State Representative, Texas House District 146

Lauren Ashley Simmons has represented Texas House District 146 in Houston since January 2025 and is seeking a second term¹⁴. She is a union organizer and a member of the Communications Workers of America who has advocated for Texas state employees and Houston teachers⁴. She faces Republican Alexandria Nicole Butler on Nov. 3, 2026²³.

Where they stand 23 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• MarijuanaLegalize and regulate it like alcoholhigh

  Said · high confidence

  • Her campaign calls for decriminalizing marijuana possession and regulating marijuana the same way as alcohol. (2026-09) source
  • Voted no on SB 3, which would have banned most consumable hemp-derived THC products; it passed the House 87 to 54 and was later vetoed by the governor. (2025-05-22) source
• School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign says public dollars should be spent on public schools, not private schools or voucher schemes. (2026-09) source
  • Voted no on SB 2, which created a state education savings account program that can pay for private school; the House passed it 86 to 61. (2025-04-17) source
• Curriculum and booksKeep access broad; removals should be raremedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for repealing laws and policies it describes as government-sanctioned censorship, including the recently passed book ban. (2026-09) source
  • Voted no on SB 13, which set up local school library advisory councils and parental rights over school library materials; it passed the House 86 to 55. (2025-05-28) source
• DEI programsKeep them and let each school or agency decidemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for repealing the law that dismantled diversity, equity and inclusion offices at Texas colleges and universities. (2026-09) source
  • Voted no on SB 12, which set parental rights rules and prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion duties in K-12 public schools; it passed the House 88 to 47. (2025-05-25) source
• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)medium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for repealing the Texas abortion ban and removing all medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion access, saying health care decisions should be made by patients and doctors without government interference. (2026-09) source
  • Voted no on HB 7, which set prohibitions on making and providing abortion-inducing drugs; it passed the House 82 to 48. (2025-08-28) source
• Gender care for minorsLeave it to parents and doctorsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for repealing the Texas ban on gender-affirming care for minors and protecting the rights of parents to make health care decisions for their children with their doctors. (2026-09) source
• Minimum wageRaise it higher and tie it to the cost of livingmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for raising the Texas minimum wage to $15 an hour and indexing it to inflation. (2026-09) source
• Paid leaveCreate a national paid family and medical leave program plus paid sick daysmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for passing paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave for Texas workers. (2026-09) source
• GunsAll of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazinesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, red flag laws, a higher minimum age to buy a gun and safe storage requirements. (2026-09) source
• Election rulesEasier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyonemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for repealing the 2021 election law SB 1 and passing same-day voter registration and universal mail-ballot voting. (2026-09) source
• RedistrictingIndependent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for a nonpartisan redistricting commission to end gerrymandering of Texas districts. (2026-09) source
  • Her campaign says she joined House Democrats in breaking quorum in 2025 to block the mid-decade congressional redistricting plan. (2025-08) source
• Mandatory minimumsCut them back, especially for drug crimes, and give judges more discretionmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for relaxing mandatory minimum sentences, expanding diversion programs and emphasizing treatment over incarceration. (2026-09) source
• Qualified immunityNo, end it for police so officers or departments can be sued for rights violationsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for ending qualified immunity and appointing independent investigators for police shootings that cause death or serious injury. (2026-09) source
• Energy and climateA gradual shift to cleaner energy, driven by incentivesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for supports and incentives to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. (2026-09) source
• ImmigrationA path to citizenship for most, and more legal immigrationmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign supports comprehensive federal immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship and opposes the border wall, razor wire and Texas National Guard deployment at the border. (2026-09) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenlow

  Said · low confidence

  • Her campaign calls for universal access to quality, affordable health care and for Texas to accept Medicaid expansion. (2026-09) source
• AI data centersWelcome them, but make them pay their full share of grid and water costslow

  Said · low confidence

  • Was away from her desk when SB 6 passed 103 to 25 and filed a House Journal statement that she would have voted yes on the bill, which made very large power users such as data centers share more of their grid connection costs. (2025-05-27) source
• Policing and crimeNo single answer fitsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for greater police accountability, more diversion programs, more mental health services and treatment over incarceration. (2026-09) source
• AI regulationNo single answer fitsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign calls for protecting workers from job losses caused by AI and automation by requiring employers to provide free retraining. (2026-09) source
• Religion in schoolsNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted no on SB 10, which requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms; it passed the House 82 to 46. (2025-05-25) source
  • Voted no on SB 11, which allows schools to set a period for prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts; it passed the House 88 to 48. (2025-05-23) source
• China policyNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted no on SB 17, which restricts purchases of Texas real property by certain foreign governments, entities and people, including from China; it passed the House 86 to 59. (2025-05-09) source
• School vaccinesNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted no on HB 1586, which requires the state to post the school vaccine exemption affidavit form online; it passed the House 83 to 54. (2025-05-14) source
• Property taxesNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted no on SB 10 in the 2025 second special session, which changed how the voter-approval tax rate is calculated for certain local governments; it passed the House 78 to 52 but did not become law. (2025-08-25) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Business regulation, Texas power grid, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Student loans, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, Kids online.