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Rep. Lyle Larson Pushes Legislative Term Limits

Rep. Lyle Larson

We all saw Governor Rick Perry running for President while still getting a check for being Governor and the state paying for his personal security and some of his travel. Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, says it’s time for that to stop.

Larson has filed a bill called "Resign to Run" that would require candidates to resign from a state office if they are seeking a new position.

Larson is also pushing for tough term limits for state officials and lawmakers. He wants to stop the practice of diverting funds from state parks, and it sounds like he’s willing to make a deal on expanding Medicare in Texas.

Larson was first elected in 1991 to serve on San Antonio City Council for District 10 and served 2 terms. He sat on the Bexar County Commissioners Court 1997-2008.

In 2010 he was elected to the legislature, and in Austin he is making his mark as someone willing to buck the typical Republican brand. This is evident in some of the legislature that he’s put forth, which includes a bill that puts term limits on state elected officials.

In this interview with Larson we are getting an update on his bills in the current legislative session, how he wants to fix the funding for state parks and is a compromise possible on Obamacare that would expand Medicaid in the state.

"A lot of people were frustrated that someone can hold an office while they are running for another office and be out of state for six or eight months, or even running for US senate, you are not spending a lot of time doing the state business. If they had less than one year left I think that would be acceptable because that's what happens in County officials, but I think from the standpoint of the frustration that people had -- both republicans and democrats alike -- I think that that (his bill proposal) is probably a good way to reform the system that we have right now."

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David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi