AUSTIN, TX-State Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., (D-Brownsville) today announced the next public hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Border Affairs will be at the University of Texas at El Paso, in the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center, 321 Wiggins Road, on Wednesday, March 27, 2002, at 9 a.m.

Offering remarks will be El Paso Mayor Raymond Caballero and El Paso County Judge Dolores Briones. Representatives from state agencies such as the Workforce Commission; the Department of Economic Development; and the Department of Transportation will offer updates and answer questions pertinent to the El Paso area.

County Commissioner Carlos Aguilar, a member of the Border Colonia Advisory Board, will offer an update on Proposition 2, the Constitutional Amendment recently approved by voters which authorized $175 million in general obligation bonds for paving colonia roads.

The Subcommittee is charged with identifying unique challenges facing the Texas-Mexico Border region and determining strategic economic development initiatives to assist the region in overcoming the identified challenges. The Subcommittee is also required to recommend initiatives to improve trade and tourism that create a sound foundation for economic development and determine the amount of funding necessary to implement the initiatives. This requirement requires a determination of whether such investments will leverage other significant funds or if funding is unlikely from other sources. The Subcommittee may also make recommendations to facilitate commerce and lessen congestion at ports-of-entry at the Texas-Mexico border.

Members of the committee in addition to Sen. Lucio, chairman, include state Senators Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso; Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio; and John Carona, R-Dallas.

For more information, people may contact Ms. Laura Garcia, general counsel and clerk of the Subcommittee at 512-463-0127.

AGENDA

Senate Subcommittee on Border Affairs Public Hearing

Wednesday, March 27, 2002, 9:00 A.M.
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center

	I.	Call to Order

	II.	Roll Call

	III.	Opening/Welcoming Remarks
		Chairman Lucio and Members
		The Honorable Raymond Caballero, Mayor, City of El Paso
		The Honorable Dolores Briones, County Judge, El Paso County
		Alberto Lopez, Assistant Vice-President for University Relations, University of Texas at El Paso

	IV.	Approval of Minutes

	V.	Invited Testimony
    	A.	Workforce
        	Diane Rath, Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission
        	Martin Aguirre, CEO, Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Board
        	Dr. Richard M. Rhodes, President, El Paso Community College
        	Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
        	Dr. Arturo Alonzo, Deputy Director
        	Dr. Ed Cain, Manager of Educational Initiatives
    	B.	Economic Development/Trade/Tourism
        	Jeff Moseley, Executive Director, Texas Department of Economic Development
        	Tom Thomas, Senior Vice-President for Economic Development, El Paso Chamber of Commerce
        	Cindy Ramos-Davidson, CEO, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
        	Veronica Callaghan, Co-Chair of Law Enforcement and Border Security, Border Trade Alliance
        	Dr. Donald A. Michie, Ph.D., El Paso Foreign Trade Association
        	Hector Holguin, CEO, Holguin Group
        	Dr. Dennis Soden, Ph.D., Executive Director, Institute for Policy and Economic Development, University of Texas at El Paso
        	Mike Breitinger, Executive Director, El Paso Central Business Association
        	Charles Meeks, Director, El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau
        	Albert Alvidrez, Tigua Governor
    	C.	Transportation/Congestion Issues
        	The Honorable Carlos Aguilar, El Paso County Commissioner--(update on Border Colonia Advisory Board and implementation of Proposition 2)
        	Luis Garcia, District Director, INS--El Paso District Office
        	David Longoria, Port Director, U.S. Customs Service--El Paso
        	Charles Berry, Jr., District Engineer--El Paso, Texas Department of Transportation
        	Roy Gilyard, Executive Director, El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization
	    D.	Health Services Leticia Paez, M.A., M.P.A., Director, Kellogg Community Partnership
        	Frank Apodaca, Managing Shareholder, Access Health Source and Chairman, Insure El Paso
       		Dr. William Gordan McGee, Quest Diagnostics, Inc.
        	Dr. Juan Fitz, El Paso County Medical Society--(regarding trauma care liability)
    	E.	Living Wages
        	Hector Arellano, Business Manager--Local Union 583, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
        	Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney
       		El Paso Inter-Religious Sponsoring Organization (EPISO)
	VI.	Public Testimony

	VII.	Other Business

	VIII.	Recess

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