At ‘Mondays with Mihaela,’ Plesa Explains Her Approach to Governing

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

Plano — Most campaign events are about persuading voters. Monday night’s “Mondays with Mihaela” gathering was different.

Instead of delivering prepared remarks, State Rep. Mihaela Plesa spent nearly two hours answering questions and offering attendees a look inside the Texas Capitol—explaining how legislation gets written, why she believes bipartisan relationships matter and what she says happened behind the scenes during this year’s school voucher debate.

“It’s not just about getting elected. It’s also about being effective,” Plesa, who represents Texas House District 70, told the crowd. She argued that lawmakers should ultimately be judged not by campaign speeches, but by what they accomplish once they arrive in Austin.

From a front porch to the House floor

Rather than listing legislative accomplishments, Plesa used stories from her first two terms to explain how she believes legislation often begins with conversations outside the Capitol.

The most personal example centered on Everly’s Law.

Plesa said the legislation grew out of a conversation she had while knocking on doors during her first campaign. One Plano woman initially declined to discuss politics but contacted her a week later to share the experience of delivering a stillborn daughter and navigating the loss without consistent bereavement support.

That conversation stayed with Plesa long after the campaign ended.

“The best legislation happens when we have these conversations,” she said, adding that it was something she thought about almost every day until the bill was filed.

Named after the woman’s daughter, Everly’s Law requires hospitals with maternity services to provide perinatal bereavement care for families experiencing pregnancy loss. Plesa said the measure passed with only two votes against it across the House and Senate and later inspired similar legislation in Louisiana.

Looking inside the Legislature

Questions from attendees shifted from individual bills to how the Legislature actually functions.

Plesa described her work on the House Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee, explaining that its responsibilities extend well beyond pensions to include banking regulations, consumer protections and emerging issues such as cryptocurrency and Bitcoin ATM scams.

She also spoke candidly about governing as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled Legislature.

“I’m progressive at heart, but I’m also a pragmatist,” she said, “I also know that if I come back and I don’t show y’all that I can get anything done, y’all ain’t gonna believe in me. People aren’t gonna believe in Democrats.”

Working across the aisle, she said, isn’t optional.

“I’m a minority. I have to.”

Inside the voucher debate

Plesa also shared her account of negotiations surrounding this year’s school voucher legislation.

According to Plesa, Democrats and at least one Republican had worked out a proposal that would have allowed voters to decide the issue through a constitutional amendment. She said those discussions ended after Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump warned Republican lawmakers they could face primary challengers if they opposed the voucher bill.

Plesa also said some rural lawmakers were told public schools would later receive a larger increase to the state’s basic allotment. That increase, she argued, never fully materialized.

“The money didn’t follow the kid,” she said. “The money followed the donors.”

She also argued that students with disabilities—one of the groups supporters said would benefit most from vouchers—have not received the level of assistance originally discussed during the debate.

Schools, taxes and accountability

As the conversation continued, one question often led naturally to another. School funding turned into a discussion about property taxes. Housing affordability became a conversation about wages. Questions about elections eventually led to redistricting.

Plesa questioned proposals to eliminate property taxes without explaining how local governments would replace revenue used to fund schools, police and fire departments.

“If we do away with property taxes, who is going to pay—not just for our schools and teachers—but for our police and firefighters?” she asked.

Plesa also introduced attendee Keenen Colbert, the Democratic nominee for Texas Senate District 2, who briefly addressed the audience and argued that Texas has the resources to address many of its challenges but has chosen different spending priorities.

When the discussion turned to elections, Plesa argued that competitive districts—not legislative term limits—are the better way to hold elected officials accountable.

“The number one killer of democracy is gerrymandering,” she said, adding that both Republicans and Democrats have engaged in the practice.

Before wrapping up, Plesa urged attendees to stay engaged long after campaign season, encouraging them to keep talking with neighbors, stay involved in their communities and hold elected officials accountable.

She closed by drawing a distinction she said shapes her own approach to public service.

“A politician is thinking about the next election,” she said. “A statesman is thinking about the next generation.”