Issues

Guaranteeing Quality Public Education

Not so long ago, Texas proudly led the nation in countless categories — including educa­tion.  Now, after a decade of Rick Perry and his shortsighted cohorts, our schools are overcrowded, our textbooks are outdated, and our school computers and technological resources are obsolete (if available at all).  We can — and we must — do better, much better, for our children.  The kids of today will be competing in an interna­tional marketplace, and it is imperative that they be prepared not just to compete but to win.  That’s why Paula is working tirelessly, relentlessly to make education THE top prior­ity of Texas’ leaders.  Regardless of the political bickering of today, this must be done for our children, for our State, and to properly honor those Texans of the past who worked so hard to provide us with educations.  It is the right thing to do and it is high time we got it done.  There is much work to do – at the urging of Rick Perry, our last state legisla­ture irresponsibly slashed education funding by billions of dollars.  This was flat wrong, and Paula Pierson won’t rest until our children, all our children, are guaranteed a first-class, world-class education.

Securing High-Quality Jobs

Paula has a proven history of economic development and securing high quality jobs for Arlington.  In 1991, Arlington faced the loss of thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars to our economy with the potential closing of the General Motors.  Paula worked with local GM workers, fellow council members and Gov. Ann Richards to put together a successful bid to save thousands of jobs and keep the Arlington plant open.  Paula was chair of the Arlington City Council Economic Development Committee that successfully negotiated a $300 million investment by National Semi-Conductor to expand their plant and bring 400 quality jobs to Arlington.  A life member of the Arlington Chamber of Com­merce, Paula was appointed to the US Small Business Advisory Council by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Protecting Our Children

Keeping our children safe from violent criminals who would do them harm is a top prior­ity for Paula. In 1996 Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bike to her grand­parent’s home that was located in Paula’s city council district.  Following that tragedy, Paula promised Amber’s mother and grandmother she would do everything she could to see that more was done to protect children.  Paula worked with Congressman Martin Frost in an effort to institute a nationwide system of alerts that would later become the Amber Alert program.  In her second term as a State Representative, Paula co-authored Jessica’s Law, a bill named after Jessica Lunsford that strengthened penalties for criminals who commit sex crimes against children. Paula also has advocated for tougher punishments for child predators and sex offenders by removing the statute of limitations for child sex crimes.  Paula’s deep commitment to our children’s safety has inspired her nonprofit work as well.  She co-founded the Alliance for Children in Arlington, an organization dedicated to the care and counseling of victims of child abuse.  To date, it has served as a safe haven for over 25,000 abused children.

Stopping Human Trafficking

Paula is a recognized leader in the fight to end human trafficking. She’s co-authored and fought to pass legislation that protects women and children from being sold into sex slav­ery and increases penalties for human traffickers.  Paula partnered with state and local law enforcement agencies to implement a human trafficking public awareness campaign in connection with the Super Bowl.  Through that program, homeowners were informed about the need to conduct background checks on potential Super Bowl renters for their homes, increased monitoring of online prostitution rings was conducted and informational billboards were placed weeks prior to the Super Bowl.  Paula is committed to continuing her fight to end human trafficking.

Making Healthcare Affordable

The Texas legislature must do more to ensure Texas families have access to affordable healthcare services.  Texas leads the nation in the percentage of adults and children who lack healthcare coverage.  In 2007 Paula co-authored a bill to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program that provided the funding to allow Texas children who were eligible for the CHIP program to actually be enrolled without a waiting list. That session, the legislature voted to increase funding for CHIP by almost $90 million and to simplify the application process.  Paula was the founder and CEO of a healthcare business that helped patients navigate the complex systems involved with insurance and benefits programs.  Her company helped to keep the cost of care down by ensuring patients were able to access benefits they were eligible for and that hospitals received payment for services rendered.  Paula is committed to making quality health care more accessible and affordable for all Texans.