House District 117 · San Antonio, TX
A Southside San Antonio native, former San Antonio City Councilmember, and retired U.S. Air Force Captain, Rep. Cortez holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and represents portions of Bexar County and San Antonio.
Biography
A south side San Antonio native, Rep. Dr. Philip Cortez was first elected in 2012 to serve his lifelong community as state representative for District 117. He earned his associate degree from Palo Alto Community College in 2000 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2002. He later earned a Master of Public Administration from UTSA in 2007 and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2017.
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Prior to his position as state representative, Rep. Cortez was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2009 to the San Antonio City Council, representing District 4. Mayor Julián Castro selected him to serve as chairman of the Audit, Infrastructure, and Growth Committees, President of the San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corporation, and as a member of the Governance Committee.
In 2019, Rep. Cortez retired from the U.S. Air Force after 20 years of service. He served for seven years as an enlisted airman with the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 2006, he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant. He was deployed to the Middle East in April 2016 for six months in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, earning a Commendation Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster) for Outstanding Achievement during his deployment.
Rep. Cortez is married to Debbie Cruz-Cortez, J.D., who received her law degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law and practices immigration and criminal defense in South Texas. The couple welcomed their first child, Camila Sofia Cortez, on May 18, 2024.
Biography sourced from the official Texas House of Representatives website.
Contact Information
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0269
San Antonio, TX 78224
(210) 923-3638
District Information
Committee Membership
Committee assignments for the 89th Legislative Session (2025).
Most Recent Session Activity
Activity during the 89th Legislative Session (89R).
Authored Legislation by Session
Bills authored and joint-authored during each legislative session. Links open the official Texas Legislature Online report for that session.
Note: Rep. Cortez’s legislative service is non-consecutive. After his first term (83R, 2013), he lost re-election in November 2014 and did not serve during the 84th Legislature (2015). He returned to the Texas House in January 2017 following his 2016 election and has served continuously since.
Campaign Finance Data
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