Military and Veteran’s Issues

82nd Legislative Session

In his first term as State Representative for District 66, Van has already been recognized as one of the most conservative members of the Texas House. Van was named a 2011 Taxpayer Champion by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, received a 92% conservative rating from Texas Eagle Forum, and was recognized with a 90% conservative rating from the Texas Conservative Coalition and Texas Heritage Alliance. Van was also recognized as a top conservative in the Texas Legislature by the Texas Conservative Digest.  The Dallas Morning News wrote that Van fought “fearlessly” for the conservative agenda.

Indigent Care Legislation – Last session, Van authored and successfully passed three pieces of legislation preventing legal aliens with financial means from receiving free, taxpayer subsidized healthcare. 

MOVE Act – Fulfilling a campaign promise, the first bill Van proposed in the 2011 session aimed to make it as easy as possible for military men and women serving overseas to vote.  The legislature unanimously passed SB 100, sending a unified message of support for Texans serving away from home.

Pension Revocation – During the 82nd session, Van filed bills that would revoke benefits from corrupt and criminal government employees and elected officials. Van will continue to propose such measures to ensure strong penalties for public employees and politicians who steal from taxpayers and commit crimes.

Fighting Obamacare – Van fought Obamacare by helping pass the interstate healthcare compact for Texas, which requests a permanent waiver from Obamacare’s most costly mandates and burdensome regulations.

Jobs and the Economy

In these challenging economic times, we need business leaders who understand that jobs and opportunity come from the private sector – not government. Van has been a successful businessman at Churchill Capital, a firm focused on real estate finance. As the former Vice Chairman of Texas Gulf Bancshares, he’s helped lead one of the soundest banks in Texas with almost 100 employees – a bank that hasn’t taken a dime of bailout money. Van believes that to create jobs, we must unleash entrepreneurs and reduce excessive regulation, burdensome taxation, and abusive litigation.

State Spending

Van believes that we must hold the line and reduce the size and scope of government instead. Families and businesses all across Texas live and operate on a fixed budget and our state government must do the same. That’s why Van has repeatedly fought against accounting gimmicks and increases in state spending.

Taxes

In the 82nd Session, Van was recognized as a “Taxpayer Champion” by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility for aggressively fighting against tax increases and new taxes masquerading as “fees”. As a small businessman, Van understands that lower taxes on our families and small businesses give Texans greater control in our everyday lives. He has learned first-hand that excessive taxation, abusive litigation, and burdensome regulation threaten to strangle Texas’ small business community, which is the engine for economic growth.

View Van’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge here.

2nd Amendment

Van is a lifelong gun owner and avid hunter. As a Life Member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association, Van will always defend and expand our second-amendment freedoms in Austin. Van has received an “A” Rating from the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association.

Pro Life

As a social conservative, Van will always stand up for pro life values. Van has advocated for pro life issues. For Van, life begins at conception and ends at natural death.

Border Security and Illegal Immigration

As a Marine, Van served on our southern border and knows firsthand that our borders are not secure. In order to keep our families secure at home, Van will work to safeguard our borders to keep terrorists and drug traffickers out of Texas.

Voter Identification

Freedom is a gift that one generation gives to the next, and it can be lost in a generation. Fair elections are at the core of our democratic principles, and that is why Van strongly supported a voter ID bill.  He also worked hard to ensure the integrity of elections by proposing measures that would verify the citizenship of people registering to vote. 

Military and Veteran’s Issues

As a member of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans’ Affairs, Van worked hard during the session to protect the rights of those who dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms. Since leaving active duty, Van stood up for our nation’s veterans and active duty military here in Texas, and will continue advocating for our military and veterans in Austin.