Issue Position: Pushing Back on Washington in the Era of Big Government Mandates

Issue Position

As a tireless advocate of states rights, Representative Parker is quick to point out that the federal government obtained its power from the individual states, and not the other way around. He believes in fewer federal mandates and empowering individual state legislatures with the ability to address their own needs and provide for their citizens' prosperity.

During the 81st Legislative Session, Representative Parker served as a co-author to HCR 50, a resolution that reaffirms to Washington that Texas is a sovereign state protected under the 10th amendment of the United States Constitution. As a businessman focused on protecting our state's economy, Representative Parker also filed legislation challenging federal government mandates by providing that Texas would accept stimulus dollars earmarked for unemployment insurance, but as soon as those dollars were exhausted the costly "strings" attached to their acceptance would immediately expire and not come to fruition. While his legislation ultimately did not pass, the attention it received helped craft the argument for why Texas is better served to turn down federal dollars that come with costly, unnecessary mandates.

As a lawmaker who believes that consumer choices are best left to the consumer, Representative Parker has also been outspoken in his support for Attorney General Greg Abbott's constitutionality challenges to the federal healthcare plan and other Washington mandates. With the fundamental belief that Texas' challenges are best addressed by those elected from this state to govern this state, Representative Parker will remain a leader in pushing back against big government and promoting the constitutional rights of individual states.

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