Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
My state representative made Texas Monthly as one of the worst members of Texas legis
This is an accomplishment for a first term rep in that normally Texas Monthly does not pick on first term reps. The only other idiot to earn this dishonor was Briscoe https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/2021-the-best-and-worst-legislators/#gates
Representative Gary Gates
R-Richmond
When Gates won a House seat in a special election last year, two issues dogged him. One, he was once under investigation by Child Protective Services over allegations that he had abused his adopted children. (He was officially cleared, but the investigation revealed a parenting style that would make a lot of folks queasy, to say the least.) Two, he was accused of being, in effect, a slumlord who neglected to address rampant crime plaguing apartment complexes in poor parts of Houston.
Gates was undaunted. His major focus during his first full session was to make it harder for CPS to investigate abuse cases and to make life easier for landlords who own apartment complexes in poor parts of Houston. In the first case, Gates sought to block Texans from submitting anonymous complaints to CPS and to require the agency to warn tipsters who phone in their allegations that false reporting is a state jail felony. This, he said, would help CPS avoid wasting time on false accusations.
With other bills, Gates attempted to make it easier to disband special management districts of the kind he has repeatedly clashed with in his capacity as a landlord, while making it harder for local governments to enforce building codes. Gates sees his personal involvement in these matters as an asset. “My experience just kinda gives me a little bit different insight than most people would normally have,” he told the Houston Chronicle. But when he stumbled into matters that didn’t affect him personally, Gates seemed uninterested. One night on the House floor, a colleague asked Gates a few softball questions about a minor education bill that he had authored. An excruciating silence descended. Gates pulled down his own legislation, seemingly so he could figure out what it said. And if all that weren’t enough, Gates took a private jet to Florida during the February blackouts. That’s the mark of a true freshman: everyone knows that the pros go to Cancún.
R-Richmond
When Gates won a House seat in a special election last year, two issues dogged him. One, he was once under investigation by Child Protective Services over allegations that he had abused his adopted children. (He was officially cleared, but the investigation revealed a parenting style that would make a lot of folks queasy, to say the least.) Two, he was accused of being, in effect, a slumlord who neglected to address rampant crime plaguing apartment complexes in poor parts of Houston.
Gates was undaunted. His major focus during his first full session was to make it harder for CPS to investigate abuse cases and to make life easier for landlords who own apartment complexes in poor parts of Houston. In the first case, Gates sought to block Texans from submitting anonymous complaints to CPS and to require the agency to warn tipsters who phone in their allegations that false reporting is a state jail felony. This, he said, would help CPS avoid wasting time on false accusations.
With other bills, Gates attempted to make it easier to disband special management districts of the kind he has repeatedly clashed with in his capacity as a landlord, while making it harder for local governments to enforce building codes. Gates sees his personal involvement in these matters as an asset. “My experience just kinda gives me a little bit different insight than most people would normally have,” he told the Houston Chronicle. But when he stumbled into matters that didn’t affect him personally, Gates seemed uninterested. One night on the House floor, a colleague asked Gates a few softball questions about a minor education bill that he had authored. An excruciating silence descended. Gates pulled down his own legislation, seemingly so he could figure out what it said. And if all that weren’t enough, Gates took a private jet to Florida during the February blackouts. That’s the mark of a true freshman: everyone knows that the pros go to Cancún.