Poncho Nevarez named Freshman Democrat of the Year of 83rd Legislature
By: Jose G. Landa
An Exclusive Eagle Pass Business Journal News Story/Copyright 2013
Eagle Pass, Texas State Representative Alfonso “Poncho” Nevarez was named the Freshman Democrat of the Year during the 83rd Texas Legislature by his Texas House of Representatives peers on Monday, May 27, 2013, in Austin, Texas.
State Representative Poncho Nevarez stated that he was very “humbled and honored” to be chosen as the Freshman Democrat of the Year of the 83rd Texas Legislature which just ended on Monday, May 27th, at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas.
State Representative Poncho Nevarez was elected November 6, 2012 to the vacant seat of District 74, which was vacated by longtime State Representative Pete Gallego of Alpine, Texas to successfully run for the 23rd Congressional House of Representatives, as a Democrat from Eagle Pass. Nevarez is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received a Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Nevarez previously served as a Board of Trustee of the Eagle Pass Independent School District.
Nevarez’s Texas House of Representative District 74 is one of the largest in territory-wise stretching from the Texas-Mexico border in Maverick County in Eagle Pass to Val Verde County in Del Rio to West Texas such as Alpine, Valentine, Marfa, and the Permian Basin such as Fort Stockton, Texas.
Although the 83rd Legislature was State Representative Poncho Nevarez’s first, he was able to pass his first Bill into law and was instrumental in the passage of many other Bills during the 83rd Legislature. Nevarez earned a reputation as being able to work on both sides of the aisle to protect and serve the best interests of all Texans during the 83rd Legislature.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has called a Special Session of the 83rd Legislature to tackle “Redistricting” due to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, in San Antonio, Texas having found that the “Redistricting” maps gerrymandered by Texas Republicans discriminates against minorities, particularly Hispanics. The November 2012 general election was held with temporary “Redistricting” maps drawn by a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio. Governor Perry and Texas Republicans refuse to draw “Redistricting” maps in Texas based on genuine and true demographic data from the 2010 U.S. Census demonstrating the significant growth of the Hispanic population in an effort to cling to political power in Texas.
The Eagle Pass Business Journal congratulates State Representative Poncho Nevarez on being named the Freshman Democrat of the Year of the 83rd Legislature and wishes him the best in the Special Session and future endeavors.
