El Paso state lawmakers named the budget, education and data centers as key policy issues they hope to tackle in the 2027 legislative session in a Tuesday event hosted by the Texas Tribune.

Democratic state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, expressed concern over federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and said she wanted to explore how the state could mitigate those reductions.

“Why are we talking more about property tax relief than the ability for kids to have food?” Gonzalez said. “I am hopeful that we will have a greater balance in the Texas House because that balance will only help us have a better budget. … The fiscal decisions we make this session I think are going to be critical for the next 20 years.”

Democratic state Sen. Cesar Blanco said he supports more state funding for schools as a way to lower property taxes assessed by school districts.

“We can fully fund public education, and that is meaningful tax relief,” Blanco said. “We have already done meaningful, session after session, property tax relief and reform. … We’ve got big issues that we need to deal with. I think we can just go fully fund our schools.”

From left: Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins is joined by state Sen. César J. Blanco, D-El Paso, and state Reps. Mary E. González, D-Clint and Joe Moody, D-El Paso, for a discussion about the lawmakers' priorities for the 2027 legislative session in Austin and what it means for El Paso residents.
From left: Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins is joined by state Sen. César J. Blanco, D-El Paso, and state Reps. Mary E. González, D-Clint and Joe Moody, D-El Paso, for a discussion about the lawmakers’ priorities for the 2027 legislative session in Austin and what it means for El Paso residents. Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody said data centers will be “front and center” in the upcoming legislative session, and Blanco criticized companies’ lack of communication with communities on the impacts of data centers. Gonzalez called for a groundwater conservation district to protect aquifers in El Paso, which she called a target for data centers due to minimal regulation.

“What’s necessary for us is for us to protect ourselves first,” Gonzalez said. “You don’t get to take all the water that we need for our farms, for our people and for all the other industries.”

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Zach Leggio is a reporting fellow based in Austin. Zach was born in Augusta, Georgia, and is a recent graduate from the University of Georgia, where he majored in journalism and international affairs....