GARCIA ON THE GO
Making every day count
Friday, June 14, 2013

On the same day that the regular session ended, Governor Perry called a Special Session on Redistricting with specific instructions to adopt the interim court-drawn maps for the State House of Representatives, State Senate, and U.S. Congressional Districts.

As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting in the Special Session, Senator Garcia wants to ensure that Texas has a fair set of maps that best represents the voting rights of all Texans; that the redistricting process is open and transparent; and that the constitutional principle of one person one vote is protected.   During the special session she commented, “I will continue to work to provide meaningful improvements in the day-to-day lives of all Texans.” Click here for a fact sheet on redistricting.

Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony
On Saturday, May 25th Senator Garcia attended the Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony at the Texas Capitol to honor the families of soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the ceremony Senator Garcia presented a memorial resolution to the family of Petty Officer Jorge Velasquez and Sergeant Lorenzo Aranda. Both families are residents of Senate District 6. When paying tribute to the brave men and women lost overseas, we should also recognize the immense sacrifice of their friends and families.

Senator Mario Gallegos Act
This session, one of Senator Garcia's biggest honors was to pass the Senator Mario Gallegos Act, in memory of her friend and predecessor. Several firefighters in the State of Texas, like the late Senator Gallegos, have experienced obstacles when pursuing public office due to confusion as to whether or not a municipal employee can be a candidate while still employed by a city.

Firefighters and cities across Texas have had to engage in lengthy legal processes to clarify the issue, which has wasted valuable municipal time and resources. To solve this problem, this bill was crafted to protect all municipal employees considering public office by explicitly stating a municipality may not take disciplinary action against an employee, including termination, simply because the employee is running for office. The bill will also create legal precedent, eliminating the need for future costly lawsuits.

Senator Garcia Passes Bill to Keep Junkyards out of our Neighborhoods
Many residents of Senate District 6 have problems with junkyards near their homes, churches and schools. The presence of junkyards lowers property values, diminishes quality of life and presents a health risk to area residents. With this in mind, Representative Armando Walle and Senator Garcia passed House Bill 3085 which increases penalties for junkyard owners who fail to keep proper distances from residential areas and to maintain a clean and safe environment.  This is a big step towards ensuring a cleaner and safer District 6!

Specialty license SB 1914
Senator Garcia passed a bill that protects the safety of elected officials by allowing the Department of Motor Vehicles to design a specialty license plate that does not publicly identify the license plate as an elected official.  The bill also allows for a new capitol license plate to be designed with proceeds going to benefit the preservation of the Capitol.

For a full end of session report, click here for our Sine Die Press Release.

Nominations

On Monday, May 20th Senator Garcia attended her last Senate Nominations Committee hearing where she had some tough questions for appointees to the University Of Texas Board Of Regents regarding a series of public disagreements between University President Bill Powers and the Board of Regents. During the meeting Senator Garcia urged the Regents to move on from the infighting and focus on what’s best for the students. In her short time on the Senate Nominations Committee, Senator Garcia has helped spearhead new rules to prevent conflicts of interest and to increase transparency of the Governor's appointments.

Senator Garcia is launching her first Senate summer internship program to provide community and civic engagement opportunities, public policy training, and a professional work experience to college students or recent college students who are interested in learning about state government and the role of legislators in Texas.

There will be a total of four internship positions, with three located in each Houston district office and one in the Austin capitol office. A stipend may be offered depending on funding availability. The internship program will be a 6 week program from July 8 - August 16. To apply, please send resumes to Isabel at Isabel.Longoria@senate.state.tx.us by June 21.

June 29, 2013 (10am-1pm):  Senator  Garcia will be hosting an open house for the official opening of her district office in the Ramirez State Office Building, 5425 Polk Street; Houston, TX. 77023.  Various State agencies with offices in the building, such as the Department of Adult and Child Protective Services, Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Workers Compensation Commission, and the Greater Texas Federal Credit Union will be present and have bi-lingual staff on hand to speak on the important services they provide Texans.

The open house will be Saturday, June 29, from 10am-1pm.  All are welcome. Food and drinks will be provided. Click here to RSVP.

I am very proud of my work during the 83rd Regular Session to help increase funding for education in the state budget, support greater transparency and efficiency in our state government, and protect the interests of everyday working Texans.  In just 78 days as a State Senator (having been sworn in on March 11), I hit the ground running and set to accomplish many of the promises I made to the people of Senate District 6 to provide meaningful improvements in the day-to-day lives of all Texans.

I filed 20 bills and passed 15 bills.  I also joined colleagues in sponsoring 50 additional pieces of legislation.  I am especially proud to have cosponsored HB 950, the Lilly Ledbetter Fairpay Act for Texas, which prohibits wage discrimination against workers.  I stood with authors, Senator Wendy Davis and Representative Senfronia Thompson, in passing this important act.  Today, I am back in Austin fighting for fair representation for all Texans in our first special session.

Putting People First,
Sylvia