Issues

Texas’s Toughest Border Protection Plan Ever

The Biden Administration’s failed open border policies have let in over 2 million illegal immigrants and enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill every single American last year. That’s why Will Metcalf has worked tirelessly to secure Texas and protect our families. Will just invested $5.1 billion finish the border wall, close loopholes at entry points, and ensure the technology, surveillance and law enforcement presence necessary to apprehend every lawbreaker at our border. Since he’s been in office, Will has voted in favor of dedicating billions of dollars in the state budget to combat illegal activity at the southern border because the federal government refuses to do their job. This year, Will also slashed red tape – finally granting the U.S. Border Patrol with the powers of a Texas peace officer to search, seize and arrest for state and federal offenses. This will also grant U.S. Border Patrol expanded powers to search, seize and arrest outside of official ports of entry to further combat illegal immigration wherever it takes place.

He also passed legislation that officially designates Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorists and allows prosecution of fentanyl as murder. Additionally, the prison sentence for human smuggling has been severely increased under Will’s leadership.

Will also helped create an interstate compact to share resources and intelligence with neighboring states to finish the wall and shut the border down to criminals.

Will’s new legislative package has been called the toughest border protection plan in Texas history. We can trust Will Metcalf to take every meaningful step to secure the border despite the federal government’s failures.

Cut Property Taxes, Fight for Taxpayers

Will has not only never voted for a tax hike – he’s cut taxes every single session he served. This year, Will fought hard and ensured that the new state budget guarantees at least $17.6 billion in property tax relief – the largest tax cut in the history of Texas. His goal is to put Texas on the path to eliminate property taxes.

He prides himself on being the reliable advocate for Montgomery County taxpayers. While Property Tax bills are still being debated, during the regular session, Will joint-authored HB 2488 which protects homeowners in the property tax appeal process and moves the burden of proof from them to the appraiser. Notably, Will also authored HB 1228 which allows property owners to access the information held by an appraisal district that is used to appraise your property before scheduling a protest. Under previous law, you would need to schedule an appraisal protest before accessing this evidence. This empowers property owners with the information and evidence they deserve.

As the fiercest appraisal reform advocate in the State Legislature, he authors legislation each session to lower appraisal caps on homesteads and put a 5% cap in place on all commercial property – which doesn’t currently exist. Will believes in increasing accountability at Central Appraisal Districts, which is why he authored legislation to make Chief Appraisers, Appraisal Review Boards, and Appraisal District Boards of Directors all elected positions so they remain accountable to property owners.

He understands the importance of allowing hardworking Texans to keep what they earn. As far as Will is concerned, a dollar in taxes is worth twice as much if it stays in your pocket. Responsibly cutting taxes and stopping their increase is one of his top priorities. His legislative and voting records speak for themselves: Will Metcalf is on the taxpayers’ side.

Unapologetically Pro-Life

As the father of two little girls, the miracle and sanctity of life are more than rhetoric to Will—they are reality. The thought of someone wanting to destroy innocent human life appalls him, and he stands in defense of life every chance he gets, which is why Will was proud to support SB 24. SB 24 codifies and adds $140 million of crucial funding to the Alternatives to Abortion Program to protect the most vulnerable in our society and ensure parents have the resources they need.

Now, thanks to SB 222, Sponsored by Metcalf, state employees receive paid parental leave when they welcome a child either by birth, adoption or birth by surrogacy.

Will co-authored and passed the Heartbeat Ban that protected every baby in the womb as soon as a heartbeat is detected at 6 weeks. But he did not stop there. Will proudly co-authored the Abortion Ban Trigger Law that immediately went into effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned—making Texas the most pro-life state in America.

Will Metcalf will ensure our laws fully uphold the God-given value of every human life.

Defend the Second Amendment

“Shall not be infringed” is plain enough to Will. He’s committed to upholding every right recognized by our Constitution, especially the right to keep and bear arms. As our state representative, he’s fought time and time again to protect the right not only to hunt and shoot recreationally, but also to defend ourselves and our families. This session, Will co-authored HB 3137 which prohibits local governments from imposing regulations on firearms and air guns.

And Constitutional Carry is now law in the State of Texas – an accomplishment that Will proudly co-authored helped usher through the Legislature and which is one of highest points of pride in his career of service.

Banning the Woke Radical Agenda

This session, Will passed the most aggressive bans against the woke radicals pushing to sexualize our children. Will successfully:

• Banned all gender mutilation surgeries on kids
• Banned all pornographic material in our schools
• Banned all classroom instruction related to so-called gender identity or sexual orientation
• Stopped biological men from competing against women in college sports. Last session, Will passed legislation banning biological boys from competing against girls in high school sports
• Put an end to sexualized drag shows being performed in front of or involving kids

Will Metcalf fully defends children and the Christian, family values we need to ensure a righteous nation.

Strengthen Local Schools

A product of Conroe ISD and Conroe High School, Will has never forgotten what he owes to the local schools that made him into who he is. With two daughters in school at Montgomery ISD, Will is committed to ensuring our teachers and classrooms have the resources they need to provide our students the best education possible and empower parents to be involved in their children’s educational journey.

To help ease the impact of rising inflation, Will co-sponsored SB 10, which issues a cost-of-living adjustment to teachers receiving benefits under the Teacher Retirement System. When tragedy struck, Will answered the call. He is passionate about school safety and has worked with the Texas State School Safety Center and the Sam Houston State University Center for Assessment, Research and Educational Safety to collaborate on legislation since 2018. This session, Will co-authored HB 3 and sponsored SB 1852 to increase school safety measures through new systems, funding, and active shooter training for peace officers. SB 1852, sponsored by Metcalf, requires all law enforcement to undergo active shooter training offered by the Texas School Safety Center.

