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Democratic

Sylvia Garcia

Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional district.

Sylvia is a native of Palito Blanco, a South Texas farming community. The eighth of ten children, Congresswoman Garcia saw her parents struggle to raise her and her siblings. Congresswoman Garcia's parents taught her that with hard work and a good education she could accomplish anything. As a result of these lessons, Congresswoman 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 and political science. Congresswoman 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. Just as her parents believed in her future, Congresswoman Garcia believes the children of Texas can do anything. Garcia has dedicated her life to her community and to public service. As a social worker and legal aid lawyer early in her professional career, she protected our community's most vulnerable, old and young, and ensured no one was forgotten.

ECONOMY AND LABOR

A booming, equitable economy is critical to reduce poverty and improve quality of lives. Congresswoman Garcia stands with workers to ensure all workers, regardless of industry, earn a fair and living wage. She supports workers’ rights to organize, collectively bargain, and safely work free from hazards or harassment. The Congresswoman has spoken out against proposals by President Trump’s administration to change SNAP eligibility requirements, and rollback federal civil rights and workers’ rights protections.

Additionally, the Congresswoman supports expanding upon tax policies that benefit working families, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), which benefit a significant of constituents in her district.

  • HR 5114, the Stop EITC and CTC Seizures Act, introduced by the Congresswoman, would protect working families, and their children, who received Earned Income Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits from predatory seizures because of outstanding student loan debts.
  • Additionally, the Congresswoman proudly cosponsored HR 3219, the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act to discourage companies from sending jobs overseas through practical accountability measures.

Congresswoman Garcia is also a strong advocate for working families, fighting to ensure that they get their fair share and that government works for them.

  • The Congresswoman voted in favor of the Raise the Wage Act in July 2019, which would increase the federal minimum wage up to $15 per hour. This would represent the first increase to the federal minimum wage in more than a decade, and would improve the lives of nearly 182,000 workers in her district.
  • She voted for the PRO Act in February 2020, which would: 1) Introduce meaningful, enforceable penalties for companies and executives that violate workers’ rights; 2) Expand workers’ collective bargaining rights and close loopholes that corporations use to exploit workers; and 3) Strengthen workers’ access to fair union elections and require corporations to respect the results.