Rep. Dwayne Bohac Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election to the Texas House

HOUSTON—State Representative Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston) announced today that he will not seek re-election to the Texas House of Representatives, District 138. He issued the following statement:

After much thought and prayer, I have decided that I will not seek re-election to the Texas House of Representatives. It is time for me to focus on my family, new callings in my life, and allow someone else the opportunity to have the honor to represent our community in the Texas Legislature.

As I make this announcement, I cannot help but be overwhelmed with a sense of pride about the constituents and civic leaders in our community who have been invaluable partners along this incredible journey to make District 138 a better place in which to live, work and raise a family. Together, much has been accomplished.

I am very happy about what we were able to do since I was first elected in 2002. These are some of the many things I walk away with feeling very proud of:

• We consistently passed balanced state budgets without raising taxes every legislative session I served—fulfilling a sacred promise I made from the very start.
• I’m proud to be the only State Representative to pass a bill out of the Texas House that would have cut the annual 10% property tax appraisal cap on residential homesteads to 5%. I have fought for this for nearly two decades with opposition from the lobbyists representing your local taxing entities and we still need to get this sent to the Governor. I will continue to advocate for this much-need property tax appraisal reform so none of us are taxed out of our homes.
• Working with other local officials, we renamed U.S. Highway 290 in Harris County as the “Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway”, honoring one of our greatest Presidents.
• This last session, I passed my “Character Education Bill” which requires the state to incorporate positive character traits and principals into the public school curriculum, empowering our public school children with invaluable tools for learning and life.
• I consistently fought for more funding for our local school districts, our teachers, our retired teachers, and ending “Robin Hood” so that our local school tax dollars stayed home in our districts.
• I co-authored “Jessica’s Law”, which increased penalties against sex offenders who target children. The Texas version enacts some of the harshest punishments in the nation for child molesters who go after our most vulnerable citizens.
• I co-authored the state’s voter ID law that was upheld by the courts to protect against election interference and preserve the integrity of our elections.
• Over the years, I voted to authorize billions for border security in the state budget because I believed Texas had to step up to the plate and take action since the federal government has failed to secure the border.
• I am proud to have authored the “School Supplies Sales Tax Holiday” law that benefits students, parents and teachers each year. My hope is that this will continue helping families for years to come.
• I authored and passed the “Merry Christmas Bill” which made national headlines and became a national model that allows teachers and students to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah in public schools without fear of litigation.
• We cleaned up our neighborhoods in West Houston. Over the years, I am proud to have passed tough laws cracking down on graffiti, illegal game rooms and gambling. I also passed legislation to shut down “massage parlors” acting as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking and a bill giving local municipalities greater authority to go after “nuisance apartments” to improve public safety.
• To preserve and reinvigorate one of Houston’s best and oldest communities in the heart of our district, I passed legislation to create the Spring Branch Management District (SBMD) with a mission to serve the area through public safety, mobility, transportation, business development and urban design improvements. This is an endeavor that will long outlive my time in the Texas House and continue to bring great benefits to our community.
• And I’m proud of helping pass a constitutional amendment proposal this last year to give all Texans an opportunity to vote this November on banning the possibility of a state income tax in Texas. I hope you will support Proposition 4 this fall.
• Above all these individual highlights, I always voted for what was in the best interest of you, my constituents.

It has been an incredible journey with all of you. I walk away feeling content to paraphrase and slightly reword a quote from President Ronald Reagan: My friends, we did it. We made a difference. We made our district stronger – we made Texas better.

I cannot make this announcement without acknowledging the incredible members of Team Bohac who have worked so hard for our district over these past 17 years. I would like to thank my former Chiefs of Staff, Patrick Gurski, Manny Salazar, Bradley Pepper and Travis Griffin, my District Directors, Jeannette Trail, Kay Clinton, Courtney Facciponte, my invaluable Neighborhood Liaisons, Lois Stromberg and Wes Kruger, and my political consultants, Bryan Eppstein and Keats Norfleet, who made it possible to serve as your State Representative. And we have been blessed with so many talented young Texans who have served in support roles at our Capitol Office.

I am committed to serving as your State Representative for the remainder of my term through 2020 and making sure District 138 has the best possible advocate in Austin. Jim Cosgrove, my former Legislative Director from the past two legislative sessions, will now be serving as my Chief of Staff, with Courtney Facciponte continuing her service as my District Director in our Houston office. And I will continue to serve as the Chairman of the Innovation & Technology Caucus of the Texas House through the remainder of my term.

As for the upcoming 2020 election, I’ll quote President Ronald Reagan once again: “The future doesn’t belong to the light-hearted. It belongs to the brave.” I look forward to supporting the best brave public servant from HD 138 that emerges to serve our community who will fight without fear for what is best for our neighborhoods and pro-family, pro-taxpayer, pro-business Texas values.

It has been my greatest honor to serve you in the Texas House. I cannot express enough gratitude and appreciation for this responsibility you gave me. I look forward to the next chapter of my life that will allow me to make an impact in new ways. Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to be your state representative.

May God always continue to bless District 138 and the great state of Texas.

Dwayne Bohac