Sixty years ago this week, President Kennedy stood on the field at Rice Stadium and addressed those assembled as well as the nation and the world.  He challenged Americans to continue the work to expand our understanding of the world around us and the universe beyond by exploring space.  Our country and our city— “Space City”—accepted this challenge.  Over the last 60 years, we have worked here in Houston to meet this challenge – to continue in the search for knowledge and progress

On Monday, I was glad to celebrate this historic speech and the history of collaboration between Rice, NASA, and the City of Houston back on the field at Rice Stadium.  NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche joined Rice President Reggie Desroches, Mayor Turner, members of Congress, and thousands of Houstonians, including many HISD students, to celebrate all we have done, and all we will do in the future.

As I noted in when speaking to those assembled Monday, we often remember the speech for the President’s statement: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”  President Kennedy challenged us to come together as Americans for the good of all of mankind, and that remains our challenge and our purpose: to do the work of learning and leading so that—together—we can make progress for all.

Later that day, I was glad to welcome Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to Houston to highlight the work we are doing here and how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding will modernize and expand public transportation options, improve accessibility, and make possible projects like METRONext.

I flew back to Washington on Tuesday just in time to join the celebration of the passage and signing of the Inflation Reduction Act at the White House.  I was glad to see Mayor Turner there and several other Houstonians in the crowd.  Then it was back to Capitol Hill for votes!

The House passed several bills this week on a bipartisan basis, and I voted in favor of all of them: 

• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, H.R. 3173, a bill to improve the efficiency and transparency of prior authorization, reducing unnecessary delays in patient care – something I have heard a lot about from many of the physicians in our district;
• The Expediting Disaster Recovery Act, H.R. 5774, a bill to expedite the delivery of federal disaster assistance and address the unmet needs of disaster survivors; 
• The Preventing a Patronage System Act of 2021, H.R. 302, a bill to protect civil service rights and prevent federal employees from losing statutory and job protections;
• The Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2021, H.R. 2988, a bill to strengthen protections for federal employees who expose wrongdoing and to ensure due process for whistleblowers;
• The Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act, H.R. 8326, a bill to bolster the budgetary and operational planning of the Census Bureau, protect the Census Bureau against political interference, and enhance the role of advisory committees to better advance the mission of the Bureau; and
• The National Aviation Preparedness Act of 2022, H.R. 884, a bill to instruct federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security, to develop a clear, comprehensive plan of action for future communicable disease outbreaks.

On Wednesday, I worked with my colleagues on the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health to mark up five bills, including:

• The Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, H.R. 3173; 
• The Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act of 2021, H.R. 3655; 
• H.R. 3655The Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act, H.R. 5141; 
• The Improving Trauma Systems and Emergency Care Act H.R. 8163; and
• The Flint Registry Reauthorization Act, H.R. 6737.

Next week, the full Energy & Commerce Committee is planning to mark up another 17 bills.

Between votes, markups, and other work, I was glad to meet with several Houstonians, Texans, and organizations in my office.  

I met with several representatives from companies in Houston that are part of the American Exploration & Production Council to discuss oil and natural gas exploration, energy security, and national security.

I also met with representatives from Environment Texas to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, climate action, the anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and other priorities.

And there were a lot of Houstonians on the Hill this week for the Energy Infrastructure Council’s Annual Meeting.  I was glad to address the group in a fireside chat and to answer questions about our work in Congress on energy and environmental legislation.

With a vote schedule change on Friday, Cameron on our team and met with our TX07 neighbors representing Latinos for Education.

A few notes on events:

• We are rescheduling our September 28 Telephone Town Hall to another day in September.  As soon as we have the new date and time confirmed, I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, you can still RSVP by clicking here.
• Students interested in attending one of our nation’s military service academies: Save October 15 on your calendar for our resource fair, where we’ll have representatives from my office and the service academies to answer your questions. Details to follow—until then, view the application for nomination on my website.  It is due November 1!

I will be back in Washington this week for committee work and votes.  I’m glad to report that on Wednesday, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee will mark up my Care Access Resources (CARS) for Vets Act, H.R. 3304, legislation to expand the eligibility for disabled veterans to obtain vehicles modified for their disabilities.

I’ll report back on these and other events next week.  As always, I am honored to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email me at fletcher.house.gov/contact at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  My team and I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,