Kathryn Hartmann
DemocraticQ1 In June 2026, USDA confirmed New World screwworm in Texas livestock for the first time in decades; as of early July, dozens of infestations have been confirmed across South Texas (USDA APHIS , 2026). USDA estimates a full-scale outbreak comparable to past infestations could cost the regional economy billions of dollars (USDA APHIS). What policies, if any, would you support to respond to the current outbreak and improve Texas’s agricultural biosecurity (practices and safeguards that prevent pests and diseases from spreading through livestock populations), and what evidence or considerations would inform that approach?
We need to work closely with Mexico and Canada to collaborate and helping fund labs and equipment for labs to sterilize the flies, planes for flying the flies, and personnel and scientists to manage and then drop the flies all along the borders of each country to secure and contain pests on both sides of the border. Do not stop attending to pests or take a step back, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Be ahead not behind environmental pests.
Keywords: Sterilize, radiation of flies, cooperation of both countries, funding, scientists,
Q2 Texas is on track to become the nation’s leading data center market within the next three years (Bloom Energy, 2026). The state’s grid operator has more than doubled its 2030 forecast for data center power demand over the past year (ERCOT, 2025). Such growth brings economic opportunity while placing significant demands on water, land, and energy systems, raising questions about tax incentives, utility costs, and local community impacts. What policies, if any, would you support around water/energy allocation, tax incentives, or utility costs for data center development in Texas, and what evidence informs that position?
Data Centers must be fully regulated by a Texas committee composed of landowners, scientists, county and state legislators. Data centers must provide their own water that needs to be recycled, not continuously taken out of the aquifer, limits on the amount of water to be initially taken from the aquifer. Data Centers must provide their own green energy electricity and not use any from the established power grid.Regulations on noise and light emitted by data centers. Extreme regulations /laws on the amount of pollution that will be emitted from data centers needs to be created.
Keywords: Committees, regulations, aquifer, green energy, power grid, noise and light pollution
Q3 Texas faces flooding while simultaneously experiencing water scarcity driven by drought, groundwater depletion, and population growth (TWDB, 2024). Hundreds of Texas waterways are listed as impaired for bacteria, mercury, and other pollutants, threatening water quality for communities across the state (TCEQ, 2024). Agriculture is the largest consumer of the state’s groundwater, yet it is also well positioned to be a valuable partner in conservation efforts. What policies, if any, would you support to improve Texas’s water infrastructure, and what considerations would guide your approach to the state’s agricultural economy?
While capturing water is essential for agriculture, household use and recreation we also need to monitor the amount of water coming into an area is the amount going out because Texas alone has 367 miles of coastal shoreline that depend on fresh water as part of the ecosystem. We need expand funding to repair and create infrastructure to reduce waste and provide better mechanisms for watering agriculture to ensure the water goes directly to the plants, prioritizing conservation methods for reducing and reusing water, repairing leaks, giving homeowners rebates for fixing or using conservation methods.We also need to create alternative water supplies.
Keywords: Conservation, funding, irrigation repairs, ecosystem, mechanisms
Q4 The Texas power grid continues to face strain from extreme heat and increasing demand, including from data centers. What policies, if any, would you support to improve grid reliability for Texas consumers and businesses?
Improve and manage the way the grid can handle large power loads, possible grid shutoffs or curtailing, do reliability impact studies, regulations to ensure data center supply their own power not from the Texas grid. Create, use and store more renewable energy in energy efficient batteries. Improve infrastructure damaged by weatherization.
Keywords: Renewable energy, grid shutdowns, regulations, improve infrastructure damaged by weatherization
Q5 Texas universities and hospitals receive approximately $1.9 billion annually in NIH funding across 118 research sites, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and driving medical and scientific innovation (FASEB, 2025). NIH grants reimburse institutions for both direct research costs and indirect costs, the facilities, administration, and support infrastructure that make research possible. A 15% indirect cost cap proposed by NIH in 2025, currently blocked by federal courts, would sharply reduce this reimbursement below the rates Texas institutions have negotiated, cutting an estimated $300 million in annual support that institutions would need to absorb or backfill (Kamerlin & Elias, 2025). What policies, if any, would you support at the state or federal level to protect the long-term stability of Texas’s research infrastructure, and why?
We need to stay ahead in science and medical research. Universities and hospitals already can not afford to absorb he costs of research so the reimbursement of the NIH is critical to advancement of health care. The final product produced by scientific and medical research is worth more than the 15% NIH reimbursement. How can we put a value on health care, we have to have well people to work and stimulate this economy. Increased illness or decreased funds will only increase the demand for funding in another area.
Keywords: Healthcare, reimbursement, economy, advancement
Q6 Texas kindergartners’ measles vaccination rate fell to 93.24% in the 2024-2025 school year, a decline from prior years amid a national resurgence (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2025). That year, Texas recorded 762 confirmed measles cases, including the deaths of two unvaccinated school-age children, in the state’s largest outbreak since 1992 (Texas DSHS, 2025). Measles can cause serious complications: roughly 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who contract it are hospitalized, and it can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, or death (CDC). As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns about infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues, and why?
We need to increase commercials, social media, and printed materials to reinforce the need for vaccinations. Meeting with people and educating them using scientific peer reviewed research. Education is the key in an open conversation letting them discuss their fears of vaccines and then explaining the research.
Keywords: Research, conversations, educating
Q7 Scientific evidence is generated through the systematic testing and evaluation of ideas. It provides knowledge the helps us understand the world and predict the likely consequences of different choices, such policy making related to public health, energy, agriculture, and environmental regulation. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you evaluate competing or uncertain scientific claims when making policy decisions? What role, if any, should that process play when scientific consensus and public opinion diverge?
All policies and House bills need to be based on scientific research and committees to review both sides of the data. Yes, the legislators are suppose to be listening to their constituents so improving open dialog between committees and the people with town halls and open forums should occur to allow both sides to express their concerns.
Keywords: Forums, town halls, House bills, policies, committees