Appointed, Member, National Hispanic Leadership Conference
Member, Charter Review Commission, City of Laredo, 2001-2006
Appointed, Member, National Hispanic Leadership Conference
Member, Charter Review Commission, City of Laredo, 2001-2006
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Unknown Position
Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No
Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Yes
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
6. Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
- No Answer
7. Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
- X
8. Other or expanded principles.
- No Answer
1. Agriculture
- Greatly Decrease
2. Arts
- Eliminate
3. Defense
- Greatly Increase
4. Education
- Greatly Decrease
5. Environment
- Greatly Decrease
6. FEMA
- Maintain Status
7. Homeland security
- Slightly Increase
8. International aid
- Maintain Status
9. Law enforcement (Federal)
- Greatly Increase
10. Law enforcement (State)
- Greatly Increase
11. Medical research
- Maintain Status
12. National parks
- Maintain Status
13. Public health services
- Maintain Status
14. Scientific research
- Maintain Status
15. Space exploration programs
- Maintain Status
16. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase
17. United Nations
- Eliminate
18. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease
19. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
20. Armed forces personnel training
- Greatly Increase
21. Intelligence operations
- Greatly Increase
22. Military hardware
- Greatly Increase
23. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Greatly Increase
24. National missile defense
- Greatly Increase
25. Pay for active duty personnel
- Greatly Increase
26. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Greatly Increase
27. Research and development of new weapons
- Greatly Increase
28. Troop and equipment readiness
- Greatly Increase
29. Less than $12,000
- Eliminate
30. $12,001-$40,000
- Greatly Decrease
31. $40,001-$100,000
- Greatly Decrease
32. $100,001-$180,000
- Greatly Decrease
33. $180,001-$350,000
- Greatly Decrease
34. $350,001 and above
- Greatly Decrease
35. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
36. Capital gains taxes
- Greatly Decrease
37. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
38. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Decrease
39. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
40. Inheritance taxes
- Eliminate
41. Charitable contribution deduction
- Greatly Increase
42. Child tax credit
- Greatly Increase
43. Earned income tax credit
- Greatly Increase
44. Medical expense deduction
- Greatly Increase
45. Mortgage deduction
- Greatly Increase
46. Student loan credit
- Greatly Increase
47. Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
- Yes
48. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- Yes
49. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- No Answer
2. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
3. Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- X
4. Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
- X
5. Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
- No Answer
6. Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
- No Answer
7. Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
- No Answer
8. Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
- X
9. Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
- No Answer
10. Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
- No Answer
11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X
2. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
5. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- No Answer
6. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer
7. Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
- No Answer
8. Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- No Answer
2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X
3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- X
4. Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
- No Answer
5. Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
- X
6. Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
- X
7. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
8. Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
- No Answer
9. Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
- X
10. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
11. Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- No Answer
2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
- X
3. Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- No Answer
4. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- No Answer
5. Support the right of workers to unionize.
- No Answer
6. Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
7. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
8. Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- No Answer
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- No Answer
3. Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
- X
4. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
5. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
6. Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
- X
7. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
- X
8. Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
- No Answer
9. Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
- X
10. Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
- X
11. Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
12. Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- X
2. Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
- No Answer
3. Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
4. Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Greatly Decrease
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
- No Answer
2. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- X
3. Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
- X
4. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- No Answer
5. Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
- X
6. Support expanding child healthcare programs.
- No Answer
7. Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- X
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer
2. Establish English as the official national language.
- X
3. Support a temporary worker program.
- X
4. Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- X
5. Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
- No Answer
6. Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
- X
7. Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- No Answer
8. Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X
2. Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
- X
3. Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
4. Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
6. Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
- Yes
7. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- No Answer
8. Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes
9. Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
- Yes
10. Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
- Yes
11. Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
- No
12. Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
- No Answer
13. Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
- Yes
14. Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
15. Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
16. Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
- Yes
17. Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
- No
18. Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
- No
19. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
- Yes
20. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Yes
21. Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
- Yes
22. Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
- Yes
23. Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
- No Answer
24. Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
- No Answer
25. Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
- Yes
26. Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
- Yes
27. Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
- No Answer
1. Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
- Yes
2. Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- Yes
3. Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
- Yes
4. Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
- Yes
5. Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
- Yes
6. Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
- Yes
7. Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
- Yes
8. Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No
2. Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
- Yes
3. Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
- No
4. Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
- No
5. Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
- No
6. Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
- No
7. Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
- X
2. Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
- No Answer
3. Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
- No Answer
4. Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
- No Answer
5. Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer
6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
- X
2. Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- No Answer
3. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- No Answer
4. Abolish all federal welfare programs.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer
Latest Action: House - 01/01/2013 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 11/16/2012 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 10/01/2012 Referred to the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.
Tracker:A group of congressmen were in west Texas to get an inside look at an industry they say is under attack. The Congressmen took a tour of a Concho Resources drilling rig to get a real-life perspective on the oil and gas industry and to hear concerns from industry professionals. Congressman Conway says it's important for those making decisions that affect the oil and gas industry to be able to have the insight of what exactly goes into that industry and today's tour was apart of a nationwide event to do just that. Congressmen Mike Conaway, Francisco Canseco, Randy Neugebauer and the Chairman of the House Natural Resource Committee Doc Hastings all stepped onto an oil rig to experience the oil and gas industry first-hand. "It's taking a concepts from the abstract to the specific, when you talk about these things in Washington, if you've never been on a drilling rig, it's really hard to get your head around it," said Mike Conaway, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas, District 11. An industry the representatives say is being targeted. "There's no question that there's a political movement that is in opposition to oil and gas, no question," said Doc Hastings, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, District 4. They say the ammunition is in the form of absurd policy and federal regulations. "If we look at our economy, it runs on energy and we're literally choking it, choking it," said Francisco Canseco, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas, District 23. Congressmen Hasting's who's committee has jurisdiction over the EPA and Endangered Species Act says it's time for reform. "We should never approach this stuff with an either/or but because of the way the law is written, you're forced into that position and we're looking at reforming that law," said Hastings. "We have to come up with a solution and strike a balance," said Canseco. Congressman Canseco says the dunes sagebrush lizard is a perfect example of flawed policy backed by weak science. "It's not about protecting the lizard because we all know the lizard is protected and will continue to be, the fact of the matter is somebody wants to put the kibosh on our energy production and that's wrong," said Canseco. The congressmen agree supporters of the industry need to be more aggressive in fighting opposition and countering myths. "The oil and gas industry has a great story, they are responsible stewards of the environment, there's a lot of misinformation that needs to be countered every single day," said Conaway. Following the tour, the congressmen sat down with industry professionals and west Texas leaders to discuss concerns and answer any questions they had. Congressman Conaway urges west Texans to exercise their right and use this election year to bring change. He says as the presidential candidates reveal their plans, evaluate how they will impact the oil and gas industry and west Texans directly.