Fighter (n.) One who works tirelessly for a goal or objective.
Texas State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa has spent his life fighting for democratic ideals at home and abroad. A believer in the principles of education and hard word, Senator Hinojosa promotes policies that improve public schools, stimulate investment in business to create jobs, and protect the rights of working families. He strives to set a standard for just, efficient, and effective state government.
Born in Penitas, a small town west of McAllen in Hidalgo County, Hinojosa earned money as a farm worker before volunteering to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. After returning from Vietnam, Hinojosa earned a law degree and began a professional life devoted to public service.
Hinojosa has represented the people of South Texas in both the Texas House of Representatives and Senate for more than 20 years. His record shows a tireless dedication to bringing economic and educational benefits to the Coastal Bend and South Texas. Hinojosa believes Texas laws should reflect and protect the values of the working families who spend their lives here, raising children and investing in their futures.
Hinojosa served as a U.S. Marine squad leader in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968. Returning to South Texas, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pan American University in Edinburg, graduating with honors.
After receiving a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Hinojosa worked for the Legal Aid Society of Nueces County in Corpus Christi and as an Assistant Attorney General in McAllen and San Antonio. He has been in private practice for more than two decades.
First elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1981, Hinojosa served eight terms before being elected to the Texas Senate. Hinojosa has earned a reputation as an expert in criminal justice issues. He authored the Texas Fair Defense Act and other reforms to establish court appointed counsel for indigent defendants, prohibit capital punishment for defendants with mental illness, and streamline the court system to provide swifter justice. He also sponsored SB 3, which established procedures for DNA testing, use and preservation.
Since his election to the Texas Senate in 2002, Senator Hinojosa has secured more than $84.7 million for new construction at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and at the University of Texas – Pan American. In 2007, he secured $23.4 million in operational funds for the two universities. Senator Hinojosa’s efforts have brought millions in funding to support the growth of District 20.
Senator Hinojosa serves as the vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and also holds seats on the Senate's Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Criminal Justice, Jurisprudence and Natural Resources Committee. Hinojosa is in his second term on the Sunset Advisory Commission, a bipartisan panel that reviews the effectiveness of state agencies. The panel decides to continue agencies or abolish unnecessary and duplicative government.
During the 2007 legislative session, Hinojosa authored SB 103, reshaping the state’s troubled Texas Youth Commission after investigations by the Texas Rangers found instances of sexual and physical abuse of youth in state facilities. SB 103 makes a number of fundamental changes, including ending the practice of housing children with adults and creating a Parent’s Bill of Rights, guaranteeing swift and accurate access to information about caseworkers’ duties and the agency’s grievance policies. Hinojosa championed legislation to rein in rising university tuition costs, and he has worked with a bipartisan group of legislators to allocate more than $120 million on training and technology for border security.
Hinojosa has twice been named one of Texas’ top 10 legislators by Texas Monthly magazine, and in 2007 he again received accolades from the magazine for his work reforming the Texas Youth Commission. The National Organization for Women (NOW) have named Hinojosa their “Legislator of the Year,” and he received the prestigious John Henry Faulk Award, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and in 2007, he received the Patient Advocacy Award from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
Senator Hinojosa has three children and lives in McAllen.
