Dateline: February 13, 2003

OCRA to host inaugural Rural Texas Summit

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

AUSTIN – The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) will host a first-ever all-rural Texas Summit, February 19-20, 2003, in Austin. 

Federal, state, county, and local officials and representatives, community leaders, stakeholders, rural Texans, and others representing various rural interests are all invited to the Inaugural Rural Texas Summit.  The group will discuss rural issues and develop key rural policy suggestions for the 78th Legislative Session.

“This Inaugural Rural Summit marks the first time all rural Texas interest groups have an opportunity to come together to define rural policy suggestions for the state of Texas,” explained Robt. J. “Sam” Tessen, MS, ORCA’s Executive Director.  “Our goal is to provide a forum for opendiscussions and decisions necessary to form a list of policy suggestions that encourage and enhance the support of rural Texas communities.”

The Inaugural Rural Texas Summit agenda includes plenary and breakout sessions. Each facilitated breakout session is designed to encourage the development of lists of key perspectives in the various rural-focused discussions.  The diversity of participants in each group will also assist in encouraging a broad range of partnership development.

Groups will discuss specific rural topics in each breakout session.  The groups are designed to be congruent with the committees of the 77th Legislature’s Rural Caucus:

Health and Human Services: Medicaid/Medicare, nursing homes, welfare, rural healthcare

Education: Public education, higher education, teacher health insurance, teacher shortage

Agriculture and Natural Resources: Animal health, renewable fuels, water, oil / gas, environmental regulations, parks/wildlife

County and Community Affairs, Border Issues: EMS, Volunteer Fire Departments, 911, colonias

Economic Development, Taxes, and Housing: Workforce, housing, community affairs, business development

Transportation, Utilities, and Communications: Transportation (e.g. roads, bridges, interstate access roads, etc.), utility services (e.g. electricity, energy, etc.), telecommunications (e.g. telephone service, web access, etc.), broadband

The event is the first across-the-board opportunity for Texans to bring their rural issues and perspectives to a rural-focused statewide forum.  The Inaugural Rural Texas Summit is designed specifically to encourage participation and involvement in discussing the development of the top rural policy suggestions for the 78th Legislative Session.

For more information about the event, contact Cindy Miller, ORCA’s Inaugural Rural Summit Coordinator at 800-544-2042 or email Miller at cmiller@orca.state.tx.us.