Biography

Name: Joseph E. Moody

Age: 27

Occupation: Assistant District Attorney

Residence: West Side

Issues

1. What do you believe is the single largest priority for El Paso in the next legislative session?

While there are a multitude of issues that will arise in the next session of the legislature

that impact El Paso greatly, the single largest priority is to ensure full funding of the new

medical school.

2. Is there a leader of the El Paso delegation, should there be, and if so, who is it or who should it be?

Every member of the El Paso delegation is a leader in his or her own right, as it should

be. To single out a leader in the delegation would detract from the overall goals that El

Paso as a whole needs to reach. A team of leaders is always more likely to achieve

greater goals than a group of individuals trying to vie for a leadership position.

3. How specifically would you work with the delegation on the El Paso agenda? Would you commit to regular meetings both with legislators and staff?

I would work closely with the different members of the delegation by committing

myself to regularly scheduled meetings with the other members and their staffs.

Creating a venue to open up discussions amongst all of the members of the delegation

will allow us to present a united front for El Paso, and therefore allow more productivity

and success for the delegation.

4. Do you support toll roads? Under what circumstances ought tolls be used? How would you fund roads and highways if not through tolls?

A decision to privatize our roads may not be beneficial to the community as a whole.

Creating such a structure would provide the general public with no oversight as to how

the toll roads were being run. Instead, the legislature should revisit the issue of possibly

supplementing TXDOT with funds from the general revenue to help keep up with the

growing demands of the state.

5. What is the role of state government in community development, and what will you do to make it happen?

The state plays an integral role in community development, and has done so

throughout our history. The state can step into communities during times of crisis and

create stability and uniformity. However, there must be a balance. Local governments

must retain a good deal of autonomy to deal with local issues. To strip the local

authorities of their autonomy would do a disservice to communities across Texas.

6. Will you vote for Tom Craddick as House Speaker if he again is a candidate?

No.

7. Do you support expansion of CHIP, and if so, how will you ensure more people sign up and the program is funded?

The number of uninsured children in our community is staggering. The legislature

expanded CHIP coverage in the 80^th session, and I would support a continued expansion to address the growing numbers of uninsured children in Texas, and particularly El Paso. To do otherwise, would be ignoring reality. We must continue to spread the word about the program through PSAs and literature, but there is no sure fire way to ensure that everyone who is eligible will enroll. We must also remain vigilant in watching the federal government, so that the funding for this program will remain in place.

8. How would you balance the tax burden between sales taxes and business taxes? Is there too much of one or the other, and which would you cut or raise?

There is a delicate balance in place between the sales and the business tax. We have a

sales tax in Texas that is one of the highest in the nation. To increase that tax would

likely cripple the consuming public in El Paso. We also have a very vibrant community

of small businesses in El Paso that would be hit hard by any change in the business tax.

While this balance is not perfect by any means, the tax that needs the most attention is

the property tax. We must work to reduce that burden immediately.

9. Do you support the reopening of Speaking Rock, and what steps would you take to help it reopen?

The Tigua people deserve to have their casino restored to its most productive capacity.

While there will always be a debate about the benefits and detriments of such an

establishment, there is little doubt that the Tiguas were improving their quality of life

when the casino was open. That opportunity for their people should be restored, and I

will support any bill that aims to accomplish that goal.