Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, TX – Today, the Texas Legislature adjourned Sine Die for the 86th Regular Session. Sine Die is the last day of the 140 days every-odd numbered year the Texas Legislature meets.
Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement:
“I am proud of what we accomplished this session for South Texas and the entire State. We reformed the public education funding system, provided property tax relief, made the Teacher Retirement System actuarially sound and gave our retirees a much needed 13th check. We also passed legislation and funded projects to aid in the recovery and relief to areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Overall, we had important legislative victories and crafted a balanced budget that takes care of Texans. This session I passed about 43 individual pieces of important legislation and secured millions of dollars for our priorities in the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend regions.
The final state budget includes more than $11 billion in new funding for our public schools. This will include $5.9 billion for the classroom, of which $2 billion will be for an average $4,000 pay raise for our teachers. We also appropriated $5.3 billion to provide property tax relief by increasing the state share of public school funding from 38% to 45%. Examples of some of the funding items I was able to secure include $17 million for trauma infrastructure and preparedness, including funding for the first level 1 trauma center in the Rio Grande Valley, and $69 million for our medical school at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), including $2 million for the fight against cervical cancer. I was also able to secure $2.3 million for the Civil and Industrial Engineering program at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), and $40 million for infrastructure to improve access to and from our Texas ports.
This fiscally responsible budget invests in infrastructure, border security, healthcare, and our students while paving the way for an educated and healthy workforce. The work done by the 86th Legislature will benefit all Texans and ensure the continued success of the Texas economy.”
Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa proudly represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part). Senator Hinojosa currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, and serves on the Senate Committees on Property Tax; Natural Resources & Economic Development; Transportation; Agriculture; and Select Committee on Texas Ports.
