Border Crisis, Education Freedom, and Property Tax Reform with Texas Rep. Caroline Harris Davila at the 51st ALEC Annual Meeting
Texas grapples with the reality that every community is a border community and that every child deserves a quality education.
Denver, CO — At the 51st ALEC Annual Meeting in Denver, Texas Representative Caroline Harris Davila, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Texas State House, shared her insights on the more pressing issues facing the Lone Star State. From the ongoing border crisis to education reform and historic property tax cuts, Rep. Harris Davila provided a window into the challenges facing one of the nation’s most economically powerful states.
Border Crisis: “Every Community is a Border Community”
The State Rep. from Round Rock did not mince words when addressing the crisis at the border, a topic that took center stage during the meeting, particularly after a panel led by ALEC Board Member, Texas Senator Phil King. Reflecting on her personal experiences and observations, Rep. Harris Davila emphasized the severity of the issue.
“I visited the border even before I ran for office because I wanted to understand how what was going on there impacted the area I was running in,” she said. “Every community is a border community. It impacts all of us, and I have been back to the border since, and it has not gotten any better.”
She further explained the burden Texas has borne in the absence of stronger federal action. As some states wrestled with the issues of immigration, Texas has been dealing with it firsthand for decades.
“We spent more than six billion last session alone trying to secure the border, and that’s just Texas, ” Rep. Harris Davila explained. “Really, it’s the federal government that should be paying for all of that and providing that security, but nothing that happens at the border stays at the border.”
The impact of the crisis hits home for Rep. Harris Davila, who recounted the tragic loss of young lives in her own community as the flow of drugs like fentanyl continue to unchecked.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had high school students pass away in my district from fentanyl overdoses, and we see that across the nation now,” she lamented, highlighting the pervasiveness of the crisis. “I’m very passionate about securing the border and protecting my community.”
Education Freedom: “An Excellent Education Can Save a Child’s Life”
Shifting gears to education, Rep. Harris Davila voiced a commitment to broadening educational opportunities for all Texas children as they push to help the Education Freedom Alliance achieve their goal of 25 states offering Universal Education Freedom by 2025.
“If you’re wealthy, you have a choice on where your child goes to school. If you are not wealthy, your child is stuck in a zip code going to a school that might be failing your child,” Rep. Harris Davila stated. “We want to uplift every child in Texas. I want Texas to be number one when it comes to education, whether that’s public, or private.”
Rep. Harris Davila dispelled the notion that her support for educational freedom is an attack on public schools. Instead, it’s an attempt to address the fact that students aren’t performing at expected levels due to lack of supplies, lack of teachers, or lack of programs that specifically address their individual needs. Providing families with a variety of options allows them to address those needs and produce a healthy, well-educated student. Without them, the consequences could be dire.
“A good education can save a child’s life.”
Historic Property Tax Cuts: “The Greatest State, I Will Say”
Led by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (ALEC’s 2023 State Legislator of the Year) in 2023, Texas provided what amounted to $18 billion in property tax relief. Hailed as the largest in Texas history, if not American history, she explained that the state identified a surplus in the last legislative session and made it a priority to return that money to taxpayers.
“We saw taxpayers get up to $1,200 off of their property tax bill. That’s real money. That’s a real impact.”
She hinted that more tax relief could be on the way thanks to another anticipated surplus.
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
As Texas continues to grapple with the border crisis, education reform, and fiscal management, Rep. Harris Davila remains optimistic about the state’s future. Striving to be a good steward of taxpayer money, she focuses more on resolving the challenges her constituents face than on the stories propagated by the mainstream media. With Texas at the forefront of many critical debates, the state’s approach to governance and policy will likely continue to guide the national conversation.