Norma Chávez (born 29 June 1960) served seven terms as a member of the Democratic Party in the Texas House of Representatives representing District 76 (which includes part of El Paso County). She was defeated for re-election by Naomi Gonzalez in the Democratic primary runoff held on April 13, 2010, and left office in January 2011.
In 2009, she opposed an El Paso county ethics bill, causing controversy. She also was featured on the Texas Monthly's "Dishonorable Mention" list because she engaged in a feud with state representative Marisa Marquez, whom she texted, "U ridiculed my education every drunk opportunity u had. U R not my friend" after Marquez had allegedly ridiculed her while drunk at a lobbyist party. She held a $3,529 graduation party, well attended by Republican and Democratic lawmakers (featuring mariachis, a barbecue lunch and cake) paid for by lobbyists.
Legislative career
During the 81st Legislature, Chávez initiated a bill to increase funding for the Skills Development Fund (SDF) job-training program, as well as authoring legislation which was signed into law that established reporting requirements for the investment portfolio of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. She enacted legislation which was signed into law allowing the Texas Workforce Commission to commit SDF training grants as an incentive to attract out of state employers who commit to establishing a place of business in Texas. Additionally, she passed legislation that allows for increased funding for school districts affected by Base Realignment and Closure, and regulations that require a feasibility study of establishing a law school in Texas' Border region, among other legislation she passed this session.
In previous sessions, she passed legislation that will establish four new courts in El Paso County. Also, she passed legislation that expands the Public Safety Commission from 3 to 5 members. Chávez passed legislation that will let Texas compete with its neighboring states by allowing local communities to offer an exemption on goods-in-transit. She passed legislation to streamline administrative processes at the Health and Human Services Commission by requiring the commissioner to develop guidelines and standards to allow for the use of electronic signatures. Chávez passed legislation that will require the Texas Bond Review Board to comprehensively review the effect of new debt authorizations and appropriations on debt services on the state's future capacity.
As the only person from the El Paso Delegation to serve on a budget-writing committee this session, Rep. Chávez secured the $48 million needed to open the Texas Tech Medical School in El Paso. Additionally, she removed a bureaucratic and unnecessary contingency measure that would have required medical school officials to go before the state to ask for the remaining $18 million needed to open the school. She also allocated the $9 million needed to restore solvency to the Fire Fighters' Pension Fund. Rep. Chávez also secured the $1 million needed in debt service to issue $12 million in bonds for the Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP). EDAP helps communities build water and wastewater services.
Chávez passed legislation that increased funding for the Skills Development Fund, from $25 million to $40 million, over the next biennium. Since its inception in 1996, the Skills Development program has helped over 2,500 employers create almost 55,000 jobs and has retrained about 85,000 workers. Rep. Chávez also passed legislation to require local workforce development boards to include financial literacy education in worker retraining programs offered by the Texas Workforce Commission. She also passed legislation that improves the inspections of farm worker housing.
During 79th Legislature, Rep. Chávez along with Senator Eliot Shapleigh, Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU, LULAC, MALDEF and many other organizations, stood up against and defeated legislation filed by a special interest group that would have disenfranchised over 75,000 voters from voting in El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 manager elections.