Newly elected state Rep. Lulu Flores, whose House District 51 covers much of East Austin and stretches south of Creedmoor, is in a busy period. Flores has served as president of the National Women’s Political Caucus and back in 1979, fresh out of law school, she was chief of staff for Rep. Irma Rangel, D-Kingsville, the first-ever Mexican American woman to serve in the Texas House. But starting an office from the ground up is a first for her. “I’m happy to say my team is coming together.”
She said she’ll be filing bills as soon as her staff are settled in. In addressing property tax relief that Republicans have been calling for, Flores says, “I happen to agree very much with my sage dean of the delegation, Rep. Donna Howard,” who has pushed for raising the basic allotment for education to invest more in schools while reducing the local property taxes paid to support them. “I already told Donna I’d like to sign on to those bills. A lot of the bills members of the delegation have filed are great, and I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.”
In a session with more than a dozen anti-trans bills filed, Flores will also be joining the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, and says, “I’m gonna stand the line on rights for women and children and gay and trans folks. Some of these bills that are out there, if they really gain traction, well then we’ll have to get real.” She’s open to breaking quorum with other Democrats if it comes down to it.
Addressing abortion rights, she’s on board with legislation filed by Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, that would give doctors more freedom to provide abortions based on their best medical judgment. Other top priorities include broadband access, addressing the mental health care crisis, and Medicaid expansion. Her greatest fear? That Republicans will try to reduce access to birth control. But she’s feeling optimistic. “Some of these bills that have been filed are horrible but I’m hopeful they won’t go anywhere.”
This article appears in January 6 • 2023.
