Jacey Jetton

Proud Husband & Dad | Business and Policy Strategist | Fmr State Rep, HD 26 #txlege | TXARNG Soldier | Home Church Leader | Faith, Family, Freedom 🇺🇸

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Back at the Texas Capitol today for the Natural Resources Committee hearing on data centers. Always great to see Chairman @CodyHarrisTX leading well in the Texas House and to catch up with friends on the committee.

This is an important issue for Texas and it goes well beyond the economy. Data centers have made real advances in how they consume resources. They are becoming more efficient with electricity and many now recirculate water to reduce demand on Texas infrastructure. They also bring substantial property tax value to the jurisdictions where they locate, which helps lower the tax burden for homeowners across those communities.

As Governor @GregAbbott_TX and the Legislature take this up in the coming session, my hope is that they find the right balance. Texas wants to remain one of the most attractive places in the world for data center investment. At the same time, the impact on everyday Texans and on our grid and water supply deserves serious consideration. Those two things are not in conflict if the policy is done right.

Texas has always found a way to grow and protect what makes it great at the same time. This is another opportunity to do exactly that.

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

On This Week in Texas, we discussed two stories that matter to Fort Bend County and to Texas.

On KP George: Judge Perez-Jaramillo gave George the statutory maximum of 10 years, probated. He'll serve 180 days in the Fort Bend County Jail, not prison, followed by five years of community supervision. He filed an appeal immediately, so the clock on that sentence doesn't start for a year or more. The conviction remains in place. It will be hard on his family, and that's worth acknowledging. But elected officials swear an oath to the people they serve. When they violate that oath, they don't just break a law, they break public trust and threaten the integrity of the institution they were chosen to represent. That demands accountability. Fort Bend County got a conviction and is watching the rest of the process play out. Daniel Wong is serving as county judge and moving the county forward.

On the Collier ballot access lawsuit: I've read the complaint. The primary runoff shortened the signature collection window from 113 days to 30 days. That 75% reduction is a fair point to raise. But Collier knew Texas ballot access law before he decided to run as an independent. The rules didn't change on him after he filed. This is the same First Amendment argument the same law firm tried in 2019 and couldn't prove in federal court. The signature requirements exist to prevent an overloaded ballot that creates voter confusion and undermines the process. If Texans want the timing fixed for independent candidates in runoff cycles, the answer is the legislature. That is a legislative problem with a legislative solution. I'm not a fan of asking federal courts to rewrite what legislators deliberately built.

https://t.co/HHp4W5nmKx

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Great week with the K-MidSouth Nexus business delegation from Korea. Executives from across industries spent time in Dallas, Austin, and Houston and got a real feel for what Texas is about. Always good to do this alongside my longtime friend former Consul General Jung, who served Houston well during his time here.

Korea and Texas have a long track record together. Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and others helped build that foundation and the companies coming now are building on top of it. The relationship runs deep and it keeps growing.

Closed out the trip with a night at Daikin Park with the Astros. Big thank you to Heejun Yoon and the Houston Astros for showing this group what Houston hospitality looks like. Hard to beat that as a last impression of Texas.

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

@DrindaRandall Congratulations! You have a big job ahead of you as you know. Lead well and unite this party again!

[Jeff Leach @leachfortexas]

Incredible speech, Speaker Burrows!

Haters hate.
Tweeters tweet.
Whiners whine.

But leaders lead. And that’s what you’re doing.

Proud of you and ready to unite and win!

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Joined Angel Carroll and Tom Abrahams on This Week in Texas to talk through Houston's $7.5 billion budget and a new TSU survey on ballot integrity and voter access.

On the budget: balance it. Houstonians are cutting spending as inflation drives up their own costs, and the city has to do the same. The shortfalls are significant, and infrastructure maintenance and repair is not a question that gets easier by waiting. If the city is going to add fees for trash pickup, there needs to be an actual plan to fix the trash problem first. Raising other taxes to cover all spending is not the answer. Use an axe on spending cuts and a scalpel for any increases.

