EL Paso - On Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:30 p.m., Senator Shapleigh will tour one of the El Paso offices of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, located at 2300 E. Yandell Dr.

The office's services include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Medicaid for children and pregnant women. This office alone currently handles upwards of 1,200 cases each day, not including new daily applications. There are 12 Health and Human Services Commission offices throughout El Paso County.

With the comptroller's recent predictions, Texas stands to lose 111,000 jobs in the next six months. Sen. Shapleigh is very concerned about families who lose work.

"Keeping Texans at work is one of our highest priorities. If a family loses a job, we need to make sure that we take care of Texans," Senator Shapleigh said.

By recent estimates, more than a million jobs may disappear across the nation as a result of this ongoing recession, hitting the nation's metropolitan areas the worst. In these trying times, access to unemployment insurance, food stamps and Medicaid, among other programs, is extremely important.

The toll-free telephone number for inquiring about these benefits is 211.

"In the next budget, we need to make sure that we take care of needy families first, starting with the elderly and children," Senator Shapleigh said. "Even in tough times, we can take care of what matters."

Sen. Shapleigh's tour will start at 2:30 p.m., where he will provide encouragement to each worker and discuss issues facing Texas.

What: Senator Shapleigh to tour one of the El Paso offices of the Texas Health and Human     Services Commission

When: Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:30 p.m.

Where: 2300 E Yandell Dr., El Paso, TX 79903