Jose Menendez’s Bills and Contributions

Jose Menendez contributed to the Teachers Retirement System of the State of Texas by sponsoring a bill allowing for adjustments for cost-of-living applicable to specific benefits. Jose Menendez also sponsored a bill advocating for the monetary assistance for the designated caretaker or relative of a foster child.

In 2020, the Texas’ lawmaker sponsored a bill pertaining to the change or issuance of an identification card or driver’s license by the Department of Public Safety. He also sponsored a bill pertaining to supplemental data needed for inclusion with a written statement of a specialized education program created for specific public school students who were recipients of 2019/2020 or 2020/2021 special education services. Another education-related bill he sponsored was one pertaining to the provision of specific special education services, as well as a special liaison program at public school districts. In 2020, Jose Menendez also sponsored a bill that required a voter to verify their identity.

2019 also saw Jose Menendez sponsor a number of bills. One of them was one pertaining to the hazing offense. He also sponsored another bill that would allow specific health benefit programs to cover mammography. In the same year, Jose Menendez sponsored a bill pertaining to the punishment and prosecution of harassment which is a criminal offense. However, the Governor of Texas vetoed this bill.

In 2019 Jose Menendez sponsored a bill pertaining to the liability coverage for specific automobiles offered by specific vehicle repair facilities. He also sponsored another bill pertaining to specific public facilities operated, financed, and owned by a public facility corporation. However, the Governor of Texas vetoed this bill. Another bill that the Texan lawmaker sponsored in 2019, was one pertaining to creating a strategic plan concerning the implementation of early intervention and prevention services, community-based care, as well as doing research on resources offered to foster parents.

Throughout his time in the public service, Jose Menendez has been a defender of the Constitution of the United States as well as the Rule of Law. His commitment to enhancing education has been demonstrated by the various educational bills he has sponsored, as well as securing millions of dollars worth of funding for various educational institutions. Jose Menendez is also an advocate of mental health and has sponsored various bills to facilitate better mental healthcare. Jose Menendez’s contributions to public service have not gone unnoticed as he has received various awards including the Senator of the Year Award and the Legislator of the Year Award. Despite these highly-regarded awards, Jose Menendez’s greatest honor has been to serve the people of Texas.…

Jose Menendez’s Political Career

Committee Assignments

During his political career, Jose Menendez has served various roles in different committees. In the year 2019/2020, Jose Menendez served the Texas State Senate in the Veteran Affairs and Border Security Committee, Intergovernmental Relations Committee, Higher Education Committee, Business, and Commerce Committee, and Administration Committee. During the Legislative session of 2017, Jose Menendez served in the Nominations Committee, Intergovernmental Relations Committee, Higher Education Committee, and the Criminal Justice Committee. In the legislative session of 2015, Jose Menendez served in the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, Higher Educations Committee, and Criminal Justice Committee. In the 2013 legislative session, Jose Menendez served in the States Affairs Committee and was the Chairperson of the Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. In the 2011 legislative session, Jose Menendez served the Texas House of Representatives in the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee and was the Vice-Chairperson of the State Affairs Committee. In the 2009 legislative session, Jose Menendez also served the Texas House of Representatives in the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee and was the Vice-Chairperson of the State Affairs Committee.

Sponsored Legislation 

The following are some of the bills that Jose Menendez has sponsored during his time in office. In 2020, he sponsored a bill that would allow serious mental health illnesses to be covered in specific group health benefit initiatives. He also sponsored a bill relating to the contribution of the state to the Teacher Retirement System. Another bill Jose Menendez sponsored in 2020 was one relating to the authorization of possession, transportation, distribution, delivery, cultivation, and use of cannabis for medicinal purposes by qualified patients with specific medical conditions, as well as providing dispensing organizations with licenses. Jose Menendez also sponsored a bill featuring penalties for unethical conduct by medical health practitioners who attempt to change a child’s sexual orientation

In 2020, Jose Menendez further sponsored a bill relating to the administration of specific requirements concerning course credit transfer between public institutions of higher education. Jose Menendez’s commitment to enhancing education was further demonstrated through the bill to establish the Texas First Generation Matching Scholarships Initiative to finance the education of first-generation students attending public institutions of higher learning.

