Nichols thinks back on his freshman year
Newest state senator recalls first lege session
By Cathy Krafve features@bullardnews.com

Nichols

Intense describes Robert Nichols, the Jacksonville native who recently finished his freshman term as the Texas State senator from our district, District 3. Focused. All-business. Passionate. He has a passion for the issues that concern the everyday people of East Texas; issues like private property, toll roads, and tax relief.

And why shouldn't he be passionate about those things that interest local people? After all, he cut his political teeth 15 minutes down Highway 69 in Jacksonville where he was first elected to serve on the City Council and later to serve as Mayor of Jacksonville.

If you exit out of the McDonald's parking lot onto Neches Street and look to your right, you'll see his office.

Step inside and you'll find Wyma Green manning the desk as his District Administrator. Bullard is in the heart of District 3.

To get an idea of just how big District 3 really is, you have to think from the southern part of Tyler to the northern part of Houston. Extending along the Louisiana border for three counties from Beaumont in the southeast to Cedar Creek in the west, it includes "Gun Barrel City and Cut and Shoot, Texas which gives you not only a little history of the district, but an idea of the disposition of the residents," laughs Nichols, giving former District 3 Senator and current Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Todd Staples credit for the original quote.

The area is home to Nichols who graduated with Donna, his wife of 31 years, from Jacksonville High School.

They raised their three children here, started a number of manufacturing businesses, and somehow found time to be involved in civic efforts as well.

He is mindful that District 3 is the same "circuit" where his grandfather and his uncle, both named Lewis Nichols, spent over 50 years preaching in small town churches. His grandfather wanted a preacher in every generation and used to ask grandson Robert "if I got the callin' yet," Nichols says, smiling at the memory of his grandfather. Community service is part of his family heritage.

For a man used to getting things done, one thing that tried his patience as a new senator was "the needless laws; minor little changes that drive you nuts."

While he takes his job seriously, Nichols enjoys a good laugh, especially when working to find solutions to complex problems in the recent session. For example, there was a Friday afternoon when all the senators were worn out from pushing through multiple bills. In an effort to finish up several weeks of work, each bill that particular day was being considered and voted on first in the House and, then, sent over to the Senate for discussion and voting.

This process meant that there was lag time between each vote and as the afternoon dragged on, it became more and more tedious.

One House bill up for consideration dealt with a serious problem that became evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. Apparently, many people refused to evacuate their homes because they feared for the safety of their pets.

The proposed bill offered solutions, including ways of providing for lost pets in the event of disaster until they could be retrieved by their families. It was expected to pass without controversy.

Usually, the Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Senate, the office of presiding officer.

When the Disaster Relief Bill came through on that Friday afternoon, however, Sen. Kim Brimer of Fort Worth was filling the position on the dais behind the podium. In a conspiracy to entertain their fellow senators in the lag time between bills, he gave the floor to Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa of McAllen who called for an amendment to the bill. Hinojosa's amendment changed the law's name to Simba's Law, in honor of his family pet.

He proceeded to entertain the Senate with heart-rending stories of the adventures of Simba, loyal friend and pet of the Hinojosa family.

Soon, senators from all over the state were adding their pets' names to the bill. Finally, Sen. Eddie Lucio, from Brownsville, who happens to be Latino, proposed an amendment to consider whether there should be special attention given for documented, legal, registered Chihuahuas, a friendly satire on the difficult and contentious issue of illegal immigration.

Both chambers have television monitors allowing them to keep up with the proceedings in the other chamber.

The punch line of the joking came when the Representative who had sponsored the Disaster Relief Bill in the House came busting through the doors of the Senate to be sure they weren't really messing up his bill.

"Laughing that hard made the two year campaign worth every minute," says Nichols, who adds that, fortunately, when the bill made its next stop in the conference committee, "apparently, they stripped all thirty of the (pets') names off the bill."

His first session as a Texas senator brought Nichols victories and disappointments. One of his biggest disappointments involved the property tax relief bill he proposed immediately upon arriving in Austin.

While he has first-hand understanding about the difficulties that local governments face with tax revenues, he can't help but sympathize with the individual property owners that he knows in his district.

"A lot of people are getting literally taxed out of their homes," he says, adding that our government has the responsibility to promote homeownership, rather than hindering the process.

Of course, the current laws allow local governments to increase property taxes up to 10 percent annually.

