A&M-C HONORS REP. FLYNN FOR SUPPORTING HIGHER ED

For Immediate Release/10-08-07/Mary Lou Hazal

COMMERCE, Texas -- State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van has received a big thank you from Texas A&M University-Commerce and The Texas A&M University System.

District 2 Rep. Flynn, wife Susan, and members of the legislator's staff were honored at a luncheon at A&M-Commerce on Oct. 2.

A&M-Commerce President Keith McFarland said when he met Flynn six years ago that he pledged, if elected, to make the university a top priority.

"In the three sessions he has served, he has demonstrated that clearly," McFarland said. "We appreciate how he looks out for us and made us a priority in his time in Austin."

The Texas A&M University System's Assistant Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations David Rejino said that District Two Senator Robert F. "Bob" Deuell of Greenville, who has also been honored by A&M-Commerce, and Flynn "work hand-in-hand in the legislature always communicating" to strengthen the university.

Flynn, who has a banking background, serves on the Financial Institutions Committee and toiled long hours on the influential State Affairs Committee, Rejino said.

In the last session, the State Legislature treated higher education well with general revenue at $11.5 billion, up 14 percent, and increases in other categories, he said.

A&M-Commerce received a $1.8 million increase in operating funds, $3.4 million hike in the Higher Education Fund, and $21.7 million in tuition revenue bonds for construction of a new music building, McFarland said.

Flynn, who has been rated by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility as one of the Top 15 Legislators for using the state's tax dollars wisely, thanked A&M-Commerce for honoring him, his wife, and staff members at the luncheon. "I can't tell you how humbling it is to stand before this group," he said.

Flynn said he enjoyed his visits to the university and is impressed by the enthusiasm and excitement he sees.

Flynn used a Ronald Reagan quotation that one group of politicians will run for re-election while another group hopes to build for the future. The District Two leader said he wanted to build for the future and help his grandchildren and young people of the state have good lives.