Representatives from the Midland Chamber and the Odessa Chamber of Commerce visited Austin from February 3 to 5 to participate in the 2025 Midland-Odessa Legislative Days.
According to the Midland Chamber’s Facebook page, Texas State Senators Kevin Sparks (R-Midland) and Brooks Langraf (R-Odessa), along with Texas State Representative Tom Craddick (R-Midland), engaged with both chambers during the event. This gathering coincided with the 89th Texas Legislature. The purpose of the 2025 Midland-Odessa Legislative Days is to provide citizens and business owners from the Permian Basin's two largest communities an opportunity to advocate for issues important to them before elected officials and their staff.
Midland Mayor Lori Blong traveled to the State Capitol in Austin. She recorded a Facebook Reel expressing that it is crucial for her, Odessa counterpart Cal Hendrick, and other city leaders to meet with legislators to communicate their priorities for their respective communities. "We believe this is going to be an impactful legislative session in Texas so we’re happy to have our voices heard," Blong said.
Langraf said in a Facebook post that he had a productive time meeting with both chambers. He also met with physicians from Odessa and students from the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB).