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The upcoming 2013 Texas legislature will once again see a super majority of Republican legislators committed to less government and lower taxes. The bi-partisan voice of past legislative sessions that have assisted the growing number of impoverished families without food will likely be muted. Newly elected legislators wanting simple solutions are in vogue. However, a growing number of Latino Republican legislators in the Republican dominated legislature are representing districts that have large numbers of working poor. These legislators may be the upcoming voice for the working poor and hungry.

The challenge these Latino Republicans know very well live on their doorsteps. Families working very hard, some two to three jobs, but unable to get ahead. The newly elected Republican legislators will be faced with real facts: 78 Percent of people living near or below the poverty line are working and have children. Their gross income of $23,050 for a family of four or more simply can’t pay the bills, and keep their families fed.

Many Texans were rightly inspired by the recent speech of Sen. Mark Rubio of Florida at the Republican National Convention. His families rise out of poverty, both parents working multiple jobs. What spectators heard were the highlights and success of decades of sacrifice.  However what they may have missed were the countless tear stained nights of the journey itself.

Jeremy Everett, director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, a partnership program with Republican Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, shares of living in a poor San Antonio community and learning from a neighbor who falls into the statistics of the working poor.

A thrifty grandmother, named Josie lived next door to the Everett family, always generous to help others, even when she is without. Everett says: “Josie went blind while we lived next door to her, and she lost her job because of it. Soon after, a social worker was able to help Josie get a job at the Lighthouse for the Blind making military apparel. The city bus for the physically impaired picked Josie up at her house at 5:00 a.m. every day and returned her home after 6:00 p.m. Even with this job, she did not make enough money to pay rent for her 600-square-foot apartment, utilities, medications, food and other necessities. She worked as hard as anyone I have ever known but did not complain about her plight.”

Everett, the son of a Baptist minister, shares that stories like Mark Rubios, while inspiring, seem to draw most of the attention, and Josie real blight gets buried.

“Stories about billionaires who rose out of poverty or people taking advantage of government aid seem to dominate our perceptions about the impoverished. These perceptions mislead us to believe that hard work is always enough to draw someone out of poverty, and conversely, if people are in living poverty, they aren't working hard enough”, says Everett.

One bi-partisan effort to deal with hunger among the working poor, has been led by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson office in South Dallas. Representing some of the poorest areas of the state, Johnson has led in bringing together a hunger task force that represents how political leaders can put aside differences and focus on real solutions.

“It’s a marvelous example of how a Republican Agriculture Commissioner like Todd Staples, and a Democrat like Eddie Bernice Johnson, both who are probably in touch with the working poor, more than the average elected officials, can work with leaders like Mayors Tom Leppert and Mike Rawlings, North Texas Food Bank, the and nonprofit community,” says Randy Skinner, who represents Mayor Rawlings on the hunger task force.

The real life story that Sen. Mark Rubio shared at the RNC is well known among many of the new Latino Republicans in the Texas State Legislature. They know the key challenges that working families face on a daily basis, and these life lessons should guide the 2013 state legislature in its decision making about the working poor.

“What Jeremy Everett learned by living in the poor West Side of San Antonio and what my family has learned by living in impoverished West Dallas, is that these working families have no disposable income,” says Skinner.

“It is not uncommon for my children to come home after visiting their playmates, to share that they saw no food in their neighbors house. These are families working two to three jobs to make it”

Everett says: “In many cases, more than one-third of working poor families' money goes to rent each month and more of it goes toward paying utilities. The remaining money goes to food, leaving little, if any, for extra expenses such as health care. Disposable income acts as a buffer in times of need, so problems that would merely inconvenience a middle-class household become crises for working poor households.”

Skinner and Everett agree and point out that when problems like a sick child or a broken-down car arise, the working poor must often ignore the problem until they have the chance to fix it. However, waiting to fix the problem often leads to more complicated concerns. For instance, a child who is sick with something that would be minor if treated immediately could become seriously ill, leading to even greater hardships in the future. The inability to pay for a car repair may prevent a person from making it to work each day, causing them to lose a much-needed job.

Skinner believes that the hunger task force led by Congresswoman Johnson office is a template for the rest of the state. He is working with bi-partisan groups across the state to educate state legislators for the 2013 session.

Skinner says: “If the state legislators can understand four key strategies, we can help ease the hunger crisis. First, we need real jobs that provide living wages for working class families to make it. Second, they need to really understand the hunger landscape, and the programs we have in place are the first line of defense against hunger. We can’t afford to cut these programs unless they have something in place to replace them. Third, the business and faith community have to be involved with solutions to the growing problems of food deserts (no grocery stores in poor communities), inner city and some rural schools where up to 85% of the children live in poverty, and hunger assistance programs. Fourth, we have to work together and end the stereotyping of families that live in poverty.”

He concludes: “The families that I hear others demonize in speeches, are real people, with long nights of no father home working his second job, mothers holding my wife Tammy hands, asking with tears how are they going to feed their family. It breaks your heart, and I hope the state legislature can hear those tears”

For more information on how you can become involved in working to educate the 2013 state legislature, please contact us at: www.feed3.org and please consider a generous donation.

 To learn more about the Texas Hunger Initiative and the work of Jeremy Everett from which portions of this article were collected , visit https://www.baylor.edu/texashunger/