State Sen. Carol Alvarado details budget wins, infrastructure and education funds for East Harris County
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Summary
Sen. Carol Alvarado told the Pasadena City Council she secured millions for regional projects — including $10 million for San Jacinto College’s biotechnology center, stormwater and Gulf Coast protection funds, and billions in property-tax relief and education funding — and outlined new public-safety and school-safety measures from the recent legislative session.
State Sen. Carol Alvarado (Senate District 6) addressed the Pasadena City Council on Nov. 18 with a summary of the recent legislative session and a list of funding and policy actions affecting East Harris County.
Alvarado said the state budget and supplemental appropriations delivered funding for local priorities, highlighting $10 million for San Jacinto College’s Center for Biotechnology, about $30 million for MD Anderson’s Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, and specific allocations for water infrastructure and storm-surge protections. She noted a $2.5 million award for local stormwater retention and $4.3 million for the Gulf Coast Protection District.
On education, Alvarado said the session included investments to support teacher and staff pay, student safety and career-technical opportunities, including a $4 billion across-the-board pay increase for teachers and staff and $150 million for career and technical education expansion. She said a state ballot measure creating a dementia research institute carries a $3 billion commitment and that property-tax relief measures passed this cycle.
Alvarado described public-safety bills that address assault and harassment of utility workers and other provisions intended to improve first-responder access around blocked rail crossings and expand funding for grade separations. She also highlighted new protections for certain victims using pseudonyms in court proceedings and programs to assist human-trafficking survivors with tattoo removal when supported by documentation.
The senator took questions about district boundaries and confirmed that the maps in effect at the time of the meeting were expected to remain in federal court rulings affecting redistricting.
What’s next: Alvarado encouraged local officials to apply for grants and noted some programs will involve competitive applications; she said some projects are already in the planning or grant-application phase.
