Jolanda Jones

What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?

I am completing my first full term, including four special sessions, and also served out the balance of Rep. Garnet Coleman’s term after winning a special election necessitated by his resignation. I know my way around the capitol and how to get things done. I also rely on my experience as an at-large city council member, HISD Trustee, and attorney to do a good job for my constituents.

Article 7 of the Texas Constitution states that “it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” What is your interpretation of what this clause requires of the legislature?

The constitution and state statutes require the State of Texas to fully fund public education – something MAGA Republicans refuse to do. I vehemently oppose private school vouchers and fought successfully to stop Gov. Abbott’s voucher scam in past sessions. We should ensure that each child has a free, quality education, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin or the ability of their parents to pay for private schools. Our public taxes should not pay for private schools.

How will you ensure that Texas remains a leader in the energy sector through innovation and reliability?

We must embrace the energy transition, both for the billions of dollars of federal investment available under the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and also for reasons of environmental justice. For example, one of the most important opportunities for clean energy is taking place on the edge of District 147: the Sunnyside Energy Project, where a former landfill in an historically African American neighborhood has become the largest solar farm in the United States.

What do you believe is the appropriate role of the State of Texas in ensuring that Texans have access to reproductive healthcare, family planning, and pregnancy care and postpartum services?

Governor Abbott and his Republican allies need to get out of the way and let women and their doctors make health care decisions. No one should have the ability to interfere with a woman’s choice or with the doctor-patient relationship. Those rights are personal and private and no one and no law should take away a woman’s right to choose what’s best for her family, including whether to have children or not. We must repeal the abortion ban and restore reproductive justice.

What other issues are high priorities for the people of your district? Please give specific examples of measurable actions that you will take to address these issues.

As the mother of a Black son and aunt of Black nephews, police reform is a very important issue I’ve been fighting for, for over three decades. We need civilian review boards with subpoena power, an end to racial profiling by law enforcement, and the ability to re-investigate convictions based on police or prosecutorial misconduct. Health care and education are also priorities. Texas must expand Medicaid, restoring health insurance for millions of Texans. I will fight to get the TEA out of HISD.