Congressman Fallon hosts town hall
On Thursday, Aug. 19, Congressman Pat Fallon held a Town Hall meeting at the Cornerstone Assembly of God. County Judge Becky Wilbanks introduced Fallon with a brief background on the Congressman. She highlighted his graduation from Notre Dame, where he played football under legendary coach Lou Holtz and his four years of service in the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant at Sheppard Air Force Base. She also noted that he sponsored three house bills and two resolutions and cosponsored 79 house bills and two joint resolutions.
Fallon began by speaking about the current situation in Afghanistan, saying that according to information, the U.S. was not getting people out of Afghanistan outside of the perimeter of the airport while the French government was. He also noted that this might change in the coming days and weeks.
The Congressman then went on to speak about several upcoming bills. Bill HR1, also known as For the People Act of 2021, has been a much talked about bill due to several provisions and attempted amendments. The bill would allow for felons to gain the right to vote upon release, allow for mail-in voting, and according to Fallon, will take the states’ rights away to design their voting laws. These are only a fair few of the provisions in the lengthy bill. The bill also includes items designed to encourage secondary school students to register to vote, the automatic registration of eligible individuals, help reduce the influence of campaign money in politics, and provisions that will help to ensure local, state, and federal elections are secure. One amendment was considered giving the right to vote to those who are sixteen and seventeen as they are eligible to work and pay taxes. Fallon commented that he is against HR1. Currently, the bill is sitting in the Senate.
Fallon also spoke briefly on the Covid Relief bill, stating that of the $1.9 trillion, only 9 percent went to actual Covid relief measures. He also spoke briefly about the infrastructure bill and its ambiguous language. He cited items included as climate action paid leave and universal pre-k as only a few that appeared to be non-infrastructure related.
Before taking questions, the Congressman spoke passionately about the crisis at the southern border of Texas, saying that most of the influx of undocumented immigrants to the U.S. are from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, while the rest are from approximately 70 other countries around the world. When visiting an immigration detention facility at the southern border, Fallon was shocked to find that the 250 max facility was past capacity at 5700 people. The most challenging issue to face is that drug cartels will utilize desperate people to smuggle drugs into the U.S. in a bid for their freedom. They will also promise to get them across the border and then force them into servitude or risk the lives of their loved ones back home.
There were several wonderful questions from audience members, and Fallon was indeed happy to answer them. When asked about the property rights against the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, Fallon responded that the reservoir is a want, not a need, and supports other options.
One resident asked about the federal government’s involvement with the schools that defy Governor Abbott’s mandates against masks in school; he responded, “The federal government doesn’t have the authority to do what they do. It is the business of the states. It is our right.”
When asked if he is for or against term limits, he responded with a resounding yes. Fallon has filed five times to make a constitutional amendment to do so.
Finally, Congressman Fallon was asked what can those who want to serve to do? His response was simple. “Get involved.” Get out and help others register to vote, get to voting locations, and learn about your local, state, and federal government. Get involved.