by Legislative Media | Mar 12, 2015 | Politics
Mariachi performers from the Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District serenade Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, whose House District 40 includes the Delta Region, at Canales’ District Office in Edinburg on Thursday, February 6, 2014.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
South Texas state lawmakers – including Rep. Terry Canales – are seeking $20 million in state funding to help pay for the Delta Region Water Management Project, a key component of Hidalgo County’s plans to reduce the damage caused by flooding while capturing such excess rainfall to create a new source of water that can be purified by cities for drinking. The Delta Region Water Management Plan will feature the development of the Delta Watershed, to be located in northeast Hidalgo County near Highway 107 in La Villa. The watershed is one of 25 projects overwhelmingly approved in a county-wide election on November 6, 2012 to improve the region’s drainage system. In that referendum, Hidalgo County voters authorized the county judge and the county commissioners, through their roles as the Board of Directors for Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1, to issue $84 million in bonds, and leverage a $100 million federal grant, to pay for those 25 projects, including the Delta Watershed in La Villa. The planned Delta Watershed, by bringing the ability to capture stormwater, thus promoting water conservation, could qualify for state funds through the Texas Water Development Board, a state agency whose powers include providing financial help to entities statewide in the form of both grants and loans. As a result, Canales, Rep. Óscar Longoria, Jr., D-La Joya, and Rep. René Oliveira, D-Brownsville, are joint authors of a legislative rider by Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, that could result in $20 million over the next two years coming from that state agency for the Delta Watershed in La Villa. A rider is a legislative directive, inserted in the General Appropriations Act following appropriation line items for an agency, which provides either direction, expansion, restriction, legislative intent, or an appropriation. The term also applies to special provisions at the end of each article and general provisions in the General Appropriations Act. “What our measure would do, if approved by the Texas Legislature, is authorize the Texas Water Development Board, which is a state agency, to use up to $10 million a year for the next two years, beginning on September 1, from its existing state funds and unexpended balance, for the Delta Watershed, because that project is designed to reclaim flood water runoff,” said Canales. That rider is awaiting action by the House Appropriations Committee, which includes Longoria and Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission. Martínez, who is taking the top legislative role with the rider, called the Delta Region Water Management Project “an innovative, forward-thinking plan that will benefit the Valley for decades to come. Whether it is for our agricultural economy, environment, farmers, municipalities, or water supply, this project will positively impact the entire Rio Grande Valley,” Martínez said, adding, “I’m honored to lead the way on this rider and am joined by a strong, united delegation in fighting to provide for a better future for residents of the Rio Grande Valley.” Longoria said the rider would represent an outstanding investment by the Legislature and the Texas Water Development Board because of the uniqueness of the planned Delta Watershed. “Texas, not just the Valley, is dealing with a significant drought, so much so that on March 9, Gov. Abbott said our current drought conditions have reached historic levels and continue to post an imminent threat to public health, property, and the economy,” Longoria said. “But here in Hidalgo County, we have an excellent plan which is deserving of state financial support, and that is the message we are taking to the Legislature and the Texas Water Development Board.”
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by Legislative Media | Mar 10, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Wanda F. Garza, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, South Texas College; Rose Benavídez, Member, Board of Trustees, District 1, South Texas College; Dr. Shirley A. Reed, President, South Texas College; and Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, at the House District 36 lawmaker’s Capitol office on Tuesday, February 3.
