University, Sen. Zaffirini to Host Senate Interim Committee Meetings

Texas A&M International University and Senator Judith Zaffirini will host two Senate interim committee meetings on border affairs on Tuesday Jan. 11 and Wednesday, Jan. 12. Sen. Zaffirini is a member of one of the committees, the Special Committee on Border Affairs.

The meetings will take place in A&M International's Bullock Hall 101. The meetings are open to the public.

Tuesday's meeting, to begin at 10 a.m., will be a joint hearing by the Senate Committee on State Affairs and the Special Committee on Border Affairs. The meeting's focus will be NAFTA-related transportation issues.

On Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m., the Special Committee on Border Affairs will receive testimony related to water and wastewater system infrastructure needs, health care strategies, economic development and implementation of recent colonia legislation.

The hearings are designed to encourage public testimony and input as committee members prepare for the 77th Texas Legislature. A number of A&M International faculty will provide testimony to the committees.

The Senate Committee on State Affairs is chaired by District 8 Senator Florence Shapiro (R) . Vice chair is Senator Eliot Shapleigh. Members include Senators David Bernsen, J. E. 'Buster' Brown, David Cain, Tom Haywood, Eddie Lucio Jr., Drew Nixon and Jeff Wentworth.

The committee's primary charges include evaluating the state's intermodal transportation efforts, studying the impact of devolution and other streamlining and efficiency efforts on state agencies, and evaluating the safety of the state's commercial trucking industry, including the safety of roads and bridges.

The Special Committee on Border Affairs is chaired by District 27 Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. (D). Vice chair is Senator David Sibley. Members include Senators Teel Bivins, Robert L. Duncan, Eliot Shapleigh, Carlos F. Truan and Sen. Zaffirini.

Primary charges of the committee include an assessment of intermodal transportation needs of the Texas-Mexico border region, assessment of the border's water and wastewater system infrastructure needs, assessment of border health conditions and development of regional economic development strategies.

For additional information, contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326.2180 or the Office of State Senator Judith Zaffirini at 722.2293.

University office hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu