Chuy Hinojosa | |
---|---|
Member of the Texas Senate from the 20th district | |
Assumed office January 14, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Carlos Truan |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
In office January 14,1997 –January 14,2003 | |
Preceded by | Eddie De La Garza |
Succeeded by | Aaron Peña |
Constituency | 40th district |
In office January 13,1981 –January 8,1991 | |
Preceded by | Cullen Rogers Looney |
Succeeded by | Roberto Gutierrez |
Constituency | 59-A district (1981–1983) 41st district (1983–1991) |
Personal details | |
Born | McAllen,Texas,U.S. | March 7,1946
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Texas,Pan American (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1966–1968 |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Juan Jesus "Chuy" Hinojosa (born March 7,1946) is an American politician and attorney who is a member of the Texas Senate,representing the 20th district,which stretches from Corpus Christi to McAllen. [1] A Democrat,he was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and has represented parts of South Texas in the Texas Legislature for a combined total of over 35 years.
Born in McAllen,Texas,Hinojosa was a farm worker who worked his way through school to earn a law degree. He served his country in the United States Marine Corps from 1966 to 1968,and was a squad leader in Vietnam War. Returning to South Texas,he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Pan American University in Edinburg,graduating with honors.
After receiving a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in Washington,D.C.,Hinojosa worked for the Legal Aid Society of Nueces County in Corpus Christi,and as an Assistant Attorney General in McAllen and San Antonio.
First elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1981,Hinojosa served a nonconsecutive total of eight terms before being elected to the Texas Senate in 2002. Hinojosa has earned a reputation for his criminal justice expertise. He authored the Texas Fair Defense Act and other reforms to establish court-appointed counsel for indigent defendants,prohibit capital punishment for defendants with mental illness,and streamline the court system to provide swifter justice. He also sponsored SB 3,which established procedures for DNA testing,use and preservation. In 2005,Senator Hinojosa authored SB 1125 to eliminate the state's few remaining rogue drug task force operations and put them under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety. In the wake of the Tulia drug arrests scandal,Hinojosa worked to improve transparency and oversight by requiring that drug task force operations submit to state oversight,with failure to do so to result in an inability to receive state-administered federal grant money.
During the 2007 legislative session,Hinojosa authored and passed SB 103; [2] to completely reform the state's troubled Texas Youth Commission after sexual and physical abuse of youth were documented by the Texas Rangers. SB 103 made a number of fundamental changes,including ending the practice of housing children with older teenagers,and creating a Parent's Bill of Rights to guarantee swift and accurate access to information about caseworkers' duties and the agency's grievance policies. Senator Hinojosa was appointed to the TYC Legislative Oversight Committee to continue working on the reform of the troubled agency.
Hinojosa has twice been named one of Texas' "top 10 legislators" by Texas Monthly magazine,and in 2007 he again received accolades from the magazine for his work reforming the Texas Youth Commission. The National Organization for Women (NOW) named Hinojosa "Legislator of the Year," and he received the prestigious John Henry Faulk Award,presented by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2006,he was the recipient of the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities,and in 2007,he received the Patient Advocacy Award from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. He also received the Humane Legislator award from the Humane Society of the United States,a special recognition award from the NAACP for his work on TYC and criminal justice reform and the "Texas Medicines Best Legislator" award from the Texas Medical Association for his work to restore Children's Health Insurance Program funding and improve childhood immunization rates.
Hinojosa is Vice Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. [3] He is not related to Texas U.S. Representative Rubén Hinojosa,who represented the same general area in Congress as Senator Hinojosa does in the state senate.
