Nearly 100 Texas lawmakers and their staff toured Fort Hood Friday.
The lawmakers toured the post to better learn the needs of the military installation.
Throughout the day lawmakers, including Sen. Dawn Buckingham and newly elected Representative Brad Buckley, were shown "The Great Place," in hopes to gain a better understanding of the demands that need to be brought to the Capitol during the 86th Legislative Session.
"We have had a wonderful time interacting with the soldiers, seeing the equipment they use and better understanding of what it really takes to keep our Army battle ready," Sen. Dawn Buckingham of District 24 said. "Being out here and seeing first-hand helps us truly understand what the extra needs are that the military has. We want to make sure to protect them, make sure we have good infrastructure, schools matter for the kids, it's a lot of things."
Both Buckingham and Buckley have Fort Hood in their districts and believe the day allowed them to better set their list of priorities for the session.
"We need to provide the quality of life that our active duty and retirees deserve. That is a big part of it. We are going to work real hard on the 100 percent disabled veterans program, the governor has set that as a priority," Buckley said. "I will sleep better tonight knowing the quality of folks that are serving."
Lawmakers added that in addition to bringing the needs of Fort Hood back to Austin this legislative session, they also plan to emphasize the nearly $25 billion impact the post has on the Texas Economy.
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