Photograph By PETER SALINAS
With the goal of increasing educational opportunities while improving public safety and border security, Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, is carrying several measures designed to help fight crime, including landmark legislation that could eventually lead to the establishment of a full-fledged South Texas College campus in Pharr. House Bill 1887, filed by Muñoz on Tuesday, February 25, would allow South Texas College to create the Regional Center for Public Safety, which would be built on a yet-undisclosed 50- to 60-acre site to be donated by the City of Pharr. With Muñoz serving as the primary author – which means the legislation is the idea of the Mission Democrat – Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, on Monday, March 9, signed on as a joint author in support of HB 1887. “Having such an educational facility for our current and future law enforcement officials will be a tremendous benefit for the delivery of justice and the protection of all of us in deep South Texas,” said Canales, whose House District 40 includes 19 percent of the City of Pharr. “I appreciate Rep. Muñoz allowing me to sign on as joint author of HB 1887, and I look forward to working with him and the leadership of Pharr and South Texas College on this most important legislative effort.” Muñoz’ House District 36 includes 76 percent of the City of Pharr. Included in HB 1887 is language that would authorize South Texas College to also allow “aspiring law enforcement officers to earn a bachelor’s degree that will provide more career opportunities for our community,” Muñoz said. “STC is positioned to offer a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security, Public Safety and Law Enforcement, or whatever degree specifically responds to the needs of our metropolitan region.” STC officials would be responsible for developing the appropriate bachelor’s degree program, which would have to receive final approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the lawmaker added. Currently, 1,751 law enforcement officers are employed in Hidalgo and Starr counties, with the intent to hire 134 additional certified officers during the current fiscal year. The Texas Workforce Commission predicts that there will be a 22 percent increase during the next 10 years for more certified police officers in these two counties, but access to training opportunities is limited. “HB 1887 would serve the greater need of the Valley’s law enforcement personnel, as facilities become available, by increasing the number of instructional programs offered in deep South Texas with new certificate and associate of applied science degree in programs such as police administration, forensics, emergency management, leadership, aircraft rescue, homeland security, special weapons and tactics,” said Muñoz. HB 1887 states that STC would administer the regional center in partnership with political subdivisions and participating school districts in the Valley, and would require the headquarters of the regional center to be located “at South Texas College in Pharr.” His bill would allow the regional center to use property and facilities at other locations in Hidalgo and Starr counties. Muñoz is working with Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, to secure support in the Senate.
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by Legislative Media | Mar 8, 2015 | Politics
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, outlines his vision for continued economic growth and job creation for his 15th Congressional District, which includes Hidalgo County, at the Pharr Convention Center (now Boggus Ford Events Center) on Tuesday, November 4, as his wife, Martha López Hinojosa, looks on. “When I first took office in January 1997, the unemployment rate for Hidalgo County was at 22 percent. I made it my goal to help bring this number down to single digits and we succeeded,” Hinojosa said. The latest jobs figures bear him out, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, a state agency which provides information and analysis on shifts in occupations and industries within the state, including unemployment rates and employment figures, broken down by cities, counties, and regions in Texas, on a monthly basis. All cities combined in Hidalgo County averaged an 8.3 percent unemployment rate in January 2015. Also for January 2015, there were 307,706 individuals were employed in Hidalgo County. Hinojosa’s perspectives are shared by the leadership of the Texas Workforce Commission, who were appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican. “The diversity of skills found in the Texas workforce has contributed greatly to the strength of the Texas economy,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “As jobs are added, Texas has skilled workers to fill them and resources available for workers to obtain new skills when needed. I encourage all job seekers to look for available positions through TWC’s online job-matching resource, WorkInTexas.com and to take advantage of the many services and training resources available through their local Workforce Solutions office.”
Photograph by MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for January 2015 was 5.1 percent, a significant improvement from the monthly rate in January 2014, when it came in at 6.3 percent, and better than the January 2015 U.S. unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Only McAllen had a better performance among the Valley’s major economies, coming in with a 5.0 percent unemployment rate for January 2015, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Edinburg’s latest monthly showing also remained within striking distance of the Texas statewide average, which was 4.6 percent for January 2015, while better than the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.7 percent for the same month, the TWC reported. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the four-county Valley’s other major communities shared in Edinburg and McAllen’s good news, continuing to boast unemployment rates in the single-digits, in the following order: Harlingen (6.3 percent); Mission (6.3 percent); Weslaco (7.2 percent); Pharr (7.5 percent); and Brownsville (7.8 percent). The January 2015 data, released by the Texas Workforce Commission on Friday, March 5, also showed an increase of 636 jobs in Edinburg when comparing the employment figures for January 2015 and January 2014. In January 2015, there were 35,536 persons employed in Edinburg, compared with 34,900 in January 2014. The January 2015 unemployment rate of 5.1 percent for Edinburg is also better than the annual unemployment rate in Edinburg for 2014, which was 5.8 percent, the best 12-month average from January through December in seven years, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
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by Legislative Media | Mar 6, 2015 | Politics
Featured, seated, former baseball coach Al Ogletree, at a ceremony on Friday, February 28, at the Boggus Ford Events Center in Pharr. Featured, standing, from left: UTPA President Ad Interim Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, and Pillars of Success Richard García, Carmen Pagan, Jo Ann Gama, Linda Tovar and David Franz.
