The Texas House of Representatives on Friday, May 17, gave preliminary approval to blockbuster legislation, authorized the previous day by the Senate, to merge The University of Texas-Pan American with the University of  Texas-Brownsville, and bring major components of a UT medical school to Edinburg and Hidalgo County. 

The landmark measure, Senate Bill 24 by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Rep. René Oliveira, D-Brownsville, would have immediate, long-range, and unprecedented positive impacts on the economy, health care, and higher education in deep South Texas, said Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. 

“On this monumental day, the Rio Grande Valley has forever changed the way people will look at us. Some people believe that a ‘Friday Night Football Mentality’ rivalry dooms our South Texas communities. This is slander,” Canales reflected. “When the stakes are highest, as it is with this incredibly important issue, we always remain united.” 

Originally posted in My Harlingen News.