Winning the fight isn’t easy. Our current opponent is tough, but Team Rio Grande Valley is tougher. The hours run long, the sweat pours, punches hit us and we become weary. The enemy is sneaky, but local businesses and organizations, led by determined, resilient and competitive people, will not be defeated. We stand our ground together and then, as a unified people, we will win this war. Here at VBR,…
The Texas Workforce Commission recently took action to provide guidance on eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits due to refusal to suitable work. Evaluations of each UI benefits case is currently on an individual basis. However, because of COVID-19, the following are reasons benefits would continue if an individual refuses work. Reason for refusal: People 65 years or older and/or people with medical issues. These include heart disease, diabetes, cancer or a…
New virtual skills enhancement opportunities are coming from the Texas Workforce Commission for individuals receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits. According to TWC, Texas has a historic number of UI beneficiaries as a result of COVID-19. The result is an increase in need for a range of services to support Texas businesses and workers. This includes the need to enhance the skills of unemployed Texans to prepare to reconnect to the Texas…
Pro-business. Pro-business autonomy. Pro-personal freedom. You cannot support one without the others. VBR is and always has been a pro-business advocate for our Rio Grande Valley businesses and families. Current mandated mask orders on businesses in both Hidalgo and Cameron counties are government overstep. These are dangerous precedents, and we cannot and will not support them. Hidalgo and Cameron county officials are stepping on the rights of business owners ……
The UTRGV Career Center is currently providing students with a number of tools to help in their job search. “Right now, it is very tentative. There are some industries that are doing well, so usually it is looking like individuals that have degrees are faring a lot better than those individuals who did not,” said Lourdes Servantes, the center’s associate director. More than 1.6 million people are unemployed in Texas.…
Work search requirements for Unemployment Insurance benefits in Texas will return July 6, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The requirements were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. Work search is a federal requirement to receive unemployment benefits. Individuals will continue to receive benefits, but must document their efforts to find new employment, with the first report due to TWC on July 19. Those currently receiving unemployment should keep good records…
The Texas Workforce Commission has proposed $5,000,000 to Registered Apprenticeship Funds for FY 2021. Proposed funds require approval of the commission along with the FY 2021 operating budget. “The Registered Apprenticeship Training Program is one of the many programs providing Texans with options to improve their future and our overall Texas economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “Employers create a pipeline of workers who have the exact skills their businesses need to grow and be…
The Pharr Economic Development Corporation is helping businesses recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this month, the members of the Pharr EDC board of directors approved the Pharr CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Support). Similar to the federal financial relief program, Pharr CARES provides financial relief in the form of working capital. The forgivable grants between $2,500 and $5,000 are for businesses who have been negatively impacted by the…
The rush to apply for and receive emergency federal funds during the COVID-19 crisis didn’t reach everyone. The result of the first come/first serve component of the Small Business Administration-affiliated loans is many American businesses left out of the funding loop. In Harlingen, city leaders and the economic development corporation are doing something about it. The EDC put aside $1 million in funding in establishing Harlingen’s Emergency Loan Program, HELP.…
During these rough times, the Alamo Economic Development Corporation continues to offer its programs to aid businesses in Alamo. One of the EDC’s most popular options is the Micro-Loan Program. The creation of the Micro-Loan Program came in order to help local business owners with storefront improvements, repairs and renovations. This program now utilizes a micro-loan as working capital to help alleviate operating costs that business owners have trouble covering.…