Jeffrey Barry

What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?

I have spent the last 8 years in public office with Pearland ISD Board of Trustees(6 years) and Pearland City Council(2 Years). Prior to that have was appointed to the Pearland Economic Development Corporation and help many Directorships with various non-profits throughout the District.

Article 7 of the Texas Constitution states that “it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” What is your interpretation of what this clause requires of the legislature?

It means that we must provide and maintain a free education to all children in the State of Texas. Our system of independent school districts are not perfect and I am willing to go to Austin to fight to make sure they are properly funded and to move our national ranking from #38 to #1.

How will you ensure that Texas remains a leader in the energy sector through innovation and reliability?

The core of the Texas economy is rooted in our energy production. From exploration to distribution or upstream to downstream we must be safe and smart in our growth of this economic segment as it is vital to our economy across the US.

What do you believe is the appropriate role of the State of Texas in ensuring that Texans have access to reproductive healthcare, family planning, and pregnancy care and postpartum services?

The legislatures role is to provide the necessary funding and tools to support the welfare of our family development of all levels. Whether you are a single mother or a traditional family of 4, we must provide healthcare services in support of family stability.

What other issues are high priorities for the people of your district? Please give specific examples of measurable actions that you will take to address these issues.

The primary issues for my district are:
1) Border immigration. I will support any effort to effectively make sure that anyone that tries to enter the US and does not have a verifiable background does not get into the US.
2) Property Tax Decrease: I will work to reduce the amount of sales tax by 0.25% that our taxing entities give to the State of Texas. This savings will go to directly reduce property taxes for those cities.
3) Insurance Reform: I will work tirelessly to reduce the cost of ins