Voted to Make It State's Job to Do Medical Research with Your Money: House of Bad Cards

What are the functions of government? Should government be limited, or should government take money from you whenever possible to try to solve every problem that confronts us?

Where should we draw the line?

If you read what follows - the creation of a new entity with a CEO and other officers, it sounds like a private business.

Sec. 101A.052. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER; CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER; ADDITIONAL OFFICERS.
(a) The oversight committee shall hire a chief executive officer. The chief executive officer shall perform the duties required by this chapter and the duties designated by the oversight committee. The chief executive officer must have a demonstrated ability to lead and develop academic, commercial, and governmental partnerships and coalitions.
(b) The institute shall employ a chief compliance officer to monitor compliance with this chapter and rules adopted under this chapter and to report to the oversight committee incidents of noncompliance.
(c) The chief executive officer may hire any other officer position the chief executive officer determines necessary for the institute's efficient operation.

But it's not. It's the new Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas created by SB 5, and it's a new state agency tasked with awarding $300 million annually in grants for research on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related disorders. It establishes a $3 billion constitutionally dedicated fund (pending voter approval via SJR 3), governed by multiple state-appointed committees and administered independently from the legislature's regular appropriations process.

By embedding public financing and governance into the medical research market, it distorts competition, favors entrenched institutions, and undermines the principle of limited government.

For what it's worth, the National Alzheimer's Project at the National Institute of Health in DC during a ten-year period was not quite $3 billion. Texas' initial investment of $3 billion, pulled from the general fund, is more than what was spent nationally in 10 years.

GOP Platform Conflict: Plank 62 (fiscal responsibility); Principle 4 (no government interference).

20250305_SB5_3R: Yea 29 (R 18, D 11) - Nay 2 (R 2, D 0)

Yea - A. Hinojosa; Alvarado; Bettencourt; Birdwell; Blanco; Campbell; Cook; Creighton; Eckhardt; Flores; Gutierrez; Hagenbuch; Huffman; Hughes; J. Hinojosa; Johnson; King; Kolkhorst; Menendez; Middleton; Miles; Nichols; Parker; Paxton; Perry; Schwertner; Sparks; West; Zaffirini

Nay - Hall; Hancock

RV#462: Yea 121 (R 63, D 58) - Nay 23 (R 23, D 0)
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Yea - Allen; Anchia; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Button; Campos; Canales; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dorazio; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gamez; Garcia Hernandez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; Gonzalez, J.; Gonzalez, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris Davila; Hefner; Hernandez; Hinojosa; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Kerwin; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Leo Wilson; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lozano; Lujan; Manuel; Martinez; McLaughlin; McQueeney; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Moody; Morales Shaw; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morgan; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Patterson; Paul; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Thompson; Turner; VanDeaver; Villalobos; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zweiner

Nay - Alders; Cain; Harrison; Hayes; Hickland; Holt; Hopper; Isaac; Little; Lowe; Luther; Money; Olcott; Pierson; Richardson; Schatzline; Shofner; Tepper; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; Vasut; Virdell

Absent - Martinez Fischer; Munoz; Rodriguez Ramos

Present, Not Voting - Burrows; Harris

Please note: the following statements by legislators do not affect the vote count that was recorded.

Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos: "When Record No. 462 was taken, I was in the house but away from my desk. I would have voted yes." (view other statements of vote for this Rep)

Sergio Munoz, Jr.: "When Record No. 462 was taken, my vote failed to register. I would have voted yes." (view other statements of vote for this Rep)

Trey Martinez Fischer: "When Record No. 462 was taken, I was temporarily out of the house chamber. I would have voted yes." (view other statements of vote for this Rep)

(Bill summary provided in part by Texas Policy Research)