by Legislative Media | Aug 12, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Sandra Bland (Undated photograph posted on her Facebook)
The tragic death of Sandra Bland on Monday, July 13, 2o15, while confined in the Waller County Jail, requires decisive and landmark action by the Texas Legislature to guarantee that every jail cell in Texas is being monitored by a video surveillance system. Bland, 28, a graduate of Prairie View A&M who had come back after accepting a new job at her alma mater, was reportedly alone in a Waller County Jail cell, out-of-sight of a nearby county jail video camera, when she allegedly committed suicide by hanging. Darryl Johnson, a legislative consultant with more than 35 years experience in the Texas Legislature, who resides in Prairie View, is proposing legislation, to be known as “The Sandra Bland Justice for All Act”, be filed when the Texas Legislature begins its regular session in January 2017. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Houston and Speaker of the House Joe Straus of San Antonio should immediately appoint a joint Senate-House legislative committee to come up with ways to require all jails in Texas to maintain an effective video monitoring system so that no one who is being held in a cell is hidden from the protective and unbiased view of a video camera, he recommended. “In light of the terrible controversy and negative worldwide image of Texas that is resulting from this sorrow, now is the time to show the world that we in Waller County will help lead the way on what would be a major improvement of our state’s criminal justice system,” said Johnson. “More important, it is right and just that Sandra Bland, whose life calling courageously revolved around battling injustice, should have her honorable name, through ‘The Sandra Bland Justice for All Act’, be forever linked to protecting the innocent.”
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by Legislative Media | Aug 11, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, on Thursday, July 9, 2015, at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel in McAllen, addressing the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 84th Legislative Session Wrap-Up Luncheon.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
The Delta Area School Supplies Drive, which will donate key learning materials, ranging from pens and pencils to paper and erasers to notebooks, is underway and will wrap up on Wednesday, August 19, when the donations will be distributed, while supplies last, to students enrolled in the Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District, Rep. Terry Canales has announced. Canales, who said he has contributed in the past to other school drives, said this is the first time he is helping organize one, serving as host for the event. He also expressed deep appreciation to the Edcouch-Elsa Rotary Club, which is playing a vital role in this event, and to his House 40 constituents in the area. “We have been asking as many people as possible. It is amazing how some companies will pull out their checkbook with a moment’s notice to help with school supplies,” Canales reported. “It is very expensive for all families to prepare their children for the school year. I am just glad to work with the Edcouch-Elsa Rotary Club and other generous leaders to provide help for those who need it.” Any school student is eligible, but each child must be present to receive a backpack. Each child will get a Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District approved backpack, which means it is clear or mesh. In the backpack will be supplies to get a child started out for the year: pencils, folders, notebooks, tissues, glue sticks, erasers, pencil case, rulers, colored pencils and crayons. The backpacks with school supplies will be given away from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Elementary Cafeteria, 500 West 9th Street, in Elsa. Students must show up in person to receive the donations. Individuals who wish to contribute or have questions about the Delta Area School Supplies Drive may call 956/383-0860. Canales said students who show up are the ones who are doing society the real favor. “There is nothing shameful about needing help,” Canales encouraged the public school students. “By receiving these school supplies, they will do better in school, and it shows the world that Valley students want a great education. We’re here to give our Edcouch-Elsa ISD students some of the tools to help the achieve their goals and dreams.” Equally important, Canales said, the generosity demonstrated by groups such as the Edcouch-Elsa Rotary Club, local businesses, and caring individuals involved in the school supply drive are worth of fortune in many other ways that count. “Throughout the state and nation, many families simply don’t have enough resources to properly provide the school supplies needed by their children,” the state lawmaker reflected. “But through the love and caring that our residents have for our communities and for our youth, these small acts of kindness are investments in all of our future and well-being.”
