In the News

Representatives Fletcher and Williams Introduce Bills to Make Disaster Aid Accessible to Heirs’ Property Owners

| Posted in In the News

Representatives Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) and Nikema Williams (D-GA) introduced the “Heirs Empowerment and Inheritance Rights (HEIR) Act” and the “Heirs’ Estate Inheritance Resolution and Succession (HEIRS) Act” in a single legislative package in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 24. The two bills would make disaster aid accessible to heirs’ property owners. “Heirs’ property” is…

New Legislation Would Expand Access to Disaster Relief, Provide Help With Titles for Large Number of Black Landowners

| Posted in In the News

Federal lawmakers introduced a legislative package on Tuesday that would expand heirs’ property owners’ access to disaster relief and provide assistance in clearing titles. Heirs’ property refers to land that has been passed down informally within families; without clear titles, owners can be ineligible for government aid and their land vulnerable to forced sales. Rep. Lizzie…

Another Real Pink Tax

| Posted in In the News

Kayla is correct to note that a decline in overall public safety harms women more than men. She is also correct that a lot of “pink tax” talking points have more to do with consumer choices than with any kind of actual tax. But there is one real pink tax the government levies: Tariffs on women’s clothes are, on average, higher than tariffs on men’s clothes. Research from Ed Gresser and…

AAFA backs legislation to overcome the ‘pink tax’ price discrepancy

| Posted in In the News

The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) backs the proposal of the Pink Tariffs Study Act, being introduced by Congresswomen Lizzie Fletcher and Brittany Pettersen from the New Democratic Coalition (NDC) Trade Task Force, voicing concerns over the alleged “century-long potential gender-bias and regressivity” within the US tariff system. The congresswomen said they introduced…

$1.5 million to study how to reconnect the Alief community divided by the Westpark Tollway

| Posted in In the News

A $1.5 million study will look into how to reconnect the Alief community that is currently divided by the Westpark Tollway. The study will involve a community-driven planning process to focus on roadway safety, flood mitigation, bicycle-pedestrian access, transit options, parks and open spaces, and art. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher said the study will consider community members…

Gulfton community awarded $43 million federal grant for infrastructure improvements

| Posted in In the News

A $43 million federal grant is slated to bring new sidewalks, bike lanes, and more trees to the Gulfton community by 2026. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher made the announcement in a press release on Monday and walked the community on Wednesday, getting a first-hand look at areas in need of improvements. Houston Public Works and Tammy Rodriguez, the president of the Gulfton Citizens…

Fletcher touts Fort Bend's 'collaborative nature' during talk

| Posted in In the News

U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, whose Houston-based 7th Texas District includes part of Fort Bend County, told an audience at the Safari Texas Ranch event center last week that the area serves as a model for how politics at the national level and work better. First elected in 2018 and reelected twice since, Fletcher, a Democrat, has represented the eastern-most part of Fort Bend after…

$1.2 Million in Federal Funding To Support Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety in Alief

| Posted in In the News

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced Harris County Precinct Four will receive $1,200,000 from the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program—a program established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).  These funds will allow Harris County to develop safe pedestrian and cycling connections between communities on…

Gulfton, Alief to benefit from $43 million grant aimed at rebuilding sidewalks, increasing tree canopy to mitigate heat

| Posted in In the News

A new study has ranked Alief and Gulfton as two of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Houston when it comes to traffic injuries and fatalities for children. But a $43 million federal grant could soon help reduce the danger. Rice University's Baker Institute found that three of the four most dangerous areas for children walking and biking in Houston are in Alief and Gulfton.…

Federal money aimed at neglected areas to pour $43.4M into Gulfton, Kashmere Gardens sidewalks

| Posted in In the News

The walk to catch a Long Point-Cavalcade bus in Kashmere Gardens, or to school at Baker Ripley in Gulfton, will soon be safer and smoother, after federal officials committed $43.4 million to sidewalk, drainage and shade improvements in the long-neglected neighborhoods.  These Houston neighborhoods will wait months for the work to begin, as designs must still be…