News
USCCB: Pope Meets US Leaders Patiently Building 'Culture of Solidarity'
September 17, 2023
[Excerpt] When Pope Francis told a group of U.S. community organizers that their work was "atomic," Jorge Montiel said, "I thought, 'Oh, you mean we blow things up?'" But instead, the pope spoke about how the groups associated with the West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation...
Read MoreVIDA Only Texas Organization to Secure $3M Nursing Expansion Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor
August 22, 2023
"As of now, [Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement] VIDA has graduated over 4000 students with an average salary of about $48,000 a year. Lifting our community, our families from poverty, depending on welfare to be self sustaining, to get out of poverty and bringing...
Read MoreValley Interfaith, EPISO Work with Legislators to Block Substandard Border Housing Bills
June 08, 2023
Valley Interfaith and EPISO teamed up to successfully oppose two bills that would have undermined the Model Rules for Development that govern real estate development in counties that border the Texas-Mexico border. The Model Rules for Development have been a critical tool that our organizations...
Read MoreTwo Years of Texas IAF Opposition Leads to HB 5 Reforms to Limit Giving of School Money for Corporate Tax Breaks
May 31, 2023
The Texas Senate and House passed a compromised version of HB5 that still fundamentally represents misguided economic development. A 2-year campaign by Texas IAF and allies, however, led to major reforms in HB 5 compared to the now defunct and failed Chapter 313 program. When these tax...
Read MoreTexas IAF: Allow Gun 'Raise the Age' Bill to Be Heard on House Floor
May 10, 2023
Less than a day after a bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles unexpectedly passed through Committee, Texas IAF leaders learned that Representative Guillen (from Rio Grande City) appeared to be actively suppressing House Bill 2744 from being heard on...
Read MoreTexas IAF Rally Takes On "Vampire" Chapter 313 Legislation
April 03, 2023
[Excerpt] A surprising legislative success in 2021 is on track to be undone in 2023, unless a grass roots left-right coalition can block legislation and the forces behind it that are trying to go backward.... In the name of jobs and economic development, a...
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