Power Players features state lawmakers rising through the ranks or making a notable mark on the 87th Texas legislative session. Each week, Capital Tonight will feature an elected official to give you a chance to get to know the person behind the powerful position.
At 31 years old, Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, is the youngest member of the Texas Legislature. He says that comes with an added pressure and responsibility to be his generation’s voice at the state Capitol. While Talarico is looking out for his own generation, he's also got his eyes firmly on the next. Before getting into politics, he was a middle school teacher on San Antonio's West side. He taught kids in one of the poorest ZIP codes in the state.
"I knew that the systems that were hurting students like mine were never going to get fixed unless we had educators in buildings like this one," Talarico said.
Talarico has a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University. He says he knows the impact a teacher can have on their students.
"When I was elementary school, middle school, I was a behavior problem. So, I had referrals, I was constantly in detention, constantly getting kicked out of class," said Rep. Talarico.
His teacher's advice went like this: if you can control when you talk and when you don't, you'll be very successful. As a freshman lawmaker in 2019 , he didn't plan on doing much talking.
"When I first got elected, I thought I'd be on the back bench," said Rep. Talarico.
But the Speaker of the House put him on the Public Education Committee and it was that year lawmakers made sweeping changes to how the state funds public education.
"I was still trying to find out where the bathrooms are in the Capitol and overhaul our state's school finance system," said Rep. Talarico.
Talarico now knows where the bathrooms are and he also knows how to woo his colleagues, while giving a boost to a hometown favorite as well.
“Round Rock Donuts are our staple in Round Rock. We regularly deliver Round Rock Donuts to everyone here in the building. It's a good way to support our local business and also gain favor with our colleagues," said Rep. Talarico.
When he's not working, you can usually find him outside exploring state and national parks or getting lost in a book.
"When I didn't have friends, books were my friends when I was younger and my favorite room in my house is a library I built with my dad and it's the place I go when I need to get away from the hustle and bustle of this place," said Rep. Talarico.