Brazos County state representative Kyle Kacal has been named to represent the Texas House on an advisory council addressing rural health and economic development issues.
Kacal says this will help him promote legislation in future sessions and in communicating rural issues with urban lawmakers.
Speaker Joe Straus, who appointed Kacal, says the council is housed at the Texas Department of Agriculture and works in coordination with the office of rural affairs.
The council works with the state department of agriculture and the office of rural affairs to develop policies that promote health care, infrastructure revitalization, and workforce development.
Click below for comments from Kyle Kacal, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
News release from the office of State Representative Kyle Kacal:
State Representative Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) has been appointed by House Speaker Joe Straus to serve on the Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council pursuant to Texas Government Code 487.802. The advisory council, which is housed at the Texas Department of Agriculture and works in coordination with the Office of Rural Affairs, helps guide and develop policy to promote opportunity for health care services, infrastructure revitalization, and workforce development in rural areas of the State.
Rep. Kacal released the following statement:
“I am deeply humbled to represent the Texas House and HD 12 on the Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council. As the sole appointee from the Texas House, I look forward to participating in the development of new policy to address the unique challenges of living and working in rural Texas. Our State, due to its persistent growth in population and economy over the past decade, contends with many areas of critical concern and those issues are becoming especially apparent in rural communities. Whether it is the lack of long term patient care or the need for specialized job training, I am confident that the State of Texas can develop the means to deal with any challenge and I look forward to helping the effort to find solutions to these issues. Rural communities encompass so much of what we as Texans love about our State and I intend to work to ensure that they remain a strong and vibrant place to live.”
The Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council was formed in 2011 and is composed of nine members including one member of the Texas Senate, one member of the Texas House, and is chaired by the Texas Agriculture Commissioner. Their official duties comprise of advising the commissioner on rural policy priorities, including priorities for the use and allocation in this state of federal block grant money, reviewing this state’s existing rural policies and programs, meeting with the representatives of state agencies that administer rural programs as necessary to conduct the review required under statute, and establishing a rural health task force composed of all or a portion of the members of the advisory council.