BCMS Chief Governmental and Community Relations
Officer
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte
of San Antonio officially announced Nov. 23 that she is running for
lieutenant governor of Texas. Speaking to a packed house at
San Antonio College, Van de Putte, a Democrat representing Senate
District 26, described her love of family and Texas, adding that it
was her love of the state that brought her to public service
initially.
Van de Putte has served in the
Texas Legislature for 23 years, and first served in the Texas House
from 1990 to 1999. She has been in the Texas Senate ever
since. Her current senate term expires in 2016.
Van de Putte said she is not
happy with the current state of affairs in Texas, particularly the
lack of access to preventive care for women, healthcare access
issues for veterans, and the state not pursuing Medicaid expansion,
which also would have generated jobs for Texas. If elected,
she vows to fight to improve these issues. If she does not
win the lieutenant governor's seat, she will retain her seat in the
state senate.
On the local front with the BCMS Legislative
and Socioeconomics Committee
During the interim session, the
BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee meets with elected
officials on an individual basis to continue discussions on issues
of importance to medicine.
The meetings are informal and are
an opportunity for physicians to visit face-to-face with incumbents
and candidates to get to know each other and also to learn about
each other's stand on issues.
The committee recently met with Elisa Chan, Republican candidate
for Senate District 25. Chan most recently was San Antonio
City Councilwoman for District 9 and stepped down from her post to
run for senate. Chan, a small-business owner, said her father
is a doctor in Taiwan and her mother is a nurse. Chan
expressed a willingness to learn about healthcare issues.
For local discussion on these
and other legislative advocacy topics, consider joining the BCMS
Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee by contacting
