Gooden to conduct town hall in Palestine

April 10-- Apr. 10--U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Terrell) will start a tour of Texas' Fifth District Wednesday, with an Anderson County town hall meeting at Ben E. Keith Distribution Center in Palestine.

The one-hour meeting will start at 4:45 p.m. Gooden will sponsor a second town hall meeting at the Jacksonville City Hall at 6:30 p.m. He said he promised voters during the campaign he would remain accessible.

"This is my first town hall since taking office only three months ago," Gooden told the Herald-Press. Gooden succeeded Republican Jeb Hensarling in Congress last November.

"I'm proud to kick off our town-hall series in Anderson County," he said.

Gooden has been a vocal supporter of President Trump's proposed border wall. He recently said immigration at the Texas border was in a "state of chaos." He said officials don't control who enters and leaves the country.

An opponent of late-term abortions, Gooden was the most recent of 21 House Republicans to ask Democrats in the House to support the "Born Alive Survivors Act," which would require medical care to infants born after an attempted abortion.

Gooden said he welcomes all questions from Anderson County residents -- nothing is off limits. "I hope to better get to know my constituents," he said.