PUBLIC EDUCATION & FINANCE REFORM

    Paul Stafford knows that education is the key to unlocking the potential of every person, safeguarding our democracy, and making sure the Dallas area workforce is competitive in a global economy. He firmly supports proper funding of public schools, including school finance reforms that make the state pay its fair share, putting less of a property tax burden on individuals. He also wants to leverage our community college system to help young people and adults seeking continuing education. Stafford also supports skills training programs, and efforts to lower college tuition costs so four-year degrees are within reach of more people.

    All of Paul’s degrees are from public institutions, and he is a strong supporter of public education. Throughout his life, Paul has made time to work as an educator and to mentor young people, especially those with an interest in becoming attorneys. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M and Texas Tech. He has coached the Booker T. Washington High School mock trial team for the last three years. He has also been very active in groups that provide support systems for young people and help them achieve in school, such as Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Dallas.

    HEALTH CARE & WOMEN'S HEALTH

    Texas ranks at the bottom in health care coverage. More than four million Texans are uninsured. Texas loses billions per year in federal funding because the current state leadership has unwisely refused to expand Medicaid.

    Paul Stafford believes all Americans should have insurance and access to quality, affordable healthcare. He advocates expansion of Medicaid in Texas, so that more than one million additional people could benefit from the peace of mind in having coverage. Paul will also fight for lower prescription drug costs and protect women's rights to have access to health care and to make decisions with their own doctors.

    EQUAL PAY, BETTER PAY & BETTER JOBS

    Stafford strongly supports equal pay for equal work. He will be a champion of fairness in the workplace. Paul also knows the struggles of many in House District 100 who are working harder and longer but still struggle to make ends meet because wages have not kept up with the cost of living in the United States. He supports increasing the minimum wage so that anyone working full time can afford food, shelter and care. He also supports enhancing training programs and adult education programs to give our workforce better skills for success.

    SMART DEVELOPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE

    House District 100, which has some of the most economically challenged neighborhoods in Dallas, also needs stronger development without undue economic pressure being put on current residents by gentrification. Stafford supports efforts to increase the number of affordable housing units and encourages development of rental properties that include lower rents. He would push for more basic infrastructure, and improved mobility, including roads and practical public transit between places of work and residential areas.

    PUBLIC SAFETY & JUSTICE REFORM

    Paul Stafford wants citizens of House District 100, and Texas, to feel safe in their own homes, at work, and in their everyday lives. He supports first responders and a strong public safety and criminal justice system. He is also sensitive to the fact that our criminal justice system is undergoing needed reforms to make it more equitable for people of color, the poor, and other minorities who are disproportionately and negatively impacted by bias and lack of fairness. As a former assistant district attorney who has also represented numerous criminal defendants, he supports key reforms, such as moving away from cash bail, reducing our reliance on privately owned prisons, and encouraging diversion programs that use rehabilitation instead of incarceration to turn people's lives around.

    Paul's bottom line on handing crime is protecting society from violent criminals by convicting them and putting them in prison, and using alternative means to help low-level offenders get back on track. He supports reforms that are founded in research and metrics and have a proven track record of success.

    THE ENVIRONMENT & A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

    Many in House District 100 are immediately faced with economic challenges. They worry about personal expenses first, and the environment is not top of mind. But we are far past the point when we can ignore climate change and environmental degradation like illegal dumping, improper recycling, and air pollution. The changes we have seen, from rising temperatures, to more aggressive weather patterns, will have a dramatic impact during our children's lifetimes. We must take action as a nation, and locally, to turn the tide.

    Paul believes that the United State, and Texas, can be part of an economic revolution that centers on new technologies, from alternative energy, to carbon reduction, to better transportation systems. We must see the challenge of climate change as an economic opportunity and lead the shift in technologies that will allow humans to survive this current threat.