Eddie Lucio Jr. | |
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Member of the Texas Senate from the 27th district |
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Assumed office 1991 |
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Preceded by | Hector Uribe |
Personal details | |
Born |
Brownsville, Texas, U.S. |
January 20, 1946
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Minnie Lucio |
Children | Eddie Lucio, III |
Residence | Brownsville, Texas |
Alma mater | Pan American University |
Profession | President/CEO, Rio Shelters Inc. |
Eduardo Andres “Eddie” Lucio Jr. (born 20 January 1946) is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate, having represented the 27th District since 1991.
Lucio is the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. He also sits on the Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Veterans Affairs & Military Installations, the Subcommittee on Border Security, and serves as Vice Chairman of Senate Education Committee. He also created and sits on the Interagency Tasks Force on Children with Special Needs.
Eddie Lucio began his public service in 1971, becoming Cameron County Treasurer and later Cameron County commissioner.
He authored legislation creating the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) and he worked for passage of a bill during the 81st legislative session that creates the University of Texas Health Science Center - South Texas to serve Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Zapata counties with a full-fledged medical school.
Lucio has worked to establish the partnership between the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College which allows UTB to become a four-year university and have access to the Permanent University Fund. Additionally, he authored the bill to create South Texas Community College.
Lucio was the only Democrat in the Texas Senate to support the 2013 legislation to restrict abortions to twenty weeks of gestation and to require abortions be performed in surgical centers. Lucio also authored legislation to require that women receiving abortions and physicians performing them take a free adoption awareness course.