Dear Neighbor,

It was another very busy week in Washington, as the House passed several pieces of legislation throughout the week.  Lots to cover here.

Lots and lots of votes this week.  On Tuesday, the House voted on the Respect for Marriage Act, H.R. 8404, to enshrine marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples in federal law, repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and provide legal protections for marriage equality.  In Houston, we celebrate our diverse families and we also know that, in this moment, we must do all we can to protect them.  I’m proud to be a co-sponsor of this important legislation to enshrine and protect marriage equality—and to protect the people I represent.

Also on Tuesday, the House passed the FY 2023 Six-Bill Appropriations Minibus, H.R. 8294, a major government spending bill that funds multiple departments and agencies, invests in critical water and flooding infrastructure, makes key investments in clean energy technologies, provides funding for election security, and more.  One of the most important responsibilities of Congress is appropriating government funding, and this bill contains a number of provisions that are of critical importance to Houstonians.

The bill also appropriates $14.3 million for local projects I advocated for through the community funded projects process in Congress and that will benefit TX-07.  These projects will provide funding for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), the City of Bellaire, the City of West University Place, the St. George Place Redevelopment Authority, and the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority.  Each of the community funded projects I advocated for will make a positive impact in our community – from making our intersections safer to protecting our community from flooding, and more. 

Among its provisions, H.R. 8294:

• Supports water infrastructure projects around the country with nearly $9 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including nearly $2.5 billion for new construction to reduce the current project backlog, and more than $5 billion for the operation and maintenance of existing projects;
• Secures our country’s energy infrastructure and reduces the risks of and impacts from cybersecurity attacks by providing $205 million to the Department of Energy; 
• Upholds the integrity of our elections with $400 million for election security grants to protect elections from cyberattacks and technical failures; 
• Provides $126 million to help regulate per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and establish drinking water and cleanup standards;
• Improves taxpayer services at the Internal Revenue Service with a $3.4 billion investment to support low income taxpayer clinics; the Taxpayer Advocate, to help ensure all taxpayers are treated fairly and understand their rights; tax counseling for the elderly; and increased personnel to improve IRS customer service;
• Invests $880 million to reduce carbon emissions with technologies and methods like carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and direct air capture, while rebuilding our country’s critical minerals supply chain;
• Fights hunger and provides $6 billion for the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and $111.18 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), serving an estimated 6.2 million women, infants, and children and 43.5 million people, respectively;
• Makes Dreamers eligible for federal employment; and
• Improves the safety and long-term viability of our country’s highway systems and expands and upgrades transit nationwide by allocating $61.3 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and $17.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

Community Funded Projects in H.R. 8294 include:

•  $5,000,000 for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) to improve the Westheimer BOOST bus route, an east-west crosstown bus route with the highest ridership in the METRO system and in all of Texas. Improvements will consist of bus stop enhancements, new bus shelters, improved passenger information, and easier boarding platforms and safe all-door access;
• $600,000 for the City of Bellaire to build an inclusive playground for children and families of all abilities. These new play structures will allow children in wheelchairs to play alongside their peers and incorporate sensory play elements and interactive educational features;
• $2,500,000 for the City of West University Place to replace approximately 2,400 feet of pre-1939 cast-iron water distribution lines on Milton Street, which have exceeded their useful lifespan.  Failure of these distribution lines would disrupt the water supply to the City of West University Place;
• $750,000 for the St. George Place Redevelopment Authority to improve safety for pedestrians at the intersections of Beverlyhill Street and East and West Greenridge.  The project will promote safe vehicle and foot traffic through the intersections and install street lighting, sidewalks, and other hardscaping to improve quality of life for the surrounding community;
• $2,400,000 for the City of Bellaire to replace water and wastewater line infrastructure that has reached the end of its 30 to 50-year useful service life.  The majority of these lines are cast iron waterlines that are 50 years or older; and
• $3,000,000 for the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority to improve the intersection between Hillcroft Avenue between Westpark Drive and Harwin Drive.  This intersection is designated as a "High Injury Network" because of its rate of high crash incidence and severity.  The proposed project will improve the intersection's safety for all users, rehabilitate failing pavement, improve stormwater conveyance, enhance sidewalks, and improve signalization. 

