Central Texas House members
District 17: John Cyrier, R-Lockhart
First session: 2015
Age: 45
Occupation: Business owner
Of note: Cyrier won a special election runoff in 2015 to replace state Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt. Cyrier is a former Caldwell County commissioner and member of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's executive committee. He has voted to restrict state funds for Planned Parenthood, authorize open carry of firearms and support state spending for border security.
District 20: Terry Wilson, R-Marble Falls
First session: 2017
Age: 54
Occupation: Retired Army colonel
Of note: Wilson defeated Rep. Marsha Farney in the 2016 GOP primary and easily won the general election in the predominantly Republican district. Wilson has supported private school vouchers, outlawing sanctuary cities and limiting property tax growth. Wilson has said his priorities include ending abortion in Texas, eliminating gun regulations that "put law-abiding citizens in danger" and supporting strong border security measures.
District 45: Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood
First session: 2019
Age: 33
Occupation: Children’s book author
Of note: Zwiener, who beat Republican candidate and Wimberley school board member Ken Strange in November, has said she would seek to repeal Senate Bill 4, signed into law in 2017, that penalizes local governmental entities that don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Zwiener said she also would support constitutionally mandating that the state's share of public education funding be 50 percent.
District 46: Sheryl Cole, D-Austin
First session: 2019
Age: 54
Occupation: Accountant and attorney
Of note: Cole, a former Austin City Council member, narrowly defeated attorney Chito Vela in the Democratic primary runoff to succeed state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin. Cole's priorities include sharing more state resources with local governments, reducing property taxes and restoring state funds to Planned Parenthood. She defeated Republican Gabriel Nila, a Del Valle science teacher, in the general election.
District 47: Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin
First session: 2019
Age: 51
Occupation: Real estate broker
Of note: Goodwin, who beat state Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin, in November, said she would support reducing the amount of money property-wealthy school districts such as the Austin district pay to the state in recapture dollars, which helps support property-poor districts. Goodwin said she also wants to expand Medicaid. To pay for her ideas, she has suggested diverting money currently spent on securing the Mexico border, which she said should be a federal obligation, and to force all commercial property owners to pay their fair share in taxes.
District 48: Donna Howard, D-Austin
First session: 2006 (special)
Age: 67
Occupation: Civic leader; former critical care nurse and health education instructor
Of note: During the 2017 regular legislative session, Howard wrote bills that would eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, diapers and condoms. She also authored bills that would raise the smoking age to 21, authorize 12-month prescriptions for contraceptives and establish an advisory committee focusing on the healthcare of transgender individuals. None of the bills passed.
District 49: Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin
First session: 2017
Age: 45
Occupation: Attorney
Of note: Hinojosa, a former Austin school board member, authored a bill last session that would make it a felony to carry a firearm while intoxicated. The impetus for the bill banning "intoxi-carry" came from concerns among people at the University of Texas over the campus carry law adopted in 2015 that lets students with concealed handgun licenses bring firearms into some public university buildings. The bill never got a committee hearing.
District 50: Celia Israel, D-Austin
First session: 2015
Age: 54
Occupation: Realtor
Of note: Israel focuses on traffic congestion, public safety and voting rights. She has twice authored bills that would create an electronic voter registration system in Texas. Neither attempt advanced out of the House Committee on Elections. Israel is trying again this year.
District 51: Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin
First session: 2003
Age: 47
Occupation: Attorney
Of note: His priorities include small business assistance, housing, education, hunger and health, and environmental issues. Last regular session he authored a bill that would have kept the personal information of a person adopting an animal from a city or county shelter confidential. The bill passed out of a House committee but never reached the floor.
District 52: James Talarico, D-Round Rock
First session: 2019
Age: 29
Occupation: Former education nonprofit executive director
Of note: Talarico has said he would combat any legislation that supports using state money, like vouchers, to help families pay for private school tuition. He also said he would support a constitutional amendment that would force the state to pay 50 percent of the cost of public school funding and eliminate tax loopholes so that commercial property owners pay their fair share in taxes.
District 136: John Bucy, D-Cedar Park
First session: 2019
Age: 34
Occupation: Business owner
Of note: Bucy supports investing more state money in public education, easing traffic congestion in Central Texas and pushing for Medicaid expansion. He defeated state Rep. Tony Dale, R-Cedar Park, in November.