| April 21, 2012 |
Dear El Pasoans,
Yesterday I was proud to join U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary Sandra Henriquez, the Housing Authority of El Paso (HACEP), and other state and local officials for the Paisano Green Community ribbon cutting ceremony.
The “Paisano Green Community” is the first Net Zero, LEED Platinum, public housing community in the nation and is a model project for the Recovery Act Green Communities Initiative. What was once a vacant property, in a city with a large demand for affordable housing, has now become one of the most energy-efficient housing units in the United States. This investment will help alleviate the shortage of affordable housing in El Paso with the addition of 73 energy-efficient units. These units will not only help reduce our community’s energy and water consumption, but will also help families save money on utility costs. In addition, this project has helped create hundreds of jobs at a critical time.
This project was made by possible by an $8.25 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. El Paso was one of only 36 communities in the nation, and the only one in Texas, awarded with a competitive grant for the construction of ‘green’ affordable housing units. This grant was leveraged with an additional $7 million through the Capital Fund Program and HACEP reserves. Funding also includes a $500,000 loan from the City of El Paso.
The “Paisano Green Community” is another significant investment in our community’s long term infrastructure made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Over $1 billion in federal Recovery Act funding has been invested in the El Paso community, and this landmark legislation continues to have a major impact on our community’s long term economic health.
Important construction projects made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are the Americas Interchange connecting I-10 and Loop 375, the Glory Road and Westside Sun Metro bus terminals, the new Warrior in Transition Complex at Fort Bliss, Project Vida community health clinic expansion, and many more.
I’m pleased to see the launch of another Recovery Act project in our community.
Closing the Gender Pay Gap
This past week we marked Equal Pay Day and I reaffirmed my commitment to taking further steps to eliminate the wage gap and expand equality for women. I am proud that during my time in the Democratic-led Congress in 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first bill signed into law by President Obama. This bill reaffirmed a core American principle: equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender, race, or background.
With women making up nearly half of the labor force and mothers increasingly serving as the primary or co-breadwinners for American families, the wage gap hurts families, businesses, and communities. Today, with women still earning an average of just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, more must be done to level the playing field for all workers, because equal pay is not simply a women’s issue; it’s a family issue.
Democrats are committed to taking further steps to eliminate the wage gap and expand equality for women. To meet these goals, President Obama established the Equal Pay Task Force and released the Equal Pay Task Force Accomplishments Report: Fighting for Fair Pay in the Workplace. The Equal Pay Task Force brings together the best expertise of professionals at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor and the Office of Personnel Management, who work daily to combat pay discrimination in the workplace. The report details the significant progress that the Task Force has made to fight pay discrimination – including improving inter-agency coordination and collaboration to ensure that the full weight of the federal government is focused on closing the gender pay gap once and for all.
It is now time for the 112th Congress to enact the Paycheck Fairness Act to give new teeth to the Equal Pay Act and provide women additional tools to fight pay discrimination. America’s women can’t wait.
President Obama expresses support for anti-bullying legislation
This past weekend, I was pleased to join the Youth Anti-Bullying Rally hosted by Operation No Gangs and I commend all of the young people that were there taking a stand against bullying.
There is absolutely no place in our society for bullying or discrimination, whether it be in our schools, communities or in our military. As a father and grandparent, I can't imagine what it would be like for any of them to feel afraid in their classrooms, on a playground, or even online.
Over 13 million American youths will be bullied over the course of this year alone, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in our nation. A third of middle school and high school students have reported being bullied during the school year and almost 3 million students have said they were pushed, shoved, tripped, even spit on.
These days bullying doesn’t just end at the school bell anymore, it now follows our children from the hallways to their cell phones and to their computer screens. Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. As members of the El Paso community, we can all take steps to help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe and a climate in which they all can feel like they belong.
Last year, I joined the “It Gets Better” campaign and launched a video to spread awareness of the startling prevalence of bullying in America’s schools, and to offer messages of encouragement to victimized teenagers, often LGBT youth, from real adults and youth alike who have been through difficult times and have gone on to find acceptance and happiness.
It Gets Better is a great example of a larger movement around the country to reach out to young people who find themselves the target of ignorance and hate.
I’m also a co-sponsor of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, protecting both LGBT students from discrimination and bullying in schools.
Yesterday, President Obama expressed his support for both of these critical pieces of legislation that are important in addressing bullying in our schools and safeguarding our most vulnerable students.
As your Congressman, I have the duty and responsibility to serve our community and I will continue working to ensure that schools and communities provide a safe environment where all students have the opportunity to succeed free from discrimination.
Please visit my website at www.Reyes.House.gov to get the latest news about my activities in Congress and be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr for updates.
Saludos,
Silvestre Reyes
Proudly representing the
16th District of Texas
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Latest Video
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Congressman Reyes released a video message for local businesses providing helpful resources pertaining to the the federal employment process and information about the Employment Eligibility Verification form (April 2012).
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Latest News
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More than half a million awarded to UTEP to increase diversity in STEM fields
Reyes nominates 24 El Paso students to U.S. Military Academies
Reyes Presents $4.2 million award to Project Amistad
Senate Hearing Held to consider Reyes-authored bill to preserve Ysleta Del Sur
Reyes opposes budget cuts to programs serving seniors, veterans, and children
Mayor John Cook, Rep. Silvestre Reyes discuss monorail to ease border freight traffic
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Latest Photos on Flickr
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Congressman Reyes attended the “Make a Difference Day” Ceremony in Washington, D.C. with Eleanor Schoenbrun, a third-grader at Western Hills Elementary School, who was one of the 10 honorees from across the country recognized for her extraordinary fundraising efforts that amounted to more than $2,700 for the Animal Rescue League of El Paso. Recently, Congressman Reyes received an award from the Humane Society for his leadership on animal protection legislation (April 2012).
Congressman Reyes joined the Salvation Army of El Paso and community members to celebrate the grand opening of the new Fresh Start Center in central El Paso. The funding for this center was provided by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to offer transitional housing units for homeless families (April 2012).
Congressman Reyes joined the Youth Anti-Bullying Rally hosted by Operation No Gangs. Congressman Reyes is a co-sponsor of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, protecting both LGBT students from discrimination and bullying in schools (April 2012).
 Congressman Reyes joins Pentagon’s top civilian and military leaders in a press conference to announce a campaign and new initiatives to combat and stop sexual assault in the military (April 2012).
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