Terry Meza

Terry Meza graduated from Irving High School. She studied at the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Dallas, and Texas Wesleyan University. Meza's career experience includes working as a teacher with South Grand Prairie High School and as the owner of a law practice.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Irving is more than just a place I live. It is a part of who I am. My family has been here for five generations; I am proud to be a fourth-generation Irvingite and have a son that is fifth-generation. I'm an Educator. Being an educator has always been a passion of mine. I'm a small business owner. I have owned and operated my own law practice since 2000. As a small business owner, I know the hard work and personal sacrifices that everyday Texans must make to provide for their families. I'm a Community Activist. The "doing good" part - that is my favorite part of serving this community. It is so rewarding to know that the work I am doing helps make our neighborhoods healthier, safer, and cleaner. Last legislative session, I filed 80 bills and co-authored 20 bills to fight for the people of my diverse district and Texans across our state. 10 of those bills were passed into law after the session ended.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I fight for every Texan's access to quality, affordable health coverage. We have a lot of work to do to make this happen. We start by accepting the $100 billion in federal Medicaid money, helping to provide healthcare to two million Texas families that don't have it today.Every child should feel like they have a clean, safe school they can go to, but that's not the reality today. As an educator for over 20 years, I am dedicated to fighting to rebuild and restore our public school systems.Everyone deserves a fair shot at success, especially working families. I will continue to fight hard for them, for us, from better pay to more job skills development programs. I will fight for equal opportunity so everyone can thrive in our economy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, Public Education, Voting Rights, Workers' Rights, and Gun Safety.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Through the leadership of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, we were led through two trying times in our nation's history, creating many safety nets that we still rely on today, such as Social Security, Medicare, and civil and voting rights protections. They demostrated, at its highest level, the capacity of government to do good.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Mrs. Smith goes to Washington.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Compassion

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Experience and compassion

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility is to represent the interests of your district well.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave the world a better place than I found it.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of president John F. Kennedy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In college, I worked for SEARS in the catalog department. I worked there 6 years.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Single parenting

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The house is more lively while the Senate is more reserved.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Of course, it's beneficial, although not required.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our budget is dependent upon oil and gas revenue, sales taxes, and gasoline taxes, all three of which have been down since the pandemic. The challenge will be to diversify revenue sources.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

A working relationship. We don't have to see eye to eye on everything, but we should still be able to look past our differences to create legislation that benefits all Texans.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, it is important to form coalitions of support among my legislative collegues. In order to be an effective legislator, it is necessary to understand who supports your legislation, and who you need to convince to support your legislation.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I am in favor of a nonpartisan independent citizen redistricting commission.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

n/a

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

The Human Services Committee hears from individuals and families who travel long distances at times in order to put a face and a personal story to the issues before us.