A Democrat who fights back and gets things done.
Together, we’ve accomplished big things in a red state.
We reformed the school finance system, capped insulin copays at $25 per month, banned harmful reality TV policing, improved early childhood education, funded mental health care in schools, limited pre-k class sizes, and gave incarcerated minors a chance to earn a high school diploma. For these achievements, I was named one of the 10 Best Legislators by Texas Monthly magazine.
As a former public school teacher and one of the youngest members of the Texas Legislature, I’m not afraid to stand up to Republican extremism. I’ve led the fight against their efforts to bully trans kids, ban books, and whitewash our public school curriculum. And I went on Fox News to tell the truth about Trump’s Big Lie to millions of viewers.
I was born in Central Texas to a single mom who fled abuse to protect me. My mom taught me that Democrats fight for the people, for the many against the powerful few—whether they’re bullies, bigots, or billionaires. That's why I fight for our state and for our democracy.
But Texas Republicans will stop at nothing to silence opponents like me. That’s why they tried to gerrymander me out of the House in 2021. But I moved back home to the district where I grew up—and the voters had the last word. We won re-election and proved we wouldn’t be silenced.
Together, we can put people over politics and move Texas forward.
- State Reprsentative James Talarico
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Javier
Ambler
Act
After the killing of Javier Ambler, we partnered with criminal justice advocates and Javier’s family to pass the Javier Ambler Act––banning police departments from contracting with reality TV programs.
Historic
Early Childhood
Legislation
HB 2607 requires every early childhood provider that receives public funding to join Texas Rising Star—our state’s early childhood quality improvement program. Our bill will ensure low-income kids in Texas receive a high-quality early childhood education.
Pre-K
Class Size
Limits
Our office passed HB 41 to limit the size of pre-k classes in Texas to 22 students. Effective pre-k programs significantly improve academic, economic, and health outcomes for kids. This bipartisan bill ensures that our kids have a more enriching prekindergarten experience.
Educating
Incarcerated
Minors
Before we passed HB 30, there were 350 minors in Texas who were certified as adults and put into standard prisons without the option to earn a diploma. Passing unanimously out of the Texas House, our bill requires the State to give each of these kids the chance to earn their high school diploma while in prison.
Millions of
State Dollars for
Social-emotional
Learning
Every educator I meet tells me that students are struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma like never before. We passed HB 332 which opened up millions of dollars for social-emotional learning programs that help kids manage emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Bold
Progressive
Legislation
As we speak, I’m in the Texas Capitol fighting for a $15,000 teacher pay raise. As a legislator, I believe in building public support for big change which is why we are also working to lower the cost of prescription drugs, legalize marijuana to fund early childhood education, and close child prisons to end the cycle of state-funded abuse.
Historic
School Finance
Reform
As a sitting member of the House Public Education Committee, I helped pass House Bill 3. This legislation opened up billions of dollars in funding for our teachers and schools, provided
much-needed property tax relief, and is the most significant school finance reform our state has seen in decades.
FIGHTING BACK AGAINST REPUBLICAN EXTREMISM
IN THE NEWS
