+ − Contact Information
Phone: (512) 463-0616
Fax: (512) 463-4873
Office Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
+ − Biography
Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a member of an emerging group of Latino leaders in the United States, has built his career as a no-nonsense, down-to-business Democrat. Currently serving his seventh term representing District 116 in San Antonio, he was recently named one of the 10 Best Legislators of 2013 by Texas Monthly Magazine, who described him as a "soldier prepared to do battle but ready to make peace." The Houston Chronicle and the San Francisco Chronicle named him one of the "20 Latino political rising stars of 2012," placing him among those under 55 "who just might change the face of American politics over the next two decades." In 2010, Campaigns and Elections Magazine named him a "Texas Influencer" and one of the Top-50 Democrats in the state. The New York Times has dubbed him a "heavy hitter" whose "loyalty to San Antonio remains steadfast."
Representative Martinez Fischer is the chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the oldest and largest Latino legislative caucus in the United States. During his Chairmanship, the Caucus has emerged as one of the leading Latino public policy organizations and the "group to watch" in the Texas Legislature according to The Economist magazine. In 2012, Chairman Martinez Fischer led the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in two victorious court battles concerning redistricting and voter/photo identification that will be remembered in Texas civil rights history.
Representative Martinez Fischer is an accomplished lawmaker who serves as a floor leader, guiding key bills to passage or defeat, and is recognized as an expert on the House rules of procedure. In 2011, Texas Monthly named him the "Bull of the Brazos" in recognition of his passionate commitment to bringing balance and accountability to a legislative session dominated by a few on the far right. In giving him this award, Texas Monthly wrote that "without TMF the Democrats would have had no champion at all". He has also been recognized as the "2013 Friend of Education" and a "Legislative Star" by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association for fighting harmful legislation that would short-change our children's future.
This year, Representative Martinez Fischer played a pivotal role in restoring education funding to Texas schools and was a major player in the state budget negotiations that resulted in $3.9 billion in increased education funding. He is also a passionate advocate for government transparency and accountability as a member of the Select Committee on Transparency in State Operations and recently fought to preserve the voting rights of all Texans on the Select Redistricting Committee.
With the passage of House Bill 26 in 2013, he succeeded in protecting some of our most vulnerable Texans by expanding unemployment benefits eligibility to include victims of sexual assault or family members of victims of sexual assault. HB 26 ensures that neither the victims nor their employers are penalized if a victim or employee whose family member is a victim are forced to leave an employer following a sexual assault.
In order to make the legislative process more accessible to everyone, Representative Martinez Fischer authored HB 1271, or "the hyperlink bill," under which legislative bills posted online will include 'hyperlinks' to the statutory provisions referenced in the bill. This simple and low-cost maneuver will make legislative bills easier to understand and more accessible to the public.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Representative Martinez Fischer has worked with the San Antonio business community to find practical solutions to complex problems throughout his career in the legislature. In 2009, he authored HB 1922, which doubled San Antonio's capacity to provide recycled water to businesses to meet the demands of expanding industries while conserving water for a fast-growing region. He also authored an amendment requiring our state Employee Retirement System to hire emerging fund managers, many of which are minority and women-owned businesses. In 2011, he was the lead Democratic author on HB 3727, the Boeing Bill, which created hundreds of high-paying manufacturing jobs in San Antonio to build, test, and repair the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. As a result of this bill, Air Force One will be refitted and repaired in San Antonio.
Representative Martinez Fischer sits on the Natural Resources and Ways and Means Committees as well as the Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations. He was also selected by Texas House Speaker Joe Straus to serve on the Select Committee on Redistricting during the first called special session of the 83rd Legislature.
An accomplished lawyer, Representative Martinez Fischer is a 1998 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and has practiced before state and federal courts throughout Texas since 1998. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas San Antonio and in 1993 was selected as a National Urban Fellow, earning him a Masters in Public Administration from the Baruch College of Public Affairs in New York, NY.
Representative Martinez Fischer and his wife, Elizabeth Provencio, an attorney and San Antonio Water System trustee, are the proud parents of two daughters: Francesca, who is 4 1/2 years old, and Camilla, who is 3 years old.