Personal

A lifelong El Pasoan, Vince grew up in and still lives in Mission Valley. He earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgetown University. He shares his home with his dogs Whiskey, Lady, and Manchas.

Meet Vince

Biographical Information:

Occupation: Consultant

Education: B.S.F.S. Georgetown University M.A. Georgetown University

Legislative Directory

Vincent "Vince" Perez is a lifelong El Pasoan who grew up in Mission Valley and lives there. He earned a B.S.F.S. and an M.A. from Georgetown University.

Biographical Information:

Occupation: Consultant

Perez’s path into public life began in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Communications Director and campaign spokesperson in the 16th Congressional District and the House Intelligence Committee Chairman. There he managed media strategy on national security, border, and economic issues, refining the skills he now uses to explain complex state policy to everyday Texans.

Texas House biography for Vince Perez

Vince currently works as a consultant. He previously served as a communications director and campaign spokesperson in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Perez, Vincent - Texas House of Representatives

Vince Perez is the State Representative for Texas House District 77 — the El Paso seat at the heart of one of the largest binational metro areas in the world. In the 89th Legislature he serves on the House Ways & Means Committee — the tax-writing committee — alongside Higher Education and Local, Consent, & Resolutions Calendars.

Before Austin

Before joining the Legislature, Vince served two terms as El Paso County Commissioner for Precinct 3 (2013–2020). In that role, he led approval of the County's $400M+ Comprehensive Mobility Plan — every project delivered on time and on budget — and voted to allocate more than $150M for primary care clinic construction across the county.

Vince currently serves as the state representative for Texas House District 77. He previously served two terms as El Paso County commissioner for Precinct 3 from 2013 to 2020.

2026 Texas General Election

04
Property tax reform for working families

Use the Ways & Means seat to push reforms that reach Hispanic working-class homeowners — not just lobby-favored carve-outs.

Vince Perez

Property Tax Reform for Border Communities in Texas: My opponent had this job for 14 years and never authored a single property tax relief bill and needs to be held accountable for that failure. As State Rep, I intend to author legislation that would stop penalizing property taxpayers along the border with higher property tax rates than non-border communities. It’s simply unfair that places like El Paso have to impose a higher tax rate on residents for the exact same state-required services that are offered throughout Texas, but at a lower cost to property taxpayers in wealthier areas.

El Paso Times candidate questionnaire/profile

Once the state has a report showing that residents in El Paso are forced to pay say 10 - 20% more in taxes to deliver the same state-required service, I would then author legislation that would provide relief for residents in higher taxed areas.

It’s simply unfair that places like El Paso have to impose a higher tax rate on residents for the exact same state-required services that are offered throughout Texas, but at a lower cost to property taxpayers in wealthier areas. I would write a bill that requires local governments throughout Texas, such as counties, to calculate and report how much of your property tax bill is being spent on state-required services like healthcare, public defense, and state courts.

Before Austin

Before joining the Legislature, Vince served two terms as El Paso County Commissioner for Precinct 3 (2013–2020). In that role, he led approval of the County's $400M+ Comprehensive Mobility Plan — every project delivered on time and on budget — and voted to allocate more than $150M for primary care clinic construction across the county. He launched El Paso's first pretrial office, secured 24/7 magistrate operation, and made El Paso the first Texas county to adopt the National Center for State Courts' CourTools transparency system. In 2018, he created the County Economic Impact Fund to diversify development incentives for the Borderplex region. In 2019, he blocked a hazardous medical waste facility after exposing inaccuracies in the company's TCEQ application.

Plans to pursue property-tax reforms and relief for communities with higher property taxes along the border.

Proposes requiring local governments to report the property-tax costs of state-required services.

Created the County Economic Impact Fund to diversify development incentives in the Borderplex region.

- Plans to pursue property-tax reforms and relief for communities with higher property taxes along the border.
- Proposes requiring local governments to report the property-tax costs of state-required services.
- Created the County Economic Impact Fund to diversify development incentives in the Borderplex region.

Economy

To address these failures, Perez led the creation of the County’s first Pretrial Services Office, the implementation of 24/7 magistration in the county jail, the launch of a satellite booking facility, and the expansion of mental-health screenings and risk assessments. He put in place performance metrics to track outcomes and hold the judicial system accountable.

