Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce: We must protect the benefits of the Affordable Care Act

This collaborative effort will bring regional business leaders, policymakers, and economic stakeholders together to champion a pro-growth legislative framework aimed at securing federal and state resources, stabilizing international commerce, and solidifying the long-term prosperity of the South Texas economy.”

Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce.

MISSION, Texas - Protecting the benefits contained in the Affordable Care Act is one of the top legiative agenda items for the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce.

The group issued eight “distinct pillars of advocacy” items for a legislative push it is making this week with Rio Grande Valley Partnership.

RGVP is hosting is annual RGV-to-DC event June 10-12. Leaders from the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce will be part of a delegation that is expected to include more than 60 Valley leaders.

On healthcare, the Mission Chamber’s bullet point states: “Championing the protection of Affordable Care Act (ACA) benefits and insurance coverage to ensure every family and small business in our community has access to dependable, high-quality healthcare.”

A press release from the Chamber states: “The Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce (GMCC), in powerful synchronization with the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, today announced a comprehensive, unified Government Affairs Advocacy initiative scheduled for June 10–12, 2026. This collaborative effort will bring regional business leaders, policymakers, and economic stakeholders together to champion a pro-growth legislative framework aimed at securing federal and state resources, stabilizing international commerce, and solidifying the long-term prosperity of the South Texas economy.”

The release continued: “As the regional landscape evolves rapidly due to nearshoring trends and industrial expansion, this targeted advocacy cycle focuses directly on removing operational barriers for small businesses and reinforcing foundational civic infrastructure. The joint delegation will engage legislators at the federal levels to deliver targeted solutions across a slate of interconnected cross-sector priorities. The unified policy framework outlines eight distinct pillars of advocacy for the upcoming legislative push.”

Here are the eight pillars of advocacy:

• Strengthening the border economy through optimized immigration worker programs, focusing on essential visa pathways including high-skilled (H-1B, EB-2 NIW), employment-based (EB-3), seasonal (H-2A, H-2B), and USMCA TN classifications.
• Leveraging federal and state grant opportunities to upgrade critical drainage and infrastructure in the Greater Mission Area, fostering sustainable growth for local manufacturing, retail, education, and healthcare sectors.
• Securing federal funding for Texas workforce priorities—including skills-based training, apprenticeships, and adult education—while expanding local learning center certifications and investing in top-tier educators to fuel regional economic growth.
• Healthcare: Championing the protection of Affordable Care Act (ACA) benefits and insurance coverage to ensure every family and small business in our community has access to dependable, high-quality healthcare.
• Ensuring high-quality water access for South Texas families, businesses, and the RGV agricultural sector, while establishing a regional groundwater conservation district.
• Securing funding to upgrade and modernize regional facilities, establishing the local capability to certify, train, and fully prepare our first responders. Investing in the expansion and improvement of local parks and recreational facilities to support a healthier quality of life in the Greater Mission Area.
• Advocating for tariff relief to protect local businesses and communities from international trade disruptions affecting commercial goods entering the United States.
• Funding & Appropriations: Advocating for robust, bipartisan federal appropriations for the U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund to counteract proposed budget cuts. Simultaneously, coalitions seek to streamline SBA lending procedures to accelerate startup and operational capital delivery for small businesses.

Vanessa Nichole Hernandez, is GMCC’s vice president of membership and advocacy. She said: “When chambers of commerce pull their collective regional influence, our advocacy ceases to be localized noise and becomes a powerful engine for structural change. The upcoming legislative initiative represents a vital turning point. We will be addressing foundational needs—ranging from water security and optimized immigration frameworks to small business capital streamling—we are clearing the path for the next generation of industry and family success in the Greater Mission Area and throughout South Texas.”

Hernandez said the Mission Chamber’s delegation on the D.C. trip will visit legislative offices to present the GMCC’s legislative priorities. She said the delegation would also learn from current agency administrators what new opportunities are available to support economic growth for the region.

About RGV-to-DC 2026

The Rio Grande Valley Partnership, headed by CEO Paco Sanchez, is leading one of its largest delegations to the nation's Capitol. Approximately 70 leaders from government, business, education, healthcare, and economic development will be in Washington from June 10 thru June 12. 

Participating cities include Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco, Edinburg, and Mission. They will take their chamber and economic development corporation partners.  Also represented on the trip are Texas National Bank, Texas Regional Bank, UT-Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College, RGV LEAD, South Texas Health System, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, and Atlas, and Hall & Rodriguez.