Mike Collier
IndependentQ1 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?
This is a new area of concern for me, and as someone who lives and works in a Houston suburb I have no expertise. The right approach in such cases is to assemble advisors with relevant and varied expertise and help shape a solution for Texas that fairly address stakeholder concerns. I would be open to input as to who might best serve in that capacity. Once the right course of action is developed, relying on the best minds and advice available, policy should move aggressively to implement the solution quickly and effectively. Government has a very important role to play in such emergencies.
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 will be essential to national security and economic vitality in this country. But it makes no sense to site them where the demands on infrastructure cannot be met without substantial disruption and cost to local residents and businesses. My shorthand way of saying this is “bring your own water and bring your own power!” Policy must not result in a strain on Texans, from a supply and cost standpoint, to help datacenter operators make more money. I’ll fight hard against that! I also believe that Texas sounds beautiful! I can’t imagine living near a highway for that reason, and I believe Texans have every right to live where it’s quiet and sounds like Texas. Again, I will fight against any policy that ruins our tranquility and the quiet enjoyment of our homes and communities in order to boost corporate profits.
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?
I have been very disappointed with Texas’ tepid response to the looming water crisis. To brag about massive budget surpluses, while watching our state outgrow it’s water infrastructure, is political gross negligence. We need a plan that deals with water rights, supplies, usage, and conservation. And it should be wholistic and actionable. This will be one of the most consequential challenges we face, and it must be faced with very smart people, representing varied points of view, so that our policy is fair, economical, and effective. I can’t think of any problem more pressing and more in need of independent, thoughtful leadership.
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?
Like water, we need to a wholistic approach to energy. We need more and varied sources of supply, we need more methods of meeting power needs without destroying our environment either through over-reliance on high carbon production or long distance transmission. My personal point of view is nuclear power is the ultimate answer and I believe our political leaders can do more to educate citizens as to safety. I also believe we should stimulate investment in innovative techniques (e.g., SMR’s, Fusion).
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?
NIH-funded research has saved a lot of lives and has prevented a lot of human suffering both in the US and worldwide. Policies aimed at efficiency are fine, as long as they don’t slow vital research and the advances being made. The indirect cost cap is an example of an “efficiency” policy that is pure foolishness. The folks who designed it were not intelligent enough to understand what they were doing. Good that the courts will take the time to get this right. We need to get back to intelligent policy making, not the nonsense we’ve seen lately from leaders who want to make headline for themselves, rather than scientific breakthroughs for mankind. I am a big, big believer in government funded research. It benefits everyone!
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?
I was raised in the 1960’s when we praised scientists who pioneered vaccines. We were proud and thankful that we lived in a country where science was eliminating childhood diseases one by one. Lately we have been misled by folks who twist science to support their fantasies about this or that consequence of vaccines. Peer-reviewed research if the only sound basis for health policy, and I will work hard to help people understand the difference between real and junk science. As far as I know, all peer-reviewed research confirms that measles vaccines save lives without any unwanted side effect. I therefore would support policy that gets everyone vaccinated against measles.
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?
As mentioned above, I strongly believe in peer-reviewed research findings as a basis for policy. Its a proven principle, but not everyone knows about it. This is part of a larger problem we must learn how to face in the modern era: lack of critical thinking skills. With information coming at us from every direction, much of it wrong, much of it propagated with malicious intent, we must learn to think for ourselves, to understand fact from nonsense. I believe our public schools must teach critical thinking skills! I can think of few things more important. As a political leader I will embrace that which is confirmed through the scientific method, and I will work hard to help folks understand what that really means and why they should do so as well.