ISSUES
Securing Our Border
John Kuempel is on the frontlines fighting for our sovereignty, increasing border funding by 600% since 2016 to close the gaps the Biden Administration has exploited.
We have had over 6 million encounters at the southern border in the last three years due to the Biden Administration’s disastrous open border policies. Where the federal government fails to protect our nation from invasion, John Kuempel has answered the call. He is protecting our homeland by investing $5.1 billion (our largest investment in state history) to finish building the wall, closing entry point loopholes, and ensuring we have sufficient law enforcement, proper technology, and surveillance to capture every lawbreaker at our border.
With U.S. Border Patrol morale at an all-time low, John cut through prohibitive government bureaucracy to grant them the ability to search, seize, and arrest individuals for state and federal offenses including those outside official ports of entry.
To further aid in the fight against illegal immigration, drug, and human trafficking, John passed legislation that allows fentanyl to be prosecuted as murder and legislation that severely increased prison sentences for human traffickers/smugglers. He also helped to create an interstate border security compact that shares intelligence and other information about illegal activity with nearby states to finish the wall and stop the flow of criminals through our border. And for those who have already suffered property damage due to illegal immigration, John made it a law for landowners to be paid up to $75,000 in compensation.
John Kuempel is on the frontlines fighting for our sovereignty. He will continue to do everything he can to close the gaps the Biden Administration has exploited.
Banning the Radical, Woke Agenda
John Kuempel is a staunch defender of children and our Christian family values. Which is why he made it his mission to pass the most hard-hitting bans on woke radicals trying to sexualize our children. During the 88th Session, John successfully:
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Banned all gender mutilation surgeries on kids
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Banned all classroom teachings related to “gender identity” or sexual orientation
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Banned all pornographic material in our schools
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Stopped biological men from competing against women in college sports (adding to last session’s legislation banning biological boys from competing against girls in high school sports)
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Stopped sexualized drag shows from being performed in front of or involving kids
In addition, as Chair of the Higher Education Committee, John passed SB 17, which will close down Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices on the campuses of state-funded colleges and universities and end all activities that discriminate against students based on race, ethnicity, or gender. The bill will prohibit diversity statements for job applicants at Texas universities, and it will prohibit mandatory DEI training for any purpose. Senate Bill 17 will return the focus on Texas campuses to harnessing the strength of our diversity, ensuring that everyone is treated equally and that no one is excluded. It will ensure free speech and open inquiry.
John will not stop when it comes to protecting the sanctity of our children and keeping woke politics out of our schools.
Defending Our Rights and Property
In John Kuempel, we have a neighbor and Representative who will always defend our God-given right to protect our families and private property.
An avid outdoorsman who taught his boys how to hunt and handle firearms safely, John is “A” rated and endorsed by the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association.
Under his leadership, Texas passed the statewide Open Carry and Campus Carry laws, allowing our licensed college students to carry concealed firearms on public university campuses to defend themselves. He also passed HB 3137, which prohibits local governments from imposing regulations on firearms and air guns.
A strong defender of private property rights, John stands firmly against eminent domain abuse and will never allow the government to wrongfully take what we’ve worked so hard to build.
Providing Meaningful Tax Relief
While states across America raised taxes, John helped lead Texas in cutting taxes. Now, we have a budget surplus totaling $32.7 billion. Of which, John helped secure $17.6 billion to be used for property tax relief—the largest tax cut in Texas history. This historic cut puts us one step closer to eliminating property taxes altogether.
During the 88th Session, John voted “yes” on HB 2488 and HB 1228. HB 2488 helps homeowners by moving the burden of proof in a property tax appeal process over to the appraiser. Prior to HB 1228, homeowners were required to schedule an appraisal protest first; then, they could access pertinent appraisal documents. The new law gives property owners the authority to access information used to appraise a property and held by an appraisal district before a protest is scheduled.
Additionally, John passed property tax relief bills SB 2 and SB 3. These bills raise the homestead exemption on school property taxes from $40,000 to $100,000, create a 3-year 20% appraisal cap pilot program for non-homesteaded property, and provide savings on franchise taxes for approximately 67,000 small to medium-sized businesses.
There’s more to be done to ensure Texans have meaningful, lasting tax relief. You can count on John to lead the charge.
Protecting Life
The two proudest moments of John’s life are the birth of his twin boys and the day he took the oath to defend the Constitution in the Texas House.
