Texas Talks

How should Texas prepare its colleges, workforce, tax system, and infrastructure for the state's continued growth?

On Episode 126 of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail sits down with State Rep. Vince Perez, who represents House District 77 in El Paso, to discuss some of the major policy questions facing Texas ahead of the next legislative session. Perez describes his district at the center of the El Paso–Ciudad Juárez region and explains how its location along the U.S.-Mexico border shapes its economy and workforce.

A major focus is higher education. Perez discusses recent interim hearings, Texas' performance-based community college funding system, funding shortfalls facing those institutions, workforce development, and how artificial intelligence could transform the jobs awaiting today's college students.

The conversation covers:

Community college funding and workforce development

Academic freedom and state involvement in higher education

Preparing Texas students for AI and the future economy

Property taxes and how Texas funds state and local government

The massive expansion of data centers around El Paso

Energy, water, tax incentives, and the economic impact of those facilities

Perez also lays out his concerns about the enormous electricity and water requirements associated with new data centers, questioning whether the jobs and economic benefits they generate will justify the incentives and infrastructure demands placed on local communities.

00:00 — Introducing Rep. Vince Perez & House District 77

02:20 — Texas Higher Education & Community College Funding

05:11 — Why Community Colleges Are Facing Shortfalls

09:26 — Can Texas Make Colleges Whole?

11:09 — Higher Education & the Future of Warfare

13:18 — AI, Healthcare & Texas' Future Workforce

15:52 — Academic Freedom in Texas Universities

20:39 — The Fight Over Texas Property Taxes

25:32 — West Texas' Massive Data Center Boom

27:53 — Water, Electricity & the Cost of Data Centers

29:15 — Closing Thoughts

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Pilot. Flight paramedic. Firefighter. State Representative.

Rep. Armando Martinez (HD 39) joins Texas Talks to break down why Texas general aviation airports are more important than most people realize — and what the new House Select Committee on General Aviation is trying to fix.

In this episode we cover: 

• Why Speaker Burrows created a Select Committee on General Aviation 

• The real difference between general aviation and commercial airports • Infrastructure and funding challenges facing small and rural airports 

• How Mid-Valley Airport in Weslaco is expanding to become a regional disaster response hub 

• The economic power of corporate aircraft landing in small communities 

• The serious aviation workforce shortage (especially avionics) 

• South Texas launching its first-ever avionics training program 

• How HB 4520 lowered the local match requirement from 10% to 5% 

• What Martinez wants to see from the committee heading into the 90th Legislature

Timestamps: 

0:00 – Cold Open 

1:15 – Why a Select Committee on General Aviation now? 

4:40 – What actually is general aviation? 

8:30 – The funding problem for small airports 

12:05 – Mid-Valley Airport expansion & disaster response hub 

14:50 – Economic impact of corporate jets in small towns 

18:10 – Aviation workforce shortage & the new avionics program 

24:10 – Role of general aviation airports in disasters 

27:40 – HB 4520: Lowering the match requirement 

34:15 – Goals of the Select Committee 

36:50 – Priorities for the 90th Texas Legislature 

39:40 – Closing thoughts

If you care about Texas infrastructure, rural economic development, or disaster readiness, this conversation is for you.

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What would it take for Texas to become the national leader in health, wellness, and regenerative medicine?

On this episode of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail sits down with Jack Collier, co-founder and CEO of Optimized Health and Performance, a nationwide telehealth clinic based in the Austin area. Collier explains how his own experience with hormone testing led him into the health and wellness industry and why he believes patients need more information and control over their healthcare decisions.

The conversation covers:

Preventive health, hormone optimization, and regenerative medicine

Healthcare costs and the role of insurance

Peptides and the growing online gray market

How Texas could encourage research while protecting consumers

The Make Texas Healthy Again movement and health education

Why Austin has become a hub for health and wellness innovation

Collier argues that Texas has an opportunity to become a national center for emerging healthcare research and innovation while improving health education and giving patients greater choice in how they manage their health.

