![]() ![]() Vela also worked with Elon Musk and SpaceX in 2014 to help bring the rocket company to Cameron County, and prioritized working with local universities and schools to maximize opportunities in cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and math fields.Īmong the other highlights of his career, Vela said, were being able to secure $24 million in federal money for a new terminal building at Brownsville South Padre International Airport and $13 million for structural needs at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen $4.3 million for an emergency operations center in Kleberg County millions of dollars in coastal restoration money stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and tens of millions of dollars for drainage and storm-water projects to help prevent catastrophic flooding. "Those have been priorities all along the way, so it feels good to have succeeded on that front," he said. Vela said he's glad to be capping off his congressional career with two major wins: More than $100 million in federal funding for improvements to Cameron County's Gateway International Bridge and - announced just this week - $68 million for the Port of Brownsville to help pay for deepening the Brownsville Ship Channel. I think he's fully up to speed and ready to roll on all of that stuff." ![]() Back last year when I decided I wasn't going to run again, we started to talk to him and his staff about all the things we had worked on, like Port of Brownsville issues, some of the (international) bridge issues, SpaceX issues. "We've worked hand in hand pretty much on everything we've done. Vince and I have a personal relationship that probably goes back 20 years," he said. If that happens, TX-34 constituents can expect a high level of continuity from Vela's time in Congress, Vela said. "I think Vince is about 99.9 percent certain to be the member of Congress for TX-34 for the next two years," Vela said. While redistricting has made TX-15 more competitive for Republicans - he considers it a toss-up in the November election - that's not necessarily the case for TX-34, he said. Vela said the Republican party, which made gains in the Rio Grande Valley during the 2020 election, sees a TX-34 special election as a chance to take the seat away from Democrats, though he feels the seat is safe. "What I've heard is that Dan Sanchez, former county commissioner, is considering running for it," Vela said. Vela's longtime friend Vicente Gonzalez, currently representing Texas District 15 in Congress, is the Democratic candidate running for TX-34 in the November election but will not take part in any special election and instead will serve out his current term. His early departure will prompt a special election, the exact timing of which isn't set in stone and is Abbott's call to some extent. Vela, who announced a year ago that he would not seek reelection to the seat he's held since 2013, is leaving Congress before the end of his current term to take a job with the law and lobbying firm Akin Gump, headquartered in Washington D.C. "Please let me know how I can be of assistance during this transition." "It has been a profound honor to represent the people of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for the last nine years," he wrote briefly. Greg Abbott and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. ![]() has stepped down from his Texas 34 congressional district seat after sending resignation letters today to Gov. 31-It's official: Brownsville Democrat Filemon Vela Jr. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.įor more information about the legislative process, see here.Mar. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added.The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin.The vote should be clear for any person to understand.The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue.Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes: Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. ![]()
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