Can we talk about James Talarico's voting record?
His speeches get a lot of attention, but I’m honestly more impressed what he’s done in the Texas Legislature. People keep saying to look at his record. I did.
I read that he was the lead author on almost 200 bills during his time in office, and half of those dealt with protecting kids, education, or workforce development for young people.
What stood out to me:
- He voted for the 2023 property tax relief package, described at the time as the largest property tax cut in Texas history.
He voted against HB 900, the school library book restriction bill. I agree with this bill because personally, I want parents deciding what’s right for their own child. I don’t want the government deciding what everyone else’s kids can read.
- He also helped pass a $25 insulin copay cap per 30 day insulin prescription for people with covered health plans.
- He authored the Texas law establishing a pathway for importing lowerncost prescription drugs from Canada.
- He helped pass the state’s first cap on pre-K class sizes, in response to overcrowded classrooms.
I'm also impressed that he did this in a Legislature controlled by Republicans, and honestly, I don’t know how he has the patience for that. Working across the aisle to get bills passed while also challenging them on book restrictions and school vouchers takes skill.
People can reasonably disagree with him on individual votes.
But if the question is whether James Talarico has a legislative record beyond viral speeches, the answer is clearly yes. His record includes property tax relief, lowering prescription drug costs, insulin costs, protecting kids, early childhood education, and opposition to school library restrictions.