Capitol Update From Diane Patrick State Representative District 94

diane-patrickArlington ISD Art Show Students Exhibit Work in Capitol The first half of June brought much color to the halls of the Capitol thanks to Arlingtons own first through sixth-grade students who provided a beautiful display of artwork. The selected pieces were on display in the Capitol South Central Gallery June 6th through June 16th. On Saturday June 16th I enjoyed meeting these students and their families as Art Coordinator Linh Nguyen and I presented each student with a certificate commemorating their achievement. Afterwards students and their parents enjoyed scheduled tours of the Capitol. I extend my appreciation to Mr. Nguyen and the AISD teachers and staff for planning such an exciting day. The exhibition will continue to be displayed in my District Office throughout the summer. Arlington ISD Receives Prek Grant The Texas Education Agency recently named grant recipients of the Prek Early Start Grant. Arlington ISD is scheduled to receive $3.2 million to help fund their existing half-day prekindergarten program for currently eligible children over the next biennium. Local Jobless Rate Lower Than National Although jobless rates rose in the past months in surrounding areas Arlington as a whole is still well below the natio nal rate. In fact the southern region of the US has a jobless rate of 8.9 percent well under the western states which are now experiencing jobless rates as high as 10.1 percent. Arlington proves strong within Texas with a local jobless rate of 7.1 percent. The month of May brought Texas education and health sectors 5800 new jobs and the automotive electronic and commercial repair and maintenance sectors 5200 new jobs. North Tarrant Express Approved In an effort to reduce congestion improve air quality and increase efficiency in accessing DFW International Airport the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in partnership with NTE Mobility Partners executed a comprehensive development agreement (CDA) on June 23 2009. The agreement covers the design and financing of a 13-mile stretch of Northeast Loop Interstate 820 and State Highway 121/183. Construction is scheduled to begin next year with the projected completion in 2015. Both the Texas Legislative Budget Board and the Texas Attorney Generals Office reviewed and approved these contracts. For more information on this project visit: www.txdot.gov. Special Session in July Governor Perry called a Special Session beginning on July 1 2009. The Governor opened the call only to the following three topics: (1) Sunset Scheduling (2) Transportation Bonds (3) Extension of Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDA) to build roads. July 4th Events and Festivities Kick off your Independence Day celebration this year on Friday July 3rd at 5:00 p.m. with Light Up Arlington. The new Downtown/University District location will accommodate larger crowds and provide quality staging areas for live musical performances childrens activities vendors and fireworks. The fireworks will begin at 9:45 p.m. The 44th annual Independence Day Parade will commence at 9:00 a.m. Saturday July 4th at the corner of W. Mitchell and West Streets. For a complete list of Arlington events visit: www.arlington4th.com or www.naturallyfun.org. Residents can also enjoy fireworks at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington following the Texas Rangers home games against Tampa Bay on July 3rd and 4th. Have a safe and fun July 4th! New Additions to Our Office We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new summer interns: Andrew Tabije a Mechanical Engineering student attending UT-Austin will join our Capitol Office for the entire summer. We also welcome Ian Furman a Law/MBA student at Tulane University who will join our District Office during July. Arlington Stimulus Tracking On June 12 2009 the Financial and Management Resource Department presented information on contracting opportunities for the City under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Anticipated opportunities include sidewalk design and construction weatherization on single family homes and energy efficient retrofitting. To track dollars Arlington is scheduled to receive or to learn more visit: http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/recovery. Speaking Events In early June I was honored to address members of the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) at their Summer Conference where they presented me with the 2009 Tribute to Texas Children Award. In late June I presented an overview of legislation passed during the 81st Legislative Session to Dr. Kenneth Greenes graduate class at The University of Texas at Arlington. Thank you for your valued input. As always feel free to contact me or my staff with questions or concerns.
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