Texans are spending an exorbitant amount on an issue that ultimately is the federal government’s responsibility and none of the Republicans seem to care or ask the question, “What are Texas taxpayers getting for the $10 billion spent on this issue?” There needs to be accountability for the funding being spent. Is it making neighborhoods safer? There hasn’t been any drops in crime in Texas. Is it reducing the flow of migrants at the border? It’s not doing that either. With the passage of SB4, what the legislature and the governor have done is open the floodgates to our misdemeanor and felony courts. As a former county commissioner, I intend to make the case that flooding our courts with non-violent immigration cases is going to make Texas less-safe and it’s going to delay real criminal cases that pose a greater risk to the community.

As a county commissioner, led the creation of a pretrial services office, 24/7 jail magistration, and expanded mental-health screenings and risk assessments.

Opposes directing courts toward nonviolent immigration cases, arguing this delays cases involving greater community risk.

- As a county commissioner, led the creation of a pretrial services office, 24/7 jail magistration, and expanded mental-health screenings and risk assessments.
- Opposes directing courts toward nonviolent immigration cases, arguing this delays cases involving greater community risk.

Public Safety

Perez joint-authored HB 2038, the “DOCTOR Act,” which creates a pathway for highly qualified, foreign-trained physicians to obtain a provisional supervised license in Texas while maintaining strong safeguards. The law is designed to help address the state’s physician shortage—especially in border communities like El Paso—by leveraging experienced doctors who meet rigorous standards and are ready to serve patients in high-need areas.

03
Healthcare access on the border

Expand foreign-trained doctor licensure. Protect indigent care. Defend funding for the primary care clinics built at the county.

Women who are denied an abortion are 75% more likely to end up in poverty, more likely to suffer from serious mental health issues such as depression, thoughts of suicide, and women who are in abusive relationships are more likely to stay in that relationship when they are denied an abortion.

The expansion of Medicaid is more critical now than ever and would provide much-needed health insurance to over 1 million Texans. The legislature also needs to invest in mental health services, the border region is particularly underserved with a critical shortage of mental health professionals.

The expansion of Medicaid is more critical now than ever and would provide much-needed health insurance to over 1 million Texans. The legislature also needs to invest in mental health services, the border region is particularly underserved with a critical shortage of mental health professionals.

Co-authored House Bill (HB) 2038, creating a provisional supervised licensing pathway for qualified foreign-trained physicians.

Plans to expand licensing pathways for foreign-trained doctors and protect indigent care and primary-care clinic funding.

Supports expanding Medicaid to provide health insurance to more Texans.

Supports legislative investment in mental-health services, particularly in the underserved border region.

- Co-authored House Bill (HB) 2038, creating a provisional supervised licensing pathway for qualified foreign-trained physicians.
- Plans to expand licensing pathways for foreign-trained doctors and protect indigent care and primary-care clinic funding.
- Supports expanding Medicaid to provide health insurance to more Texans.
- Supports legislative investment in mental-health services, particularly in the underserved border region.

Healthcare

Perez also championed legislation to create a public law school in El Paso, the largest community in the nation without an established law school. He also passed HB 2853, an infrastructure bill that empowers UTEP to plan and build a modern student union facility to serve more than 25,000 students at one of the nation’s leading Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

05
A real workforce for Texas schools

Expand dual credit. Strengthen the teacher pipeline. Give voters tools — like recall — when local boards stop showing up.

02
A public law school in El Paso

Finish the work started in HB 3475. Build the binational legal pipeline a region of two million people deserves.

Education – First, Texas significantly underfunds public education when compared to other states that do much better than Texas in educating kids. The state must increase the amount of per-pupil spending to better fund our school and to provide teachers with nationally-competitive pay. Only 18% of El Paso eighth graders go on to complete a college degree within 10 years.

Only 18% of El Paso eighth graders go on to complete a college degree within 10 years. It’s the second worst outcome in Texas and must change if El Paso is ever going to reach its full potential. To improve college readiness in El Paso, I believe we need to eliminate the vast majority of standardized testing that does nothing to prepare kids for college. We should replace it with measurements that make more sense for college preparedness.

Studies show that students who successfully complete Algebra I in the 8th grade are more successful in high school and better prepared for college. All El Paso eighth graders should be required to take Algebra I and our schools should be prepared and equipped to help students reach this level by the eighth grade.

If students complete at least 9 to 12 hours of college credit while in high school, they are 80% more likely to graduate from college. The state should help increase dual credit courses in high schools by paying for the graduate education of teachers seeking dual credit certification, and schools should be measured in how successful they are getting students to take dual credit courses, and getting teachers certified to teach these courses.

The state must prioritize increases in teacher pay and the basic allotment (per-pupil funding) for our public schools. It’s fundamentally unfair that teachers and our public schools had to suffer because vouchers were soundly defeated. Vouchers must continue to be strongly opposed as they will ultimately erode public school funding and also cause further segregation in our schools, where 54% of students are Latino.