Finally, on Thursday, the House took up the Right to Contraception Act, H.R. 8373, to codify the right for Americans to access contraception and to protect the right of health care providers to provide contraceptives. The bill passed the House by a vote of 228 to 195. 

As an original co-sponsor of the bill, I was glad to vote to protect the health, privacy, dignity, and freedom of women and families across this country by voting for the Right to Contraception Act.  The bill responds to the threats to access to reproductive health care and to bodily autonomy we face today, and reflects the position of the majority of Americans who rely on contraception of all kinds to plan their families and their lives.

Before the vote, I went to the House floor to urge my colleagues to vote for it.  You can see my remarks here.

The House also passed a resolution expressing support for the sovereign decision of Finland and Sweden to apply to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as calling on all members of NATO to ratify the protocols of accession swiftly; and the National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022, H.R. 7693, to leverage federal support and charitable donations to enhance and preserve America’s national parks. 

This week, I introduced the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act with Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) to establish a grant program to help ease the financial burden of people that are forced to travel to access abortion care.  One way to help people and organizations is to authorize grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for women seeking abortion care in states where it is legal.  I am glad to partner with Congresswoman Strickland and Congresswoman Bush in this effort to ensure that Americans can get the care they need no matter where they live.  To read the full text of the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act, click here.

I also co-sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act of 2021, H.R. 82, to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, both of which reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other types of benefits. 

On Tuesday, I participated in the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing titled “Roe Reversal: The Impacts of Taking Away the Constitutional Right to an Abortion,” where the committee heard testimony from medical professionals, lawyers, and advocates about the issues.

On Wednesday, the full Energy and Commerce Committee marked up several pieces of legislation, all of which I voted in favor of and all of which passed out of committee:

• The Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2021, H.R. 3962;
• The Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act, H.R. 4081;
• The Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act, H.R. 4551; 
• Reese’s Law, H.R. 5313; 
• The Manufacturing.gov Act, H.R. 6290; and
• The American Data Privacy and Protection Act, H.R. 8152

I’ve written to you before about the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. This bill gives American consumers the knowledge and power to choose what data is being collected, to determine how that data can be used, and to seek recourse when it is used improperly.  You can watch my remarks at the markup here. 

As always, I enjoyed being able to catch up with Houstonians visiting D.C. this week.  I met with Dr. Paul Klotman, President of Baylor College of Medicine. 

And I enjoyed meeting with the Joseph Family, who stopped by to say hello during their summer trip to Washington.  I loved hearing from them in person about issues they care about!

While I was called to the House floor to vote, Maisy on our team met with Robert, a high school student in DC for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. 

It’s always so fun to see Houstonians on the Hill – please do let me and the team know if you will be in D.C.!

I also caught up with folks at home through virtual meetings to catch up.

This week, I also met with the National Women’s Political Caucus during their Hill Day to talk about issues affecting American women. 

I returned home Friday, meeting with local leaders about drainage and regional flooding issues and visiting places across the district.

Before I head to Washington this week, I will hold a town hall meeting on gun violence with Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, Dr. Cedric Dark, and Moms Demand Action Former Texas Chapter Lead Norri Leder.  I hope you can join us – more details below. Make sure to RSVP.

Tomorrow is also the application deadline for fall internships in Houston and DC.  Students can learn more and apply here. 

In Washington the House will consider important legislation, including the Assault Weapons Ban, which I have co-sponsored.  We are also preparing to vote on legislation to combat inflation by easing supply chain bottlenecks in semiconductors that are critical components in everything from cars, to dishwashers, to small electronics.

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,