Edinburg leaders push legislative agenda during RGV Day at the Capitol
Photo above: Edinburg City leaders at the Texas State Capital for RGV Day at the Capital.
Austin, TX- One region, one voice. That was the prevailing theme on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 when the City of Edinburg joined a host of Rio Grande Valley cities for ‘RGV Day at the Capitol.’ It was the perfect opportunity to meet with lawmakers in Austin and make their voices heard.
The event was organized by the RGV Partnership, a business-friendly nonprofit organization that encourages collaboration between the counties of the Rio Grande Valley. The coalition of more than 250 representing South Texas said the goal is to focus on issues that the group agrees on.
“I think our big-picture items are really consistent, even though sometimes our individual cities might have different approaches. There is strength in numbers as we push for issues like better infrastructure and strengthening our local economy,” Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. said. “With Valley leaders blanketing the capitol at the same time, it benefits the region as a whole, and presents a unified voice, even while we advocate for our individual cities.”
The Edinburg delegation met individually with State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, Rep. Terry Canales and with Rep. Oscar Longoria’s chief of staff to discuss their legislative priorities.
Some of the big-ticket items that the Edinburg delegation was focusing on this session include economic development, infrastructure, community safety, education, healthcare, and fortifying local governance.
“Keeping our power at the local level just helps to protect our community-based decision making,” Mayor Garza said. “We have full respect for the way things operate at the capitol, but we do things differently in the Valley and we want to keep that ability in place.”
Other priorities include expanding quality of life resources, with a special focus on funding for parks and recreational facilities and additional hike and bike trail systems. Mayor Garza said the group also wants the legislature to work on prioritizing public safety, providing meaningful property tax relief and adding resources for flood mitigation and drainage improvements. The deadline for the 88th legislature to file bills is March 10, 2023.