AUSTIN, TX -- Today, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick appointed Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa to the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) Advisory Committee. The committee will submit comments and recommendations to the Texas Water Development Board regarding the use of money in the state water implementation fund for use by the board in adopting rules and policies.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following statement regarding his appointment:

"I thank Lt. Governor Patrick for appointing me to the SWIFT Advisory Committee. It is critical that we have assistance to our local communities to finance their water management projects and to achieve the goals of our state water plan. Many of these projects include water conservation and reuse, desalination, building new pipelines, developing reservoirs, and numerous other infrastructure projects that benefit our local economies and families.

We must balance the needs of all water user groups in the state, and I look forward to providing key recommendations to the Texas Water Development Board on the use of these SWIFT funds. Water is crucial for our quality of life and the future prosperity of our economy, and how we treat our water today and make use of it will affect all of us now and for years to come."

The State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) was created by the Texas Legislature to provide affordable, ongoing state financial assistance for projects in the state water plan. The program helps communities develop cost-effective water supplies by providing low-interest loan, extended repayment terms, deferral of loan repayments. SWIFT's inaugural round of funding in 2015 resulted in more than $3.8 billion in financial commitments.

Other members of the Committee include Co-Chair Charles Perry and Senator Craig Estes.

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