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Below you will find some of the predominant issues that Judge Louis H. Bruni will highlight during his campaign:
Property Tax Relief
Legislation conducive to capping annual property tax increases must be urged. Presently the tax increase is a whopping 10 percent of the previous year's assessment. People are outraged. This increase must be curtailed and minimized to the fullest extent possible. Not to be taken lightly, the state government is one of very few entities that can take away one's homestead. Unrestrained increases in property taxes exacerbate the danger of losing one's homestead. Louis H. Bruni will fight run-away property tax and help protect your homestead.
Education
Strong ethics and morals are cultivated through family values of which early childhood education is a major component. By focusing on the development of our children at the beginning stages of life we help to create a foundation for a vibrant and strong community. Standardized testing in our public schools must be re-evaluated to ensure that our Texas school districts are not falling behind today's national educational standards. We must ensure that our curriculum is of the highest quality and that our scholastic success rates are commensurate with national standards. Louis H. Bruni will fight for increased funding for our Texas schools so that these goals will be achieved.
Safeguarding the Environment
The protection of our environment is essential to our future. There is irrefutable proof as confirmed by the scientific community that the greenhouse effect is a real, physical process that is contributing to global warming. And further, there is a near consensus among most climatologists that human-generated greenhouse gases are the main culprit. This is a fast growing problem that we cannot afford to ignore. The state of Texas can be at the forefront of change and needs to take a leadership role in the protection of our environment. As a City Council Member and as Webb County Judge, Louis H. Bruni championed environmental issues that affected his constituents. As your Texas State Senator, Louis H. Bruni will fight for the protection of our most precious resource: a clean and healthy environment.
Healthcare
The already widespread problem of making healthcare more affordable and accessible to Texans of all socio-economic levels has found no comprehensive remedy, and, at present, is growing. Early in his administration as Webb County Judge, Louis H. Bruni recognized the need to organize an assault against this widespread social problem and implemented new policies designed to maintain budgeted allowances, and formed the Webb County Hospital District -- a coalition between public and private entities (including a taxing authority) and area health care providers designed to bring much needed federal funding to Webb County and its communities. Proactive efforts such as this must be implemented at the state level with increased and renewed vigor. To this end, Louis H. Bruni will continue in his efforts for the state as a whole with the same dedication and zeal that he demonstrated at the county level.
Prison/Jail Reform
There is no doubting the problem of overcrowding in county jails and state prisons and the overburdening effect that such overcrowding has on local economies and on the state budget. Taxpayer dollars (like jail space) are limited in quantity and the careful allocation of these resources is essential to maximizing value. As a society, we must temper our penal system by taking legislative measures to ensure that only criminals fitting the crime will be doing the time at the expense of taxpayers. While being tough on crime, Louis H. Bruni's legislative agenda will make sure that the punishment fits and only those criminals who really need to be in jail will stay there.
Tort Reform
It is Judge Bruni's firm belief that the American system of justice is the best in the world. Our jury system, as expensive as it may be, is something of which Americans should be proud. Judge Bruni recognizes, however, that in today's world litigation has become an instrument of abuse and, for some, a matter of sport. Often used as a vehicle for speculation by the unscrupulous out to score a jackpot, it is even accessed, in an untold number of cases not for justice but for oppression or as a means to extort. The costs of frivolous lawsuits are born not only by the litigants immediately affected, but by all of us who must bear the costs of an overburdened legal system which is rendered increasingly ineffective by its misuse. As State Senator, Judge Bruni will work to reform the litigation system in order to restore it to its former, traditional role in our society: that of being a remedy of last resort for the resolution of civil disputes, to be accessed and respected only as such.
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