New lawmaker profile: Rep. Catherine H. Miranda, D-Phoenix

Rep. Catherine Miranda, D-Phoenix (Cronkite News Service photo)

Chamber: House of Representatives

Party: Democrat

Profession: Volunteer

Hometown: Phoenix (South)

Legislative District: No. 16, which covers much of south Phoenix and stretches into Tempe and Guadalupe.

Committee Assignments: Agriculture and Water; Commerce.

Previous or Current Elected Offices: Roosevelt School District school board member.

Highlights of Community Involvement: Project Apple, which provides high school students with mentors who help prepare them for college, South Mountain Community College.

Why She Ran: “Watching all the cuts to education … and knowing that the decisions came at the legislative level I knew I had an opportunity to go a little bit higher and make bigger decisions and help shape education.”

Her Focus: “What I hope is that there’s an effective strategy to balance the budget and to stay away from cuts to education.”

A Bill: Plans to introduce a memorial that would ask the U.S. Congress to reconsider the Dream Act and allow high-achieving immigrant students to earn citizenship after serving three years in the military.
Reporting by Alyson Zepeda, Cronkite News Service