Shapleigh bill package seeks to meet soldiers' needs
March 10, 2007
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, on Friday introduced a package of bills supporting the arrival of thousands of soldiers at Fort Bliss that he said was "the most aggressive legislation of any Texas city."
Written by Chris Roberts, El Paso Times
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, on Friday introduced a package of bills supporting the arrival of thousands of soldiers at Fort Bliss that he said was "the most aggressive legislation of any Texas city."
he package of four bills -- which Shapleigh said is supported by the entire El Paso delegation -- includes plans to hire retired teachers and tap into a group of young teachers who have committed to teaching in low-income areas; free up money for school construction; ease the transition of children and teachers moving into El Paso; enlarge Franklin Mountains State Park by adding 1,600 acres that are now part of Castner Range; and create a park visitor center.
he legislation is necessary, he said, to support the arrival of nearly 23,000 soldiers and their families in El Paso, which is part of the Base Realignment and Closure process, the overseas realignment and other Pentagon and Army decisions.
Working on BRAC and veterans issues is a bipartisan effort," Shapleigh said. "I believe we will pass all of these bills."
He said he believed there would be state and federal money for the projects but added, "What there is not is an ample supply of quality teachers. ... We will draw teachers out of retirement with incentives."
Shapleigh said one of the bills would allow teachers to come out of retirement and collect a paycheck without losing pension money.
Other parts of the bills would help teachers working with military children in Germany retain their certification so they can teach in Texas, and ensure that students arriving from Germany aren't penalized for not knowing the state curriculum.
Fair Use Notice
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use", you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.