On November 22, 2021, Representative Terry Canales, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation in the Texas House of Representatives, was appointed to serve a 4-year term on the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission by Speaker of the House Dade Phelan.

Canales was previously appointed to a 2-year term to fill an unexpired vacancy, making this his first full term on the prestigious commission. Canales will be the only legislator from South Texas and the only Democrat to serve on the Commission with Senator Eddie Lucio Jr.'s retirement.

The Sunset Advisory Commission is comprised of five senators, five members of the House of Representatives, and two public members. Sunset conducts rigorous evaluations of each state agency or program to determine if the agency should be abolished. If the agency is needed, Sunset will evaluate nearly all of the agency's functions from top to bottom to ensure efficacy and efficiency. Each state agency has an expiration period in statute, and near the end of that period, the agency will be reviewed by the Sunset Advisory Commission.

"I feel humbled and privileged that Speaker Dade Phelan has appointed me to serve on the Sunset Commission," said Chairman Canales. "The Sunset Commission is tasked with assessing our state agencies to make them lean and efficient, while providing all of the necessary services that they perform. Last session, I had the opportunity to carry the Agriculture Sunset bill, which helped support our state's $25 billion agriculture industry, while ensuring the strong future of our South Texas' farmers in particular. I also carried the Texas Commission on Fire Protection Sunset Bill, which was focused on aiding in the protection of the lives and property of Texans through the development and enforcement of recognized professional standards for firefighters. I'm excited to continue to serve, eager to get to work, and I am looking forward to continuing my commitment to taxpayers that our tax dollars are used wisely," continued Chairman Canales.

The Sunset Commission has 131 agencies to review over the next 12 years, and on average, the Commission will evaluate 22 agencies every two years. The work of the Commission has saved taxpayers upwards of $1 billion since 1982 and has been instrumental in cleaning up governmental waste to ensure every tax dollar is stretched to its maximum.

Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, is the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and represents House District 40 in Hidalgo County, which includes portions or all of Edinburg, Elsa, Faysville, La Blanca, Linn, Lópezville, McAllen, Pharr and Weslaco. He may be reached at his House District Office in Edinburg at (956) 383-0860 or at the Capitol at (512) 463-0426.