Coleman for HD148
28 years of experience in the Texas House set the incumbent apart from challengers.
In his 28 years representing District 148 in the Texas House of Representatives, Garnet Coleman has worked to pass legislation addressing mental health and criminal justice reform, including the Sandra Bland Act, which requires jailers to immediately send inmates suffering from mental illness to a mental health facility.
That might have prevented the death of Bland, a black woman who died of an apparent suicide in a Waller County jail after her arrest in a routine traffic stop.
Coleman, 58, worked with state Sen. John Whitmire to pass the bill in 2017 and, since then, has continued to push for legislation that would replace provisions stripped from the final bill, including limiting arrests for fine-only offenses.
Coleman has also introduced measures that would improve school safety and reduce teen suicide, including a bill to improve behavioral health training and trauma-informed training for teachers.
Another bill he authored allows a child who is the victim of a murder attempt to receive a one-time assistance payment from the state crime-victim’s compensation fund.
Dubbed the Sir Romeo Bill after a child who survived gun violence, the legislation was signed into law and is an example of Coleman’s focus on the needs of constituents whose voices might otherwise go unheard.
Coleman’s opponents for the seat, which runs from Hobby Airport northwest to downtown and includes the historic Third Ward and Midtown, include Aurelia Wagner, a Houston ISD teacher with a passion for improving education, and Colin Ross, who runs a grease-recycling business and is a proponent of a victimless crime bill.
However, Coleman’s experience and expertise are an advantage in navigating the politics of Austin. As we have in the previous elections, we endorse him for another two-year term.