Interview with Rep. Marva Beck of the Hispanic Republican Conference (VIDEO)

The following interview with Texas Representative Marva Beck is one of a series of interviews conducted by VOCES Action and TexasGOPVote with members of the Hispanic Republican Conference in the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature. In 2010, Marva Beck was elected to her first session in the Texas House of Representatives serving District 57, which includes Falls, McLennan, Leon, Robertson, and Madison Counties.

Rep. Beck was very cordial and engaging, and her office was the most beautifully decorated office of the state representatives offices I have seen.

Marva Beck explained why she is a member of the Hispanic Republican Conference. I was very impressed with her outreach to the Latino community and the fact that she was aware of VOCES Action. She had also heard me on a radio interview where I explained how I use Spanish as a tool to engage Latinos. She also discussed an organization she is a part of called Resource Conservation and Development, which is a group dedicated to the conservation of our natural resources and also our people resources.

Representative Beck serves on the Natural Resources and Homeland Security & Public Safety Committees.

The Hispanic Republican Conference has been growing. Originally it was formed by the House’s five Hispanic Republicans but has since been joined by other State Representatives whose districts have at least 30% Hispanic constituents. The Hispanic Republican Conference will be addressing some issues that have been controversial in parts of the state with large Hispanic populations.

Hispanics make up 36% of the Texas population and this percentage is growing. Hispanics share Republican conservative values of fiscal responsibility, faith, hard work, family values, and are pro-life. VOCES Action has been educating and empowering Americans with Hispanic backgrounds, and who hold conservative values, to make more responsible and informed voting decisions.

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW:

 Adryana Boyne: Good morning, you are here with VOCES action and TexasGOPVote interviewing Representative Marva Beck. Thank you so much for taking some time from this busy morning of session to be with us.

Marva Beck: You are most welcome and thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about this.

Adryana Boyne: Thank you Mrs. Beck. Well one of the questions I would like to know is if you can tell us a little bit about your background and how you got involved in politics and about your values.

Marva Beck: My background is a retired rancher but I have worked for many years for an organization called Resource Conservation and Development. That is a group dedicated to conservations of our natural resources and also our people resources. We work only with rural communities for their embetterment. So we may work on an issue with the stream that goes through town. We may work on helping find funding for community center or a fire station. Its grassroots driven. So it’s kind of a natural leap from there into politics particularly with this country in such great danger of losing our identity of who we are.

Adryana Boyne: And how long ago was that that you started being a representative here?

Marva Beck: January.

Adryana Boyne: Okay because you are freshman right?

Marva Beck: I am a freshman.

Adryana Boyne: You are one of those who really bring us joy.Thank you for telling that to us. Tell us about the people in your district and what issues they are concerned with.

Marva Beck: We have already addressed some of the major issues that the voters sent me here to address. The number one being Voter ID and that is to protect that sanctity of your individual vote. Another was of course right to life with the Sonogram Bill. Right up there with those, even though it’s a federal issue, was the clear message to protect our gun rights, do everything that you can as a state to hold that sacrosanct.

Adryana Boyne: I see those are important values. One of the things I have done with VOCES Action is I have actually debated about the Sonogram Bill on the Spanish TV. I debated Rep. Jessica Farrar on the issue and it’s always important to keep the community all the community informed about this important bill, the sonogram bill that finally has passed. Thank you for that. Now one of the things I noticed about the committees that you are involved, I have a question for you. How do we have a sensible conversation about protecting our natural resources and exploring and developing our vast energy resources without the environmentalists politicizing it?

Marva Beck: That’s a very difficult thing to bring about that I think we have really got to work hard on it. I, like everyone else I know, want to be able to walk in and flip the switch and the lights come on. You want to get in your car and be able to go where you need to go. We need all of our natural resources to accomplish these things. We need coal, we need oil, we need gas, and the technology is there for us to do this safely and to clean up if there is an accident. It’s going to be a fine line. I don’t think that we need federal supervision to do, we already have a state agency that does a better job than the federal agency does.

Adryana Boyne: What is the name of the two committees that you are involved with, one has to do with...

Marva Beck: Natural resources and the other is Public Safety/Homeland Security.

Adryana Boyne: Two great committees Im so glad they have you there.

Marva Beck: With the Homeland Security/Public Safety were dealing not only with public safety and law enforcement, but we are also seeing the situation on the border, the gangs that are coming into this county, the drugs that are coming in, and the money and the guns that are going out, and we are trying to defend that border without a lot of help from the federal government. We are also using legal means to do that against organizations in Mexico that are using military weapons and tactics so it’s a very difficult situation and very dangerous.

Adryana Boyne: You are one of the members of the Hispanic Republican Conference that recently has been formed in the House of Representatives for the first time in Texas. Can you tell me why you chose to be part of this Hispanic Republican Conference?

Marva Beck: Because when campaigning in Waco, I was introduced to GOP is for Me with Duke Machado and Janet Jackson who is the Surrey seat chair over there, and they have worked very hard to get the message out to Hispanic people that Republicans are the party of be what you can be, and I think that that’s a message that is going be taken well with the Hispanic community once we get that to them. They also have the same values that we go which are home, family, children, and community.

Adryana Boyne: Yes one of the things they are good for is Duke Machado and Janet Jackson, they invited me to be in the radio show they produced, and one time we were talking about the importance about the we should use or not to use the Spanish to engage the Latino community and it was a joy to see yes we are using it right now because there are still people in Texas that speak Spanish, but we encourage all the Hispanic community to learn English just like I learned it as a second language. They are doing a marvelous work right there, Machado and Janet Jackson.

Marva Beck: I heard that interview on the radio and Duke is very much a push only, and I have taken the message that you gave on that program around the campaign trail because until we have achieved the English language, the fluency, we do have to take the time to explain.

Adryana Boyne: Yes it was an interesting interview because now that you tell me that you heard the interview you remember that Janet Jackson with all humility said in the beginning of the show she was ready to attack my message about using Spanish, and then she said you know what after I heard Adryana I believe that I understand why she is doing it and we need to do it.

Marva Beck: The message is so important that we need to get it out however we can get it out.

Adryana Boyne: Yes it is important. I was just a week ago on Univision National television speaking the immigration issue and the person I had to debate was Congressman Luis Gutierrez from Illinois and we have to use that. Were grateful for the people that speak Spanish as well but we are encouraging everyone to learn English, and I think thats what Texas is. Were all Texans. Well, one of the things I would like to ask you, I notice a pin with a cross on your jacket, which is so beautiful. Can you tell me a little bit about you pin

Marva Beck: It is just a mission of my church. This year, every year we have a mission and our mission this year is to show love and compassion, so this is to remind us everyday that this is what our mission is for this year.

Adryana Boyne: That’s beautiful Mrs. Beck, and I can tell that you are a woman of values. I want to thank you for serving not only the people in your district but also for serving the people of Texas.

Marva Beck: Thank you very much.

Adryana Boyne: Thank you very much Mrs. Beck.