December 15, 2010

WESLACO- After cleaning up the remains of the original Texas A&M Kingsville University's Citrus Center located in Weslaco for nearly sixty years its new state of the art facility was finally opened for dedication.

Texas A&M Kingsville's Citrus Center is perhaps most widely known for the development of the Star red grapefruits, Star Ruby and Rio Red, by Dr. Richard Hensz, a former director of the center. The Rio Red is the main variety grown in Texas, and both it and Star Ruby are widely grown in other countries such as South Africa, Australia, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Argentina. Development of new varieties continues and several new ones are in the pipeline.

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Congressman Hinojosa votes for tax cut benefits to boost economy and create jobs

December 16, 2010

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa voted today for HR 4853, known as the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, in an effort to help American families and to keep our economy on the right track. The legislation permanently extends tax cuts and current tax rates for everyone,

 “This legislation is vital to keeping our economy strong, but more importantly giving our hard working middle class families the break they deserve.” said Rep. Hinojosa.” “I applaud President Obama for his staunch support and commitment to working families. This is critical for our residents in the Rio Grande Valley and that is why I fully support it.”

 One of the key measures of this legislation is that it extends the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) relief patch through 2011. This prevents 25 Million Americans from having to pay the AMT.

 “American middle-class families have more than enough to deal with in this economy,” said Rep. Hinojosa. “They are the backbone of our country, of our economy, and this is precisely why Congress supported this crucial legislation.”

 The legislation also extends the Child Tax Credit for children under 17, for two years, which will save the average American family up to $1,000. An estimated 3.7 million Hispanic families and 8 million children will benefit from the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.

  The new legislation will also continue to help more than 8 million students and their families to afford the cost of college through the American Opportunity Tax Credit agreement.

 “More of our students in Deep South Texas will be afforded opportunities through this legislation to continue their education and graduate from our colleges and universities,” said Rep. Hinojosa. “These students will be our next professionals who will continue to give our communities vitality and keep America ’s economy strong.”

 It also offers the needed assistance to the unemployed whose unemployment insurance benefits were about to end.

 “This legislation also makes certain that Unemployment Insurance (UI) will be there for those in need,” said Rep. Hinojosa. “During this holiday season and considering our current economy, we must assist those who are unemployed and make certain they will not lose their unemployment insurance benefits. This was a “must do” legislation that will help not only the unemployed but everyone.”

 The Middle Class Tax Relief Act will also boost Small Business which makes up 65% of new job creation in the United States .