On November 3, voters in Texas House of Representatives District 26 will choose their representative for the Texas legislature. Texas House District 26 covers north central Fort Bend County from Katy to Rosenberg. The position is currently held by Republican Matt Morgan, an insurance executive with ten years of experience in the oil and gas industry, who has been in office since January 14, 2025. He faces Democrat Eliz Markowitz, PhD., a corporate trainer, teacher, tutor at The Princeton Review and adjunct professor at the University of Houston.

The Katy Times posed the same questions to each candidate, and their answers are below for voters to consider. Responses have been edited for length, clarity and adherence to AP style. Incumbent Morgan’s responses are listed first after each question.

Briefly describe your background and your qualifications to represent the greater Katy area in the Texas house.

MORGAN: Before I entered public service as the current State Representative for HD 26, I built my career and my small business in Fort Bend County as a public adjuster, fighting insurance companies on behalf of policyholders. In my first term I have focused on protecting Texas kids online, cracking down on human trafficking, cutting property taxes, and standing up to insurance companies, earning me praise from my Republican AND Democrat colleagues.

MARKOWITZ: I’m a Fort Bend County native with an educational background in business, healthcare, public administration, and education and a professional background in all of the aforementioned fields. I believe that my diverse educational and professional background provides me with a unique perspective on the issues that are most concerning to the constituents of HD 26, Fort Bend County, and Texas as a whole. I am ready to put forth whatever it takes to win this election and ensure that we elect individuals with honesty and integrity who are willing to work for a Texas where all individuals have the ability to thrive, not just survive.

What are your plans for your first 100 days in office and what top priority bills do you plan to introduce?

MORGAN: I plan to file and support bills that help bring down the cost of auto insurance, health insurance, homeowners insurance, property taxes, the rise of house costs and more. People are hurting and the State needs to act. I will also file a package of bills focused on reforming property and casualty insurance in Texas. Texans pay their premiums and deserve an insurance system that works when they need it most. Filing a legitimate claim should not become a battle with an insurance company. My legislation will focus on strengthening accountability, ensuring policyholders receive the coverage they paid for, and establishing standards that put Texas consumers first. When Texans keep their end of the bargain, insurance companies should be required to keep theirs.

MARKOWITZ: My first 100 days would focus on the issues Texas families are already struggling with: public education, healthcare, and affordability. On education, I’d introduce legislation to increase the basic allotment, tie future funding to inflation, invest in teacher and staff pay, and make sure special education is fully funded. Our schools should not have to beg the Legislature every few years just to keep up with rising costs. On healthcare, I’d push to expand Medicaid, bring our federal tax dollars back to Texas, lower prescription drug costs, strengthen rural and community healthcare, and make it easier for working families to get affordable coverage. And on affordability, I’d support policies that increase the supply of attainable housing, lower utility and childcare costs, and hold corporations accountable when they receive state tax breaks. My goal is pretty simple: make government work better for the people who actually live here.

Describe how you will support adequate education funding for Texas public schools.

MORGAN: I voted to pass the House's version of House Bill 2 which put a large portion of the new money into the basic allotment and gives school districts more general-purpose funding. The final passage provided a record-breaking $8.5 billion in funding for public education, including $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises and almost $300 million to increase the state’s allotment per student. Next session I would support funding that is directly tied to a basic allotment increase and making sure schools have more local control and say about how the funding is used.

MARKOWITZ: Texas cannot keep asking public schools to do more with less. I would support increasing the basic allotment, tying it to inflation so funding keeps up with rising costs, and fully funding special education and other state-mandated programs. I would also push for meaningful, permanent pay raises for teachers and school staff, not temporary bonuses or programs that only reach a small number of educators. Texas has the resources to properly fund public education. The issue is whether our representatives in the Legislature choose to make it a priority. I will. Period. Our schools need stable, predictable funding so districts can retain great educators, keep class sizes manageable, provide strong academic and support services, and stop cutting programs simply because Austin failed to do its job.

Describe how you will help manage the growth and regulation of AI data centers in the state.

MORGAN: I support regulation to prevent data centers driving up utility costs on Texans or otherwise being a nuisance. I support regulation to prevent them from being built in or near our neighborhoods, to require them to bring their own power generation to support our grid, and to minimize their water usage by using air cooling or closed loop systems. I believe they need to work and share their plans with the community and allow constituents to be a part of these discussions.