Passed HB 2853, enabling the University of Texas at El Paso to plan and build a student union facility.

Plans to expand dual-credit courses, strengthen the teacher pipeline, and give voters recall tools for local school boards.

Plans to continue work on House Bill (HB) 3475 and develop a binational legal-education pipeline in El Paso.

Supports increasing per-pupil public-school funding and teacher pay.

Supports replacing most standardized tests with college-readiness measures.

Supports requiring El Paso eighth graders to take Algebra I and preparing schools to help students meet that standard.

Supports state funding for graduate education for teachers seeking dual-credit certification and measuring schools' dual-credit participation and certification results.

Opposes school vouchers, saying they would erode public-school funding and increase school segregation.

- Passed HB 2853, enabling the University of Texas at El Paso to plan and build a student union facility.
- Plans to expand dual-credit courses, strengthen the teacher pipeline, and give voters recall tools for local school boards.
- Plans to continue work on House Bill (HB) 3475 and develop a binational legal-education pipeline in El Paso.
- Supports increasing per-pupil public-school funding and teacher pay.
- Supports replacing most standardized tests with college-readiness measures.
- Supports requiring El Paso eighth graders to take Algebra I and preparing schools to help students meet that standard.
- Supports state funding for graduate education for teachers seeking dual-credit certification and measuring schools' dual-credit participation and certification results.
- Opposes school vouchers, saying they would erode public-school funding and increase school segregation.

Education

After TCEQ granted a contested-case hearing on the renewal of Marathon's El Paso refinery air permit — the first such hearing in nearly a century — Vince joined KTSM 9 to explain why he pushed to contest it, and what the refinery's emissions mean for air quality near Ascarate Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Sought to contest the renewal of Marathon's El Paso refinery air permit over emissions and nearby air quality.

Blocked a hazardous medical-waste facility after identifying inaccuracies in the company's Texas Commission on Environmental Quality application.

- Sought to contest the renewal of Marathon's El Paso refinery air permit over emissions and nearby air quality.
- Blocked a hazardous medical-waste facility after identifying inaccuracies in the company's Texas Commission on Environmental Quality application.

Energy & the Environment

01
Fair maps and the right to vote

Carry the HB 4 fight forward. Challenge maps that erase Hispanic and Black voting power. Defend the Voting Rights Act framework in Texas.

Let me begin by saying, Representative Hunter, that I have tremendous respect and admiration for you and for your years of service in this chamber. But with equal candor, I must also say that I am deeply disappointed. I am disappointed in the willingness to mask the racial realities of this map under the guise of partisanship. Courts have made clear: partisanship is not a license to engage in racial discrimination.

HB 4 Floor Remarks (Aug 22, 2025) — Vince Perez

I took time away not to avoid my duty, but to better understand the real implications of these maps — on the people I serve in a majority-Hispanic district, and on the more than 11 million Texans who look just like them. Their voices deserve to be heard and deserve to count the same as anyone else's.

Advocates for challenging maps that diminish Hispanic and Black voting power and defending the Voting Rights Act framework in Texas.

- Advocates for challenging maps that diminish Hispanic and Black voting power and defending the Voting Rights Act framework in Texas.

Voting & Elections

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Vincent "Vince" Perez

- Plans to expand licensing pathways for foreign-trained doctors and protect indigent care and primary-care clinic funding.
- Supports expanding Medicaid to provide health insurance to more Texans.
- Supports legislative investment in mental-health services, particularly in the underserved border region.

- Plans to expand dual-credit courses, strengthen the teacher pipeline, and give voters recall tools for local school boards.
- Plans to continue work on House Bill (HB) 3475 and develop a binational legal-education pipeline in El Paso.
- Supports increasing per-pupil public-school funding and teacher pay.
- Supports replacing most standardized tests with college-readiness measures.
- Supports requiring El Paso eighth graders to take Algebra I and preparing schools to help students meet that standard.
- Supports state funding for graduate education for teachers seeking dual-credit certification and measuring schools' dual-credit participation and certification results.
- Opposes school vouchers, saying they would erode public-school funding and increase school segregation.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Humberto Perez

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Texas House of Representatives. The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Texas State Legislature
- Your state representative can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws. 
- There are 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives, each representing a single district. Representatives must be at least 21 years old and reside in the state for at least two years before their election. 
- State representatives are elected to two-year terms during even-numbered years. There are no term limits. 
- State representatives make $7,200 annually in addition to a $221 payment per day during legislative sessions and mileage reimbursements.

Your representative and state lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives.