Rep. Ordaz, Claudia

Biography

Claudia Ordaz represents Texas’s House District 79 in El Paso’s northeast and eastside, which includes the El Paso International Airport and Fort Bliss, the country’s largest installation in the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Texas House Committee for International Relations and Economic Development and member of the Transportation and Resolutions Calendars Committees.

She was first elected to the Texas House in 2020. During her first legislative session she was successful in passing legislation that secured over $500 million to help small businesses for COVID relief. During her second session, she passed the only bill expanding access to prescription contraception, which is of the utmost importance in this post-Roe world. She also passed legislation that will boost support for local businesses, expand economic development incentives to bring jobs to Texas, and improve our workforce programs in El Paso.

She was recently named “Legislative Champion” by the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition for her work in expanding healthcare access for women and awarded with the “Humane Hero” distinction by the Texas Humane Legislative Network for her work in advancing animal welfare reform laws. During her first session, she was named “Freshman Legislator” of the year by the Tejano Democrats for her work in fighting for voting rights. She was also recognized with the “Legislative Star” award for her legislation that provides family leave benefits for state employees.

She is the former Mayor Pro Tempore and City Councilwoman for the City of El Paso, where she was a fierce advocate for working parents and family caregivers. She was successful in creating local policies impacting living wages for workers, local park enhancements for children, funding for new infrastructure for municipal police and fire departments, local animal shelter improvements, and promoting investment opportunities to expand job growth in the Borderplex region.

Claudia is a proud graduate of local public schools and the University of Texas at El Paso, where she served as President of the University Democrats. She is a homeowner in El Paso’s eastside and a parishioner at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church. In her spare time she can be found with her two rescue dogs, Jack and Benji, watching Game of Thrones.