On the survey: Texas voters deserve election integrity and straightforward ballot access. Both parties put their thumb on one side of that balance, but a healthy democracy requires both. Texas and Georgia both passed sweeping election reforms aimed at strengthening integrity while keeping voting accessible. Democrats argued those bills would disenfranchise voters and put unreasonable burdens on participation. Turnout has gone up in both states since those bills passed. The damage to election confidence comes from extreme rhetoric, not from the voting process itself.

https://t.co/1dG6JXM5jo

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Dallas and Houston are hosting more FIFA World Cup matches than any other state this summer. Billions of eyes on Texas. Delegations, investors, and business leaders from every corner of the world landing here and seeing firsthand what we have built.

Texas just needs to be Texas. The hospitality, the opportunity, the business climate all speak for themselves when people actually experience it.

Great work by the Texas Economic Development Corporation on this video. Watch it, share it, and help tell the Texas story to the world.

Come for the games. Stay for Texas.

https://t.co/ZHQGgVIiLY

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Had a great time speaking at the Minority Republican GOP PAC lunch in Beaumont yesterday at Sultan Mediterranean Grill. Good food, great people, and we talked all things politics and business well past when we were supposed to wrap up.

Tony Ashrafi has been leading this club for seven years. The room yesterday was a reflection of that. Great leadership builds great community and Tony has done exactly that. Thank you Tony. And thank you to Tom Noyola for the introduction and for opening and closing the meeting in prayer. That is how you set the right tone.

Also got to catch up with my friend Speaker Phelan while in town. Always a good visit.

The conservative values and principles at the foundation of the Republican Party are what made Texas what it is today. They are what attract people from around the world and what people from every background can get on board with. Low taxes, limited government, rule of law, free markets, strong families. Those ideas work. California and New York went the other direction. The proof is clear.

Sometimes the people we put up as candidates don’t best reflect those values. That happens. But the answer is not to walk away from the party. Get to know who is running in your community. Do they actually embody what you believe? That is how we vote and that is how the Republican Party wins.

Love Beaumont and Jefferson County. We will be back.

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Joining the Minority Republican GOP PAC on June 4th for lunch at Sultan Mediterranean Grill from 11:30 to 1:00. Looking forward to the conversation and hope to see some familiar faces there. Come out if you can.

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Catch this weekend's ABC13 This Week in Texas. I joined Angel Carroll and ABC News Political Director Averi Harper to break down the runoff results and what comes next. The general election is set. Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico for U.S. Senate. It's going to be an interesting race.

Watch here: https://t.co/8IME4GkFGb

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

The Army just met its recruiting goal four months before the end of the fiscal year. Second year in a row. 61,500 Americans signed contracts to serve on active duty.

As someone who wore the uniform, that means something to me. Young men and women looked at everything available to them and chose to serve. Give people a worthy mission and they show up.

As this nation approaches its 250th birthday, these future soldiers are carrying forward something that goes back to the very beginning. Grateful for every one of them and the families standing behind them.

https://t.co/0SUGug3o9K

#USArmy #Military #America #Veterans

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Congratulations to our oldest son Jacob on graduating from Travis High School today! It’s hard to put into words how proud Fanny and I are of him.

Watching him walk across the stage was one of those moments you just don’t forget. He has grown into a respectable, honorable, and sharp young man who makes us proud every single day. We love who he is and who he is becoming more of every day.

Grateful too for the church family that has walked alongside him and continues to surround him with love and support. That community matters more than people know.

Next stop, the University of Texas at Arlington. We are so excited for this next chapter. Let’s go Jacob. We love you! @UTArlington @FBISDAthletics @FortBendISD

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Great night at Daikin Park with Fanny and the boys for AAPI Night with the Taiwanese community. Jacob graduates tomorrow so it was a special night to have the whole family together.

