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San Antonio state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer says a Democratic majority in the Texas House of Representatives will give bills that long stalled during the Republican majority a hearing and a vote.
He’s filed legislation to raise the minimum wage and repeal a state mandate for county sheriffs to partner with federal immigration authorities. He also filed a bill to require an audit of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Abbott’s multibillion dollar border enforcement effort.
To get his bills passed and to the governor’s desk, Democrats will have to work with a Senate still controlled by Republicans.
“Voters have given us a chance in this election,” Martinez Fischer said Tuesday on Texas Public Radio’s The Source. “We understand and know the issues that matter to them. We need to fix those first.”
Democrats won the House in the Nov. 3 election for the first time since Republicans took control in 2003.
Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa will take office after the Legislature convenes Jan. 12. Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin, also a Democrat, will preside over a Senate where Republicans retained a 19–12 majority. The Senate can block House priorities, and Senate Republicans will need the Democratic House to advance their own bills.
Martinez Fischer said the divided Legislature gives both parties leverage. Senate Republicans can block bills passed by the Democratic House, and they need the House to advance their own priorities. He expects some Republicans to be comfortable working across the aisle and others to have a harder time adjusting to the new balance of power.
“There’ll probably be a lot of horse trading, concession making, getting things done, and that’s the way the Legislature’s always worked,” he said.
Martinez Fischer said Senate Republicans could face political pressure if voters see them standing in the way of a widely supported bill. Asked about Medicaid expansion, he agreed that opposing it would probably be unpopular with voters. He said he sees “enough momentum in the Legislature to get something done.”
“I think a lot of Republicans still think that there’s a way to expand Medicaid and do it in a way that’s tailored to Texas,” he said.
On the minimum wage, Martinez Fischer said other Democrats’ proposals to raise it to $15 an hour fall short. “I don’t think $15 is enough,” he said. He proposed $17 and left the details open when asked whether the increase could be phased in. “I’m willing to work with the other side to sort of figure out a happy medium,” he said.
He also sees room for agreement on expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The House and Senate companion bills were filed by Rep. John Bucy III and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, both Democrats. Expansion could cover about 1 million more Texans, with the federal government paying 90% of the cost needed to cover the newly eligible population. Texas lawmakers would have to approve the expansion.
“I think a lot of Republicans still think that there’s a way to expand Medicaid and do it in a way that’s tailored to Texas,” Martinez Fischer said.
His House Bill 123 would repeal Senate Bill 8, the 2025 law requiring sheriffs in counties that operate a jail or contract with a private vendor to run one to seek and enter immigration enforcement agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The repeal would let sheriffs end existing agreements and eliminate the state grant program that helps pay for them.
Martinez Fischer said sheriffs should have the discretion to run their own departments. He sees a “fair shot” at House passage and said he’ll work with fellow San Antonio Democrat Sen. José Menéndez, who filed a similar repeal bill in the Senate.
Other Democrats filed bills to create online voter registration and repeal the state’s $1 billion private school voucher program, which outgoing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick championed. Martinez Fischer said Democrats should put the budget and the issues voters raised about the cost of living first.
