“Crafting this budget entailed a long day on the House floor and a lot of teamwork,” Parker said. “In the end I am proud of the state budget that my colleagues and I have put forward. I believe that this two-year spending plan reflects Texas’ priorities by not raising taxes and investing heavily in education. We have also extended mental health services to another 6,300 Texans, delivered a pay increase to our state law enforcement officers and strengthened our public pensions.”

When committee assignments were released at the end of January, I was honored to be selected as Chair of the Corrections Committee. In the two months since, I have taken in a wealth of information on our criminal justice system. Our system, which is one of the largest in the world, currently employees more than 37,000 individuals, has an annual budget of $3.1 billion, houses over 150,000 incarcerated offenders in 111 correctional facilities and supervises more than 87,000 offenders under active parole

Parker – a Flower Mound Republican who’s serving his fourth term in the House – initiated the Ukrainians fact-finding trip to Texas when he was in their country on private business in June. Parker makes a living making deals in the private equity business when he’s not on the public clock as a lawmaker. But he doesn’t just measure success in dollar signs. Parker sees the relations that he’s forged with the Ukrainians as an opportunity for economic collaboration that can be mutually beneficial and a step toward global security as well.