Texas State Representative, District 129

Dennis Paul is a Republican who has represented Texas House District 129 in southeast Harris County since 2015². A civil engineer, his campaign says he is the only professional engineer in the Legislature and led the creation of the Gulf Coast Protection District for the Galveston Bay storm surge barrier². He is running for the open Senate seat left by Mayes Middleton, who ran for attorney general⁴.

Where they stand 18 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familyhigh

  Voted · high confidence

  • His campaign says every parent has a right to make educational choices and that he will protect new opportunities for educational freedom while supporting full public school funding. (2025-12) source
  • Voted yes on SB 2, which created a state education savings account program that families can use to pay for private school; it passed the House 86 to 61. (2025-04-17) source
• Property taxesEliminate school property taxes and replace them with sales tax or state moneymedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign says he is committed to expanding compression, raising the homestead exemption and ultimately eliminating school property taxes while keeping schools funded. (2025-12) source
• ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign says he has consistently supported Operation Lone Star and the state's aggressive border security measures, and will keep championing strong enforcement. (2025-12) source
  • Voted yes on SB 4 (2023), which made illegal entry into Texas a state crime; it passed the House 83 to 61. (2023-11-14) source
  • Voted yes on SB 8 (2025), which requires certain sheriffs to seek agreements with ICE; it passed the House 86 to 47. (2025-05-25) source
• Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • His campaign says he will keep fighting to keep violent criminals off the streets. (2025-12) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1900, which penalizes large cities that cut police budgets; it passed the House 90 to 49. (2021-05-07) source
  • Voted yes on SB 9, which tightened bail procedures and regulated charitable bail groups; it passed the House 118 to 25. (2025-05-20) source
• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 8, the Texas Heartbeat Act; it passed the House 83 to 64. (2021-05-06) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1280, the law banning abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned, which allows an exception for a medical emergency; it passed the House 81 to 61. (2021-05-06) source
  • Voted yes on HB 7, which restricts the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs; it passed the House 82 to 48. (2025-08-28) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on the final version of HB 1927, which allows adults to carry a handgun without a license; the House adopted it 82 to 62. (2021-05-23) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 1 (2021), the election law overhaul that added mail ballot ID rules and limited some voting options; the House adopted it 80 to 41. (2021-08-31) source
• RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantagemedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 4, which redrew Texas U.S. House districts in 2025, four years after the 2021 maps; it passed the House 88 to 52. (2025-08-20) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 25, which requires K-12 athletes to compete based on sex assigned at birth; it passed the House 76 to 54. (2021-10-14) source
  • Voted yes on SB 15 (2023), which requires college athletes to compete based on biological sex; it passed the House 95 to 50. (2023-05-18) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 14, which bans gender transition procedures and treatments for minors; it passed the House 87 to 56. (2023-05-15) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 17 (2023), which bars DEI offices at public colleges, with some exceptions; it passed the House 83 to 62. (2023-05-22) source
  • Voted yes on SB 12 (2025), which bars DEI duties in public K-12 schools and expands parental rights; it passed the House 88 to 47. (2025-05-25) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 900, which regulates library materials sold to or kept in public school libraries; it passed the House 95 to 52. (2023-04-20) source
  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 13, which sets up school library advisory councils and expands parental rights over library materials; the House adopted it 81 to 48. (2025-05-31) source
• Religion in schoolsSupport laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 10, which requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms; it passed the House 82 to 46. (2025-05-25) source
• China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app salesmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 17 (2025), which restricts Texas land purchases by people and entities from certain countries including China; it passed the House 86 to 59. (2025-05-09) source
• AI data centersWelcome them, but make them pay their full share of grid and water costsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 6, which set rules for how very large electricity users such as data centers connect to the grid and share related costs; it passed the House 103 to 25. (2025-05-27) source
• Housing and growthAllow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 15, which bars certain large cities from requiring large minimum lot sizes for new homes; it passed the House 86 to 43. (2025-05-28) source
• School vaccinesKeep requirements with simple personal-belief exemptionslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1586, which requires the state to post the school vaccine exemption affidavit form online; it passed the House 83 to 54. (2025-05-14) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 441, which lowered the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana; it passed the House 88 to 40. (2021-04-30) source
  • Voted no on HB 218, a similar bill lowering penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana; it passed the House 87 to 59. (2023-04-27) source
  • Voted no on HB 46, which expanded the state's medical low-THC cannabis program; it passed the House 122 to 21. (2025-05-13) source
  • Voted yes on SB 3, which would have banned most consumable hemp products containing THC; it passed the House 87 to 54 and was later vetoed. (2025-05-22) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Energy and climate, Texas power grid, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate.