HOUSTON, TX - State Senator Sylvia R. Garcia announced today she's running for Congress in Texas Congressional District 29. The incumbent Gene Green is not seeking reelection.
“I want to continue fighting for working families, quality education for Texas children, access to health care for all, and immigration reform. We need a champion for the people in Washington to stand up against Trump and fight for what matters. That’s why I’m running for Congress,” said Senator Garcia. Senator Garcia added her background and list of achievements as a public servant below:
"Senator Sylvia R. Garcia is a native of Palito Blanco, a South Texas farming community. The eighth of ten children, Senator Garcia saw her parents struggle to raise her and her siblings. Senator Garcia's parents taught her that with hard work and a good education she could accomplish anything. As a result of these lessons, Senator Garcia dedicated herself to success at school. She earned a scholarship to Texas Woman's University in Denton, where she graduated with a degree in social work. Senator Garcia then received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, working several jobs to pay for her tuition.
Senator Garcia has dedicated her life to her community and to public service. As a social worker early in her professional career, she protected our community's most vulnerable, old and young, and ensured no one was forgotten. In 1998, Senator Garcia was elected City Controller, the second highest elected official in Houston city government and its chief financial officer. She quickly earned a reputation as the taxpayers' watchdog, fighting to protect the pocketbooks of working families and ensuring the City was transparent and accountable.
After two terms as Controller, Senator Garcia was elected to the Harris County Commissioner's Court. The first Hispanic and first woman to be elected in her own right to the office, she continued her advocacy for working families and made certain Harris County took care of its most defenseless, all while making certain Harris County led the way for new jobs and economic development.
Sworn in March 2013, Senator Garcia quickly got to work fighting for the people of Senate District 6. Even though Senator Garcia was sworn in halfway through the 83rd Legislative Session, she passed several bills, served on five committees and cast 3,908 votes.
During the 84th Legislative Session, Senator Garcia was the Senate author of the Relationship Privacy Act which created penalties for those who post explicit images without consent of the subject of the photos. She passed bills that expand the eligibility for veteran participation in the specialized Veterans’ Courts, study the needs of our homeless veterans and establish a permanent Texas Women Veterans Program to serve the over 50,000 female veterans we have in Texas. In the 85th, Senator Garcia was the author of SB 693, which now requires new school buses to have seat belts and the Truckers Against Trafficking bill which requires training on how to spot and report human trafficking for Texas Commercial Driver License holders."