Celia Israel

Celia Israel is an American politician. She has represented the 50th District in the Texas House of Representatives since winning a special election on January 28, 2014, succeeding Mark Strama.[2] She is a member of the Democratic Party.[3] She serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety and the House Committee on Elections, focusing on public safety and making voting easier for all Texans.

Rep. Israel serves as Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, overseeing the Steering and Policy Committee. She is a member of the Legislative Study Group, the Women's Health Caucus, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and is a founding member of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. She has proposed legislation to introduce online voter registration in Texas.[4] In September 2019, she was chosen to lead the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, a political action committee tasked with electing more Democrats to the Texas House.[5]

Rep. Israel has served on numerous boards and committees focused on multimodal transportation, food scarcity, and empowering the next generation of female leaders. During her first term in the legislature, she was named Freshman of the Year by the Legislative Study Group, a Champion of Equality by Equality Texas, and a Progressive Champion by Progress Texas. In 2018, Rep. Israel was inducted into the Austin Women's Hall of Fame.

Raised in El Paso, Texas, Rep. Israel moved to the Austin area in 1982 to attend the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with a degree in Government, she served in Governor Ann Richards' administration, tasked with recruiting the best and brightest to public service. Rep. Israel is a licensed Texas Realtor who lives with her long-time partner, Celinda Garza, and their dogs, Kia and Pippa, in Northeast Travis County.