15 Jan These Are The 14 People You Need to Know Now

The biennial circus we call the state legislature is officially open for business. A whole new batch of lawmakers were sworn in on Tuesday, including the Austin area's own representatives:

• Senator Kirk Watson – (D) District 14, former Mayor of Austin and Chair of the Texas Air Control Board, chairman of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus. Bills filed>>
• Senator Charles Schwertner – (R) District 5, orthopedic surgeon, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Government Organization
• Senator Troy Fraser – (R) District 24, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, won the Wind Champion Legacy Award in 2008 for his work enacting a state policy that allowed for the growth of the wind industry, has received several awards for his conservatism including the 2009 Taxpayers' Advocate Award
• Senator Donna Campbell – (R) District 25, double board certified physician, has been recognized for her legislative accomplishments by the NRA and the Texas Alliance for Life. Bills filled>>
• Senator Judith Zaffirini – (D) District 21, first Hispanic woman elected to the Texas Senate, Co-chair of the Natural Resources Committee, organized the Eagle Ford Shale Legislative Caucus in 2012
• Representative Elliott Naishtat – (D) District 49, Vice Chair of the Public Health Committee, helped to pass the Indoor Air Quality Act
• Representative Eddie Rodriguez – (D) District 51, former member of the San Antonio City Council, named one of the 20 Latino Democrats to Watch Over the Next 20 Years by the Houston Chronicle
• Representative Jason Isaac – (R) District 45, former of Chief of Staff is Ellen Troxclair (Austin's newly elected city council member), serves on the Environmental Regulation Committee
• Representative Dawnna Dukes – (D) District 46, won the New Leadership for the Environment Award from the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club in 1995, works to address "environmental racism" by keeping heavy industry out of neighborhoods, Vice Chair of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Appropriations
• Representative Paul D. Workman – (R) District 47, serves on the House Committee on Economic and Small Business Development, serves by appointment on The Energy Council to help facilitate the development of national energy policy matters among Southwestern states, named Legislator of the Year by RECA. Bills filled>>
• Representative Donna Howard – (D) District 48, serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Higher Education Committee, a former critical care nurse and President of the Texas Nurses' Association 
• Representative Celia Israel – (D) District 50, newly elected representative, served in the Ann Richards administration, served on the board of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Bills filled>>
• Representative Larry Gonzales – (R) District 52, served as Assisstant Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations for the Texas State University System, 
• Representative Tony Dale – (R) District 136, serves on the House Committee on Energy Resources, US Army veteran, recognized as a Courageous Conservative in 2013 by the Texas Conservative Coalition. Bills filled>>

To figure out which legislative districts you live in, check here>>

The Austin EcoNetwork will be keeping an eye on all of these elected officials during the current legislative session and updating you on what they're up to. So please, do us a favor and actually read what we write. The state legislature only meets for 5 months every other year , so we're not asking for much 🙂