In the last session, John proudly co-sponsored SB 8, or the Heartbeat Ban, which protected babies in the womb once the heart is detectable at 6 weeks. He also co-authored the Abortion Ban Trigger Law (HB 1280), which has since immediately taken effect due to the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. He has also helped pass legislation to support new and expecting mothers and reduce maternal health complications.
Endorsed by statewide pro-life organizations Texas Alliance for Life and Life PAC, John is 100% pro-life and fights for the lives of the unborn like they were his own boys
Investing in Broadband, Infrastructure, and Water Sources
With our area being among the top ten fastest growing in Texas, John knows we must take the right steps to manage our growth and infrastructure. Many argued that raising taxes was the only way to pay for new roads; however, John found a solution that allowed our families to keep more of what they earn while improving our lands.
Thanks to John, Texas holds a historic budget surplus, enabling the state to allocate $9.3 billion to infrastructure to ensure our communities can handle the immense growth we’ve experienced over the last several years. These funds will go to several huge programs:
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Broadband Infrastructure Fund - provides affordable access to high-speed internet
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State Highway Fund - provides for highway construction and maintenance
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Texas Energy Fund - secures our electrical grid
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Texas Water Fund - shores up our state’s water resources
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Centennial Parks Conservation Fund - establishes and maintains state parks.
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Flood Infrastructure Fund - provides financial assistance for flood control, flood mitigation, and drainage projects
As our world becomes more connected to the internet, we see its disparaging effects on our rural and lower-income communities. To help keep everyone in Texas connected, John passed HB 9, which expands funding and development of broadband and telecommunications services.
Furthermore, John passed legislation to fund new water supply projects, highway construction, and electrical grid expansion. John’s goal is to fix all aging infrastructure to ensure it meets the daily needs of our ever-growing population.
Balancing Our Budget Every Time
When it comes to our state budget, John is guided by three principles: fiscal responsibility, taxpayer accountability, and cutting waste. He focuses on meeting the most crucial needs of our families while living within our means. Under John’s leadership, Texas has passed a debt-free, balanced budget every time and spent taxpayer money wisely.
John approved a fiscal budget of $144.13 billion for the next two years, which is within the Constitutional spending limits. The budget addressed many important concerns, including:
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$5.1 billion for border security
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$9.3 billion to address infrastructure needs
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$42.9 billion for public health funding
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$50.4 billion to fully fund public education
In addition to passing a balanced budget with no statewide debt, John ensured we built on Texas’ rainy-day savings from last year’s $11 billion to this year’s projected $27 billion – so we always have the means to meet our state’s most vital needs.
With its $19 trillion in debt, Washington could learn something from Texas about passing a balanced budget. Because of Texas’ immensely successful fiscal policies, John carved out $10 million in funding for improvements and expansion of Guadalupe Regional Medical Center.
John believes that if Texan families have to keep a balanced budget at home, the government that serves them should, too.
Strengthening Local Schools for Higher Education and Beyond
A graduate of Seguin public schools and a parent of two students at Barnes Middle School, John believes the greatest investment we can make is in our children's future, which is why he secured $50.4 billion to fully fund education. John also strongly believes every child deserves to feel safe when they go to school, so he co-authored HB 3 to require armed security during school hours, required mental health training for teachers, and additional safety and security measures.
Much of our children's success can be credited to our school's teachers. Unfortunately, the State of Texas is experiencing a dramatic decline in teacher retention and retainment, with diminishing numbers of students entering the teaching profession. HB 4363 establishes a scholarship program, the Future Texas Teachers Scholarship Program, to recruit, prepare, and retain a talented and diverse workforce of career teachers to be leaders in their field and to provide assistance for costs of attendance at eligible institutions. Additionally, teachers will receive a cost-of-living adjustment for their pensions when retiring.
Once kids graduate from high school, John knows supporting them with options for their next steps is crucial. Some children may want to avoid joining a traditional university and leave with staggering debt. John is a proponent of alternative schooling options like technical colleges. To support this path, John passed HB 1859 and HB 3287, which create more paid apprenticeship opportunities and expand funding to Texas State Technical College (TSTC) to fund job creation technical education (mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc.) programs, respectively.
TSTC locations are in high demand among Texas employers and communities for their key role in economic development. The New Braunfels and Seguin Chambers of Commerce have expressed an interest in hosting a new TSTC campus to serve area employers and provide training to area residents that will result in rewarding careers with high wages. HB 4997 authorizes a TSTC campus in Comal and Guadalupe Counties.
