Texas State Rep. Mihaela Plesa said that recapture reform is crucial due to its impact on property taxes, but it’s also important for her to prevent voucher system bills from reaching the House floor. Plesa was a guest on a recent episode of the Texas Talks Podcast.

“There aren't very many lawmakers willing to come and start talking about recapture reform, it's not one of those issues that people are like, 'Yeah, recapture,’" said Plesa on a recent edition of the Texas Talks Podcast. “But, it's a very important issue because it's a large chunk of your property taxes if you live in a place like Plano, Austin, or Dallas."

“I've always sort of wondered what would happen to recapture if we did go to a full voucher system," said Plesa. “Do I continue to pay taxes to ISD, or why even have them as a pass-through? Why am I paying directly to the state? I don't know, but I'm sure they'll figure that out—maybe. Before we get to those questions, we need to make sure that we're not even allowing a bill like that to get on the House floor.”

Plesa is the first Democratic woman and first Romanian American elected to represent Texas House District 70 in Collin County. She has a record of bipartisan legislative achievements, including expanding maternal health services and securing property tax exemptions for Gold Star families. Her current priorities include increasing public school funding, reducing property taxes, and supporting small businesses.

Texas Talks podcast is hosted by Brad Swail. The weekly show is focused on public policy in the state of Texas, with insights from the people and organizations that influence it.

The podcast is available on Simple Cast and YouTube.