Photograph By JOSUE ESPARZA
The University of Texas-Pan American celebrated its last homecoming before it becomes The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley by honoring five of its successful alumni on Friday, February, at the Boggus Ford Events Center in Pharr. The public recognition was in honor of those who have made countless contributions to their alma mater, the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.
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by Legislative Media | Mar 2, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: René A. Ramírez, Founder and President, Pathfinder Public Affairs of McAllen; Agustín “Gus” García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Rep. Óscar Longoria, Jr., D-La Joya; Edinburg City Councilmember Richard Molina; Rep. Ryan Guillén, D-Rio Grande City; Ramiro Garza, Jr., City Manager, City of Edinburg; and Edinburg City Councilmember J.R. Betancourt, at the State Capitol in Austin for Rio Grande Valley Day on Tuesday, February 10.
Photograph by DIEGO REYNA
With heavy equipment and hundreds of jobs soon to descend upon Edinburg following the Thursday, February 26 groundbreaking for the $68 million Bert Ogden Arena, legislation was filed on Monday, March 2, to bring another major new facility to Edinburg, and with it, the opportunity for more South Texans to become part of one of the highest-paid professions in the nation. House Bill 2097, by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, could lead to the construction of the $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building at The University of Texas-Pan American, which will be renamed The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the fall of 2015, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. Canales’ measure is consistent with the long-standing role played by the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC in promoting economic development and a higher quality-of-life through more advances in higher education in the city, said Mayor Richard García, who also serves as President of the EEDC Board of Directors. “We in the Valley have the talent, ingenuity, drive, and intelligence for any profession, job, trade, career, occupation, vocation, employment – you name it, we will excel at it,” said Mayor García. “In the case of the $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building, it is vital not only for our region, but for all of Texas, which is experiencing a statewide shortage of engineers.” The Texas Workforce Commission has projected that Texas will need 88,000 more engineers and computer scientists over the next decade to continue to attract new businesses and new jobs that will keep the state’s economy healthy, the UT System Board of Regents announced on Thursday, August 24. The $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building would be built on the campus quad – its open-air courtyard – west of the Edinburg campus’ main library. With engineering among the lucrative professions in the nation, the facility for Edinburg would also meet powerful demands both in the Valley and throughout Texas, said Canales. “The student enrollment in the College of Engineering and Computer Science on the Edinburg campus has increased by 41 percent since 2010 and is on the rise, according to university leaders,” said Canales, whose House District 40 includes the UT-Pan American/UT-Rio Grande Valley and a School of Medicine now under initial construction. “The current engineering building on the Edinburg campus was built to accommodate 1,370 students and enrollment in the college is more than 2,200 students.” Agustín “Gus” García, Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, said the EEDC and the Edinburg City Council would continue to be champions for UT-RGV and its UT medical school, not only before the UT System Board of Regents, but also at the state legislative levels. “Edinburg’s top leadership, featuring the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC Board of Directors, has a long and distinguished history of proven support and effectiveness for higher education, not only in our community, but Valleywide,” said García. “We know the legislative system in Austin, we benefit from an outstanding state legislative delegation, and we have friends and allies in key places in the UT System. We will be partners in the continuing transformation of UT-RGV into a university of the first-class.” Gus García and Mayor Richard García are not related.
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