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Eliot Shapleigh
Member of the Texas Senate from the 29th district
In office January 14, 1997 – January 17, 2011
Preceded by	Peggy Rosson
Succeeded by	José R. Rodríguez
Personal details
Born	November 11, 1952 El Paso, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Residence(s)	El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Rice University, University of Texas
Profession	Attorney

Eliot Shapleigh (born November 11, 1952) is an American politician. He served in the Texas Senate from 1997 to 2011, from the 29th district, in El Paso County.

Community involvement

Unite El Paso

In 1992, Shapleigh co-founded an organization called Unite El Paso with other progressive activists. The organization seeks to raise the per capita income in El Paso.

Texas Senate career

Legislative record

In 2006, Shapleigh authored "Jennifer's Law", a law that permits school districts to award posthumous diplomas to students who die during their senior year of high school. The bill was named after Jennifer Ann Crecente.

El Paso Economic Summit

Soon thereafter, Shapleigh, County Attorney José Rodriguez, Woody Hunt, Robert Brown, John Montford, and others joined in discussions about how best to establish the medical school and which institution should carry the mission forward. As a result, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents made establishing a four-year medical school in El Paso an important goal of the System. Over the coming legislative sessions, incremental progress was made in establishing the state's ninth medical school and first since 1977. In 2009, the first new medical students at El Paso's medical school began their studies at the campus. The El Paso Medical School was the first new medical school to be established in the U.S. in 30 years.

ASARCO

Shapleigh led the opposition to the reopening of an ASARCO-operated copper smelter, which had been located near downtown El Paso since 1887. The smelter, which had been shut down in 1999 due to low copper prices, filed to renew their air permit application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2002. Joined by leaders from across the three-state, two-nation region, Shapleigh and hundreds of activists from El Paso, Juarez, and New Mexico placed pressure on the corporation to justify putting over 7,000 tons of new pollutants into El Paso's air. After eight years, the TCEQ Commissioners granted the permit on a 3-0 vote. The Environmental Protection Agency soon intervened, however, citing deficiencies with the permitting process and ASARCO's air control equipment. As a result, ASARCO announced that the El Paso smelter would not reopen. As of July 2009, it appears the smelter property will be placed in an environmental remediation trust so that it may be cleaned up using funding obtained via ASARCO's bankruptcy.

Political future

Shapleigh announced on October 16, 2009, that he would not run for re-election in 2010. When asked if he will run for another office, he indicated that he is undecided, though suggested he would not run for Congress. State Senator Juan Hinojosa suggested that Shapleigh might run for governor.

Election history

Election history of District 29 from 1992.

Most recent election

2006

Previous elections

2002

2000

1996

Notes

1. "Hunt: 'What happened, what we need to do'". El Paso Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
2. "Austin American-Statesman: "Senator Shapleigh files 'Jennifer's Law' on one-year anniversary of passing of Jennifer Ann Crecente"". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
3. "Biography | Senator Eliot Shapleigh - Texas Senator District 29". Senator Eliot Shapleigh. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
4. "Spotlight: El Paso Medical School". Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Archived from the original on 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
5. "Tech's El Paso medical school accepts first class". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
6. "Asarco announcement: El Paso smelter will not reopen". Newspaper Tree. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
7. "EPA letters to Asarco, TCEQ, assert aged equipment and possible enforcement actions". Newspaper Tree. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
8. "Asarco, feds and state propose $52 million cleanup agreement for El Paso and Amarillo". Newspaper Tree. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
9. "Shapleigh Says He Won't Seek Re-Election In 2010". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13.
10. "Bi-national innovation conference set for McAllen, Reynosa | RioGrandeGuardian.com | news source for the border". Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
11. Uncontested primary elections are not shown.
12. "2006 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
13. "2002 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
14. "2000 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
15. "1996 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
16. "1996 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
17. Change from Primary Election
18. "1996 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 2007-01-05.

External links

• Project Vote Smart - Senator Eliot Shapleigh (TX) profile
• Follow the Money - Eliot Shapleigh
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 campaign contributions

• 1952 births
• Living people
• Texas state senators
• Rice University alumni
• Politicians from El Paso, Texas
• University of Texas School of Law alumni
• 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature