Hotel rooms and worker lodges are full across South and West Texas, as the oil and gas industry rushes to drill thousands of new wells.
Under scrutiny, bill would limit food stamp rollovers
An Edinburg legislator filed legislation Friday that would limit the benefits recipients of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — known as food stamps — could carry over continually, days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture directed state agencies to conduct a review of high balance accounts.
Read moreCanales weighs in on wrongful convictions.
Grits spent much of yesterday at the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, which heard legislation calling for creation of an Innocence Commission to study the causes of wrongful convictions. As in the past when this bill has come up, several Texas exonerees testified in favor of the legislation, offering up powerful narratives of injustice that the committee clearly found moving and compelling.
Read moreCanales responds to report showing people on food stamps have a balance of more than $7000.
Rio Grande Valley: People with $7K food-stamp surplus
An investigative report has shown that some people in the Rio Grande Valley are receiving exorbitant amounts of food stamp money, racking up thousands of dollars in unused funds.
“Should there be a limit on how much taxpayers dollars can be given to someone on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?” Action 4 News asks.
One gas station clerk, who refused to reveal his name, said he once saw a balance of $7,000 on a recipient’s Lone Star card.
“You would think that it would red flag in the system,” he said.
He told the TV station that the local SNAP office told him they couldn’t doing anything about it.
“I had never heard of this issue until you brought it to light,” State Representative Terry Canales told Action 4 News.
Canales responds to report showing people on food stamps have a balance of more than $7000.
“Should there be a limit on how much tax payers dollars can be given to someone on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?” Texas’ KGBT 4TV asks in an investigative report on possible food stamp abuse in the Rio Grande Valley.
Read moreBills aim to exempt junk food, energy drinks from food stamp program
Two bills filed by South Texas Democrats would prohibit individuals from using the state’s food stamp program to purchase energy drinks and junk food such as candy, chips and cookies.
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) is a needs-based program to assist Texans who work more than 20 hours a week or are disabled or pregnant buy groceries. More than 4.1 million Texans utilize the program as of December, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Current restrictions on SNAP purchases include alcohol and tobacco products, vitamins and medicines and hot food.
State Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg filed HB 523, which defines “energy drink” as a beverage containing 65 milligrams of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces designed to increase mental or physical energy. Coffee-based beverages are exempt from the restriction.
Canales Joint-Authors Legislation for Creation of new university of Texas school.
Legislation filed for creation of University of Texas Super System
Legislation was filed Monday at the Texas Capitol that calls for the creation of a new University of Texas super system, complete with a state-of-the-art medical school, that aims improve life in the Rio Grande Valley, says Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, an author of House Bill 1000.
Under the legislation, UTPA, with an enrollment approaching 20,000, would remain the dominant academic component in the new system, which calls for it to merge with the University of Texas at Brownsville.
The UT System also will commission an independent study to determine where a long-sought medical education dream, the “South Texas School of Medicine”, as currently named by state lawmakers, would be located, Canales said.
(The final name of the medical school and new university system would be determined at a later date by the UT System Board of Regents.)
Canales seeks to remove energy drinks from food stamp program.
Bills seek to take junk food, energy drinks off food stamp program
Two new bills would make it difficult for people who get government assistance to buy for junk food and energy drinks for their kids.
"Energy drinks are potentially dangerous for children," said Texas State Representative Terry Canales of Edinburg.
Canales authored HB 523 which would prevent those on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from buying energy drinks.
"There's nothing nutritious or healthy about these products and in fact they're potentially dangerous to children," Canales said. "We don't believe you should be able to use government funds to buy them."
Valley Delegation files bill to merger UTPA and UTB and establish a medical school.
On Monday, the Rio Grande Valley Legislative delegation will file legislation to create a new University of Texas System university with a medical school in South Texas.
Read moreCanales supports university bill, criticizes some of Perry’s plans.
University of Texas-Brownsville President Juliet Garcia wasn’t expecting a mention of legislation granting her school and UT-Pan American access to the Permanent University Fund in the State of the State address. But she said hearing Gov. Rick Perry support the idea Tuesday in Austin was a “fantastic” surprise.
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