For students who choose to attend college, SB 18, sponsored by John, allows for tenure to be granted to college professors. The bill establishes a strong foundation for our universities to follow that will provide accountability while maintaining an environment conducive to recruiting and retaining the best teachers and researchers in the state and nation. This bill requires that universities have clear policies that hold tenured faculty accountable for their teaching and reach to ensure that faculty who need to meet established standards for their performance can be removed from their positions while receiving due process. This bill will help ensure that faculty who earn tenure uphold their responsibility to their students, their university, and the people of Texas.
John passed similar legislation for public schools, too, allowing parents to audit their child's curriculum because he believes every school should practice transparency. An adamant supporter of our local schools, John fights to ensure our parents and teachers have every resource they need to prepare our kids for college and the workforce.
Cutting Red Tape, Standing for Small Businesses
John has worked for the same local small business, Commercial Metals, since he graduated from college. He’s seen firsthand the harmful impact bad taxes and government regulation can have on local job creators. And he has prided himself on being a backstop for our small business owners.
A key tenet for any free-market capitalist is the knowledge that, in most cases, what the government can do, a business can do better and for less money. But for those jobs the government must take on, John is always searching for ways to cut red tape and make our local government more efficient. He filed HB 5346, which amends the process for appointing magistrates in Guadalupe County to make local governments more responsive and efficient.
As for regulations made by local ordinances, John passed HB 2127 to create consistency and predictability when it comes to local regulations to ensure they are not in conflict with state law.
John also authored HB 1363, which shrinks the government by eliminating a redundant real estate inspection recovery fund within the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). The bill streamlines the process for consumer indemnification and will reduce expenses for inspectors and consumers.
And lest we forget the COVID-19 regulations debacle that wreaked havoc on our business, that will never happen again. In the Texas House, I passed SB 29, so no company can ever be shut down by local governments because of a pandemic or similar event.
Previously named a “Champion of Free Enterprise” by the Texas Association of Business and endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business/Texas, John is proud to live in a state that protects small businesses, but he knows the work is not yet finished.
Supporting Texas Energy
It is hard to believe that the United States was energy-independent just a few years ago. Texas was at the forefront of providing energy to the rest of the world. Fast forward to now, and our most valuable natural resource is lying stagnant beneath our soil. Meanwhile, we see D.C. politicians constantly trying to pass “Green New Deal”-type legislation that will destroy jobs, the economy, and won’t provide any reliability for days that aren’t sunny or windy. To combat these attacks, however, John voted “yes” on SB 1017 to stop local governments and other entities from regulating and restricting engines and energy sources we choose to use.
John takes energy very seriously because he knows it fuels the Texas economy. That’s why he pushed for a $5 billion investment to secure our electrical grid by constructing, maintaining, and modernizing electric generation facilities. To expand energy sources further, John supported SB 1017 to prevent local government and other entities from regulating and restricting engines and energy sources.
He also helped pass HB 2555—the Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Act, which strengthens our grid by empowering electric utility companies to plan means of:
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Replacing distribution poles with higher wind-rated facilities.
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Managing vegetation.
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Raising assets located in flood-prone areas.
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Undergrounding targeted portions of distribution lines.
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Tackling cyber and physical security.
Lastly, John passed SB 1093, which adds water facilities to the Texas Electricity Supply Chain Map and Committee and includes TxDOT in the committee, ensuring that we know all relevant transportation infrastructure information during energy emergencies. These measures will certify that Texas can withstand inevitable harsh weather conditions and boost our ability to recover quickly.
Texas Conservation
As the great Sam Houston once said, "Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision!" John serves our district and Texas with this thought in mind. Our state is blessed to host many activities where residents can put their phones down and enjoy the great outdoors. Anything from fishing to hunting, birding to hiking, boating, and so much more can be enjoyed in our backyard.
To help bring attention to and honor the land we thrive on, John passed two resolutions: One designates November as Wildlife and Conservation Month (HCR 77), and the other authorizes the construction of a Game Warden Memorial at the Texas Capitol (SCR 46).
In addition, John passed HB 4087, which limits the amount of sewage transported on local roads, prevents wear and tear, and reduces the risk of biohazardous accidents. Keeping our communities safe and thriving is paramount for John.
John also secured $1 billion for the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, which establishes and maintains state parks. The investment into the state's park system was described as "unprecedented," a huge achievement for conservation. This fund will play a crucial role in ensuring that the people of Texas have access to public parks for generations. John's goal is to give all Texans the opportunity to explore the great outdoors and enjoy the beauty of Texas.