Texas Travel

Statement

During the Memorial Day recess week I was able to visit with and talk to Texans throughout our great state. On Memorial Day, I helped award a long-overdue Purple Heart Medal to World War II veteran Lt. (Ret.) Warren Woods, who, because of a clerical error decades ago, had been unable to receive this well-deserved honor. After Mr. Woods contacted my office, I was proud to help him secure the medal and have the opportunity to deliver it in person. I also traveled to Austin to take part in a sendoff ceremony for over 100 Texas students who will be attending service academies this fall. On Tuesday I visited East Texas, where I listened to residents and community leaders in Mount Pleasant share their views and concerns with me on a range of topics, including the economy, the new health care law, education initiatives, and climate change legislation. To learn more about best practices for job creation on the local level, I visited Tyler and met with leaders of the business and academic community.

The following day I traveled toWest Texas and sought the advice of Midlanders on their successful job creation efforts, which have resulted in one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Economic development necessitates a mix of local, state, and federal support, and I believe that many cities across Texas have found a successful formula that can be brought to other parts of the country. Thursday I received a briefing in Arlington on the progress of security measures for next year's Super Bowl, and I was impressed with the quality of preparations taking place on the part of Arlington's first responders. Friday I stood alongside Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the families of victims affected by the sale of "Murderabilia," items such as hair samples, blood, clothing, letters, artwork, and other goods bearing the mark or signature of a criminal. There I announced my bipartisan bill that would put an end to this despicable practice, which I introduced with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) last week. You can watch the full press conference here. Finally, last Sunday, I appeared on ABC's "This Week" from Austin, where I discussed the BP spill, Middle East politics, and climate change legislation alongside Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

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