State Rep. Charles Cunningham’s (R-Humble) path to the Texas Legislature didn’t start with politics, it started together with his seat on a householders’ affiliation board.
It launched a long time of public service — 12 years of volunteering within the native faculty district, 12 extra on the college board, together with a time period as board president and a four-year-long stint on the Humble Metropolis Council. That grassroots expertise, he says, grounds his work on the Capitol as a Republican consultant serving Home District 127.
Previous to his 2022 election to the Texas legislature, the pro-life consultant graduated from Our Girl of the Lake College with a Bachelor of Science and Arts diploma, served in america Military and labored for CenterPoint Power as a Distribution Account Advisor.
A practical method to the legislative gridlock
In his first time period representing Home District 127, which incorporates components of northeast Harris County, he has filed greater than 40 payments throughout this legislative session.
Cunningham anticipates most of his payments to fail regardless of being in a Republican-majority Home. He mentioned that for a invoice to cross, three opinions ought to align and all should agree: the Texas Home Republican Caucus, the assigned committee and the speaker.
“That’s the place the politics are available,” Cunningham defined. “You’ve gotta go to the calendars to have your invoice positioned on the ground so you can begin voting on it. So it’s about six steps [including the three mentioned earlier] within the Home to get that invoice voted out. After which you need to do the identical factor within the Senate…and when you’re lucky to get that accomplished, you then’ve received to see if the governor even likes your invoice and is ready to signal it. This technique is definitely designed to kill payments.”
Schooling
“Schooling is the important thing,” Cunningham advised the Defender. “That was one of many causes I received concerned with the college board [Humble ISD]…there’s no good system. We’re making an attempt to coach and supply alternatives for fogeys as a result of every youngster is completely different.”
Cunningham, whose spouse is a faculty trainer, mentioned his payments — HB 1662 (a grant program for public faculties and repair facilities to cater to college students with autism) and HB 3096 (designating March 17 as Profound Autism Consciousness Day) — are amongst his proudest efforts. They concentrate on a difficulty that hits dwelling as one in all his grandchildren is on the autism spectrum and he has seen firsthand the boundaries households face when in search of providers.
“Particular wants is basically robust right here in Texas, with making an attempt to serve that inhabitants,” Cunningham said. “A father or mother ought to have the proper to supply the very best schooling for his or her youngster, be it public, non-public, homeschool and constitution faculties.”
Cunningham admits the invoice could not cross this session, however says it lays the groundwork for future change.
“It’s simply a type of issues {that a} majority of my colleagues are simply not on board with but,” Cunningham mentioned.
A staunch supporter of schooling financial savings accounts, generally often known as faculty vouchers, Cunningham supported the controversial Senate Invoice 2, which Gov. Greg Abbott lately signed into legislation.
The backing stemmed from his perception that oldsters want extra choices, particularly as a result of conventional public faculties fail to fulfill particular person college students’ wants.
“Name it no matter you wish to name it: faculty vouchers, ESAs, or no matter. The large combat now could be that we’re making an attempt to provide mother and father a possibility on the Okay-12 stage,” Cunningham mentioned. The combat is just not in opposition to the mother and father. Mother and father are being misinformed.”
As a substitute, he clarified, the combat is in opposition to academics, unions and associations. Acknowledging the pushback from public faculty advocates and unions, Cunningham drew parallels between in the present day’s faculty voucher debate and the desegregation-era wrestle for varsity entry.
“In 1957 [year of the Little Rock Crisis highlighting the ongoing struggle against segregation in public schools], these people who have been combating it then, when Black individuals needed faculty of selection, they didn’t need segregation, they needed faculty selection, are the identical individuals which might be combating it now,” he added.
He maintains that public faculties stay very important and has filed payments to ease transitions for college kids coming back from various teaching programs (HB 3551), re-examine faculty accountability metrics in housing coverage (HB 3753), and broaden constitution faculty alternatives (HB 1176).
Public security
Cunningham’s concentrate on public security stems from a harrowing private expertise. In December 2021, a truck crashed into his dwelling at 4 a.m.
“I didn’t know if somebody was breaking in,” he recalled. Later, he realized the suspects had been launched on a bond.
The incident fueled HB 1167, which proposes stricter bail situations for felony defendants and repeat offenders and limits eligibility for launch. The invoice has not superior, however Cunningham says components of it have been integrated right into a Senate invoice led by Sen. Joan Huffman.
“The neighborhood wants to have the ability to really feel protected,” he mentioned.
Housing
Profitable in transferring payments like HB 3753, which offers with the allocation of low-income housing tax credit with faculty high quality metrics, Cunningham and his co-authors purpose to assist each housing builders and low-income seniors and academics.
“Why ought to a trainer who lives on the opposite facet of city come to a different district once we can have housing inside that district, particularly the place a trainer can afford it?” Cunningham requested.
He’s additionally hopeful about HB 1532, which might create a dredging and upkeep district for Lake Houston. The measure addresses sediment buildup that contributes to flooding, a significant concern for his constituents.
“The sweetness about it’s that the lake is an asset to the town of Houston,” he mentioned. “It’s a gold mine. The sand will be bought to contractors for housing improvement and development. Town of Houston can have a income stream.”
Healthcare and licensing
Different payments like HB 5274 would require licensing for anesthesiologist assistants, a private precedence for Cunningham, who underwent main surgical procedure in 2019.
“If anyone goes to place me to sleep the place I’m near dying whereas they’re working on me, I would like them to be licensed,” he defined.
Cunningham has additionally co-authored bipartisan payments to incorporate civics schooling for public faculty highschool college students (HB 824) and permit a brief educator certificates for educators licensed by different states (HB 1178).
Eyes on the longer term
Because the 89th Legislature nears its finish, Cunningham says essentially the most urgent points for his district stay constant: flood mitigation, a steady electrical grid and public security.
Even when payments don’t cross, he believes there’s worth in beginning conversations and planting seeds for future laws.
