Dear Neighbor,
This was another busy week in Congress, as we returned to Washington to vote on many pieces of important legislation. I flew back to Washington just as Tropical Storm Beta was arriving, and I know it was a stressful week as we watched the rainwaters fall. Please know that my team and I are here to help with flood-related concerns all year long.
Here are some highlights of the legislation we passed this week as well as other important news from our community that I hope you will find helpful.
The House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution to keep the government open, extend key nutrition assistance measures, reauthorize surface transportation programs, and protect Medicare beneficiaries.
A key focus this week was an energy, and the House voted in favor of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act – legislation to promote energy technology innovation through federal investments in research and development. As Chair of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I worked to incorporate a number of bipartisan bills we passed in our subcommittee in this package, including the Fossil Energy Research and Development Act, a bill I co-led to expand the Department of Energy’s research, development, and large-scale demonstration of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology, and the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes funding for the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy which helps to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies in the early stages of development. I spoke on the House floor on how this benefits Houston and our energy economy, which you can watch here.
I was also glad to vote in support of the Republic of Texas Legation Memorial Act, Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s bill to commemorate the Texas Legation and recognize the diplomatic mission to turned newly independent Texas into the 28th state. The House also passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act compelling companies to disclose whether they knowingly worked with entities that take advantage of forced Uyghur labor in China, and I was glad to support this bill.
Our country reached another sad milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic this week as well: 200,000 Americans have died from the virus. The loss of these mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and friends is heartbreaking. We are all in this together—let's do all we can to mitigate the spread.
Harris County remains at a COVID-19 Threat Level 1. Earlier this week, Dr. Peter Hotez warned us about the risk of complacency. With our region on the edge of community control, health officials are still urging Houstonians to be cautious and to continue taking the precautions that have been so effective: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands. These remain the only tools we have against the virus.
As a whole, Texas is still seeing high numbers in daily new COVID-19 cases. They are double what they were before the summer wave of infections, and Texas reported about 4,000 newly confirmed cases of the virus on Friday.
If you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or believe you have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19, there are many stationary and mobile testing locations throughout Houston & Harris County. Before heading to a testing site, you should complete the online self-assessment for COVID-19 symptoms. If you are exhibiting symptoms, you can make an appointment at a testing site that is convenient for you. Find a full list of testing sites with the Harris County Public Health Department here.
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This week a court ruled that the Census count can continue through the originally scheduled date: October 31. While it’s great that we have a little more time to complete this once-in-a-decade count, why wait? The Census takes less than 10 minutes to complete, is confidential, and will determine the resources our district will be allocated for the next ten years.
Our district is only at a 63.8 response rate. Share the link or phone number with your friends and family today! You can complete the Census at https://my2020census.gov, or call 844-330-2020.
Chris Evans, aka Captain America, interviewed me about the Census and you can watch here!
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I was glad to announce that United Against Human Trafficking (UAHT), a non-profit organization in our district dedicated to supporting the survivors of human trafficking, was awarded a $750,000 grant from the Department of Justice. This funding will be used to expand UAHT’s services for the survivors of human trafficking and their families, the outreach program to help identify victims of human trafficking in marginalized communities, and the education program for frontline professionals.
As I noted at the beginning of this email, we saw intense rainfall and experienced flooding once again following Tropical Storm Beta's arrival on Monday night. I know how stressful this continues to be. Please remember that my office is here to service a resource. We have staff available who are focused on flood mitigation matters, who are in regular contact with federal, state, and local authorities, and who can help you if your home or business floods.
I am proud to represent you, and I am here to help you. At this important and challenging time, I hope you will let me know how I can. You can contact me and my team through my website, by email, or on the phone by calling (713) 353-8680 any time.
Best wishes,
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