A strong advocate of education and mental health, Jose Menendez sponsored a bill promoting the provision of mental health services on campus, as well as the reimbursement for specific services offered to eligible students through Medicaid. He also sponsored another education-related bill pertaining to the income paid to teachers at public learning institutions.

Another education-related bill sponsored by Jose Menendez was one pertaining to the creation of the Texas Emergency Aid for Public Post Secondary Students, also known as TEAPPS, which would provide grants to students enrolled in public institutions of higher learning, especially those with credit issues. Another bill that Jose Menendez sponsored in 2020, was one pertaining to the court, state, and local involvement in determining whether witnesses and victims of an offense and specific arrested, detained, or incarcerated individuals are lawfully present in America. He also sponsored a bill allowing any qualified voter to participate in early voting by mail, as well as one allowing specific fertility preservation services to receive health benefits coverage under specific health benefit programs.…

Who is Jose Menendez (Texas senator)?

Jose Menendez is a member of the Democratic Party and represents the 26th District in the Texas State Senate. He assumed office in his current role on 4th March 2015 and was re-elected in the general election of 3rd November 2020. Before that, Jose Menendez represented the 124th District in the Texas House of Representatives between 2000 and 2015. He has also worked as a director and commercial marketing executive of multicultural markets.

Jose Menendez was a student at the Southern Methodist University where he graduated with a BBA/BA. Before attending Southern Methodist University, Jose Menendez attended the Central Catholic High School. In 1995 Jose Menendez married his best friend and life companion Cehlia Newman Menendez, with whom he has been blessed with three lovely children Austin, Dominic, and Victoria. As a lifelong Texan, father, and husband, Jose Menendez is very grateful for the opportunity to serve residents of the state of Texas and the 26th District.

Jose Menendez’s parents were immigrants and he spent most of his early life helping out in his family’s small business in the West Side of San Antonio. Throughout Jose Menendez’s political career, he has passed more than two hundred bills that benefited veterans, seniors, children, and residents of San Antonio. Among the bills, Jose Menendez has passed is David’s Law which empowers schools, parents, students, and law enforcement to prevent and combat cyberbullying. Jose Menendez is a staunch advocate for business and community development, and job growth. Through successful legislation, Jose Menendez has secured funding for developments in education, parks, healthcare, and other financial advancements including seventeen million for the Alamo Colleges. 

Jose Menendez started his career in public service in 1997 after he was elected to represent the West Side of San Antonio in the 6th District office of the San Antonio City Council. He served honorably, and in 2000 he was elected to represent the 124th District in the Texas House of Representatives. Later on, Jose Menendez was appointed to the Appropriations Committee where he played a crucial role in securing funding worth millions of dollars for essential initiatives in San Antonio. During his final term in the Texas House of Representatives, Jose Menendez was appointed as the Chairperson of the Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Committee where he helped veterans secure one of Texas’ biggest mental health programs.

During Jose Menendez’s time in the public service, he has established a reputation as a commonsense problem solver, with the ability to work with leaders from both sides of the political divide to serve the residents of Texas. Jose Menendez has consistently shown his commitment to improving housing, economic development, energy and utilities infrastructure, as well as the public education system of the State of Texas.

In 2017, Jose Menendez was awarded the highly-regarded Texas Municipal League Legislator of the Year Award in honor of his outstanding commitment to empowering Texas residents to make choices that affect their communities. This is not the only honor that Jose Menendez has received due to his contributions to public service. He has also been presented with the Combined Law Enforcement’s Association of Texas’ Senator of the Year Award, Legislative Honor roll by the Texas Parent Teacher Association, the Center of Health Care Services’ Leaders in Improving Mental Health Care, and in 2017 was also presented with the Legislator of the Year Award by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.…