José Rodríguez

"Jos\xE9 Rodr\xEDguez was elected in 2010 to represent Texas Senate District\ \ 29 (SD 29), which includes the counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff\ \ Davis, and Presidio. He represents both urban and rural constituencies, and more\ \ than 350 miles of the Texas-Mexico border. \r \r Prior to his election to the\ \ Texas Senate, Sen. Rodr\xEDguez served as the El Paso County Attorney for 17 years,\ \ where he established an unparalleled record of achievement, improving public safety,\ \ enhancing legal services to protect vulnerable citizens, promoting education,\ \ increasing County revenues and funding for jobs and economic development, and\ \ strengthening community health and environmental quality.\r \r That level of service\ \ to his community continues today as a member of the Texas State Senate. Sen. Rodr\xED\ guez is a staunch advocate for those in need. He has proven himself an effective\ \ voice for SD 29, passing more than 240 bills during his five sessions in the Texas\ \ Senate. This includes legislation addressing education, health care, economic\ \ development, renewable energy, criminal justice reform, public safety and the\ \ courts, ethics and government transparency, and veterans. Of note, Sen. Rodr\xED\ guez passed legislation transforming the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center\ \ at El Paso from a branch of the Lubbock-based health sciences center to an independent,\ \ standalone university component of the Texas Tech University System as well as\ \ a series of bills to address cheating and accountability in standardized testing\ \ in our schools. \r \r His hard work and tenacity on the Senate floor have gained\ \ him numerous accolades, including being named \"Freshman MVP\" by , \"Legislative\ \ Hero\" by Texas Access to Justice Foundation, \"Best of Senate\" by the Combined\ \ Law Enforcement Association of Texas, \"Advocate of the Year, Elected Official\"\ \ by the Texas Association for Education of Young Children, \"Texas Women's Health\ \ Champion\" by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, \"Champion\ \ of Equality\" by Equality Texas, \"Legislator of the Year\" by the Family Law\ \ Foundation, \"Senate Legislator of the Year\" by Texas Nurse Practitioners, and\ \ the \"2015 TABE Joe J. Bernal Community Service Honoree\" by the Texas Association\ \ for Bilingual Education. \r \r Sen. Rodr\xEDguez currently serves as the Chairman\ \ of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus (SDC), and as a member of the Senate Committees\ \ on Agriculture (Vice Chair), Natural Resources & Economic Development, Transportation,\ \ and Water & Rural Affairs. Prior to leading the SDC, he served as the Chairman\ \ of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus for nearly two years. \r \r In addition, Sen.\ \ Rodr\xEDguez serves as one of only five U.S. Presidential appointees on the 10-member\ \ Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission-North American\ \ Development Bank (BECC-NADB), which has distributed $2.6 billion in loans and\ \ grants for over 200 BECC-certified infrastructure projects on both sides of the\ \ border.\r \r The son of migrant farm workers, Sen. Rodr\xEDguez was born in Alice,\ \ Texas. From an early age, he worked in fields throughout the country to help support\ \ a family of nine. The first in his family to attend college, he received his undergraduate\ \ degree from Pan American University in 1971 and his law degree from the National\ \ Law Center at George Washington University in 1974. Since 1983, Sen. Rodr\xED\ guez and his family have made their home in El Paso, where they have been deeply\ \ involved in civic, economic development, and human rights activities."