In her first two years in the Legislature, Cassandra Garcia Hernandez has shown she understands the inner workings of the Texas House. She was a member of the Appropriations Committee, which gave her an insider’s look at the state’s budget and allowed her to understand Texas agencies better.
Garcia Hernandez, 40, is still on a learning curve, but she has already crafted some smart legislation tackling housing affordability, insurance costs and health issues, which show her maturing into her role. We recommend her for reelection for Texas House District 115.
One of the bills she authored, for example, House Bill 4398, focused on faster approval for building permits in certain affordable housing projects for cities with more than 100,000 residents. This bill passed the House, but stalled in the Senate.
Garcia Hernandez also understands that a member of the minority party needs bipartisanship to get things done. She told us the Legislature is not as hyperpartisan as people think, noting that some Republicans have been mentors in her first term.
Garcia Hernandez was not a supporter of Senate Bill 840, which allows developers to build residential buildings in commercial areas in cities with more than 150,000 residents in counties with more than 300,000 residents. She is mostly concerned about local governments losing control over zoning. This Editorial Board has argued that SB 840 is an important tool to fight NIMBYism and increase housing stock.
In an interview, Garcia Hernandez told us she was open to creating a threshold that may limit SB 840 in cities that already have enough affordable housing, citing Irving as an example. There are conversations in the Legislature to reform this bill, she told us.
District 115 encompasses parts of Coppell, Addison, Irving, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Dallas. Housing affordability is central for this diverse district where more than a third of the residents are white but with significant Asian and Latino populations.
The incumbent supports strengthening tax credits and incentive programs for low-income residents, including rental assistance to keep families housed. She supports down payment assistance for moderate-income first-time buyers.
Garcia Hernandez is also against education savings accounts and told us Republican officials are already considering expanding the program. She would like private schools receiving funding from the voucher-like program to be held to the same standards as public schools.
On data centers, Garcia Hernandez supports guardrails and argues that communities should have a say before large projects move forward.
Running against her is Republican Danny Rosellini, a small business owner. In our voter guide, Rosellini supported eliminating residential property taxes to help homeowners. He argues that ending some business tax exemptions would broaden the tax base to replace that revenue. We have noted this is not economically viable. He was unavailable for our interview.
Voters should reelect Garcia Hernandez.