The highlight of the evening was watching my friend Director General Yvonne Hsiao throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Yvonne leads the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, which serves as Taiwan’s de facto consulate representing Taiwan’s interests across Texas and the southern United States. She was on the big screen in front of a full house and she delivered. Proud of everything she is accomplishing in her role.

Go Astros!

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Saw this piece by Alex Sasse about how her father Ben Sasse, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska and former President of the University of Florida, raised her. Worth reading on a weekend like this one.

Her dad was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She wrote this to put into words what made their family different, and what she's been reflecting on since.

Every night at dinner her parents asked the same question. Not "what did you learn today" but "who did you serve today." She said at 10 she found it annoying. At 22 she's grateful for it.

They also aimed for her to trust and respect them, not like them. There were plenty of moments she didn't like them. She's thankful for every one of those now.

As a dad and a man of faith, this one stayed with me. Fanny and I are trying to build the same thing at home. The roots matter more than anything else.

Full article: https://t.co/ASv1PL5Kmk

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Great time tonight on air for election coverage. You’ve been the man in the arena and a statesman, @JohnCornyn, thank you. Congratulations, @KenPaxtonTX and the other Republican winners, rounding out our republican ticket! Let’s keep Texas Red!

[Tony Ortiz (Current Revolt) @CurrentRevolt]

Senator Angela Paxton (@AngelaPaxtonTX) sent out the following email with her endorsements for Election Day today:

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

@MarkKimpler Thanks for following!

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Tune in to ABC13 tonight for election night coverage. I'll be on with the team as the results come in. I joined ABC13's This Week in Texas this week as a Republican commentator to break down the race and what to watch for tonight.

Today is Election Day in Texas for the U.S. Senate runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. If you are a Texas Republican and haven't voted yet, today is the day.

Trump came in with a last minute endorsement. In a low turnout runoff that matters. We'll see tonight.

Closer to home, Houston and Harris County are both facing budget pressure. Mayor Whitmire's proposed $7.5 billion budget includes a new trash fee that is generating pushback, and Judge Lina Hidalgo has been warning about a potential shortfall at the county level. These are the kinds of local fiscal decisions that affect everyday Houstonians more than most state or federal news does, and they deserve more attention than they get.

https://t.co/ubQnzDczJY

[Jacey Jetton @JaceyJetton]

Driving to Dallas this morning with the sun out and the open Texas landscape was perfect for reflecting on this Memorial Day.

Memorial Day isn’t about the long weekend. It’s about the shining city on a hill that so many fought and died to protect and preserve. The freedom and liberty we still get to enjoy today came at a cost that most of us will never fully understand.

These photos are from Arlington National Cemetery, where I had the privilege of visiting last year with the best Fort Bend Leadership class. Standing there and looking out at row after row of white headstones, it’s hard to put into words. Every marker is a person. A brother or sister, a father or mother. A price someone paid so the rest of us could have what we have.

Grateful for every man and woman who served and didn’t come home, and for the families and friends who have carried that loss ever since. We owe them more than a holiday.

[Mike Young @micyoung75]

Ken Paxton has been indicted for securities fraud. Impeached by the Texas House with majority Republican support. His whistleblower staffers reported him to the FBI, he fired them, a judge found he violated the Whistleblower Act, and Texas paid those staffers $6.6 million. His wife filed for divorce on, quote, "biblical grounds" - which is the Baptist way of saying Ken was at it again.

This year he also ordered Texas public schools to prove they are displaying the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.

Trump endorsed him anyway. Over a 23-year incumbent senator who tried to rename a highway after Trump in a last-ditch attempt to secure the nod. It did not work.

Cook Political Report has already moved Texas into a fully competitive race if Paxton wins Tuesday. A Presbyterian seminarian running on faith and economic populism could be the first Democrat elected to the Texas Senate since 1988.

A Republican strategist in the Atlantic piece described the situation as "deep kimchi." He was being diplomatic.