McALLEN, RGV - A more equitable and reliable funding stream for public education is one of the top priorities for South Texas and border legislators during the 85th Legislature.
Following the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, five local legislators sent the Rio Grande Guardian news releases about Day 1 at the state Capitol and each mentioned school finance.
State Rep. R.D. 'Bobby' Guerra“Adequately and fairly funding public education must be our top priority,” said state Sen. José Rodríguez of El Paso. “Structural school finance changes are needed to remove inefficiencies. We can’t keep avoiding the issue and pretending that privatizing education is the long-term solution for the vast majority of school children. A real solution starts with investing in a future bilingual and globally competitive workforce.”
State Rep. Abel Herrero of Robstown said he was looking forward to “fully funding our neighborhood schools.” State Rep. R.D. ‘Bobby’ Guerra of McAllen said one of his goals for the session was to ensure “adequate funding for public education.” State Rep. J.M. Lozano of Kingsville said “continuing to improve education” was one of his top goals. “We must change the school funding formula to make sure our schools get their fair share,” Lozano said. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo also mentioned public and higher education as a priority.
The first day of a legislative session is a joyous one for legislators. They are able to bring their families on to the floor of the chamber to witness their swearing in. Constituents are invited to breakfast and lunch events in their Capitol offices. The first day of the 85th legislative session was no different, with state Rep. Joe Straus of San Antonio receiving unanimous support as speaker of the Texas House.
Texas state Senators are sworn in to office for a new four-year term.Zaffirini is the longest serving senator in South Texas, having first been elected in 1986. In fact, she has passed more bills than any other legislator in the history of the State of Texas and has a 100 percent voting record. She has cast more than 55,660 consecutive votes since 1987 and has sponsored and passed 895 bills and 52 substantive resolutions and co-sponsored and passed another 384 bills. In the 2015 Legislature, she passed 102 bills, passing her personal record.
For the new session, Zaffirini pre-filed 51 bills, including measures that would prohibit texting while driving, increase courthouse security, enhance college financial aid programs, create universal pre-k and continue reforms to Texas' guardianship system begun during the 2015 legislative session.
“Count on me to continue to work with constituents, stakeholders, and my legislative colleagues this session to pass meaningful legislation that strengthens families, supports our economy and improves the quality of life for all Texans,” Zaffirini said.
"The next 140 days will provide countless opportunities to make a difference for SD 21 families. I am grateful to my constituents for another term and look forward to championing the needs and priorities of our large and diverse district. These include jobs; public safety; the environment; higher and public education; and health and human services, especially for the very young, the very old and persons with disabilities.”
District 21, which Zaffirini represents, includes all or part of 18 counties and stretches from the Rio Grande to the Colorado River and to the Port of Corpus Christi.
Rep. Guerra is beginning his third term in the Texas House. He said he is working on several bills and pushing for more access to healthcare, adequate funding for public education, and supporting local economic development efforts.
“I am once again humbled to be representing the Rio Grande Valley and District 41 at the State Capitol. I vow to work tirelessly over the next five months to ensure better opportunities for my constituents and all Texans across the state.”
Rep. Lozano is beginning his fourth legislative session. He said he is proud of the work he has done in previous sessions to fund local universities, courthouses and roads in his district.
“Continuing to improve education and creating jobs for our district and the State of Texas will be major focus again this session. It will be important to utilize the information we collected during the interim to write the most effective legislation,” Lozano said.
“As we begin 2017, I look forward to working even harder for South Texas. We must change the school funding formula to make sure our schools get their fair share. We must make common sense laws that help working families and boost the economy. And we must protect Texas from federal government regulations that hurt small and family businesses.”
Rep. Herrero is starting his sixth term in the Texas House. “I look forward to working with Coastal Bend residents on their priorities, including fully funding our neighborhood schools, supporting our veterans, and ending family violence once and for all. Only together can we spark positive change and keep Texas moving forward,” Herrero said.
Sen. Rodríguez is starting his fourth term in the Texas Senate. In his first session, he represented only El Paso County but since redistricting his district has spread to include the counties of Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis and Presidio, making it one of the largest and most diverse in the state.
Rodríguez said the issues he will focus on in the new legislative session are public and higher education, health care, economic development, civil rights, and border affairs.
Rodríguez is a lifelong Texan, born in Alice and raised in the small farming community of Alamo, Texas.
Editor's Note: The main image accompanying this story shows state Rep. Oscar Longoria of La Joya, Texas, being sworn into office for the 85th Legislative Session in Austin, Texas. Reporter Ron Whitlock contributed to this story from Austin, Texas.
