1. Richard Joel Noriega was born on January 8,1958 and is a former American politician and retired major general in the Texas Army National Guard who is currently director of Harris County Universal Services.
29 Facts About Rick Noriega
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From 1998 to 2009, Rick Noriega was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 145, representing eastern portions of Houston.
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In 2008, Rick Noriega was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn.
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Rick Noriega graduated from the University of Houston in 1984 with an ROTC Scholarship and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
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Rick Noriega graduated from Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of Government in 1990.
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Rick Noriega is a graduate of the University of North Carolina's Certified Government Chief Information Officer Program.
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Rick Noriega graduated from the US Army War College where he completed his assignment as a Senior Fellow at the University of Texas.
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Rick Noriega is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College,.
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Rick Noriega joined the United States Army in 1979 in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis.
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Rick Noriega became an officer in the Texas Army National Guard in 1984, and served in the Afghanistan War that followed the September 11,2001 attacks.
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Rick Noriega then commanded the Laredo Sector working with US Border Patrol during Operation Jump Start.
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Rick Noriega's awards include: the Combat Infantryman Badge; Senior Parachutist Badge; Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
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Rick Noriega was a project manager for Communities in Schools, and taught in the Houston Independent School District and in the Houston Community College System before becoming a staff member for the Texas State Senate.
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Rick Noriega became a manager in the company's Economic Development Department after winning the Democratic nomination for Texas State Representative.
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Rick Noriega was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1998 and served five terms, 1999 to 2009.
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Rick Noriega acted as the Budget and Oversight Chair of the Defense Affairs and State-Federal Relations Committee, and sat on the Appropriations Committee.
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Rick Noriega authored and sponsored more than 100 bills in the Texas Legislature.
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Rick Noriega narrowly avoided a runoff election by receiving 51 percent of the vote in the March 4,2008 Democratic primary.
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Rick Noriega's opponents were Gene Kelly, Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith.
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Rick Noriega was ultimately defeated by Cornyn in the general election.
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Rick Noriega is a Mexican American the father of two sons, and grandfather to 1 granddaughter, and 1 great granddaughter.
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Rick Noriega proposed a comprehensive plan to help struggling families keep their homes during the 2008 economic downturn, focusing on revamping bankruptcy law, increased funding of counseling for struggling homeowners, and a tax credit of $2000 for homeowners who refinance into a fixed-rate loan.
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Rick Noriega proposed funding to allow homeowners to refinance into FHA backed loans, which generally provide lower rates of interest than private commercial loans.
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Rick Noriega focused on curtailing human trafficking and drug smuggling at the border, and called for more advanced surveillance technology to be deployed at the border as well as for more Guardsmen to be deployed there.
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Rick Noriega opposed the use of a border fence to curb illegal immigration and trafficking.
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Rick Noriega authored HB 2546, a bill passed by the Texas legislature that restricts the sale of ammonium nitrate in order to prevent its use in criminal or terrorist activity such as the Oklahoma City bombing.
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Rick Noriega then served as the Assistant Adjutant General-Army for the Texas National Guard.
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Rick Noriega retired effective January 31,2018, and received an honorific promotion to major general on the state's retired list of National Guard officers.
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Effective September, 2020, Rick Noriega became the Chief Information Officer for Harris County, Texas, the third most populous county in the United States.