Every child in Texas deserves to get the best education they can, so Will co-authored HB 3928 to ensure that children with dyslexia and related disorders receive proper evaluation and resources to maximize their educational experience. Will also authored HB 1225 which allows a student’s parent, guardian or teacher to request that a student is offered an assessment exam in paper format instead of the current online requirement. Will understands that all children learn in different ways and he continues to advocate for testing reform.

Stop Over-Regulation, Stand with Small Businesses

As someone who has been through the struggles of building a business, Will has experienced the first-hand roadblocks of red tape and overburdensome fees. After fighting through that to build the foundation of his own dreams, he’s determined to eliminate any roadblock he can for others. Will has voted every time to cut burdensome, California-style regulations, and keep Texas the best state in the nation to start and grow a business.

Covid-19 left an everlasting mark in the history books. It decimated so many small businesses which are the backbone of our great state. That’s why Will co-authored HB 609 protecting businesses that do not require their employees or contractors to be vaccinated from being held liable for injury or death caused by exposure at that place of business through an employee or contractor. He also co-authored HB 2127, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, to ensure business aren’t faced with a patchwork of inconsistent and overreaching regulations that conflict with state law.

Importantly, Will voted in favor of SB 29 in the State Affairs Committee and House Floor, to ensure that no business can ever be closed by local governments because of a pandemic.

Defend Private Property

Will has gone to battle to defend us from private entities exercising eminent domain to develop a high-speed rail with the passage of SB 975 during the last session. However, with the exponential increase in use of the internet, Will also strongly believes in protecting our private consumer data. With HB 4 (co-authored), Texans now are empowered to have control over their data and have new “digital rights” that previously did not exist, and this legislation also implements new safeguards that protect our sensitive information. This will help protect Texans’ personal data from being misused by “Big Tech.”

Stand for Religious Liberty and Family Values

Will learned his values in the church pews of First Baptist Conroe and around his family dinner table. Freedom of Religion and the importance of wholesome families are never far from his mind. Will works constantly to fully protect the rights of pastors, churches, small businesses, families, and individuals to honor their faith and live in safety. After an incident infringing the rights of teachers in 2022 about hanging up “In God We Trust” posters in the classroom, Will joint-authored HB 2012 this session to explicitly allow teachers to display our national motto in their high school and college classrooms. There should be no question that the National Motto belongs in each and every classroom in Texas.

Will is beyond proud of the bills passed during this 88th Legislative Session that protect our children. He joint-sponsored SB 14 which prevents gender modification treatments, surgeries, and reassignments from being performed on minors in Texas. In addition, Will co-authored the READER Act, HB 900, to ban sexually explicit and inappropriate content in public school libraries. He co-authored HB 3554 and HB 4520 which, respectively, institutes a heavier penalty for human traffickers, and instates consequences for teachers who distribute harmful material to children. Not only that, he co-sponsored SB 12 banning sexually oriented performances in the presence of children, adding another layer of protection between our youth and the growing movement of people who wish to expose them to sexual material.

Protecting families from the beginning is key for Will, so he also co-sponsored SB 412 which protects the rights of expecting mothers seeking a higher education. Metcalf will always stand up for Texas families and children.

Protect Our Water

Back when the 100% unelected board of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District imposed a set of rules and regulations on all Montgomery County residents regarding how much groundwater citizens were permitted to use, Will fought to hold them accountable. With the passage of HB 1982 in 2017, board members now must be elected by and be accountable to We the People. He has been at the forefront of bringing much needed transparency and accountability to the San Jacinto River Authority as well, and was instrumental in the replacement of the SJRA General Manager who had been at the center of water conflicts in our community for over a decade. Now, SJRA is under new management and has the opportunity to chart a new path forward as the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District did when Will was successful in changing the appointed board to elected positions.

To further protect our state’s water and create career opportunities for our youth, this Legislative Session he authored HB 1845 which addresses the risk of a 95% water and wastewater utility operator deficit in the state of Texas by allowing eligible high school students to work towards becoming water operators while they are still in school. This will allow Texas high school students to learn a skill and become hirable upon their graduation without accruing college debt.

Support Texas Energy

We now see what losing America’s energy independence looks like. Texas oil and gas is a goldmine with untethered potential just waiting to be tapped into once again. But we continue to see attacks on energy throughout the country. Despite this, Will co-sponsored SB 1017 which prevents local government and other entities from regulating and restricting engines and energy sources.

As a former Chairman and current member of the State Affairs committee with jurisdiction over electricity matters, Will has worked on issues to strengthen our grid for multiple sessions following the unprecedented statewide freeze during Winter Storm Uri.

Will authored HB 2555, also known as the Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Act, which will strengthen our electric system by allowing electric utilities to develop plans that address the following: replacing distribution poles with higher wind rated facilities; vegetation management; raising assets located in flood prone areas; undergrounding targeted portions of distribution lines; and addressing cyber and physical security. All Texans know we face harsh weather no matter where we reside, so this legislation ensures that we can withstand pressures and bounce back quickly after a disaster.

Finally, Will sponsored SB 1093 which updates the Texas Electricity Supply Chain Map and Committee by adding water facilities to the map and including TxDOT to the committee to ensure transportation infrastructure information is known during any future energy emergency.