Van Taylor
Encyclopedia
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
businessman and Iraq War veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
and represents District 66 in the Texas State House
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
.
Early years
Taylor, a seventh-generation Texan, was born in DallasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He grew up in Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
where he attended the Hillander School and San Jacinto Junior High School. He later attended Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, graduating in three years cum laude in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history.
Iraq
In Iraq, Taylor was assigned to the Marine Corps' Company C, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion4th Reconnaissance Battalion
The 4th Reconnaissance Battalion is a reserve reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It falls under the 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve.-Organization:...
and fought with 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company
2nd Force Reconnaissance Company
The Second Force Reconnaissance Company was the deep reconnaissance/direct action that was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic and its subordinate elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.-Mission:...
. As a captain, Taylor led missions in advance of Task Force Tarawa
Task Force Tarawa
Task Force Tarawa was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. They were a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F...
during Operation Iraqi Freedom, detecting and defeating several Fedayeen
Fedayeen
Fedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
es. He also participated in a casualty evacuation of 31 wounded Marines, transporting them safely to medical treatment.
Taylor's military decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal with "V", the Combat Action Ribbon
Combat Action Ribbon
The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or...
, and the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
. Taylor left the Marine Corps Reserves as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
.
2010 campaign
Taylor announced his candidacy on December 2, 2009 for the Republican nomination in State House District 66, representing the western portions of Plano, TexasPlano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
.
Plano council member, Mabrie Jackson, resigned from the council on Nov. 16, 2009 to run for the seat. On November 30, 2010 Representative Brian McCall, the incumbent, announced he would not run for re-election. Observers speculated that McCall told Jackson he was not going to run for re-election to give Jackson a head start on her campaign. McCall later endorsed Jackson to replace him.
The March 2, 2010, primary for the District 66 seat consisted of Wayne Richards, Mabrie Jackson, and Van Taylor. While Jackson earned the largest number of votes (41%), she was shy of the 50% needed to win the primary. Wayne Richards promptly endorsed Van Taylor, and Taylor went on to beat Jackson in the April run-off election. Taylor was sworn into office on April 20, 2010 by Collin County
Collin County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 491,675 people, 181,970 households, and 132,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 580 people per square mile . There were 194,892 housing units at an average density of 230 per square mile...
Judge Keith Self.
82nd Legislative Session
During the 82nd Legislative Session, Taylor served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on End of Life Issues in addition to serving as a member of the Human Services Committee and the Committee on Defense and Veteran's Affairs.Keeping a campaign promise, the first piece of legislation Taylor filed for consideration was a bill to ensure that U.S. military men and women are able to cast a vote while serving overseas. The bill passed unanimously in both the House
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
and the Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
and was signed into law by the Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
. Taylor authored legislation to prevent politicians and government employees from receiving pension benefits if convicted of a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
. He also proposed legislation at the request of Collin County to prevent taxpayer subsidized health care from being given to legal immigrants who are able to afford it.
Throughout the session, Taylor took strong stances in support of requiring photo identification to vote, 2nd Amendment rights, and low taxes, while opposing the use of accounting gimmicks to balance the budget. Taylor also fought against the federal healthcare reform (popularly called Obamacare) by supporting an increase in states' rights to decide healthcare issues for themselves.
Taylor was given an award by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility as a 2011 Taxpayer Champion. Taylor was also recognized by the Texas Conservative Coalition and the Texas Eagle Forum for his excellent conservative voting record during the session, receiving a rating of 90% or greater by both organizations.