Ellen Fleischmann

Before Austin creates another layer of bureaucracy, we need to act with urgency and listen to the ranchers, veterinarians, and agricultural producers on the front lines of this threat. New World screwworm is not an abstract policy debate, it is a direct threat to Texas livestock, rural jobs, family ranches, and the economic backbone of communities across South Texas.

Texas must move quickly on early detection, coordinated reporting, veterinary capacity, research, and rapid-response protocols that can stop an infestation before it spreads. The cost of swift action is far less than the cost of a statewide outbreak that devastates herds, disrupts commerce, and puts rural livelihoods at risk.

I would support practical biosecurity measures shaped by the people who understand the industry best rather than one-size-fits-all mandates written in Austin. Our goal must be clear: contain this threat, protect Texas producers, and make sure New World screwworm never gains a permanent foothold in our state.

Texas should welcome jobs, innovation, and investment, but not at the expense of the families, farmers, ranchers, and small businesses already carrying the burden of Texas’ rapid growth. Data centers may bring opportunity, but their enormous demand for electricity, water, land, and transmission infrastructure cannot be shifted onto everyday Texans through higher bills, strained resources, or unreliable service.

Large users should pay their fair share for the infrastructure their projects require. I support policies like Senate Bill 6 (2025) that recognize the serious impact major new electricity demand can have on grid reliability and affordability. If a company wants to build a massive facility in Texas, it should demonstrate that it has adequate power and water resources before breaking ground, not after local communities are left dealing with the consequences.

Water must be treated as the critical resource it is. In areas facing drought or declining groundwater, homes, farms, and ranches should not be pushed aside for corporate development.

Water is too important to Texas’ future to keep kicking the can down the road. Flooding, drought, population growth, aging infrastructure, and groundwater depletion are already putting communities, farmers, ranchers, and local economies at risk. Texans need action, not more studies that sit on a shelf while water supplies become less reliable.

We must keep investing in new water supplies, conservation, storage, flood-control projects, repairs to aging infrastructure, and technologies that help communities capture, reuse, and protect water that would otherwise be lost. The 89th Legislature made meaningful progress through Senate Bill 7 and the expansion of the Texas Water Fund. We should build on that work and make sure funding reaches projects that deliver reliable water, not endless paperwork and delay.

Agriculture must be a partner in this effort, not a scapegoat. Farmers and ranchers are among the first to feel the impact of drought and water shortages, and they have an essential role in conservation, groundwater stewardship, and practical water-management solutions. Texas does not need more red tape. We need accountable leadership, faster project delivery, and an infrastructure strategy that meets the scale of the challenge.

Texas cannot afford to gamble with grid reliability. Extreme heat, rapid population growth, and massive new demand from data centers are placing unprecedented pressure on the system. Texas families and businesses should not face higher bills or reliability risks because state planning failed to keep up with growth.

We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy that strengthens the grid with dependable generation, expanded transmission, better long-term planning, and the full use of Texas energy resources, including natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar. Reliable, dispatchable power must remain central to Texas’ energy future.

The companies creating enormous new demand must also help pay for the infrastructure required to serve it. Existing residential customers, small businesses, and local employers should not be forced to subsidize massive corporate power users. Texas must grow, but it must grow responsibly, with affordability, reliability, and consumers at the center of every decision.

Texas must remain a national leader in medical and scientific research. Our universities and hospitals attract world-class talent, create high-paying jobs, and develop the lifesaving treatments and technologies Texans depend on.

But Washington’s instability cannot be allowed to put Texas research at risk. When federal priorities shift from one administration to the next, Texas institutions should not be left scrambling to protect critical research, skilled jobs, and patient care. I support protecting Texas’s ability to compete for federal research dollars while building stronger, more durable partnerships with private industry, philanthropy, and innovators.

Texas has already shown leadership through programs such as the Governor’s University Research Initiative. We should build on that success, defend the research infrastructure that makes discovery possible, and ensure Texas remains a place where the best doctors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and ideas can thrive.

Parents have the right to make medical decisions for their children, and they deserve accurate, transparent, and trustworthy information when making those decisions. Families with legitimate questions about vaccine safety should be heard, never dismissed or talked down to.

Our responsibility is to ensure parents, schools, and local communities have clear, evidence-based information about disease risks, vaccine safety, and available options.

I support a public-health approach rooted in transparency, honest communication, and respect for parental rights. Texans should be able to trust that the information they receive is based on sound evidence, not politics, fear, or bureaucracy. The goal should be informed parents making informed decisions and communities prepared to protect their most vulnerable residents.

Scientific evidence should be an important part of policymaking. However, policymakers should look at the evidence itself rather than simply accepting a claim because it is presented as scientific consensus.

I would demand evidence that is transparent, repeatable, independently supported, and grounded in sound methodology. When credible studies conflict, policymakers must dig deeper: Who funded the research? Is the underlying data available? Can the findings be replicated? And most importantly, what will the policy mean for Texas families, workers, farmers, small businesses, and taxpayers?

Experts should provide the best available evidence, but elected officials are accountable to the people not unelected bureaucrats. Our job is to weigh the facts alongside economic reality, individual liberty, local conditions, and the voices of the Texans we serve.

When scientific consensus and public opinion diverge, leaders cannot simply dismiss the public. They must be transparent about the evidence, honest about uncertainty, and clear about the tradeoffs. I will always support policies rooted in sound evidence, common sense, and the principle that Texans, not distant bureaucracies, should have the strongest voice in decisions affecting their lives.