While it is technically true that some local governing entities keep their tax rates level, the reality is that, because of inflation and increasing property value appraisals, tax bills go up each year.

The proposal would have limited increases in the tax rate to only 5 percent annually, still allowing increased property values to translate into increased tax revenues locally, but putting a lower cap on ever increasing tax bills.

When Nichols left the mayor's office, Jacksonville had the lowest tax rate in twenty years. He knew personally what could be done at the local level to increase services and make local government more efficient, while bringing tax rates down.

Not everyone shared his enthusiasm for the idea. With 16 counties and 110 cities represented in his district, Nichols got calls from all kinds of governing officials, pressuring him to relent on tax relief for property owners.

In spite of the overwhelming pressure, there were a few senators that stood with him. "There were at least seven or eight (senators in favor of the idea)," he jokes about the odds against them.

It took four whole months for his proposal to get a hearing in the committee. He personally polled the members of the committee until he knew there were at least 10 no-votes.

With only 15 members on that committee, he did not need to continue. "It is a big issue with the citizens in my district, yet, when you can't even get it to the Senate floor; that's pretty disappointing," he says with a sigh.

His personal touch paid off on another issue dear to his heart, though, the bill involving privately funded toll roads. Private toll roads are a complex issue and controversy can be the result.

In an effort to establish wide-spread support for the bill, Nichols personally met with every senator to be sure that they had the necessary consensus and votes to preempt any possible veto situation with his friend and long-time ally, Governor Perry.

It was Perry who appointed him to his second term on the Texas Transportation Commission, following the original appointment made by then-Governor George W. Bush. With his background on the Commission, Nichols has a thorough knowledge of the challenges involved in keeping Texas highways functioning and getting new roads built.

One controversial solution involves those private toll roads. With funding short, many toll ways in Texas are funded and consequently owned by foreign entities.

A locally controlled "Mobility Authority," one of the ideas generated by the Texas Transportation Commission while Nichols served there, owns Loop 49, under construction in Tyler.

The Commission's job is to "help write and to inspire creative ways to get roads built." Nichols believes there can only be local support for toll roads when people understand that local entities will benefit from the tolls.

Because the loans that pay for the roads, including municipal bonds and treasury bills, often take fifty or more years to mature, Nichols views the issue as crucial to our future.

One of his proudest moments occurred when the two-year moratorium on building of privately owned toll roads passed.

The final version of the bill, which had 27 of the 31 senators as co-sponsors, allows a twoyear time frame for discussion and public debate, to "let in a lot of sunshine," as Nichols puts it, so the public can "make sure we do it right."

Nichols credits his time in local government for giving him the skills necessary to bring people together.

He admits that he first ran for city council because he was mad over one issue.

He soon learned that every issue was nuanced, involving overlapping authorities that included county and school districts and extended to state and federal agencies.

Becoming familiar with the issues that matter to local folks was no problem, "especially if it's the town you grew up in because everybody knows you and they don't mind telling you what they think," Nichols said with a grin.

Before he knew it, he was joining other community leaders in making presentations in Austin, for example, to get approval and funding to expand or improve highways and roads that run right through Jacksonville; roadways that needed the city's attention, but were not under their authority. "All of a sudden, you realize that you better pay attention to whom your state and federal elected officials are," says Nichols.

Local government is "not partisan," he adds, "it is ham and eggs, that is, you deal with the core functioning" of making a city work.

Every issue leads to another one, Nichols said. "It's not simply trash pick-up service, but landfills, as well. Sewers and drainage expand to include water treatment facilities and personnel."

Local police and fire departments are also governed by state and federal regulations. All of which proved to be good training for Nichols, who learned to bring people and agencies together in order to solve problems.

He is enjoying putting his experience to work for his district. When it comes to getting bills passed, Nichols says, "What I found is that only a few issues were partisan. Most issues were a mixed bag." The trick is "finding those people who agree with you."

Not all of the bills that came before the Texas Senate this session were controversial.

One of the first bills to come to the floor was passed unanimously. Nichols calls it his most inspiring moment of the session.

The bill proposed that an inscription be placed on the wall at the front of the Senate Chamber above the dais from which the President of the Senate presides. There was no debate.

Within the week, a beautifully carved insignia graced the Senate with these words, "In God We Trust."

For Nichols and the other senators, it serves as a daily reminder of their responsibilities.

Or, as Nichols puts it, "I worked real hard. I put my heart into it. I tried to represent to the best of my ability the people and the communities of my district."