Chris Bell: Biography

A true son of the Lone Star State, Chris Bell has lived his whole life in Texas. He was born in Abilene in 1959, the son of a decorated veteran. He grew up in Dallas, attending public schools. He went to the University of Texas at Austin, earning a journalism degree in 1982 and getting his first taste of politics when he led an effort to restore student government. After graduating, Chris worked as a successful television and radio journalist, being named "best radio reporter in the state" by the Texas Associated Press in 1990. He left journalism after receiving his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1992 and beginning a successful litigation practice.

Chris Bell began his career in public service after being elected to the Houston City Council in 1997. He quickly earned a reputation as a hardnosed watchdog against fiscal mismanagement and corruption. He helped pass the city's first property tax rate rollback, fought to curb wasteful spending, and sponsored a number of customer service initiatives. At a time when city government was plagued by questionable practices, Chris took over as chairman of the council's Ethics Committee and succeeded in passing landmark campaign finance and ethics reform bills. Under Chris's leadership, the Ethics Committee limited soft money in municipal elections, required lobbyists to register, and drafted a "revolving door" policy that prevented city employees from cashing in on their insider connections. These efforts to make city government more transparent and more accountable drew widespread praise from colleagues and community leaders from all different political backgrounds.

After five years on the Houston City Council, Chris Bell was elected to Congress in November 2002 and quickly earned a reputation as an incredibly effective freshman. He was called a "rising star" in Roll Call, the leading Capitol Hill newspaper. He served as a Senior Whip on the Democratic leadership team, secured millions of dollars for local projects, and served on four standing committees. He also founded and chaired the Port Security Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators who fought for federal resources to improve security at our nation's seaports.

But serving in Congress also gave Chris a chance to see firsthand the crippling effect of cynical partisanship. Honest debate was less common than partisan gamesmanship, genuine compromise was virtually unheard of, and the public interest consistently took a backseat to political interest. Chris became a prime target of the infamous 2003 Republican redistricting effort in the Texas Legislature, and he was defeated in his bid for reelection after his district was redrawn.

Not content to stand idly by and stomach the violation of laws and abuse of power that accompanied the redistricting effort, Chris filed a formal ethics complaint against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in June, 2004, breaking a seven-year "ethics truce" in Congress. Four months later, the House Ethics Committee responded by unanimously admonishing DeLay on two of Chris's charges and leaving a third on the table pending a criminal investigation in Texas.

Chris Bell currently lives in Houston with his wife, Alison Ayres Bell, and their two children, Atlee, nine, and Connally, seven. Chris has long been a champion for children, having served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Gulf Coast Region and the Houston / Harris County Joint Commission on Children. He also served on the boards of the Downtown Houston Association and American Diabetes Association and the advisory boards for the Houston Area Parkinson Society and Taping for the Blind, for whom he recorded a weekly radio show for ten years. Chris was also a longtime volunteer at the Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church Way Station, donating time on a weekly basis to cook for and feed the homeless. The Bells are active members of Christ Church Cathedral Episcopal Church in Houston.

Issues for Chris Bell

Rebuilding Public Education

In Texas, we have a constitutional obligation to provide children with a quality public education. But our obligation is more than merely statutory. Indeed, it is a moral imperative that we give every child in Texas the tools they will need to lift themselves up into the New Mainstream. And right now, we are failing to meet our moral commitment. Our supreme court has ruled that the public school system in Texas fails to meet even the bare minimum standards called for in our state constitution. By some estimates, the dropout rate in Texas public schools now tops 40%. We do such a poor job retaining quality teachers that fewer than half of all certified teachers in Texas are still in working in the classroom. By any standard, this system is broken.

Rick Perry's response is nothing more than a series of half-measures designed to paper over the crisis. The band-aid approach to fixing public education has failed, and what we need now is a top-to-bottom bipartisan review of our education system. Surely, we can think of better ways to plug the funding gap than the ideas that have come out of this legislative session so far. A tax on tap water, a tax on bottled water, a tax on snack foods, and a tax on strip clubs... these are all proposals floated by the partisans in Austin to solve the school funding crisis. Texas can do better than this.

We need to create a Bipartisan Commission on Public Education that will bring all sides to the table to seek real solutions and common ground, free from the political hackery that passes for business-as-usual in Austin these days.

The rebuilding of our public education system needs to go beyond the question of financing to address the equally important questions of what and how we are teaching our children. We need to stop wasting money on textbooks that are selected not for their educational value but for their ability to please partisan censors and state bureaucrats. We need to reject the hypocrisy that demands accountability in one breath and calls for massive budget cuts in the next breath. And we need to work harder to recruit and retain committed, talented educators.

Texas deserves the best public education system in the country, but we won't achieve this goal until we stop letting politics constantly interfere with the process. Education is about knowledge and empowerment, not about cynical partisanship. With new leadership and a renewed commitment to our shared moral obligation, Texas schools will shine once more.

