Commentary: Assembly Republicans represent the interests of Californians
As a member of the Assembly Republican Caucus, I have fought for everyday Californians all year. It is an honor to work with a united and effective group of elected officials who have come to Sacramento to serve their communities.
As we close out the first part of the 2015-16 legislative session, Assembly Republicans can look back on many great victories that will make our state better for all.
Throughout the year, we prevented Democrats from raising taxes more than $30 billion and held them accountable for their poor budgeting and failure to prioritize funds for core government functions.
While Democrats failed to present a realistic plan to fix our state’s crumbling roads, Assembly Republicans proposed the only comprehensive transportation funding plan on the table this year.
We also stopped the majority party’s proposed expansion of unproven and untested regulations in Senate Bill 32, which would have extended onerous regulations that would have increased electricity prices and taken away opportunities for Californians looking for work.
Republicans fought to lower the tax burden of working Californians by supporting the creation of a state earned income tax credit. Democrats, in contrast, proposed $30 billion in new taxes to bail them out of their poor choices. This is despite $15 billion in new revenue over the past two years and a projected surplus next year.
I was proud to join my fellow Republicans in promoting legislation to enable innovation and help the state take advantage of the sharing economy through our #GrowTogetherCA legislative package. Too often, the majority party embraced the status quo that stifles new ideas. Embracing the sharing economy will make it easier for Californians to work to support their families and be their own boss.
We also prevented a Democrat plan to raise the health insurance premiums of hard-working Californians, and fought for more money for the developmentally disabled.
But we are not finished yet, as critical issues such as water, education and transportation still have not been adequately addressed.
In the coming months, we will continue to push for our transportation plan to direct more than $6 billion to fix California’s crumbling roads and get workers to work without raising taxes.
Republicans also want to do more to help communities suffering from a lack of available resources. That’s why we are leading a bipartisan effort calling for a special session to expedite water bond funding that voters approved last fall.
It’s time to fix our failing schools once and for all. Earlier this year, Republicans proposed a #GreatSchools4CA legislative package to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn from a great teacher. These reforms received strong support from education leaders across the state. Unfortunately, the majority party failed to act on these bills, forcing parents and students to wait another year for education reform.
As your elected representative, I will continue to represent your interests in Sacramento and advocate for transparency, accountability and rationality.
MATTHEW HARPER (R-Huntington Beach) represents the 74th Assembly District, which includes Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods and Laguna Beach. He is a former mayor of Huntington Beach.