Public education is the foundation of our society, and it’s under attack from Republicans. From book banning, rewriting history, underpaying our teachers, and trying to defund our schools, SD 15 needs a fighter to stand up and fight for our communities. From my time on the Houston City Council through my service as your State Representative — I’ve always fought to change the system and never lost sight of the people who trusted me to be our voice. As State Representative, I’ve championed legislation to fully fund our education system so that our students and teachers have all the supplies, books, and technology they need. So that schools have the counselors, nurses, coaches, bus drivers, administrators and staff they need to create world class learning environments. I’ve also been able to use my position on the powerful budget-writing committee to secure millions in additional funding for our local schools, community colleges, Texas Southern University, and institutions of higher education across the Gulf Coast

I know the value of our public schools,I went to HISD schools when the state was fully funding public education, but the State isn’t holding up their end of the bargain anymore. We haven't fully funded our schools in over a generation. That’s unconscionable in a state that brags about the ninth largest economy in the world. Our children deserve the highest quality education regardless of their zip code. As your State Senator, I will fight for our kids’ future and make sure our schools prepare them for success in the global job market.

TAKING CARE OF OUR FUTURE

Our hardworking, dedicated, and selfless teachers, social workers, counselors, principals, nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, school resource officers, and everyone who contributes to the safety and success of the school environment deserve a dignified wage that allows them to thrive. Our highly skilled school professionals should not be working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet.

Our retired teachers need our help too, after decades of work shaping our future generations, they should be able to retire with dignity. Our state retirement system does not allow teachers to collect social security, so their state pension is most retirees' sole income. They have to stretch that check to cover housing, utilities, food, healthcare, prescriptions, and more necessities — all of which cost more because of inflation. I am proud that during the 88th legislative session, we passed a one-time supplemental paycheck, and put a Cost-of-living adjustment on the November 2023 ballot, BUT we need a system that gives regular cost-of-living adjustments. Retirees shouldn’t have to beg and plead for their legislators to take care of them. I support automatic COLAs for our retired teachers so their pensions can keep up with the ever-fluctuating cost-of-living.

Vouchers

I do not support vouchers in any way, shape, or form-no matter how Republicans try to market them. Vouchers pull the dwindling state dollars from our public schools and divert them to private schools with no State oversight whatsoever. You can count that I will never support any type of voucher scheme, and will work to stop any attempts from passing the legislature. Public dollars belong in public schools. Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize private schools for the rich.

I believe that everyone should have access to world class public schools, high paying jobs, vocational training, and opportunities to get ahead with hard work. Everyone should be able to live a comfortable life, where they have access to high-paying jobs, affordable housing, and opportunities to prosper. I am committed to raising the minimum wage, bringing high-paying jobs to our community, funding training programs to upskill workers, and supporting our small businesses. I’ve passed legislation to help support our small businesses by expanding access to capital and providing more funding opportunities for minority-and-women-owned businesses. Together, we can build a stronger and more prosperous district for all.

As a lifelong resident of SD 15 and homeowner, I have watched as our property tax bills have skyrocketed. As a former council member and one of the budget-writers for our state, I know how taxes are being spent and what drives up taxes. Property tax bills have increased because the state isn’t paying its fair share for public education. As property values have increased dramatically across the state, the state's contribution to public education has gone down. Republicans have been too happy with burdening Texans with outrageous property taxes, while giving away our taxpayer funded surplus to special interests and billions of corporate giveaways..

I have supported legislation to increase the homestead exemption, generating savings on property taxes, but we must do more. Republican leaders keep passing stop-gap savings for Texans, but we need the State to increase public education funding year-over-year so we see reduced property taxes every year.

Everyone deserves a clean, green, and safe neighborhood to call home. We have concrete batch plants setting up shop right next to people’s homes. But I haven’t sat on the sidelines and let it happen, for years I worked hand-in-hand with the community to stop a concrete batch plant from operating in Acres Homes. After organizing, protesting, and legal battles, we succeeded and I negotiated the deal for the business to pull their permit. As State Representative I’ve championed legislation to enforce protections and improve regulations for environmental protections, and as State Senator I will continue to prioritize these issues.

Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation, this is unacceptable and we can do something about it. Texas is leaving billions of federal dollars on the table by not expanding Medicaid. This is the fastest and best solution to get millions of more Texans healthcare.

Texas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, and in most cases, the dangers to women, and Black women in particular are completely preventable. 88% of the pregnancy deaths in 2019 were preventable. And it’s not only our mothers who are dying, In Harris County, black babies are twice as likely to die before their first birthday. As State Rep, I proudly authored a bill to provide Medicaid coverage to postpartum mothers for a full 12 months after delivery. This is a monumental step to help save women’s lives before and after pregnancy. I am 100% committed to improving access to healthcare, and reproductive rights. I am proud to be a 2023 Legislative Champion for Planned Parenthood Texas Votes.

I will continue to fight for expanded healthcare coverage, including fighting for a woman’s right to choose, and everyone’s access to reproductive healthcare.

Our most marginalized are under attack. Republicans have stripped away a woman's right to choose, have stopped parents and children from being able to make the best choices for their families, and an assault on LGBTQIA+ people. I’ve been a proud Ally, standing up against Republican attacks, and earned an A rating from Equality Texas. As State Senator, I will work to create a Texas where no communities have to live in fear.

Houston is no stranger to hurricanes and flooding, but more needs to be done to protect our homes. Unfortunately, we’ve seen poor flooding infrastructure during once-in-a-lifetime weather events that seem to be happening yearly. State leaders have politized flooding mitigation. There are still homes across Houston that are still inhabitable from Hurricane Harvey, this is egregious. As a member of the House Budget writing committee, I’ve worked to secure funding to create dozens of flooding projects across Houston, but there is more to be done. As your Senator, my experience writing the budget, and relationships fostered will allow me to ensure SD 15 isn’t left behind and gets their share of flooding mitigation projects.

Everyone in Texas deserves to experience true safety - we are not our best when we are afraid. For years, I have recognized the importance of talking and working with everyone to garner all perspectives on how Texas can be more intentional with our funding, time, and attention to create a criminal justice system that works.

Adult and Juvenile facilities are failing. People are not being rehabilitated. Texas can no longer afford to maintain the status quo, and I refuse to accept it. For years, I have fought for juveniles and adults dealing with poverty and unnecessary fines and fees, parole reform, prison and jail oversight, mental healthcare for law enforcement, court representation for Juveniles, cannabis legalization, and more. As State Senator, I will continue to fight for a Texas that imagines and creates new ways to achieve safety and healing for all so that we can all succeed.

We need to fix our damn grid. During this summer’s intense heatwave, Texans were asked more than a dozen times to reduce their consumption because the energy grid was being pushed to its capacity. This is unacceptable. After winter storm Uri the Legislature had an opportunity to fix our grid to ensure we never endure a catastrophic failure like that again. But instead, Republican leaders accepted millions and put a band-aid on the problem. I was on the ground during winter storm Uri, delivering water and hot meals to homebound seniors and to my community. I authored legislation to improve our grid reliability. In the energy capital of the world, we shouldn’t be expected to lose power or be asked to conserve energy during blistering heat waves. As State Senator, I will work to improve our grid once and for all.