Higher Education in Texas: An Agenda for Opportunity

Mainstream Texans understand that investing in our higher education system is a much better long-term economic development strategy then giving huge subsidies to big-box superstores. Higher education is the key to helping Texas remain at the cutting edge of tomorrow's economy. The next generation of Texans will join the New Mainstream only when we have a governor who shares these priorities:

• Ending tuition deregulation to keep college affordable for middle class families.

• Giving our public universities the state funding they need to remain world-class.

• Giving students a break at the bookstore by making textbooks tax-free.

• Vigorously defending the TEXAS Grant program and other initiatives to make a college degree accessible to all Texans willing to put in the hard work.

• Recognize the role community colleges fill in our state's economic development.

Ending Tuition Deregulation

Rick Perry's record in office has been marked by some pretty lousy policy initiatives, but tuition deregulation has to rank near the top. In 2003, Rick Perry signed HB 3015, which removed the caps that have kept our world-class public colleges and universities affordable to middle class families. The result of tuition deregulation was a 23-percent average increase in tuition at our state schools, including a 37-percent spike at UT-Austin that was the highest tuition increase of any school in the country. Skyrocketing tuition rates also forced the comptroller's office to suspend the Texas Tomorrow Fund, the popular pre-payment program that helped keep the best and brightest of the next generation here in the state.

Rick Perry likes to brag about how he balanced the budget without raising taxes. Well, he balanced it alright! He balanced it on the backs of every mom and dad struggling to send their kids to college, not to mention the students taking out huge loans just to pay for Rick Perry's balanced budget. Try telling these folks that the largest tuition increase in the country is any different from a massive tax hike.

Raising barriers to higher education is more than just unfair; it’s also bad policy. At a time when more and more jobs require a college degree, we can’t afford to be restricting access to our world-class colleges and universities. Tuition deregulation has failed in Texas, and it’s time to put that genie back in the bottle. As governor, Chris Bell will fight to end tuition deregulation and restore the Texas Tomorrow Fund.

Make higher ed a higher state priority

Ending deregulation will help keep a college degree within the reach of middle class Texans, but it must be accompanied by a greater state commitment to higher education funding. The Legislative Budget Board has also proposed cutting $8.5 million in higher ed funding for 2006-2007, even as the UT system needs a 7-percent funding increase just to sustain current per-student spending levels. Without a greater commitment to fully funding higher education, we’ll end up starving our state colleges and universities of the resources they need to remain world class.

Rick Perry thinks that giving $300 million dollars to the Texas Enterprise Fund is the best way to invest in our state’s economic future. Mainstream Texans realize that an investment in higher education is money better spent than yet another round of multi-million dollar corporate giveaways. As governor, Chris Bell will fight to suspend the Enterprise Fund and commit that money instead to higher education and job training.

Tax-Free Textbooks

College students struggling to meet the financial burdens of higher tution payments deserve a break, which is why Chris Bell applauded efforts in the 2005 legislative session by Sen. Judith Zaffirini and Rep. Aaron Pena to pass a bill creating twice-yearly tax-free weekends on textbooks.

One recent survey found that 43-percent of students had skipped buying at least one of their required textbooks because of the price. Exempting textbooks from the state sales tax isn’t going to break anyone’s bank, but at a time when a yearly texbook bill for full-time studetnts can easily wind up in four figures, every little bit helps. With many students already juggling multiple jobs trying to keep up with Rick Perry’s unregulated tuition increases, let’s give students a break on their textbooks. If Texas can offer a tax-free weekend for clothes and shoes, we can do the same for college textbooks.

Defend the TEXAS Grant Program

With tuitions soaring thanks to deregulation, the importance of financial aid to middle- and low-income students hoping to continue their education past high school has never been greater. TEXAS Grants, which provide scholarships to deserving low-income Texans, is a phenomenal program for expanding access and opprtunity. Unfortunately, the budget signed by Rick Perry in 2005 will cut the TEXAS Grant program by 20,000 students by 2007.

Texas students deserve an opportunity to achieve as far as their talents and hard work can take them, and they deserve a governor who’ll fight to expand those opportunities instead of slamming the door in their face. As governor, Chris Bell will fight to defend the TEXAS Grant program and expand educational opportunities for all Texans.

The Importance of Community Colleges

Any discussion of higher education in Texas must acknowledge the important role filled by our state’s community colleges. More students are currently enrolled in state and community colleges in Texas than in four-year public universities. Community colleges also accounted for two-thirds of all enrollment growth among Texas higher education institutions in 2005.

Texas needs a governor who recognizes the growing importance of two-year colleges to the development of our state’s workforce. Unfortunately, Rick Perry just doesn’t get it. Perry cut state funding for two-year colleges by three percent in 2003, forcing institutions to raise tuition increase by an average of 23-percent. As governor, Chris Bell will defend community college funding to expand the educational opportunities available to Texans.

