She was defeated for re-election by Naomi Gonzalez in the Democratic primary runoff held on April 13, 2010, and left office in January 2011.
[1] She also was featured on the Texas Monthly's "Dishonorable Mention" list because she engaged in a feud with state representative Marisa Marquez, to whom she texted, "U ridiculed my education every drunk opportunity u had.
[2] She held a $3,529 graduation party, well attended by Republican and Democratic lawmakers (featuring mariachis, a barbecue lunch and cake) paid for by lobbyists.
Chávez passed legislation that will let Texas compete with its neighboring states by allowing local communities to offer an exemption on goods-in-transit.
She passed legislation to streamline administrative processes at the Health and Human Services Commission by requiring the commissioner to develop guidelines and standards to allow for the use of electronic signatures.
During 79th Legislature, Rep. Chávez along with Senator Eliot Shapleigh, Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU, LULAC, MALDEF and many other organizations, stood up against and defeated legislation filed by a special interest group[who?]
Rep. Chávez also filed and passed "the coyote bill" creating a state penalty for those individuals who use Texas highways, lands, and waterways to transport undocumented workers for a profit.
By considering the health and environmental hazards, Chávez organized efforts to prevent nuclear waste from being disposed at Sierra Blanca.
Chávez was a board member of Community Alliance Promoting Education Alternatives (CAPEA), an organization which seeks positive intervention and prevention in the lives of at-risk youth.
On July 16, 2009, the El Paso Times reported that Chávez had her staff request that 17 lobbyists pay for a $3,500 celebration for her earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.
One lobbyist, Claudia Russell who represented El Paso County, said she paid $150 to the party after Chávez's staff requested a contribution.
Tom "Smithy" Smith, director of Public Citizen in Texas, told the paper: "She made a big darn deal out of it as one of the highlights of her life, so those that contributed are going to be on her good buddies' list."
Andrew Wheat, research director with the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, told the paper, "It might have been far more in the public interest to scale back the size of the party … People graduate all the time without lobbyists paying for ice sculptures at their graduation parties."
An FBI investigation into corruption in El Paso County resulted in 10 elected officials, government and employees and businessmen pleading guilty to bribery and fraud.
Chávez identified at least 40 points of her concern ranging from the constitutionality of the commission, to the broad use or lack of definitions, conflicts of interest, among others.
El Paso County Commissioner Dan Haggerty said his fear was that the new commission would be used as a political weapon that could harm officials wrongly accused of unethical behavior.
Chávez told the media that her neighbors were lying and that she wasn't in El Paso at the time of the alleged events.
[10][11] In December 2002, El Paso police closed a party, attended by Chávez, in her staffer's apartment, after neighbors complained of drug use in progress and noise.
For this, Dolores Huerta, the former United Farmworkers activist who opposed the measure, said that Chávez "deserves to catch some heat in her district" for her vote[13] Voters in El Paso County passed Proposition 12 by 60% when it appeared on the ballot.
She set the tone for her career in 1997, her freshman year, by promising her vote to both candidates for the head of the Mexican American Caucus.
You might think she'd learned something since then — even an amoeba picks up things by osmosis — but she continues to bumble her way through.For her petty session-long text-messaging feud with fellow El Pasoan Marisa Marquez over an ethics bill.
[17] Bob Perry has also donated to numerous other Texas Democrats, including: Senators Rodney Ellis, Leticia Van de Putte, Mario Gallegos, Judith Zaffirini and Juan Hinojosa; Representatives Alma Allen, Ellen Cohen, Sylvester Turner, Rick Noriega (former member), Debra Danburg (former member), Dawnna Dukes, Jessica Farrar, Jose Menendez, Allan Ritter, Ruth Jones McClendon, Michael Villarreal, Harold Dutton, Helen Giddings, David Farabee, Armando Martinez, among others.