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by Legislative Media | Aug 5, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Letty Reyes, Director of Business Development and Public Affairs, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Jonathan Torres, Production Specialist and Event Coordinator, City of Edinburg; and Leticia S. Leija, Director of Library and Cultural Arts, City of Edinburg, who are among the Board of Directors of the South Texas International Film Festival, which will be held on Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, at several prime locations in Edinburg. The other members of the Board of Directors of the South Texas International Film Festival are: Magdiel Alfonso, Arts Coordinator, City of Edinburg; Agustín “Gus” García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Letty González, President, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Dahlia Guerra, Dean, Department of Arts and Humanities, The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg; José Alberto Navarro, Consul for Political & Cultural Affairs, Consulate of Mexico in McAllen; Imelda Rodríguez, Director of Tourism for the Edinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau; Valente Rodríguez, Actor, Producer, Director, former star of The George López Show; Larry Safir, Member, Board of Directors, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, and former Executive Vice President, Entravision Communications Corporation; and Luis Enrique Suner, Filmmaker and Journalist, El Mañana;
Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
Known as the “Movie Capital of the Valley” in the late 1960s, Edinburg’s cultural life has been seen as a symbol of the city’s vitality and ingenuity. From the movie theaters in the 1930s and 1940s to the TV revolution in the 1950s, then advancing with cable TV, personal computers, the Internet, the cellphone and electronic tablet innovations, Edinburg’s creativity transforms and re-forms with the changing times. The informal title as “The Movie Capital of the Valley” was built on a rich history of film venues in Edinburg going back decades, and the visual arts continue even stronger today, with the impressive, 84,000-square-foot Carmike 20 Cinema, the groundbreaking Cinemark Movie Bistro, and the upcoming inaugural South Texas International Film Festival (www.stxff.us), which is set for Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, at several prime location in the city. The South Texas International Film Festival will bring into clear view the potential value, in terms of economic development, of increasing local productions of movies and home videos in Edinburg and the Rio Grande Valley. The South Texas International Film Festival– of which the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is a sponsor – will showcase the abundant regional talent of filmmakers, producers, actors, and related professional staffs, and promote the city and the region as a premium site for national and international movies to be filmed. The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, of which Mayor Richard Garcia is President of its five-member Board of Directors, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. In addition to the EEDC, the other major sponsors and organizers of this landmark two-day event include The City of Edinburg, the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, Edinburg Arts, and the Consulado de México en McAllen (Mexican Consulate in McAllen). Why consider feature films, documentaries, and other visual works of art as economic development tools? Agustín “Gus” García, the Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, explains the potential links between Hollywood, the home of the U.S. motion picture industry, and American hometowns, such as Edinburg. The many positive benefits of clustering creative businesses was explained by Jamie Bennett, Director of Public Affairs for the National Endowment for the Arts, said Gus García (no relation to the mayor), who cited the following perspectives: “A theater has 1,000 people show up at eight o’clock and leave at eleven o’clock. A museum might have 1,000 visitors spread out over the course of an eight-hour day. A rehearsal studio might have 30 people coming and going every hour over 12 hours,” said Bennett. “You put the three different organizations in proximity to one another and, all of a sudden, you have a full day of positive foot traffic on a street — feet that belong to people who need to eat meals, buy newspapers, go shopping and take public transportation. You have every mayor’s dream.” Investing in human capital “is immeasurable,” Gus García continued, and that is why the Edinburg EDC is a champion for developing human capital and in supporting projects that help a community prepare its future leaders. Mayor García contends that the role of arts and culture in shaping community-wide prosperity is a priority for the city. This includes the direct and indirect employment effects of the arts and culture. “Today’s workforce seeks certain characteristics in the places they choose to live. Places with entertainment options, public interaction, lively streets, and recreational and educational amenities are preferred, along with arts and culture activities and amenities,” the mayor said. “Leaders in the field of planning and economic development are developing noteworthy, creative approaches to making places of any scale more satisfying to this workforce, while increasing economic viability and competitiveness. This new collaboration between business owners is resulting in increased economic vitality and sense of community between merchants as well as residents, and Edinburg EDC, the Edinburg City Council, and our many partners in the public and private sectors want to capture them all.”
