Dear Neighbor,

This week was a memorable one.  As you may have seen, on Wednesday of this week, I tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.  I am glad to report that I have had very mild symptoms, and am on the road to recovery.  I have been quarantining and following guidance from the CDC and my physician.  Thanks to all of you who reached out to me with well wishes this week.

And I am glad that I have been able to continue to work for our district this week. 

Before heading back to Washington, I was glad to celebrate the life and leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by joining community leaders and parade Grand Marshall NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche for the 44th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.

With Dr. King’s work and leadership on all our minds this week, the Senate debated the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to protect the right to vote and access to the ballot box.  As I wrote to you last week, this legislation has already passed the House, but it did not pass in the Senate this week.  This effort—ensuring that all eligible voters can cast their ballots safely, securely, and without interference—remains a priority for me, and I will keep working to find a path forward for this legislation.

In the House, we focused this week on legislation to ensure veterans receive access to health care as they transition into civilian life. The House passed the EVEST Act, a bill to enroll eligible service members in VA healthcare automatically (with an opt-out provision), part of a broader strategy to combat veteran suicide and make mental and physical health care more accessible to veterans.

The House also passed the Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act to provide the Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Services Company, known collectively as the Ghost Army.  A secret U.S. military unit that used military deception methods to delude German troops in World War II, the Ghost Army provided distinguished and unique service that has now been recognized. 

In addition to votes this week, I joined my colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the Department of Health and Human Services urging Secretary Xavier Becerra to guarantee at-home COVID-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries at no cost.  I also joined colleagues in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging him to designate health care visits relating to screening, counseling, insertion, removal, or maintenance of FDA-approved contraceptive devices as preventative services and waive their applicable TRICARE copays.

And I am really glad to report to you that our effort to ensure funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) come to our community were successful this week: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will award $142.5 million to the Port of Houston for the widening and deepening project we authorized in the last Congress.  I was glad to advocate for this project’s inclusion in this round of IIJA funding.  This investment will benefit our city, our state, and our country, cementing Houston’s leadership in trade, strengthening our country’s supply chain, and building for our future.

This week, I participated remotely in the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy’s legislative hearing “Securing our Energy Infrastructure: Legislation to Enhance Pipeline Reliability,” to discuss legislation to improve energy reliability.  The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology also held a full committee markup on several bills important to our community.

I have been hearing from a lot of neighbors lately about animal wellness and animal rights.  I have shared with them, that I am committed to working on a bipartisan basis to raise awareness of animal welfare issues, prevent animal cruelty and abuse, and strengthen efforts to promote animal welfare and wildlife conservation.  I thought you might be interested to know that, in keeping with requests from many of our neighbors, in this Congress I have co-sponsored several animal wellness bills, including: 

• H.R. 263 - Big Cat Public Safety Act
• H.R. 2840 - Puppy Protection Act
• H.R. 2325 - Bear Protection Act
• H.R. 2811 - Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act
• H.R. 917 - Kangaroo Protection Act of 2021
• H.R. 1442 - PREPARED Act
• H.R. 2773 - Recovering America's Wildlife Act
• H.R. 1016 - Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act
• H.R. 5441 - Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act of 2021
• H.R. 2565 - FDA Modernization Act
• H.R. 4310 - Minks in Narrowly Kept Spaces (MINKS) Act
• H.R.6207 - Humane Cosmetics Act

As I mentioned in my last e-mail to you, many of our neighbors in TX07 have contacted me with questions and concerns about the Omicron variant, and how we meet the challenges it presents.  This Tuesday, January 25, at 6:00pm, I will host a virtual Community Conversation on the Omicron Variant with special guests Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. David Persse, and Scott Jeansonne.  Please mark your calendar and join us to learn more and ask questions in this webinar-style conversation.  You can sign up here. 

Also, if you live in City of Houston District G, which many of us in TX-07 do, this Tuesday is Election Day to fill the vacancy on City Council.  Be sure to make your voice heard in this special election. Learn more and find a polling place at HarrisVotes.com.

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 are here to help.

With best wishes,