Trusted to Lead

+ Public Education

Brad is the grandson, son, and husband of career public school educators, and is a graduate of Killeen ISD public schools. Brad was a co-author of HB3, the Texas Plan, a comprehensive reform bill for public education. He proudly supported legislation to fund all day pre-kindergarten education for socio-economically disadvantaged children across the state of Texas. The Texas Plan also added $2 billion in teacher pay raises, because he believes that the sure bet for success is to put the best teacher in front of kids and let them teach.

As a veterinarian, Brad runs tests every day on his patients, and those tests exist to diagnose a problem or give direction for the next step. The STAAR test does neither. Brad believes that the school accountability system needs to be reformed in a way that allows teachers to evaluate their students in a meaningful way.

Retired educators have dedicated their lives to educate our children. In the 86th and 87th legislative sessions, Brad was proud to support and pass legislation that provided for a 13th check, kept a lid on sky-rocketing health insurance costs, and started the process to make TRS actuarily sound. Brad will keep fighting for public education, our retired educators, and our children.

+ Veterans' Issues

The freedom we enjoy in this great state and nation is because of the selfless sacrifice and service of our Veterans. As Vice-Chair of the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee, Representative Buckley works tirelessly to provide the resources for Texas to defend our border and stand in the gap created by the federal government and to ensure that Texas's veterans services are secure. In the 86th legislature, while sitting on the Texas House Appropriations Committee, Brad fought for an additional $14 million for the Texas Veterans Commission, the Women Veterans Program, the Veteran Entrepreneurship Program, and Veterans Treatment Courts to provide necessary services and support for those who have sacrificed so much for us.

In the 86th and 87th legislatures, Brad has secured additional funds for the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption program to make certain that our counties and cities can provide necessary services that our veterans and all our citizens deserve.

+ Protecting our Second Amendment Rights

Brad believes that the Constitution is the fundamental guideline for our country, and the Second Amendment is specific to our right to bear arms, protect ourselves, and protect our families. During the 86th legislative session, Brad supported and passed legislation that gave equal Second Amendment protections for families with foster children, to better define and strengthen our concealed carry laws, and gives people the ability to protect their life and property during times of natural disaster. Brad has an AQ rating from the National Rifle Association and the Texas State Rifle Association.

+ Valuing Life

Brad believes that life is a gift from God. It is sacred, begins at conception, and ends at natural death. In the 87th Legislature, Brad was proud to co-author the Texas Heartbeat Bill, ensuring thousands of lives are saved in Texas. In the 86th Legislature, Brad supported the Infant Born Alive Protection Act, which protects babies who survive abortions by requiring doctors to provide the highest standard of medical care possible in an attempt to save the baby’s life. Brad also believes that we must protect elderly Texans. He supports efforts to strengthen guardianship protections so that the most vulnerable are not taken advantage of.

+ Property Taxes and Appraisal Reform

Appraisals in our district are rising at an unsustainable rate. We need to reform the appraisal system in Texas in a way that fairly and equitably values our properties. In many cases, property taxes are pricing people out of their own homes, and even those who rent their homes are impacted by skyrocketing appraisals. Similar to those in place for homeowners, Brad supports protections for commercial property owners that will limit appraisal hikes and protect small business owners from unreasonable tax increases. It is important that any increases in property value be gradual and predictable for property owners and tenants alike.

Brad was a co-sponsor and helped pass Senate Bill 2, the Texas Taxpayer Transparency Act, which will provide clarity on taxing entities, rates, assessed values, changes in value, and dates and times of protest to assure that citizens can be actively involved in the process. SB 2 also provides a 3.5% revenue cap on taxing entities to ensure accountability and responsibility to citizens. Effectively, if an entity wants to increase their revenues above 3.5%, an automatic election would be triggered and citizens would be required to vote to confirm it.

+ Water

Water is one of our most valuable resources and must be protected at all costs. With the growth in Bell and Lampasas Counties, maintaining, protecting, and growing our water sources should always be at the forefront of our minds. This is why Brad authored and passed legislation in the 86th session to commission the Texas Water Development Board to study the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers to assess how they are affecting groundwater conditions. Accurate data is the only way to move forward in being good stewards of the water we have, and maximizing its usage and potential for communities across Central Texas. Studies are underway that will evaluate the suitability for storing excess surface water in our aquifers to help replenish our supply of water for the future.