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by Legislative Media | Jul 31, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Brent Byler, Director of State Governmental Affairs in Texas for LeFleur Transportation in Austin; Letty González, President, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, holding the title of a van donated to the local chamber by LeFleur Transportation; and Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, at LeFleur Transportation’s Valley headquarters in Edinburg.
Photograph By RONNIE LARRALDE
A 12-passenger van has been donated to the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce by LeFleur Transportation, a national transportation service with a major presence in Edinburg, in order to allow the local chamber to better serve and promote the city’s many assets to visitors and residents, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has announced. The Wednesday, July 29 ceremony took place at the firm’s site in Edinburg, located at 1920 Industrial Drive, near the intersection of the northbound U.S. Expressway 281 frontage road and East Iowa Road, in the Renaissance Industrial Park. “This is the second consecutive year that LeFleur Transportation has made such a generous gift to our community,” said Canales, who participated in the donation with company and chamber of commerce leaders. “In 2014, LeFleur Transportation donated two vans to the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library. On behalf of my constituents, I wish to express my tremendous gratitude to LeFleur Transportation.” LeFleur Transportation (https://www.lefleur.net/Default.aspx) specializes in providing non-emergency passenger transportation services. The company has been in business for nearly 20 years and has served the people of South Texas for more than a decade, providing safe, reliable transportation services for both public and private sector users. Letty González, President of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, praised the donation of the vehicle, which is a Ford E350 Econoline. “This van will help us to advance our mission of expanding business opportunities in the Edinburg area by giving us the means to share our exciting city with residents and visitors alike,” said González. “Currently, we often have to rent or borrow vans to provide tours for children to the renowned World Bird Center or the Scenic Wetlands, both located in Edinburg. The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce also conducts tours for Winter Texans who spend their winters in Edinburg, and according to research conducted by the University of Texas-Pan American, contributed $710 million into the Rio Grande Valley economy in 2014.” Brent Byler, Director of State Governmental Affairs in Texas for LeFleur Transportation in Austin, shared the sentiments of his colleagues in Edinburg and throughout the firm, which has locations throughout Texas and beyond. “We are proud to serve the citizens of Edinburg and the clients we serve. Giving back is a special part of our culture and we thank Representative Canales and the Edinburg Chamber in allowing us to give,” Byler said. “On behalf of the owner of LeFleur and our 250 Edinburg employees, we are proud we can contribute to economic development and plan on supporting in the ongoing future.”
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by Legislative Media | Jul 29, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Mario Lizcano, Marketing Director, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; Robert Martínez, M.D., Chief Physician Executive, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; Rep. Óscar Longoria, Jr., D-La Joya: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen; and Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, on Thursday, July 9, 2015 at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel in McAllen for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 84th Legislative Session Wrap-up Luncheon.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Five Valley representatives are among 28 state lawmakers who have called on the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to look elsewhere in their massive budget rather than reduce Medicaid funding for medically necessary therapy services for an estimated 60,000 pediatric and elderly Texans. According to information from the Health and Human Services Commission requested by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, more than 26,000 residents in the Rio Grande Valley would be affected by the planned rate reductions, which could go into effect on September 1. Canales, Rep. Ryan Guillén, D-Rio Grande City, Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, D-San Benito, Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, and Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, were among the authors of a July 22, 2015 letter delivered to Chris Traylor, Executive Commissioner of that powerful agency, which administers Medicaid, among other major health and human service programs. “We write today in opposition to the rates proposed by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for physical, occupational, and speech therapy provided by Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities/Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (CORF/ORF), Home Health Agencies (HHA), and Independent Therapists,” the 28 state representatives stated. “We fear the proposed reductions will severely limit access to medically-necessary services for the most vulnerable in our state.” The legislative intervention is part of a statewide