Honoring our National Guardsmen

The story of Texas is the story of heroes, of ordinary men and women accomplishing extraordinary feats in the name of freedom. At the Alamo and at San Jacinto, Texans from all walks of life came together to fight, and die, for liberty. Today, citizen soldiers cut from the same cloth are defending freedom on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are currently about 4,000 members of the Texas National Guard deployed overseas, representing the single largest deployment of the Texas Guard since World War II. These citizen soldiers are placing their lives on the line to fight terrorism, protect budding democracies, and create a more peaceful world, and it is our duty to honor their sacrifice by providing their families with the support they deserve here at home.

Rep. Pete Gallego (D — Alpine) has introduced H.B. 2691, the Rick Noriega Military Assistance Act, named in honor of Rep. Rick Noriega (D — Houston) who is currently serving in Afghanistan with his Texas Guard unit. This legislation would grant tuition exemptions to guardsmen attending state colleges and universities, create a temporary assistance fund to grant low-interest loans to guardsmen called to active duty, and grant an additional $100,000 life insurance policy to all guardsmen on active duty.

Rick Perry is quick to applaud our guardsmen for their service, but they deserve more than just a pat on the back. Let's give these heroes the support that they deserve by honoring their service with actions rather than words.

Protecting Kids

There is no more stinging indictment of Rick Perry's budget priorities than our state's abject failure to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us from abuse and neglect.

In 1998, Governor George W. Bush declared that the Child Protective Services system in Texas was in crisis and that more CPS caseworkers were needed to reduce caseloads to manageable levels. At the time, the average caseload was 24 children for each CPS social worker, already twice the recommended national standard. Gov. Bush saw that caseloads this high were simply unacceptable and that our state's moral obligation to protect its most vulnerable children was absolute.

Today, after years of Rick Perry's CPS budget cuts, the average caseload has risen to 74, fully six times the recommended maximum for national accreditation.

Rick Perry likes to brag about how he went about balancing the budget, but no budget is balanced that fails so miserably to account for the human cost visited upon the weakest among us. And the human cost for this line item is nothing short of staggering: Over 500 children have lost their lives because of abuse and neglect since Rick Perry took office.

This legislative session, Rick Perry finally acknowledged the crisis in the CPS system, but his emergency "solution" called for reducing caseloads to 45 children per worker. Perry is willing to settle for caseloads nearly twice as high as the ones his predecessor, George W. Bush, deemed a crisis!

Rick Perry does not understand that budgets are more than numbers on a line item. Budgets are moral documents that reflect our shared moral priorities as a society. And when you look at the governor's budget priorities in light of the crisis at CPS, the indictment is clear: Rick Perry does not share the values of the New Mainstream.

Fighting for Rural Texas

As a former Agriculture Commissioner and a rancher himself, you'd think that Rick Perry could be counted on to protect the interests of rural Texas. But when the big-money lobbyists and corporate insiders asked Perry to line up against ranchers and farmers in support of the biggest land-grab in recent history, Perry didn't hesitate.

Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor would force farmers and ranchers to give up huge chunks of land to the state to support a toll road system that has been a case study in cronyism, insider dealings, and conflicts of interest. It's no surprise that the Texas Farm Bureau has voiced loud opposition to Perry’s plan, but they are hardly alone. Citizen groups are springing up all around the state to stop Rick Perry, helping to give a voice to the New Mainstream Texans who don't want to give up their farms or ranches to support a multi-billion dollar Austin boondoggle.

And the toll road boondoggle isn't Rick Perry's only failure of leadership for rural Texas. Methamphetamine abuse has risen to crisis levels in many of our rural communities, but there’s hardly been a response from the governor’s office. Law enforcement officials report that discoveries of meth labs in the state have increased 167 percent in the last two years, but all Rick Perry has done is give $50,000 to fund a “meth watch” center in East Texas. The time for “watching” has long passed; what we need now is action and leadership.

We know how to fight this scourge: Oklahoma saw meth lab busts fall by 70 percent after a law was passed banning over-the-counter sales of pseudophedrine, the key ingredient in meth production. But Rick Perry has failed to provide the leadership to enact this necessary measure here in our own state. I don’t like finishing second to Oklahoma in anything, especially when it comes to fighting the war on drugs. Republican Senator Craig Estes has introduced a package of anti-meth measures that would go a long way towards wiping out this scourge, but there hasn’t been even a word of support from the Governor’s office. Rick Perry is simply not fighting for rural Texas.

Healing the Sick

I was addressing an adult Sunday school series on politics and faith in Houston last year when one of my Republican friends posed a question that stumped me. "Jesus had the most radical social agenda in the history of the world," he began. "Why don't Democrats ever invoke that?"

