by Legislative Media | Feb 13, 2017 | Politics
Featured: At the front podium on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, praises the virtues of the Rio Grande Valley and its beneficial economic and social impact on Texas and the United States. Flanking him, from left, are: Rep. Óscar Longoria, D-La Joya; Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen; Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco; Rep. Ryan Guillén, D-Rio Grande City; Rep. René Oliveira, D-Brownsville; Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, D-Brownsville; and Rep. Sergio Muñoz, D-Mission.
Photograph By DAVID PIKE
Deep South Texas continues to grow as one of the state’s most important regions for trade, commerce, and culture, state lawmakers were reminded on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, during Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Day at the Texas Capitol, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Among the messages delivered to the state leadership was the Texas Legislature would be wise to continuing investing state resources and creating state laws and policies that will help the region’s extraordinary transformation in the past two generations from once being a major agricultural and ranching area, into building on its status as a growing national center of international trade, energy development, even future space flights. Those were among the highlights pointed out to the 181-member Texas Legislature and other statewide officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who met with a large delegation of Valley business, community, and political leaders during the one-day lobbying effort. Included among the 35 organizations and the more than 200 individuals who participated in the day-long event were the Edinburg Mayor, Edinburg City Council, the Board of Directors of the Edinburg EDC, the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District. The Edinburg EDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr. as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Rupert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 1, 2017 | Politics
Featured, from left: Erika Canales, seated, bears witness as her husband, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, takes the oath of office on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives at the State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, as he begins his third term representing House District 40 in Hidalgo County.
Photograph By ALEX RÍOS
House Bill 326, which would prohibit an employer from keeping any portion of a gratuity paid to or left for a tipped employee, has been filed by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, as part of a series of proposals by Texas lawmakers designed to increase the minimum wage in Texas. HB 326 would benefit thousands of such employees whose hard work still leave them in poverty. “Every time a business is paid with a debit card or credit card, that firm must pay a fee for that financial service,” Canales explained. “But for waitpersons in restaurants – those professionals who provide excellent service and depend on gratuities to make a living – it is unfair if employers pay that fee from the worker’s tips.” In a related measure, Canales in 2015 voted for House Joint Resolution 26, which proposed an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would establish the minimum wage in Texas at $10.10 an hour, or the federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. House Joint Resolution 26 was defeated by Republicans in the House of Representatives on May 15, 2015. However, for the current five-month legislative session, which began in early January 2017, similar measures have been filed. According to the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP), if legislation to increase the minimum wage is approved by the Texas Legislature later this spring and not vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott, more than 67,000 workers in Hidalgo County, or about 43.1 percent of the labor force, would get a pay increase, Canales noted.
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by Legislative Media | Jan 23, 2017 | Politics
Featured: Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, addresses fellow Coastal Bend members of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives, as well as university and community leaders, during an Appreciation Reception hosted for them by the Texas A&M System on Tuesday, October 15, 2016 at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. On Thursday, January 19, 2017, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced Senate committee assignments for the 85th Legislative Session. Hinojosa will serve as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and as a member on the Senate Transportation Committee. He will continue his appointments to the Senate Committees on Natural Resources and Economic Development, and Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs. He also continues to serve on the Sunset Advisory Commission. The Edinburg Mayor, Edinburg City Council, and Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors lobby the Texas Legislature and Congress on issues that benefit and protect Edinburg citizens.
Photograph Courtesy TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI
As the Texas Legislature, Congress and President Trump begin the early days of their respective sessions and administration, the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation will meet at noon on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 to continue building their efforts to promote the Edinburg Mayor’s and Edinburg City Council’s priorities at the state and federal levels. As part of their agenda for the meeting, which will be held in the Council Chamber of Edinburg City Hall, Edinburg EDC board members also will have about a dozen items to review, including two matters set for possible action that deal with state and federal lawmakers. In open session, the Edinburg EDC Board of Directors are scheduled to discuss and consider authorizing the executive director to renew the lease agreement with Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, who through the Texas House of Representatives, maintains his House District 40 office in the city’s downtown. In executive session, where under state law the EEDC Board of Directors and its staff meet are allowed to meet behind closed doors in a conference room located behind the Council Chamber, officials will deliberate authorizing the executive director to enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Edinburg regarding legislative services conducted by Holland & Knight of Washington, D.C. The Edinburg EDC, whose Executive Director is Agustín García, Jr., is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Agustín García, Jr. are not related.
