Corpus Christi, TX – Today, Mayor Nelda Martinez, Vice President of the Texas Mayors of Military Communities, honored Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa with the Legislative Champion of the Year Award 2015for his dedicated service and extraordinary efforts on behalf of Texas military communities.

Senator Hinojosa expressed his appreciation for the honor of this award:

“I am thankful and humbled that the Texas Mayors of Military Communities has recognized me with this prestigious award. As a Vietnam Veteran for the United States Marine Corps, I understand the difficult sacrifices our military families endure on a daily basis and the critical importance military bases play in our state economy and workforce.

The Corpus Christi Army Depot, in Senate District 20, is vital to the Coastal Bend area as it generates an economic impact of over $1 billion a year. That is why as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee for the past three sessions, I have fought for and secured funds for the Texas Military Preparedness Grant Program to improve our military bases and to better serve our military families. For the 2016-17 biennium, I worked to ensure $30 million for grants to military defense impacted communities.

This past session I also authored and passed SB 318 that increases the cap on grants awarded to military communities from $2 million to $5 million. In addition, I made recommendations to be studied during the interim to review state level support offered to Texas Military Bases to ensure they are well positioned to retain or expand their current missions during future rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) reviews, mandated sequestration cuts, or force troop adjustments by the U.S. Department of Defense.”

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN, TX — Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick recently appointed Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa as a member of the Health and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee. The committee will help guide the reorganization of five existing agencies into one, as a result of legislation passed this last session.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following statement regarding his appointment:

“I thank Lt. Governor Patrick for appointing me to this committee and entrusting me to help lead an important consolidation of our health and human services agencies. This consolidation will increase accountability and transparency as well as streamline operations so that our Texas families have better access to critically needed services.

I look forward to working with the other committee members as well as the Health and Human Services Commission to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for the agency and the residents they serve.”

Other Senate members appointed to the Committee include Co-Chairman Jane Nelson, Senators Brian Birdwell, and Charles Schwertner.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN, TX — Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa announces that Desireé Castro has been promoted to Senior Policy Advisor. She has been a policy analyst with Senator Hinojosa’s office for almost three years.

Desireé covers criminal justice, border security, windstorm insurance, and business and commerce issues. She earned an MPA and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Prior to working with Senator Hinojosa, Desireé worked for the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce as their Government Affairs Coordinator.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN, TX — Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa announces Roxanne DeLaGarza Garcia as his new Legislative Director. Roxanne is currently a Senior Policy Analyst and has been with Senator Hinojosa’s office for five years.

Roxanne previously served as the Committee Director of the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee and currently covers education, agriculture, and local government issues. She has an MBA from the University of Texas Pan American and a B.S. in Public Health from Texas A&M University. Roxanne replaces Josh Reyna as Legislative Director who has left the office to pursue a career in the private law sector in his hometown of McAllen, TX.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Commissioner Kirk Cole issued a response to my letter concerning the state refusing to issue birth certificates to persons born here in the United States.

DSHS stated that nothing has changed in recent years on the types of identification required for the issuance of a birth certificate and in fact, in 2010, their internal handbook was revised to specifically state that the official matrícula consular card cannot be accepted. While this policy may not have changed, the implementation of this policy has most certainly changed. For many years, the matrícula has been used as a satisfactory form of identification in many field offices statewide, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley.

As an example, many of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against DSHS, as well as others who have come forward, had easily been able to obtain a birth certificate for their U.S. born child prior to 2014 using a matrícula. It was only in 2014 when parents were suddenly told that it was no longer accepted as a valid form of identification. It is also my understanding in speaking with DSHS, that they have no direct control over their field offices, so that implementation of this policy would seem to me to be hard to assess. While this may have been a policy, it was not enforced consistently.

The response by DSHS also does nothing to present a solution to this problem. If the matrícula will no longer be accepted, what is the alternative? The problem will persist and U.S. born children will continue to be denied their citizenship. These children were born in the United States, are United States citizens, and are entitled to receive their own birth certificates.

