More veterans live in Texas than any other state in the country with over 1.5 million veterans calling the Lone Star State home. There’s a special place in her heart for all those who volunteer to put on the uniform and risk their lives to protect our freedoms and democracy. Mihaela is proud to have authored and supported legislation that increases benefits for our military families and veterans, programs that help veterans get back on their feet, and policies to prevent homelessness, incarceration, and suicide among veterans. Mihaela championed legislation to have law enforcement and county jailers trained on interacting with veterans and understanding their unique experiences, characteristics, and military culture (HB 1282). This bill had bipartisan support and passed the House of Representatives, Mihaela looks forward to continuing the work to get that bill passed into law. Before being elected to the Texas House, Mihaela was a legislative director for San Antonio State Representative Ray Lopez, who is a proud US Army retiree! Together, we passed a constitutional amendment (Prop. 8, 2021) that was overwhelmingly ratified by the voters of Texas and now Gold Star families in Texas can receive a homestead exemption to honor their families sacrifice for our country.
During the 88th Legislative Session, Mihaela was proud to joint-author, co-author, sponsor, or co-sponsor the following bills to support our military personnel, veterans, and their families. The bills below have passed the House, Senate, and been signed into law:
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HB 90: Increases benefits and financial assistance for surviving spouses, children, or parents of Texas Military members who died while on active state duty.
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HB 671: Creates a veteran’s suicide prevention program with mental health and safe firearm storage.
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HB 1633: Waiving certain parking fines and fees for veterans.
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HB 2248: Designating September 30th as Vanessa Guillen Day.
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HB 2951: Establishing a service dog pilot program for veterans recovering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and sexual assault.
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SB 371: Allowing high school students who graduate early and want to join ROTC to participate in the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program.
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SB 1008: Cutting red tape to make it easier for active-duty military families to enroll their children into Texas public schools.