Penny Morales Shaw is a proud daughter of Houston. She is dedicated to helping working families and children thrive in our community, just as she did. State Representative Morales Shaw has spent her two-decade career as an attorney advancing working families and children's health and well-being. She has now turned her attention to representing her hometown of Houston in the Texas Legislature. 

Penny is a native Houstonian who attended public schools in Houston and has lived in the District 148 area for the past ten years. She has a long history of championing human rights, women’s healthcare, environmental protections, and early childhood education. 

Penny has advocated for principled, results-driven progressive policies so all Texas families can access a first-class education and high-quality, affordable healthcare. Early in her legal career, Penny served as an attorney for NAACP legal clinics and as a federal legislative advocate for the passage of the International Violence Against Women Act. 

She has also advocated for policies focused on women’s fundamental right to healthcare and early childhood education while advocating commonsense policies to ensure that working families in "fence-line" communities can access clean water.

Despite being widowed shortly after graduating from law school, Penny dedicated herself to raising her four children, now college-educated young adults pursuing their careers. As a working mom, she continued to be a local business owner, manage her multi-state law practice, and expand her legislative advocacy work.

She is excited to use her broad legal and governmental experience for the residents of House District 148, which includes parts of the Spring Branch, Oak Forest, and Northwest Houston communities.

Before her election to the Texas House, Penny served as the Deputy Chief for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2, overseeing policy and legislative affairs. 

During the 87th Legislative Session, she was appointed to the House Environmental Regulation and Urban Affairs Committees. During the 88th Legislative Session, she served on the Defense & Veterans' Affairs, Environmental Regulation, and Local & Consent Calendars committees.

She is a member of the House Innovation & Technology Caucus, House LGBTQ Caucus, Legislative Study Group, Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC), Texas Legislative Ports Caucus, Texas Women’s Health Caucus, and the House Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry.