Left to right: Legislative Director Nathan Dasch, Susan Doty, Lisa Gollihar, Claire and Wayne Hall, Representative-elect Andy Hopper, Chief of Staff Levi Fuller
Lisa Gollihar
In keeping with his promise to be accountable to the voters who put him in office, Texas Representative-elect Andy Hopper has held meetings in both Denton and Wise Counties so that constituents could interact with him personally and get answers to questions they might have about legislative procedures, the Speaker race, potential bills, or local issues of importance. Mr. Hopper was here at Robson Ranch on Jan. 3 for one such Town Hall meeting. He brought along his Legislative Director Nathan Dasch and his Chief of Staff Levi Fuller who each shared a brief synopsis of their impressive backgrounds and qualifications.
Some of the issues that were discussed included voter IDs and election integrity, decentralizing the power of the Speaker of the House and giving it back to the constituents, solar and wind power issues, the effect of eliminating vehicle inspections in only some Texas counties, two property tax bills Representative-elect Hopper is following closely, an education bill concerning the STAAR test, and the avalanche of pressure from out-of-state interests that Representatives will be experiencing in the effort to legalize gambling in the State of Texas.
Hopper has completed Freshman Week in Austin, but committee assignments will not take place until the end of February, so he will be up here in the district until March. Since his district is bigger than most, he is hoping to have two district offices—one in Wise County and one in Denton County. He reiterated his goals to keep us all informed by regularly sending out a list of bills that he is tracking and mentioned the possibility of podcasting from Austin as well. It was a relaxed and informative meeting, and we all left feeling blessed to have a representative who is ready to hit the ground running, supporting his local district as well as standing up for state sovereignty. He has a prayer team that he welcomed us to be a part of and he encouraged us to call or text him at any time to share concerns.
It will be exciting to see what Mr. Hopper and the new slate of legislators will accomplish for the great State of Texas in the 89th Legislative Session!