It was a good question. In the past, I was as guilty as any other Democrat in being hesitant to speak of political issues in moral and religious terms. But I have come to realize that there are some policy areas in which I can best articulate my political beliefs by also articulating the Christian values in which these beliefs are rooted.

Health care policy is the clearest example of this. Jesus himself walked from town to town healing the sick in order to manifest God's love for us. In Texas today, we have no less of a calling to heal the sick, for the mandate of the New Mainstream is rooted in the belief that we are all in this together. In the New Mainstream, quality health care can not be a privilege reserved for just the fortunate and the well-connected.

But under Rick Perry's leadership, we are falling far short of this moral calling. We aren't healing the sick when nearly 1 in 4 Texans is without health insurance, the highest uninsured rate in the country. We aren't healing the sick when our governor responds to a budget crunch by kicking 170,000 children out of the CHIP program, passing up $800 million in federal matching funds, and losing $20 million through mismanagement. We aren't healing the sick when we pass the cost of care for the uninsured onto rural hospitals and local governments.

And we aren't healing the sick by playing politics with potentially life-saving research on stem cells. The spirit of exploration and discovery has always been central to the story of Texas. Pioneers settled Texas, and Texans pioneered the exploration of space. Today, the new frontiers we seek to conquer here in Texas are found in the research labs of our hospitals and universities, but some politicians in Austin want to put the brakes on scientific discovery by banning stem cell research. This is not a partisan issue; Republican governors in New York and California have launched aggressive programs to fund cutting-edge stem cell projects in their state. Meanwhile, Texas is being left behind.

Jesus never said "Heal the sick, unless politics gets in the way." And yet that's the attitude that pervades in Austin today. We need new leadership and a renewed commitment to fixing a broken health care system. Only then will we be meeting our moral obligation to the sick.

Expanding Home Ownership

The politicians in Austin have come up with some pretty ridiculous ways to tax us in recent years, from the snack tax to the tap water tax to the strip club tax. These tax proposals have ranged from the arbitrary to the absurd, but none is as troubling as the real estate transfer tax.

There isn’t a better way to kill middle-class prosperity in Texas than to tax the quintessential American Dream of buying a home, but that’s exactly what Rick Perry wants to do. Only in Rick Perry’s inner circle could erecting new barriers to home ownership seem like a good way to balance the budget.

The state realtors’ association predicts that the home tax will depress the real estate market, contribute to widespread job losses, and slow consumer spending. It’s just bad economic policy but worse, it’s bad economic policy that undermines the very core of the American Dream.

Rick Perry just doesn’t understand that his fiscal decisions have moral consequences. The shared values of the New Mainstream dictate that we must lift Texans up, not construct new obstacles to prosperity. It’s simply wrong to try to balance the budget by erecting new barriers to home ownership, and our governor ought to understand that.

Finding Common Ground

I have no desire to spend the rest of my adult life stuck in a partisan trench, refusing to give an inch toward common ground. That’s the way things work in Washington and sadly, I see Rick Perry adopting that as his model here in Texas.

Texas has a long tradition of bipartisan cooperation. It was barely an exaggeration when Austin insiders used to joke that Gov. Bush would spend more time meeting with the Democrats in the legislature than he did with his own party’s leadership. Our elected leaders have historically been willing to leave their partisan trenches and seek the middle ground of compromise when the best interests of the state demanded it.

But in Rick Perry’s Texas, this bipartisan spirit has given way to the broken politics of cynical partisanship. We’ve scrapped the best Texas traditions of pragmatism and compromise in favor of the worst Washington tradition of partisan stagnation. And the whole problem can be traced back to lawmakers who are more interested in self-preservation than in strengthening democracy.

The partisan redistricting process has clearly failed here in Texas. Lawmakers of both parties would rather draw themselves safe districts than leave themselves vulnerable to the will of the people. The result is elected officials who are completely insulated from November’s voices and must answer only to the partisans of March. In this environment, seeking common ground becomes a political liability rather than a hallmark of responsible governance. Civility, pragmatism, and the bipartisan spirit quickly become casualties in the partisan war of attrition.

We need to take the politics out of the redistricting process. We’ve reached the point where voters have less say in picking their representatives than the representatives have in picking their voters. This isn’t democracy, it’s lunacy. Texas should follow the lead of states like Iowa, where a non-partisan arm of the legislature draws the maps, or California, where Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed letting an independent panel of retired judges draw the maps.

This may sound like sour grapes coming from someone who lost his last race due to partisan gerrymandering, but this is much more than a personal issue. I’m not running for governor and talking about redistricting reform because I lost my seat in Congress, but because partisan gerrymandering has denied us all a seat at the table. The corrosive partisanship that has marked Rick Perry’s time in office is not good for Texas, but with new leadership and redistricting reform we can renew the spirit of bipartisanship in the Lone Star State.

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