[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21179-21180]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING SENATOR FRANK MADLA'S 30 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great humility to honor a 
friend and colleague, Texas Senator Frank Madla, as he marks 30 years 
of dedicated service to our community as a state legislator, I had the 
privilege to serve with him in the Texas House of Representatives and 
then work with him when he moved on to the Texas Senate. Even today, 
Senator Madla and I continue to work together to improve the lives of 
our mutual constituents.
  I remember when Frank Madla first won his seat in the Texas House. I 
had only recently graduated from his alma mater, St. Mary's University 
in San Antonio, and was at the beginning of my own career. His was in 
full swing, a career that includes not only politics, but also teaching 
and providing home health services. We are fortunate that Frank Madla 
has dedicated so much of his life and heart to us.
  Frank Madla has distinguished himself greatly these past 30 years as 
a leader in many areas. He has served on numerous committees, been 
honored by scores of organizations as ``legislator of the year,'' and 
has distinguished himself as a dedicated servant of his constituents. 
Senator Madla has been an outspoken advocate of improving access to 
quality health care services, working especially hard to make sure that 
children have access to the care they need. He is proud of his efforts 
to simplify Medicaid so that more people can enroll, create incentives 
to encourage more health care providers to move into underserved areas, 
and improve the care provided in Texas' nursing homes.
  Along with health care, Senator Madla has made improving education 
for Texas' children a top priority. With the determination for which he 
is known, Senator Madla successfully led the charge to bring a four-
year university to the Southside of San Antonio. In the next few years, 
I look forward to the grand opening of the Texas A&M campus in San 
Antonio, making the dream of higher education available to his 
neighbors and constituents. Whether helping at-risk students stay in 
school or improving the incentives for retaining high quality teachers, 
Senator Madla has been there for us.
  Greatness can be measured in many ways. Frank Madla has demonstrated 
greatness in his steadfast dedication to the people he represents, 
placing the future of our children at the forefront of his agenda. I 
look forward to many more years of working together with Senator Madla 
as he tackles the challenges that confront our state.

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