Congressman Pete Sessions – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Town Hall with Rep. Pete Sessions

Morgan Robertson

Although Pete Sessions has been in Congress for 20-plus years, he has only represented the Huntsville area for less than a year. In that time, he’s held several events here, and this week, he held a “town hall.” With him were district staff, including Ingrid Cuero, an SHSU student interning in his office. I was also there to take photos, and to catch up on the goings-on in Washington.

Congressman Sessions began by providing updates on legislation everyone should be aware of during session, including healthcare, Medicare, border security and inflation. With all these issues on the table, it’s no surprise there were many folks from the community on hand, many of them with a lot to say.

In addition, it was nice to see many of our local officials on hand, including County Judge, Colt Christian; County Clerk, Leslie Woolley; District Attorney, Will Durham; Mayor Andy Brauninger; City Manager, Aron Kulhavy; Assistant City Manager Sam Masiel.

As a LEAP Ambassador, it was also nice to see many from the University present. We were able to say hi to SHSU’s Chief Strategy Officer, General Glaser; Vice President of University Advancement, Matthew Bethea; Deputy to the President, McCartney Johnson; Executive Assistant, Jennifer Alexander. The University has been very supportive of our internship programs and us individually, giving us a lot to be grateful for.

It’s great to see our University officials, local officials, and congressional representatives working together!

The Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics is non-partisan. The Center does provide internships to elected officials of both parties, and LEAP Ambassadors often attend town-halls, council meetings, or commissioner court meetings to become more informed about their community.

Republican Roundup: 2022

Jessica Cuevas

With elections a little less than a month away, the Republican Party of Walker County and the Walker County Republican Women held a “Republican Roundup” Wednesday evening at the Walker Education Center.

When Morgan, Ingrid, and I arrived to volunteer the room was bare, but as it drew closer to the beginning of the event the room began to be filled with people from left to right.

When the clock struck 6:00 pm, Mrs. Linda McKenzie announced for everyone to take their seats and Johnny Uribe, of the SHSU College Republicans, led the pledges and Precinct Chair Joe Pat Whitehead the invocation. Everyone in the room was ready to hear from elected officials but mainly to support and hear from those that are racing to the finish line.

Former vice-chair for Texas’ Republican Party, Cat Parks, was the highlight of the night as she encouraged everyone in the room to not only vote in November but to take a buddy with us. Despite her retirement, there is still a lot of work that she would like to see happen in the State of Texas. She shared her stories of how she came to be involved in politics and the importance of making everyone around you and those you meet feel loved and welcomed. You never know when someone needs an encouraging message, she is very grateful and showed her gratitude to Chairwoman Mrs. Linda McKenzie for being kind to her.

With Congressman Brady finishing up his term on the third of January, Congressman Pete Sessions–who will represent most of Huntsville in the next Congress, expressed how thankful he is for being able to work alongside Brady in DC, but is also excited and looking forward to seeing all the things that he will hopefully accomplish alongside soon-to-be Congressman, Morgan Luttrell (who will represent the southern tip of Huntsville).

Having flown back from New York, Morgan Luttrell shared his experiences there, as well as a bit of a vision for the future, representing parts of Montgomery and Walker Counties.

Colt Christian on the other hand, reminded us of why he is running and why we should show up to the polls and vote.

As the event began to wrap up, Judge Pierce, Judge Payne, and Jim Henry all shared a few words expressing their gratitude for everyone in the room who continuously supported them, especially their families.

If nothing else, the two things that people who were in attendance walked away with were:

(1) making sure you vote this election

(2) showing your gratitude and being kind to others.

Early voting begins on October 24^th and will be available through November 4^th, for early voting you may go to the HEART Veterans Museum, also referred to as the storm shelter. Be sure to get out there and vote early to avoid the long lines on election day, November 8^th!

Changing of the Guard–at the Congressional Level

January 31, 2022, Mario Ocampo

As the Lone Star State increases its share in the Electoral College to 40 votes, such gains also bring redistricting, with the government attempting to redraw districts so that they have equal populations. With new lines drawn, Walker County will be split into two districts: rt of Walker County will continue to be represented by the Texas’s 8th Congressional District (currently help by Congressman Kevin Brady) and the northern part will be represented by TX Congressional District 17 (Congressman Pete Sessions).

At the Texas Prison Museum, we had the opportunity to meet our current (Brady) and (likely) new (Sessions) Congressman! Some local and state candidates were also in attendance, and some even took the opportunity to ask Congressman Pete Sessions questions. The LEAP Ambassadors, almost front and center, listened attentively.

An audience member pressed Congressman Pete Sessions on his stance on a bill filed by Congressman Kevin Brady. The bill, also known as the “High-Speed Rail Land Acquisition Assurance Act,” was filed on January 10, 2022. This bill ensures that Texas Central’s high-speed rail and other high-speed rail projects cannot seize taxpayer land for projects that will never be started.

As filed, the High-Speed Rail Land Acquisition Assurance Act will require companies to acquire all the land needed to finish a high-speed rail project before construction can begin.

In his response, Congressman Pete Sessions reassured the citizens that he opposed private interest corporations using eminent domain to take someone’s private property. He plans to work diligently with Congressman Kevin Brady in protecting Texas citizens’ rights.

With the transition of redistricting and his retirement announcement, Congressman Kevin Brady reminded Walker County’s people of his commitment to finish the job until the very end. After serving for over two decades, Congressman Kevin Brady’s absence will be felt in Walker County. To offer just a small example, the LEAP Center has placed more than 20 interns in Congressman Brady’s office, and he has hired eight of them as staff.

With this history in mind, the LEAP Ambassadors are looking forward to similar opportunities in both CD 17 and 8.

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