state legalize sports betting? If so, what should be the framework and parameters?
Yes and Yes. Legal and regulated gambling could reduce the presence of illicit game rooms while providing additional funding for needed state programs.
Has the state done enough to fix the power grid? What should be done going forward to ensure its successful operation, particularly in times of extreme weather?
During the 87th Legislative Session, the legislature passed laws to identify and map the location of our critical infrastructures, require power plants to weatherize their facilities and submit winter weather preparedness reports, and require winterization for those natural gas facilities that supply gas to Texas’ critical infrastructures. The other steps that Texan should look at to strengthen the power grid is having natural gas facilities winterize all of their facilities and/or increase research in alternative energy use such as wind, battery and solar power to start.
