Voters in District 77 for the Texas House of Representatives \u2013 which runs from Sunland Park Drive to part of the Lower Valley \u2013 have a choice between Democratic incumbent Vincent \u201cVince\u201d Perez or plumber and political newcomer Humberto Perez, a Republican.<\/p>\n
Vince Perez, 44, is a former El Paso County commissioner who is completing his first two-year term in the Texas House.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Humberto Perez, 34, is a New York-native who moved to El Paso about five years ago. He is an Army veteran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both candidates were uncontested during the March primaries.<\/p>\n
State representatives consider proposed laws and resolutions, refer proposed constitutional amendments to voters, file bills that may become state law and appropriate funds for the operation of state government. They are paid $7,200 a year and serve two-year terms.<\/p>\n
Vince Perez<\/p>\n
Vince Perez named accessibility for foreign medical professionals to practice in Texas, law school advancements and support for the University of Texas at El Paso as accomplishments achieved during his first term.<\/p>\n
He joint-authored House Bill 2038, which would eliminate a requirement for doctors with foreign schooling to undergo another residency in the United States and address the region\u2019s shortage of doctors, he said. It became effective in September 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often get my medical care in Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez just because sometimes, if it\u2019s cheaper here than what I\u2019m looking at in the U.S., I\u2019ll make that decision,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery time I\u2019ve gone there (Ju\u00e1rez), it\u2019s been excellent care, so it puts me in a position to help explain those dynamics and break down barriers that don\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
If reelected, he said, he wants to broaden the legislation to include nurses and veterinarians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vince Perez supported a proposal to establish a law school at the University of Texas at El Paso\u2019s through House Bill 3475, jointly authored by the El Paso state delegation. Though the bill didn\u2019t get a hearing from the Senate, he said the passage on the House side was \u201csignificant enough,\u201d as the law school will continue to be a priority if reelected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the Nov. 3 general elections in El Paso<\/a><\/p>\n Another bill he introduced for UTEP, House Bill 2853, dedicated student union fees to be used to finance, build and maintain the student union building. The bill was approved in May 2025 and removed caps on student union fees It allowed the fees, which were approved in a student vote, to be used to rebuild the student Union Building.\u00a0<\/p>\n In August 2025, Vince Perez broke quorum over House Bill 4, which related to the composition of the district. He said the redistricting threatened to ensure that \u201cyour voice and your vote counts just as much as somebody else from another part of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite being fined about $8,000, he said he \u201cfelt proud\u201d to break quorum with other House Democrats as it brought light to the conversation of redistricting.\u00a0<\/p>\n On school vouchers: Being \u201cadamantly opposed to school vouchers,\u201d Vince Perez said they\u2019re\u00a0 another example of \u201cpolicies that are being advanced, and their tax subsidies to the wealthiest families in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just not enough money in public education to fund three different school system types (public, private, charter),\u201d he said. \u201cWe just don\u2019t have the population even in our public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n On Meta data center: Financial negotiations with the city and county governments left Meta with a \u201csweetheart deal,\u201d Vince Perez said, citing the tax abatement, which grants an \u201c80% break on city property taxes for decades<\/a>\u201d for the company.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if structured right, it could\u2019ve helped this problem, which El Paso has had, that we don\u2019t have these big corporate entities in our community,\u201d he said, adding that by giving away \u201cvirtually everything\u201d got rid of a larger potential tax benefit to the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n If reelected, he said he\u2019d like to eliminate tax breaks for big companies, and create a tax policy to limit \u201cthis type of thing from happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n On unfunded mandates: Vince Perez said unfunded mandates by the state \u2013 including property tax exemptions pushed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and approved by voters \u2013 put a burden on city and county governments to raise taxes to make up the loss in revenue.<\/p>\n As an example, he cites House Bill 9, which created a state constitutional amendment to ease tax burdens for small businesses by providing them a $125,000 exemption on what is known as personal property. Texas voters approved the amendment in November 2025.<\/p>\n \u201c(House Bill 9) resulted in a $14 million loss for the city of El Paso, and a $7 million loss for the county,\u201d said Vince Perez, who voted in favor of the bill. He didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment on his vote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all have to pay for those businesses to now have tax relief. That is an example of an unfunded mandate \u2013 they are wrong, and have an impact on your tax bill, and it is not your city and your county commissioners who are solely responsible for your property tax bill.\u201d<\/p>\n