Congressman Babin visits Highlands Rotary Club

Congressman Brian Babin

Congressman Brian Babin, the new Representative for House District 36, was a guest of the Highlands Rotary Club at its Tuesday luncheon this week.

A packed crowd heard Babin talk about his life’s journey through several careers, to arrive at his position in Congress, where his goal is to “try to help our country.”

He decried the nation’s drift away from the values esconced by the drafters of the Constitution. He is described as a conservative Republican, but not a Tea Party member, he says. He hopes his work will help to restore some of those missing values, in ethics and morals.

Babin was educated at Lamar University in Beaumont, and the University of Texas Dental School. He has been a practicing dentist since 1976, but is now retired. He also served in the United States Air Force.

Babin has been married 42 years, and has five children, with distinguished careers. One son was a Navy SEAL, and one daughter-in-law, Jenna Lee, is a TV news person, on Fox News.

He maintains five offices to serve his constituency, including Washington DC and his hometown of Woodville, Texas. His nearest office to this area is in Deer Park.

Babin was elected in 2014 after a Republican primary race against 12 opponents, and a run-off in which he won 58% of the vote. There were so many candidates, because this was a seat originally held by Steve Stockman, who declined to run for Congress in favor of an attempt at the Senate.

Prior to running for Congress, Babin held office in Woodville on the school board, on city council, and as Mayor.

He says he is proud to represent East Harris County, which he terms “the engine of our National Economy.”

Babin says “we both know that Washington is out of touch with everyday America. I’m already working hard to change the way Washington operates, to respect hard-working taxpayers and to make sure it works for you, not against you.”

“One of my top priorities is to build a healthy economy that creates opportunities for all Americans. As a small businessman, mayor, and member of the local school board, I’ve seen firsthand how Washington’s inefficient, ineffective and unaccountable regulations stand in the way of this goal. I’m advocating common sense reforms to rein in these agencies so that job creators can put Americans to work.

On specific issues, Babin feels that the federal EPA has too many regulations that hurt our local refineries; that the ACA or Affordable Care Act is wrong, and needs repealed; and favors the Keystone XL pipeline, and says studies prove it is not bad for the environment, and would create 42,000 construction jobs. He said the XL bills has passed both houses of Congress, and it will remain to be seen whether Obama will veto it. If so, Congress would need two-thirds majority to override.

He also favors more Border security, saying this is important because there is already indications of terrorists crossing the borders into the U.S.