Representative Lizzie Fletcher

Dear Neighbor,

After another very busy week of work in Washington, D.C., I am looking forward to spending the next few weeks in Houston. And because this Sunday is a holiday, I am sending this week’s wrap up as an early edition! I wish you and your families a happy and safe Independence Day!

Following our mid-year telephone town hall, I am glad to bring you a mid-year report on my work on behalf of our district. During the first half of this year, we have reached new milestones and my team has heard from so many in our community regarding the work my office does. I hope you will take a look at our 2021 Mid-Year Report for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District to see highlights of that work all in one place, including casework success, legislative highlights, and more!

The House of Representatives was busy this week passing key legislation, including the INVEST in America Act, legislation to rebuild our country’s infrastructure—our highways, roads, bridges, transit, rail, water systems, and more. I was glad to secure $20 million directly for our district as a part of this bill. The funding will go to two projects that will improve the connectivity of our community:

$16 million to make enhancements to the 82 Westheimer bus route – one of the busiest routes in the region. The funding will be used to construct new bus shelters, provide improved passenger information, and ensure easier boarding platforms and safe all-door access along the route.

$4 million to construct a bicycle and pedestrian pathway to connect Memorial Park with the Uptown Houston District. The improvements will connect a shared use path connection currently under construction by the City of Houston, east of Briar Hollow Ln. and will connect to a proposed new bridge crossing north of Buffalo Bayou.

7.1 Uptown Memorial Park South Connector Quote

I also included an amendment in the INVEST in America Act to allow transit agencies like Houston METRO to group interrelated transit projects together. This will ensure that local agencies are able to maximize both the federal and local funds available to them to deliver large-scale regional transit improvements. You can watch me speak about this amendment on the House floor here.

The House of Representatives passed a bill to establish a bipartisan select committee to investigate the events of January 6, 2021. I was grateful to meet with some of the Metropolitan Police Officers who defended the Capitol—and our democracy—that day, as well as with the family of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, as the House voted on the bill to establish the committee. We owe it to them and to our country to investigate and understand the events of that day—and to make sure that it does not happen again.

I was honored to stand by President Biden this week with a bipartisan group to watch him sign into law a Congressional resolution disapproving of a rule previously submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to methane emissions, an issue on which energy industry leaders in TX07 have taken an active role in supporting--demonstrating that we can work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support domestic energy production.

Speaking of energy policy, I was also glad to cosponsor H.R. 2225, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, and H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act, and to vote in favor of them this week as they passed the House with bipartisan support. These bills will set our country's scientific enterprise on a strong path forward as we work to boost our competitiveness and advance scientific solutions to address our greatest challenges.

While most of our time was spent debating and voting on legislation this week, there was also committee work. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on the state of federal wildland fire science and examined opportunities for further research. I joined my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Communications and Technology for a hearing on several pieces of legislation introduced to secure networks and promote better cybersecurity practices.

As the new COVID-19 Delta variant makes its way into our community, which doctors warn is the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet, I urge you to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and our community. If you feel sick, click here to find a COVID-19 testing location near you. In good news, the World Health Organization reported that last week reflected the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate globally since early November 2020. Another sign of the progress we have made because of vaccine availability – let’s keep the momentum going!

I am proud to represent you, and I am here to help you. Please do not hesitate to call me to share your thoughts and concerns or to let me know how my team and I can help you. You can email here, or call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 any time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,