THE
SENATOR
Fighter (n.) One who works tirelessly for a goal or objective. Texas Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa has spent his life fighting for more jobs, better schools, and stronger protections for working families. Along the way, he has set the standard for fairness and effective leadership in state government.
Born in Penitas, a small town west of McAllen, in Hidalgo County, Hinojosa was a farm worker who worked his way through school to earn a law degree and devote his life to public service. For more than 20 years, Hinojosa has represented the people of South Texas in both the House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. He has consistently fought to bring economic and educational benefits to South Texas, and to insure that laws in Texas represent the values of working families.
Hinojosa served his country in the U.S. Marines as a squad leader in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968. Returning to South Texas, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pan American University in Edinburg, where he graduated with honors.
After receiving a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Hinojosa worked for the Legal Aid Society of Nueces County in Corpus Christi and as an Assistant Attorney General in McAllen and San Antonio. He has had a private practice in McAllen for more than two decades.
Elected to the Texas Senate in 2002, Senator Hinojosa has secured more than $84.7 million for new building construction at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and at the University of Texas – Pan American. And in 2007, he secured $23.4 million in operational funds for the two universities. Senator Hinojosa has continually worked to bring millions in funding to support the growth of District 20.
Senator Hinojosa serves on the Senate Finance Committee and as vice-chair of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee. During the 2007 legislative session, Hinojosa authored SB 103; to completely reform the state’s troubled Texas Youth Commission after sexual and physical abuse of youth were documented by the Texas Rangers. SB 103 makes a number of fundamental changes, including ending the practice of housing children with adults, and creating a Parent’s Bill of Rights to guarantee swift and accurate access to information about caseworkers’ duties and the agency’s grievance policies. Hinojosa also continues to champion legislation to rein in rising university tuition costs, and he has worked with a bipartisan group of legislators to allocate more than $120 million on training and technology for border security.
First elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1981, Hinojosa served eight terms before being elected to the Texas Senate. Hinojosa has earned a reputation for his criminal justice expertise. He authored the Texas Fair Defense Act and other reforms to establish court appointed counsel for indigent defendants, prohibit capital punishment for defendants with mental illness, and streamline the court system to provide swifter justice. He also sponsored SB 3, which established procedures for DNA testing, use and preservation.
Hinojosa has twice been named one of Texas’ top 10 legislators by Texas Monthly magazine, and in 2007 he again received accolades from the magazine for his work reforming the Texas Youth Commission. The National Organization for Women (NOW) named Hinojosa “Legislator of the Year,” and he received the prestigious John Henry Faulk Award, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, and in 2007, he received the Patient Advocacy Award from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
He has three children and lives in McAllen.
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