El Paso legislators describe struggles and triumphs of 88th Texas legislative session

Health care, infrastructure and education emerged as the chief priorities for El Paso's state House and Senate delegation during a panel discussion sponsored by the El Paso Chamber.

The chamber held its annual Legislative Wrap-Up Tuesday afternoon, giving El Paso's legislators an opportunity to look back on the 88th session of the Texas Legislature and discuss what's ahead.

State Rep. Lina Ortega, who recently announced that she would not be seeking reelection next year, was asked about the delegation's biggest challenges in the coming years — her response: education, health care and infrastructure.

More: State Rep. Lina Ortega announces she will not seek a fifth term in the Texas Legislature

Those three policy issues, Ortega said, represent both a necessity to citizens and an accelerant for the city's economy.

"We've got to make sure that we have jobs," Ortega said, "that people get paid well in order to keep them here."

She praised efforts this session to take the first steps toward establishing a law school in El Paso, noting that El Paso is "the only large urban city in the United States that does not have a law school."

Regarding health care, Ortega said that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country and a dire need for more health care professionals — El Paso, she said, is even worse.

"Any delegation, and I know they're all doing their part, needs to continue along those three lines," Ortega said.

Legislators cite cancer center, higher education investments among session's biggest wins

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Richard Pineda, director of the Sam Donaldson Center for Communications Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. He asked the delegation to describe this year's top accomplishments, and nearly all of El Paso's legislators pointed to funding for a new cancer center and the numerous investments in higher education.

This year's state budget includes $65 million for a comprehensive cancer center at Texas Tech, bolstered by a $25 million donation Aug. 8 from El Paso car dealer Steve Fox. State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso, believes it will have "transformative effects" on the region.

More: El Paso lawmakers saw success in Texas legislative session

"People deserve to have health care access," she said. "Getting that additional investment for the cancer center is going to save lives."

Ortega likewise referenced the cancer center, as well as funding for a psychiatric hospital and funding increases for universities and community colleges as accomplishments that will "immensely help people from this community."

Those health care and education investments get to the heart of what business owners need when setting up shop in a new community, state Sen. Cesar Blanco said — a "skilled and healthy workforce."

"I think the Legislature has made some inroads this session," Blanco, D-El Paso, said, "sadly, the state of Texas dropped in terms of one of the best places to do business. And I think ... we need to do everything we need to do to ensure we remain competitive."

Education in Texas is 'at a crossroads'

While legislators hailed increased funding for education, some expressed concern over the state of education in Texas, which could spell trouble for the state's economy.

Blanco pointed to attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, which he said could stand in the way of some businesses moving to Texas.

"There's good, there's bad," Blanco said, "but for the most part the state is making those investments to ensure we remain competitive."

For Gonzalez, who also works as an educator, the state of education is of chief concern.

"Education in our state is at a crossroads," she said, noting that partisan politics have begun to be a part of education discussions, which were generally immune from such infighting. "I think that's a very dangerous road we are starting to go on."

Despite the increased funding, Gonzalez said the state has to be diligent in addressing the ongoing teacher shortage if it hopes to maintain a skilled workforce capable of attracting new business investments.

"Without teachers or professors or an eco-system in education that works," she said, "we're never going to have that workforce. We have to be very vocal and I think business folks have to be vocal about this."

Democratic delegation describes difficulties working in Republican-controlled Legislature

While El Paso's delegation was able to pass a slew of bills this session, legislators described how they have been able to accomplish so much despite working in the political minority. El Paso's entire delegation is made up of Democrats, which are greatly outnumbered in both the Texas House and Senate.

"We all operate in the political minority and that is difficult and it has become more difficult over time," said state Rep. Joe Moody, who asserted that the hyper-partisanship that defines Congress has made its way into the Texas Legislature. "That has slowly crept into our political reality as well.

More: State Rep. Joe Moody running for reelection in Texas House, declines district attorney bid

"Our mode of operation is to make sure we're all on the same page when it comes to priorities for El Paso. We know that on a number of big-ticket items ... it's going to be very challenging for us to get things across the finish line. It becomes a very complicated numbers game at times."

For state Rep. Claudia Ordaz, the newest member of the El Paso delegation, the move from El Paso City Council to Legislature meant getting used to a slower pace and work that relies heavily on relationships.

"The state is very much relationship driven," Ordaz said. "A lot of politics."

Where council action is constituent focused, Ordaz said, legislators are constantly dealing with staff, advocacy groups, lobbyists and hundreds of other legislators.

But a priority for her has been creating a "different narrative about what the border means, what it stands for" as anti-immigrant rhetoric continues to heat up in Texas.

"For us, we need to ensure we're taking care of our people," Ordaz said, "and make sure we're telling that narrative about what the border really means."

For Ortega, working Republican-controlled House means having to "tippy-toe" around hot-button issues. That strategy has paid off, she said, and El Paso's legislators continue to accomplish "a lot of good things."

"I'm proud to have served with this delegation," Ortega said. "Obviously, we don't always vote the same ... but we are, on things that affect this community, we are very united."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso state delegation looks back on 88th Texas legislative session