Representative Hernandez recently completed her first legislative session in Austin, achieving key wins for constituents including funding for public schools and teachers, property tax relief, investment in public safety, healthcare, infrastructure improvements and more.
As Vice Chair of the State and Federal Relations Committee and a Member of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Representative Hernandez advocated for affordable housing, mental health services, and public safety, and she fought attempts to chip away at local control. She was also honored to be named Mexican American Legislative Caucus Freshman of the Year.
Representative Hernandez launched a highly-successful internship program to expose young people to government and inspire them about public service. More than 30 people went through her internship program.
In her first term, Representative Hernandez sent three bills to the Governor’s desk that expand public participation in government, shield sensitive data from cybercriminals, and protect our senior citizens from being preyed upon. She also voted to lower school recapture payments, give teachers a much-needed pay raise, and enact commonsense criminal justice and public safety reforms. She fought against the THC ban and bills that target the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants.
As a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, she secured $2.1 million in funding for parks in House District 115, allocated $51 billion in property tax relief, $8.5 billion for neighborhood public schools, $2.5 billion for statewide water infrastructure projects, and $60 million to keep disadvantaged children fed during the summer break between school years.
In total, Representative Hernandez supported 88 bills during the legislative session to make House District 115 safer, more economically prosperous, and an even better place for working families to thrive.
Representative Hernandez is an experienced trial lawyer and community volunteer who was first elected in 2024 and is seeking re-election in 2026. As a lawyer, Representative Hernandez is passionate about representing individuals and defending their rights. It is because of her strong desire to help people that she became a lawyer and engages in public service. Representative Hernandez understands that Texas today needs leaders with a servant heart, new ideas and fresh perspectives to tackle tough problems.
Representative Hernandez knows we need practical solutions to many challenges, from fully funding public schools, to stopping gun violence, to increasing access to healthcare, ensuring strong public safety and more. She is also committed to finding ways for more people to have access to economic opportunity, and protecting homeowners from rising costs.
Representative Hernandez was born in the Texas panhandle, raised by loving grandparents and a single mother after losing her father to gun violence. When Representative Hernandez was little, her mother made a tough choice to leave her hometown for North Texas to give her daughter opportunities she didn’t have when she was growing up. Representative Hernandez also happily gained a father, a noted local trial lawyer, who adopted her and exposed her to the ability to help others through the practice of law, which became her profession.
After graduating early from Garland’s Naaman Forest High School thanks to amazing public school teachers, Representative Hernandez received a scholarship to attend the University of Houston where she obtained her business degree, and the South Texas College of Law where she obtained her law degree. Today she practices law beside her father as a partner in their law firm, handling both personal injury and immigration cases. Representative Hernandez has been recognized as one of D Magazine’s 2023 Best Lawyers, 2023 Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2023 National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, and recently received the Pete Torres Jr. Community Service Award from the State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section.
Representative Hernandez has extensive experience in Austin. Before joining the State House, she advocated and headed up a lobby day in the Capitol as a statewide women’s caucus chair, fought for Medicaid expansion with grassroots organizations, and spoke up as an Everytown Survivor Fellow regarding common sense gun legislation as a survivor of gun violence. Representative Hernandez also served and fought for transparency and ethics as a Commissioner on the City of Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission.
Representative Hernandez has a long history of volunteerism. She has been a leader, volunteer, and member of many organizations, including: Catholic Charities, Dallas and Galveston-Houston; Genesis Women’s Shelter; Hope’s Door; Dallas Pets Alive; Stewpot; Attitudes & Attire (Boots to Heels); Dallas Bar Association; Dallas Trial Lawyers Association; Dallas Women Lawyers Association; St. Thomas More Society; Dallas Evictions 2020; We Care; Mexican American Bar Association; DFW Muslim Bar Association; Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation; NAACP; LULAC; Texas Bar College; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; JL Turner Legal Association; the Dallas LGBT Bar Association; Sickofit Texas; Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary; Dallas Democratic Forum; Annie’s List; Metrocrest Services; Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce; and Coppell Chamber of Commerce.
When she is not advocating on behalf of others and her community, Representative Hernandez and her husband enjoy spending time with their rescue dog and exploring events and restaurants in North Texas.