In 2005,Hinojosa carried a gun past an airport security checkpoint at McAllen Miller International Airport. He was detained as police verified his concealed handgun permit and identity and traced the weapon before releasing him. Before Hinojosa was even arraigned,the criminal charges were dropped by local judge Kathleen Henley,prompting allegations of special treatment and corruption, [4] including from Texas gun-owners,and from the McAllen police chief Victor Rodriguez who said:"I think dismayed is probably...too kind...for [how we feel about Judge Henley dismissing the charges] but it's in that area. Because we operated under the idea yesterday that an arraignment would take place" [but then] "we learned that Judge Henley basically dismissed him. ... I've never seen a case basically tossed out at the arraignment point," and "The laws are very specific and very clear. It's a chargeable offense even if it's done recklessly [i.e. accidentally,as was the excuse Senator Hinojosa gave]". [5] [6] Judge Henley has refused to comment on why she dismissed the charges against Hinojosa. [6]
Hinojosa claims that he "was handled just like any other citizen"; [6] however,in comparison,many people have been penalized for "accidentally" carrying a gun through security check-points in American airports. [7]
Hinojosa also made a public statement soon after the incident,admitting he had made a mistake by "rushing to the airport and not checking my briefcase prior to entering the McAllen Miller International Airport." He said airport security did its job. Soon after the incident,Hinojosa sent a letter of apology to the chief of the McAllen Police Department. He also commended the department for performing its duty with utmost professionalism.
In 2005,Hinojosa was pulled over by an agent from a South Texas Drug Task Force on Hwy 281 while traveling south. The agent stated that the reason for the stop was that Hinojosa swerved his vehicle from lane to lane,and that the tint on Hinojosa's car was too dark. Hinojosa accused officers of racial profiling;the entire incident was videotaped and Hinojosa never proved the racial profiling accusation to the internal affairs division that supervises the officers who stopped him. Hinojosa told the agent during the stop that he had no reason to pull him over and that the tint on his windows was factory-issued. Hinojosa was allowed to continue his travel after being cited for the window tinting. Hinojosa later told Guillermo X. Garcia,a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News ,that the task force agent followed him for 3 miles before pulling him over.[ citation needed ]
In 2005 legislative discussions,Hinojosa was quoted as saying,"These drug task forces are out there just interdicting and stopping people illegally without probable cause asking to search their vehicles and pretty much harassing [8] citizens of the State of Texas. And all they are trying to do is see if they can find money that they can seize to fund their operations. To me what they do is illegal, [9] improper,and not good public policy." Hinojosa also said of Texas' Drug Task Forces,"They don't need probable cause to stop you. They just stop you. They will profile you,which is illegal,ask to search your vehicle without probable cause,which is also illegal,and I refuse. But a lot of citizens don't know that and what they do is go through your car,snoop around,see what they can find and let you go if they don't find any money. Those drug task forces have no business operating in our state."
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (Incumbent) | 116,723 | 100.00 | 0.00 | |
Majority | 116,723 | 100.00 | 0.00 | ||
Turnout | 116,723 | +48.34 | |||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa | 78,685 | 100.00 | +41.91 | |
Majority | 78,685 | 100.00 | +83.82 | ||
Turnout | 78,685 | −20.23 | |||
Democratic hold |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barbara Canales-Black | 27,068 | 44.53 | +5.47 | |
✓ | Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa | 33,716 | 55.47 | +12.45 |
Majority | 6,648 | 10.94 | ||
Turnout | 60,784 |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Barbara Canales-Black | 25,922 | 39.07 | |
Ruben M. Garcia | 4,266 | 6.43 | ||
✓ | Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa | 28,543 | 43.02 | |
Diana Martinez | 7,624 | 11.49 | ||
Turnout | 66,355 |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa | 25,132 | 42.67 | ||
✓ | Eddie Lucio, Jr. (Incumbent) | 33,765 | 57.33 | |
Majority | 8,633 | 14.66 | ||
Turnout | 58,897 |
Rubén Eloy Hinojosa is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 15th congressional district, from 1997 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretched from Seguin, to McAllen on the Mexican border. Much of the region was rural although Hidalgo County is part of the third-fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the country. Hinojosa served on the Financial Services and Education committees.