effort to protect Medicaid funding for those vital services for deserving Texans. Those cuts could involve up to $350 million in federal and state moneys for the therapy programs controlled by the HHSC. That $350 million estimate reflects the total potential impact if both rate reductions and policy changes directed in Rider 50 of the state budget are implemented. For only the rate reductions ($100 million in state funds), the total impact would be approximately $233 million. Public comment is closed, but the Health and Human Services Council will consider testimony and make the final recommendation by the time the new state budget goes into effect in about a month. Canales and the 27 other lawmakers who signed the July 22 letter to Traylor contend that the two-year state budget approved by the majority of the Texas Legislature allows the Health and Human Services Commission to come up with revenue from other sources or develop alternative financing plans to keep the funding at the same level. “Individuals to be most impacted by this proposal include children receiving services for birth defects, genetic disorders, and/or physical or cognitive disabilities,” the legislative correspondence added. “(We) think you would agree that, rather than subject them to additional barriers, we have a duty to safeguard these fragile young Texans.” Canales, Guillén, Lucio, III, Martínez, and Muñoz concluded their letter by urging the HHSC leadership “to comprehensively study the effect this level of reductions could have on access to care prior to the implementation of any cost-reduction strategy. While short-term cost containment may be possible using this methodology, the longer term cost to our state and to those most in need is potentially catastrophic.” Earlier in the spring, state legislators, led by Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, and Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, along with pediatric and elderly patients, parents, patient advocates and members of therapy provider associations, gathered at the State Capitol to begin raising awareness of those pending budget cuts, which had been included in the Senate version of the state budget, according to the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice.
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by Legislative Media | Jul 20, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr., with his wife, Belinda, holding the Bible while his father, Precinct 4, Place 2 Justice of the Peace Homer Jasso, administers the oath of office on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at Edinburg City Hall. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council help shape and approve the policies of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. In the most recent findings by the Texas Workforce Commission, the 5.1 percent unemployment rate in Edinburg for June 2015 was the best showing for that month for Edinburg since 2005.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for June 2015 was 5.1 percent, the best showing for that month for Edinburg since at least 2005, when a new formula was developed by the Texas Workforce Commission in how it estimates unemployment statistics, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Edinburg was edged out by McAllen, which posted a five percent unemployment rate, for the top spot in June among the Valley’s major economies. The city’s latest performance also was better than the U.S. unemployment rate for June 2015, which was 5.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). The EEDC, a public entity which is part of the Edinburg city government, is led by Mayor Richard García, who serves as President of the five-member Board of Directors. Agustín “Gus” García, Jr. (no relation to the mayor) is the Executive Director of the EEDC, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. Edinburg’s June 2015 figure of 5.1 percent continues a year-long pattern of the positive reports: May 2015 (4.8 percent); April 2015 (4.6 percent); March 2015 (4.8 percent); February 2015 (4.8 percent); and January 2015 (5.1 percent). Edinburg’s June 2015 unemployment rate of 5.1 percent remained close to the Texas statewide average, which was 4.4 percent in June, 4.1 percent for May 2015, four percent for April 2015, 4.2 percent for March 2015, 4.3 percent for February 2015, and 4.6 percent for January 2015, according to Texas Workforce Commission figures. The data represents an increase of 247 jobs in Edinburg when comparing the employment figures for June 2015 and June 2014. In June 2015, there were 35,493 persons employed in Edinburg, compared with 35,246 in June 2014. The June 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 – and that yearly rate was the best 12-month average from January through December since 2008. Edinburg’s annual unemployment rates since 2005, which is the year in which the state government began preparing those figures using a more accurate formula, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, have registered as follows: 2014 (5.8 percent); 2013 (6.9 percent); 2012 (7.5 percent); 2011 (8.4 percent); 2010 (8.2 percent); 2009 (6.8 percent); 2008 (4.9 percent); 2007 (4.7 percent); 2006 (5.2 percent); and 2005 (4.9 percent). Among its many duties, the Texas Workforce Commission 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. The Texas Workforce Commission data on all entities in the state, including cities and counties, is available online at: http://www.tracer2.com/cgi/dataanalysis/AreaSelection.asp?tableName=Labforce
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