Congressman Filemon Vela

Today would have been 's 95th birthday.

On , I'm proud to co-sponsor a resolution that honors his life and legacy as a civil rights and labor leader.

As reported by Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid, the ongoing fires in Kleberg County have affected an estimated 60k acres, but first responders have been able to protect structures and homes. My office is in close contact with city officials and I thank first responders and the neighboring counties that are offering aid and actively working to put out flames. Judge Madrid's call for a Volunteer Evacuation remains in place for residents of Ricardo and Rivera.

I am excited to announce that I secured $500,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package for the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station's Secure America Institute (SAI) to fund the RGV Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Program. This program will support SAI efforts in connecting large and small businesses across the RGV to increase Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) opportunities, conduct workshops to increase the number and quality of small business proposals, establish mentor-protégé programs, and provide matching funds to SBIR winners to assist with commercialization.

“This project will help meet the needs of both small tech businesses and manufacturers, resulting in gains in employment, quality of life and the reimagining of manufacturing," said Dr. John Hurtado, interim vice chancellor for engineering and interim director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. "The Rio Grande Valley will certainly benefit, but so will all of Texas and the nation’s manufacturing economy. We are thankful to Congressman Vela for his support.”

I am proud to announce that my request for $500,000 for Texas A&M University-Kingsville for teaching preparation and bridge programs was included in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package. This funding will support their pilot program to address learning in South Texas to improve student improvement. TAMUK will work in collaboration with local school districts and community colleges to identify learning loss and develop a dual approach of bridge programs and training student teachers in effective tutoring practices.

"We understand that learning loss due to the pandemic is still a serious problem for students across the nation. Ensuring our students receive a strong academic foundation post-pandemic continues to be one of Texas A&M-Kingsville’s top priorities. This funding will help reinforce and supplement academic support services on our campus and in our community by putting additional resources where they are needed most, resulting in increased student success at our partner schools and at the university. We are grateful to Rep. Vela for his support of this effort." -- Dr. James Hallmark, Interim President, Texas A&M-Kingsville

I am excited to announce that I secured $2,000,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package for Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (cdcb) for the SAMANO Lofts & Armand’s Market. These funds will support the rehabilitation of an existing historic structure to create affordable housing opportunities as well as develop a small market to provide groceries in a food desert and create new job opportunities for residents in the community.

In the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package, I secured $500,000 for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board for Water Treatment Plant Pump Station improvements. This community project funding will support improvements made to the BPUB Water Treatment Plant No. 1. This project includes the removal and installation of three pumps along with the installation of motor operated valves and a backup generator to enhance reliability. These improvements will help BPUB meet the distribution system demands of approximately 200,000 residents in the community.

I'm pleased that my request for $3,500,000 for the City of Alamo's water treatment plant rehabilitation and expansion was included in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package. This community project funding will support the City of Alamo’s efforts to provide clean and safe drinking water for all residents of the community.

I fought to include funding for TX-34 communities in the recent Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package, and I am pleased to announce that I have secured $40,000 for United Way of the Crossroads for a rural health initiative. United Way of the Crossroads, which serves Goliad, DeWitt, and portions of Gonzales, will use these funds to support their Community Connections program. These funds will support their program which provides residents of South Texas with health care and services through certified Community Health Workers.

I secured $1,000,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package for the City of Brownsville for their Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This funding will support development of the City of Brownsville’s own EOC for centralized command in the event of a emergency or natural disaster to better serve the community.

I am excited to announce that I secured $200,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. This community project funding will fund the Lower Rio Grande Valley Watershed Assessment, which will determine how to decrease flooding in areas of our community that have suffered significant flooding events in previous years.

The FDA has authorized a second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine booster shot to those 50 years or older to strengthen protection from the virus. The second booster is recommended at least four months after you've received your first booster.

Older adults can get second coronavirus booster to strengthen waning protection A second booster could help protect people at risk of severe illness from covid-19.

In honor of join me in recognizing Ms. Mittie Pullam of Brownsville, Texas, who is best known for helping found the first colored school for black children.