By David A. Diaz - Legislative Media
Will be shaping legislation to improve manufacturing in Texas
With the Texas Legislature returning to work on Tuesday January 8 for its five-month regular session Rep. Sergio Muoz Jr. is encouraging South Texas political and economic development leaders to help influence passage of major new laws and policies designed to improve the manufacturing industry in the Valley and statewide.
One of the key issues that has been brought to light is that manufacturing positions are available but prospective employees do not have the education training and skills needed for many of those high-tech jobs.
Many businesses do not have the ability to provide comprehensive retraining for applicants who excelled in their former professions but who lost their jobs to a changing economy and now must learn entirely new skills for the excellent jobs that are now available" said Muoz. Our committee looked at how state government community colleges and technical institutions and the private sector can work better together to reshape the tremendous talent we have into a new workforce for the 21st century."
Muoz D-Mission was the lone Valley member to serve on the Texas Legislatures Interim Committee on Manufacturing whose recommendations for the manufacturing industry are being transformed into proposed laws for action this spring by state lawmakers.
According to Speaker of the House Joe Straus R-San Antonio who appointed Muoz to the legislative committee manufacturing is a $192 billion industry in Texas accounting for 15 percent of the Gross State Product. More than 800000 Texans work in manufacturing and on average they earn significantly more than workers in other sectors.
Muoz who recently participated in a series of public hearings held by that legislative panel in Dallas San Antonio and Houston wants South Texans to continue playing major roles in coming up with ways to boost the manufacturing industry statewide but especially in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
I am encouraging your participation in this process by forwarding your experience and expertise on these issues to highlight the infrastructure workforce development and capacity with regard to manufacturing in South Texas" Muoz wrote the leaders of the major economic development corporations in the Valley. I am dependent on your input to articulate and market our area to this committee and the 83rd Legislature. Any documentation of our current capabilities our plans for the immediate and intermediate future and the needs you have of your government and/or other partners would be much appreciated."
Muoz said Valley higher education institutions such as South Texas College are key assets for the development of a strong economy.
The manufacturing needs and meeting the demands for high-skilled jobs are not only something facing the Valley but it is a challenge statewide" he noted. South Texas College has been at the forefront reaching out making sure that they work collaboratively with our business organizations to make sure we fill that void and promote the technical and manufacturing jobs. This is the wave of the future with our students beginning in the middle-school and high-school levels."
In 2011 Straus directed every House committee to make recommendations for significantly improving the states manufacturing capability. The Interim Committee on Manufacturing compiled and summarized those findings and is making its own recommendations about how to encourage manufacturing in the state. The committee also determined how those recommendations interplay with other committees work on business growth and retention in Texas.
I look forward to a mutually beneficial dialogue on these issues and to having a positive impact on the work of this important committee" Muoz stated in his letter to area economic development leaders. We have the opportunity to influence the recommendations that will be found in its final report to the 83rd Legislature. But I need your help to take full advantage of this opportunity."
Rep. Jim Murphy R-Houston served as Chairman of the Interim Committee on Manufacturing and Rep. Eddie Rodrguez D-Austin was Vice Chairman.
In addition to Muoz Murphy and Rodrguez the other members of the committee were: Rep. Carol Alvarado D-Houston; Rep. Angie Chen Button R-Richardson; Rep. John Frullo R-Lubbock; Rep. Jason Isaac R-Dripping Springs; Rep. Eric Johnson D-Dallas; Rep. Tracy King D-Batesville; Rep. John Kuempel R-Seguin; Rep. Lyle Larson R-San Antonio; Rep. George Lavender R-Texarkana; Rep. Marisa Mrquez D-El Paso; Rep. Tan Parker R-Flower Mound; and Rep. Kenneth Sheets R-Dallas.