Robert Franklin Deuell, known as Bob Deuell, is a physician from Greenville, Texas, and a former Republican member of the Texas Senate. He entered office in 2003 and represented the ten counties of Senate District 2 in the northeastern portion of the state. His term ended in 2015.
Kenneth Kimberlin Brimer Jr., known as Kim Brimer, is a Republican former member of the Texas State Senate from Fort Worth, Texas. He represented District 10. He was the only GOP member of the 31-member chamber to have been defeated in the general election held on November 4, 2008, when he lost to Democrat Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, her party's 2014 nominee for governor against Republican Greg Abbott.
District 20 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Brooks, Jim Wells counties and portions of Hidalgo and Nueces counties in the U.S. state of Texas.
Kirk Preston Watson is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Austin, Texas, since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran unsuccessfully for Texas attorney general in the 2002 election, when he was defeated by Republican Greg Abbott, later governor of Texas. In 2006, Watson was elected to the Texas Senate from District 14.
Mario Valentin Gallegos Jr. was an American Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Texas. He was the senator from District 6 in the Texas Senate, which serves a portion of Harris County.
Rodney Glenn Ellis is an American politician who has served on the Harris County Commissioners Court Precinct 1 since 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Steve Ogden is a businessman from Bryan, Texas, who is a former Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 5th District. Ogden became a state senator in January 1997. He chaired Texas Senate Finance Committee. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University in College Station.
Chapin Rose is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 51st district since January 2013. The 51st district includes all or parts of McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Champaign, Vermillion, and Edgar counties in Central Illinois.
Eliot Shapleigh is an American politician. He served in the Texas Senate from 1997 to 2011, from the 29th district, in El Paso County.
James Michael Jackson, known as Mike Jackson is a Republican former member of the Texas Senate representing the 11th District. He was also the President pro tempore of the Texas Senate, before running the United States House of Representatives in 2012. In this capacity, he was an acting governor of Texas while Governor Rick Perry campaigned for U.S. President and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst was on holiday or campaigned for Perry.
Glenn Allen Hegar Jr. is an American attorney who serves as Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. He was a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 18th District, west of Houston. He succeeded fellow Republican Susan Combs as comptroller on January 2, 2015. He was elected Comptroller in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Mark Scheffel is an American politician and a former Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate. First elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Republican in 2008, Scheffel represented Senate District 4 in Douglas County, which encompasses Castle Rock, Larkspur, Parker, Franktown, and Castle Pines. Term limited, he did not run for re-election in the 2016 elections, so his term ended in January, 2017.
Kim Lee Ward is an American politician who served as acting lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and currently serves as President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate. She represents the 39th Senatorial District which covers the central portions of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Following the resignation of Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Ward became acting lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania on January 3, 2023, and served until January 17, 2023. She is the first female president pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate. She was succeeded by Austin Davis as Lieutenant Governor.
Daniel R. Liljenquist is an American businessman and politician who served one term in the Utah State Senate.
Jason T. Brodeur is a Florida State Senator representing the 10th district, which consists of Seminole and a small part of Orange County. Before the redistricting that took effect with the 2022 election, he represented the old 9th district. A Republican, Brodeur also serves as the president and CEO of the Seminole County Chamber, which advocates for pro-business practices in Seminole County and across the state of Florida. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. From 2010-2012, he represented the 33rd District. During his final six years in the Florida House, Brodeur represented the 28th District, which consists of eastern Seminole County.
Charles Jeffrey Schwertner is an American orthopedic surgeon and politician from Georgetown, Texas. He has served in the Texas State Senate since November 6, 2012, after having represented House District 20 in the Texas House of Representatives for a single term beginning in January 2011. He is a Republican.
Charles Brandon Creighton is an American attorney and politician from Conroe, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 4, and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 16.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. It is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 after the consolidation of the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas–Pan American.
The 84th Texas Legislature began on January 13, 2015. All members of the House and Senate were elected in the general election held on November 4, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help)