Penny Morales Shaw, State Representative fighting Texas voter suppression in DC

State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw is a member of the State Texas Democratic caucus breaking quorum to save Texans from GOP-led voter suppression.

Rep. Penny Morales Shaw on Texas voter suppression

State Representative Penny Morales Shaw appeared on Politics Done Right. She explained the reason why she joined the Democratic Caucus that bolted from Texas to deny Republicans a quorum and with that denying them the ability to pass their voter suppression bill. She first made it clear that the sacrifice they are making is nowhere close to the sacrifice her constituents will have to make if Republicans have their way.

“The freedom to vote,” Shaw said. “That is what we are fighting for. Not only for Texans but across America there has been a slew of legislation filed — at least 46 states — to restrict voter access and to have chilling effects on voters.”

She also pointed out that these voter suppression bills have already passed in 17 states. The representative went on to detail the different items in the bill and how it affects her constituents.

Who is Rep. Penny Morales Shaw

State Representative Penny Morales Shaw has dedicated the entirety of her two-decade career as an attorney to advancing the health and wellbeing of working families and children. She has now turned her attention to representing her hometown of Houston in the Texas Legislature. During the 87th Legislative Session, she was appointed to serve on the House Environmental Regulation Committee and the House Urban Affairs Committee. She is a member of the House Innovation & Technology Caucus, House LGBTQ Caucus, Legislative Study Group, Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC), Texas Legislative Ports Caucus, Texas Women’s Health Caucus, and the House Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry.

Penny is a native Houstonian, attended Houston public schools, and has lived in the Heights area for the past ten years. She has a long history of championing human rights, women’s healthcare, environmental protections, and early childhood education. Despite being widowed shortly after graduating law school, Penny dedicated herself to raising her four children, now college-educated young adults pursuing their respective career paths. As a working mom, she continued to be a local business owner, manage her multi-state law practice, and expand advance her legislative advocacy work.

Penny is a tireless advocate for principled, results-driven progressive policies so that all Texas families have access to a first-class education and high-quality, affordable healthcare. Early on in her legal career, Penny served as an attorney for NAACP legal clinics and as a federal legislative advocate for the passage of the International Violence Against Women Act. She has also advocated for policies focused on women’s fundamental right to healthcare and early childhood education while standing up for commonsense policies to ensure that working families in “fenceline” communities have access to clean water.

Before her election to the Texas House, Penny served as the Deputy Chief for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2, overseeing policy and legislative affairs. She is excited to use her broad legal and governmental experience for the residents of House District 148, which includes parts of the Houston Heights, North Houston, and Spring Branch communities.