I spent the last week in Washington, working with my colleagues to pass vital year-end legislation.  Among them, I am particularly glad the House passed the Senate-conferenced version of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020.  As you may recall, I worked at the Committee level to secure authorization for the Houston Ship Channel Expansion project in this bill, and I am glad to see this critical project one step closer to being signed into law. 

The House and the Senate also passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes several provisions to improve military readiness, increases pay for servicemembers, contains improvements to military housing, and requires members of federal law enforcement, Armed Forces, or the National Guard to visibly display their name and agency when responding to a civil disturbance.

In addition, we passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government until December 18 and prevent a government shutdown.  Negotiators on both sides of the Capitol are continuing to negotiate a long-term funding package.  It is critical we do not allow the government to shut down in the middle of a pandemic.

The House voted and passed several other measures, among them H.R. 1570, legislation to eliminate the surprise bills associated with polyp removal that can help prevent colorectal cancer.  This is an issue that I have heard from our neighbors about from my very first town hall, and I’m glad the House has acted on this issue that is critical to so many.

Unfortunately, another week has passed without an agreement on the next COVID-19 relief bill.  I share the belief of many in our district that a new COVID relief package is not optional – we must do it to save from the most devastating economic impacts of the pandemic.  A number of different paths forward have been proposed, including options with strong bipartisan support, but they continue to be blocked in the Senate by Leader McConnell.  As Congressional leadership continues negotiations on COVID relief, I am continuing to push all sides to get this done, including ensuring that we provide small businesses with additional relief during this time.

This was a big week in the fight against the coronavirus.  On Thursday, the FDA Vaccine Advisory Panel voted to recommend the agency grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer for their vaccine, which was officially granted late Friday.  This is incredible news and a testament to the tireless efforts of scientific and medical communities.  Houston hospitals are expected to get the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re not through the crisis yet.  We know that the first to be vaccinated will be the frontline workers who continue to risk their own lives to treat and save the lives of those who have been infected, followed by those in high-risk categories.  It will take time before everyone can receive the vaccine, and until then we must continue our efforts to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.  The positivity rate in Harris County is at 10.1 percent, and we remain at a Severe Threat Level for community spread.  TMC hospitals exceeded base ICU capacity for the first time since the summer surge, and a peak of hospitalizations is expected to come in the next couple of weeks. Nationally, we met another grim milestone, with the country reporting more than 3,000 deaths in one day this week. 

It is imperative that we all do our part to slow the spread of this virus.  Wearing a mask, keeping physical distance, and washing our hands have been proven time and again the most effective method to slow the spread, and getting tested can help contain the spread.  You can visit http://covcheck.hctx.net to find your nearest testing site.

Here are some important deadlines to keep in mind:

• ACA Marketplace: Those who need to sign up or change their ACA coverage have until this Tuesday, December 15, 2020 to do so. Start the process here.

• Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL): The final day to apply for a COVID-19 EIDL is December 31, 2020. Start the application process before the holidays.

• Hurricane Harvey Reimbursement: Homeowners who repaired their own homes following Hurricane Harvey have until Thursday, December 31, 2020 to apply for reimbursement through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.  Homeowners can begin the process here.