Rio Grande Valley legislators agreed border security has to be dealt with, but exactly how is still debatable, after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Tuesday to extend the National Guard’s presence.

Four Texas lawmakers are making voter turnout among college students a priority by proposing bills that would make university-issued ID cards an acceptable form of voter ID.

Two Rio Grande Valley representatives have filed bills seeking a tax-free period of time for textbook sales, hoping to help make college more affordable for students.

With more troubling evidence surfacing about the dangers of energy drinks, especially to young children, Rio Grande Valley Rep. Terry Canales, has re-filed his legislative proposal from 2013 that would eliminate such highly-caffeinated beverages from Texas’ public food program.

House Bill 461 is now up for discussion. The bill bans smoking tobacco in a vehicle if there is a child eight years old or younger aboard.According to the office of the U.S. Surgeon General, children who are around second hand smoke have a higher risk of getting bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma.

A bill prefiled in Texas this week would effectively nullify some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that prevent treatments from being used by terminally ill patients. 

The Texas National Guard has completed Operation Strong Safety, deploying to its full thousand member strength along the Texas Mexico border.

Hidalgo County’s state representatives plan to file at least one bill next year to give the medical school at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley resources to provide veterans’ healthcare.

The international border between the United States and Mexico can seem porous as people, commerce, and services regularly trek back and forth, especially in the Rio Grande Valley given its history of cross-border trade.

A Rio Grande Valley lawmaker is speaking out to question the deployment of National Guard troops being sent to the border amid the ongoing immigration crisis.