MARKOWITZ: I’m not opposed to data centers, but I am opposed to making Texans pay the price for them. If these companies use massive amounts of electricity and water, they should cover those costs and the infrastructure they require so local families aren’t stuck with higher bills, unreliable service, or fewer resources. I’d also support stronger water-use, noise, and environmental standards and give local communities a real voice. Texas can welcome new technology and good jobs without giving massive corporations a blank check.

Describe how you will hold TxDOT accountable for timely completion of badly-needed mobility initiatives (such as the overdue completion of FM 1463) and how you will help TxDOT secure funding for other projects important to the Katy area, such as the widening of FM 529.

MORGAN: FM 1463 is scheduled for completion in April 2027. That still doesn’t change what our constituents are dealing with on a daily basis with traffic congestion. I plan to file legislation that brings stricter requirements on communication and deadlines for TxDOT, and their contractors to abide by. TxDOT and their contractors should be working in tandem with counties and cities to finish projects and not cause delays.

MARKOWITZ: I would hold TxDOT accountable by demanding clear timelines, regular public progress reports, and explanations when projects fall behind. Katy-area residents have dealt with FM 1463 construction for far too long, and they deserve more than another shifting completion date. I would work directly with TxDOT and local officials to identify delays early and keep projects moving. For projects like FM 529, I would fight to make sure our rapidly growing area gets its fair share of state transportation dollars. That means working with TxDOT, H-GAC, local governments, and our federal partners to keep these projects prioritized and funded. Katy and Fort Bend County cannot keep adding homes, businesses, and traffic while our infrastructure plays catch-up. Transportation funding needs to reflect where Texans are actually living and where the growth is happening.

Describe your strategy for strengthening the electricity grid in the state, with special attention to the development of data centers and potential location of battery energy storage systems in the Katy area, such as the Ochoa project.

MORGAN: Texas should strengthen the grid by adding reliable generation, expanding transmission, and using battery storage where it improves reliability. With the rapid growth of data centers, we must ensure these large users contribute to the infrastructure they require rather than shifting those costs onto Texas families. BESS projects can strengthen the grid, but location matters. In the Katy area, projects like Ochoa raise legitimate concerns when proposed near schools and neighborhoods. I support locating battery storage near appropriate transmission infrastructure, with reasonable setbacks, strong fire and emergency-response standards, and meaningful local input. The goal is simple: strengthen the grid, support economic growth, protect ratepayers, and put major energy infrastructure in the right locations

MARKOWITZ: Strengthening the grid means adding generation, upgrading transmission, improving weatherization, and making sure new demand doesn’t come at the expense of Texas families. Data centers use enormous amounts of power, so they should pay for the infrastructure their demand requires and be prepared to reduce load when the grid is under stress. Texans should not be stuck with higher bills or less reliable service to subsidize them. Battery storage can absolutely help strengthen the grid, but where we put these facilities matters. Projects like Ochoa should not be forced into communities without serious consideration of their proximity to schools, homes, flood-prone areas, and businesses; a project withdrawn due to such concerns. I support strong statewide safety standards, appropriate setbacks, fire and emergency-response requirements, and meaningful local input before these facilities are approved. We need more power and more storage, but we also need common sense. Strengthening the grid should never mean asking communities to sacrifice their safety or quality of life.

What else should readers of the Katy Times know about you, your candidacy and your plans for District 26?

MORGAN: I'm a small business owner and public adjuster who spends my career fighting for hardworking Texans against big insurance companies, and I've brought that same fight to the Capitol. My wife Jessica and I are raising our three kids right here in this community, where we're active members of Faith Methodist Church in Richmond. I’m an Eagle Scout, and I've spent years on the ground with the Cub Scouts, Lamar Little League, and Habitat for Humanity, plus helping lead a literacy drive that collected over 100,000 books for local kids. My priorities going forward are protecting our kids online, cracking down on human trafficking, holding insurance companies accountable when they use AI to unfairly deny claims, and continuing to fight for permanent property tax relief.

MARKOWITZ: I’m running because District 26 deserves leadership built on honesty, integrity, and accountability. I’ll tell you the truth, show up, and own my decisions. You may not always agree with me, but you’ll always know where I stand and who I’m fighting for: the people of this district and of this great