00:00 — Introduction & Jack Collier

02:09 — Hormone Optimization & Jack’s Health Journey

05:09 — The Future of Health & Regenerative Medicine in Texas

09:17 — Prevention, Nutrition & the Current Healthcare Model

16:03 — Healthcare Costs, Insurance & Patient Choice

20:17 — The Long-Term Value of Preventive Health

23:27 — What Texas Can Do Through Public Policy

24:53 — Peptides, Safety & the Online Gray Market

28:53 — Peptide Therapies & Medical Innovation

31:04 — Regulation, Research & the Future of Healthcare

32:40 — Make Texas Healthy Again & Health Education

36:17 — Austin’s Health & Wellness Boom

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What will higher education look like in an age of artificial intelligence, and how can Texas universities make sure their degrees continue to deliver value?

On this episode of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail sits down with Brandon Creighton, Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System and former Texas state senator and representative, to discuss higher education reform, artificial intelligence, and his vision for Texas Tech’s future.

Creighton reflects on his transition from writing higher education policy in the Texas Legislature to implementing it as chancellor, including Texas Tech’s review of roughly 14,000 courses under Senate Bill 37. He discusses curriculum reform, degrees of value, workforce needs, and how universities must adapt as AI rapidly changes both education and the private sector.

The conversation also explores Texas Tech’s work with NVIDIA, its plans for advanced AI computing infrastructure, and the potential applications for healthcare research, energy, national security, and other major challenges facing Texas.

The episode covers:

Senate Bill 37 and higher education reform

Texas Tech’s review of roughly 14,000 courses

Preparing students and universities for AI

Texas Tech’s work with NVIDIA and advanced computing

AI research, healthcare, energy, and national security

Creighton’s priorities heading into the 90th Texas Legislature

Creighton ultimately argues that Texas universities have an opportunity to lead rather than follow as AI transforms education, research, and the economy—summarizing his approach with a simple warning: “You’re either designing the menu or you’re on it.”

00:00 — Introduction

00:23 — Brandon Creighton’s move from the Legislature to Texas Tech

02:39 — Creighton’s background and interest in education

04:30 — What is Senate Bill 37?

07:37 — From writing SB 37 to implementing it

09:34 — Reviewing 14,000 Texas Tech courses

12:15 — Curriculum reform and degrees of value

14:06 — Texas Tech’s approach to higher education reform

16:18 — What could come next for SB 37?

17:30 — Preparing Texas Tech for the AI era

21:00 — Students, AI, and academic integrity

25:08 — Texas Tech’s NVIDIA partnership

29:09 — Sovereign data independence and national security

32:08 — Priorities for the 90th Texas Legislature

33:41 — Closing thoughts

Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@TexasTalks

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How can Texas improve healthcare access, strengthen public education, and prepare its workforce while balancing competing budget priorities?

On this episode of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail welcomes State Representative Donna Howard, who represents House District 48, for a wide-ranging conversation on healthcare, higher education, workforce development, public school funding, and the state's fiscal outlook. As Vice Chair of both the House Higher Education Committee and Article II Appropriations, Howard offers insight into some of the biggest policy debates facing Texas ahead of the next legislative session.

The discussion explores the challenges of funding public education, improving rural healthcare access, expanding workforce training through community colleges, and addressing shortages of nurses and healthcare providers. Howard also discusses property tax relief, the Sunset Commission's ongoing review of health agencies, dementia research, and how lawmakers are preparing for the state's next budget cycle.

The episode covers:

Texas public education funding and property taxes

Community colleges, workforce development, and credentials of value

Rural healthcare access and provider shortages

Expanding the role of nurse practitioners

Sunset Commission priorities and state health agencies

Texas budget outlook heading into the next legislative session

Howard also discusses child healthcare, Medicaid enrollment challenges, maternal healthcare deserts, medical research, housing growth, local infrastructure, and the difficult balancing act legislators face when weighing competing policy priorities.

00:00 — Community college funding controversy

00:33 — Introducing Rep. Donna Howard

02:06 — Sunset Commission and health agency review

04:10 — Children's healthcare and Medicaid challenges

07:23 — Public education funding and state mandates

08:17 — Community colleges and workforce outcomes

10:34 — Higher education priorities

12:22 — Nursing shortages and workforce development

16:28 — Education funding and ESAs

17:45 — Property taxes and state revenue challenges

25:05 — Rural healthcare and maternal health access

27:16 — Nurse practitioners and healthcare shortages

32:58 — Dementia research and medical innovation

36:25 — Housing growth, infrastructure, and local planning

40:35 — Texas budget outlook and closing thoughts

Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@TexasTalks

Follow us on social media
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Find more at The Texas Dispatch
Your source for state news, policy, and investigative journalism.
https://thetexasdispatch.com