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by Legislative Media | Nov 5, 2016 | Politics
Featured: The Red Gate Power Plant uses 12 of the largest natural gas-powered reciprocating engines in the world to produce 224 net megawatts of electricity. To provide a sense of scale, each of the 12 massive engines stands over 21 feet high and 63 feet long with 20-inch pistons producing over 26,000 horse power per engine.
Photograph By ALEX RÍOS
The formal grand opening in late-October 2016 of the $210 million Red Gate Power Plant north of Edinburg is the most recent symbol of population and economic growth in Hidalgo County, including in his House District 40 legislative district, said Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. “I am honored to have such an innovative project in my district, employing so many local citizens and helping to conserve water, protect the environment and ensure the reliability of the electric grid in our community and beyond,” Canales said of the state-of-the-art electricity-generating power plant, which is locate at 3428 West FM 490, about 15 miles north of Edinburg. “As an example of its generating capacity, it will produce enough energy to power 50,000 homes.” The Red Gate Power Plant is owned and operated by the South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC), which is made up of eight member cooperatives, including the Hidalgo County based Magic Valley Electric Cooperative. Canales said the power plant also symbolizes “clean energy” and will continue to draw attention to the Valley and Texas as a champion of renewable resources. “Texas produces more wind energy than any other state, accounting for one-fourth of all wind power in the United States. But sometimes the wind stops blowing and that can cause a lot of stress on our electric grids. Natural gas power plants are essential because they can be switched on instantly when these other renewable sources stop producing,” said Canales, who serves on the House Energy Resources Committee in the Texas House of Representatives.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 16, 2016 | Politics
Featured: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, fields questions in Spanish from Valley television journalists at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on Thursday, January 21, 2016, during the public affairs luncheon sponsored by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
More detailed information in Spanish has been recently made available on the website of the Texas House of Representatives, a response by the House leadership to legislation championed in 2015 by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. A Spanish translation function, which is free and available to the public, has been included on the website for the Texas House of Representatives, a move that the House District 40 lawmaker said will increase the number of Hispanics who can learn more about the state legislative process. “It is both practical and beneficial to offer legislative information in both English and Spanish. As we seek to modernize our government and keep pace with the 21st century, I believe we must allow legislative information to be accessible in English and Spanish,” said Canales, who is fluent in both languages. “The success of government depends on effectively communicating with the public and offering nondiscriminatory, accurate information.” Canales gave credit to Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Ft. Worth, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Administration, which has wide-reaching jurisdiction over the administrative operations of the House of Representatives, including the official House of Representatives website (http://www.house.state.tx.us). “With a growing number of state agencies providing detailed information in Spanish on their respective websites, I appreciate Chairman Geren and the rest of the House leadership for working with me to create a bilingual presence on the Internet for the Texas House of Representatives,” said Canales. The Spanish-language component now in place does not include all documents in the House and House member’s websites because that would involve millions of words, since each state representative files up to 100 or more pieces of legislation each session. However, what is in place represents a significant move forward in democracy, he said. “We now have the most crucial information available in Spanish, such as how a bill becomes law, a glossary of every action that can be taken during the legislative process, biographies of each state representative, addresses and phone numbers, and so on,” Canales said. With this action, the House of Representatives is helping break down language barriers, the lawmaker said. “English is the most used language in Texas, but we do not want to disenfranchise those who are more fluent in Spanish,” Canales said. “According to a 2011 Census survey, almost 30 percent of Texans speak Spanish. Of that figure, more than 42 percent of those Texans speak English less than very well.” Providing more Spanish-language content on the House of Representatives websites also will help generate more commerce with non-English nations which do business with Texas. “Texas bordering Mexico also makes it crucial that our largest trading partner have access to our Legislature and the information we have,” Canales added. According to http://www.TexasWideOpenForBusiness.com, which is a maintained by the Texas Economic Development Corporation – an arm of the Office of the Governor – Mexico in 2014 was ranked number one with $102.6 billion in Texas exports. Mexico also held the top spot as country of origin for Texas imports, accounting for more than $90.1 billion, or 29 percent, of Texas imports in 2014.
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