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Bruce Elfant
Notebook Archives
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Constable's Notebook - January 2007
Last November was the first time Gonzalo Barrientos was not on a Travis County ballot since 1970 when Patton was the top grossing film, gasoline was 36 cents a gallon and Richard Nixon presided over an unpopular war. OK, so some things haven’t changed. Barrientos first ran for the Texas Legislature in 1972 and was elected in 1974 where he served first in the House of Representatives and then the State Senate for 32 years.
During his tenure Barrientos sponsored hundreds of bills that more often than not were intended
to help Texans who did not have the benefit of high powered lobbyists to represent their interests. His legislative accomplishments include creation of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer, funding for the School for the Deaf, increasing available college loan funding to $400 million, expansion and funding of the Communities in Schools Dropout Prevention program, outlawing employment discrimination, bringing Texas into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and enactment of stronger laws to prevent elder abuse.
It is often said that public servants are measured by whether those served are better off
because of their service. Senator Barrientos clearly improved the lives of millions of
Texans as a result of his educational, environmental and economic achievements and will
be a hard act to follow.
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