As a Vietnam Veteran for the United States Marine Corps, Senator Hinojosa knows Texas’ sons and daughters have always answered the call to serve our country in uniform. In recognition of the sacrifices our veterans and their families make, Senator Hinojosa has led the fight to ensure we honor our obligations to those who have defended us.
- Authored legislation that authorized the construction of The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument that was dedicated on March 29, 2014 in front of a crowd of several thousand people. Senator Hinojosa understands the difficult sacrifices that our military families endure on a daily basis and it is his hope that this monument will ensure that the memory of our Texas Vietnam Heroes lives on.
- Sponsored legislation urging Congress and the Veterans’ Administration to fulfill their promise to the over 46,000 South Texas veterans by building a Veterans Hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.
- Led the way to ensure families of 100% disabled veterans receive the property tax exemptions for their shared sacrifice with their service member.
- Passed legislation that will add a “service disabled veteran” in determining whether a business is a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) for purposes of state contracting for construction, services, and commodities purchases.Businesses owned by veterans who have at least a 20% service-connected disability are now eligible forHUB Certification.
- Sponsored legislation that prevents active duty military service members from having their home foreclosed on.
- Secured $2.4 million for mental health programs for veterans through the Department of State Health Services and $3 million for veterans assistance grants for the Housing for Texas Heroes program.
- Passed legislation that designates March 29 as Texas Vietnam Veterans Day.
- Authored legislation that incentivizes the hiring of veterans to give them the job consideration they deserve after their honorable service. The legislation provides businesses participating in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program sales-tax refunds for hiring veterans.