While protecting the identity of Texans and securing vital records is of the utmost importance, the state is simultaneously denying the child citizenship rights. It is critical we find a solution such as alternative documents including a baptism certificate, a hospital birth record, or similar documents.

We cannot continue a process that creates a severe disadvantage for these children with respect to medical care, school enrollment and other benefits these children are entitled to on the basis of their U.S. citizenship. We need to protect the child’s rights as a citizen provided under the United States Constitution.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN, TX – Today, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Texas Voter ID Law as violating the Voting Rights Act. The Texas Voter ID law passed as Senate Bill 14 from the 82nd Regular Legislative Session in 2011 as a way to prevent voter fraud.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa issued the following statement:

“This ruling confirms what we have been saying all along. The Voter ID law violates the federal 50 year-old Voting Rights Act that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The right for our Texas citizens to vote must not be burdened with unnecessary hurdles.

Our Constitution aims toward improving our representative democracy. A better representative democracy depends on the inclusion and participation of citizens during elections. Creating barriers and turning away eligible voters undermines our democracy and creates voter suppression against our citizens.”

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN, TX – Late yesterday, Legislative Budget Board Director Ursula Parks sent a letter to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar concerning Governor Abbott’s line-item vetoes of riders to the state budget. The letter stated that the Governor’s veto proclamation, listing line items he chose to eliminate from the budget, goes beyond what is authorized in the Texas Constitution, is unprecedented, and is contrary to both practice and expectation.

Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement:

“I am expressing my concerns regarding Governor Abbott’s line-item vetoes.

Our Texas Constitution is clear — very specific and limited powers are granted to the Governor with respect to vetoing appropriations. The significant power to veto “items of appropriation” is afforded, but not the authority to amend or veto legislative direction or intent. In addition, in 1911 the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the Governor’s veto authority is limited only to that found in the Constitution, Article 4, Section 14. This decision remains good law and has been cited in various Attorney General opinions.

Allowing the Governor’s line-item vetoes of riders would significantly expand the power of the Governor by allowing not only legislative appropriations to be vetoed, but also non-appropriation provisions of legislative direction and intent. The issue is not one of spending, but the issue of protecting the Constitution and the separation of powers of our executive, judicial and legislative branches under our Constitution.”

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa served as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.

AUSTIN – Today, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law HB 2037 authored by State Representative Charlie Geren and sponsored by Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a bill that relates to compensation for certain peace officers. HB 2037 ensures that Attorney General peace officers arecompensated at the equivalent rank of other state police officers.

The Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit currently consist of 167 commissioned peace officers that are compensated under Schedule B of the General Appropriations Act and are classified as Investigators III-VII, Managers III-IV, and Directors I-II. HB 2037 provides that these peace officers are paid according to the Class C salary schedule, which governs commissioned law enforcement positions.

Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement:

“I am pleased Governor Abbott signed into law this measure that addresses the inequality in compensation of officers employed by the Attorney General. The duties of the Attorney General’s law enforcement division include important tasks of conducting criminal investigations, apprehending fugitives and internet predators, and providing assistance to law enforcement.

Yet, the Attorney General state police officers are compensated at approximately $20,000 less than the equivalent rank of other state police officers. I am proud that we addressed this disparity among our state law enforcement officers.”

Under HB 2037, commissioned peace officers within the Office of Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit would be classified as Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, and Majors under Schedule C. HB 2037 also allows the attorney general peace officers to qualify for hazardous duty pay and injury leave.

The Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Division is comprised of several components that conduct complex investigations that other agencies do not have the expertise or resources to investigate. These specialized units include: Cyber Crimes, Computer Forensics, Fugitive Apprehension, and Special Investigations. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes criminal fraud by Medicaid providers, physical abuse and criminal neglect at Medicaid-funded healthcare facilities, and the embezzlement of funds. In the past decade, the unit obtained about 1,400 criminal indictments and recovered approximately $1.2 billion taxpayer dollars, about half of which was returned to General Revenue.

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa serves as the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate in the 84th Texas Legislature. Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, and serves on the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs as well as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Sunset Advisory Commission.