Dear Neighbor,

This week was a short, but productive week in Washington!  The House passed several important pieces of legislation that I know matter to TX07. 

People across the district will be glad to know that on Tuesday, the House passed the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076, to address financial and operational issues at the United States Postal Service (USPS).  The bill will help restore financial sustainability through health benefit reforms and improve accountability, reliability, and transparency at the United States Postal Service (USPS).  In our district, we value and rely on the USPS to deliver mail, medicine, paychecks, social security checks, ballots, and so much more.  From the calls and emails we get, I know that support for and addressing the recent challenges at the Postal Service is of great importance, and I am glad to report that this bill is an important step in doing both

On Wednesday, the House passed the Global Respect Act, H.R. 3485, to deny entry into the U.S. to foreign individuals found responsible for human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and all other gender variant (LGBTQI+) individuals.  I was proud to demonstrate our community's and our country's commitment to LGBTQI+ rights and dignity around the world by casting my vote for the Global Respect Act, sanctioning states and individuals who violate the human rights of LGBTQI+ people.  The dignity, freedom, and equality of all people are fundamental to a thriving global community.

The House also voted this week to pass the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, H.R. 4445, to allow sexual harassment and sexual assault survivors to file a case in a court of law rather than be subject to mandatory, pre-dispute arbitration provisions in cases involving sexual harassment or sexual assault. This bipartisan bill restores access to justice for millions of survivors.  The bill passed the Senate later in the week, and it will now head to the President’s desk for signature. 

And, importantly, the House passed a continuing resolution, H.R. 6617, the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, to fund the government through March 11, 2022.  While I would prefer to have completed annual appropriations before the end of the year, I know from experience the importance of ensuring the continued operations of the government and averting the possibility of a government shutdown.  I am pleased to report that this week the chairs of the appropriations committees in the House and the Senate reported that they had reached agreement on the annual spending bill, and are working to memorialize it over the next few weeks.  So, we should vote on those appropriations bills in early March

I also joined my colleagues in sending the following letters this week: 

• A letter to House and Senate Leadership urging relief for physician fees, schedule cuts, and reimbursement cuts that are now being phased in for office-based specialists.
• A letter to Transportation Secretary Buttigieg urging the Department of Transportation to protect women drivers and use up-to-date female crash test dummies in vehicle safety testing.

On Tuesday, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing on the proposal to create a new agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health.  This new agency is modeled off of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, that has led to key innovations like GPS and the internet, things we now couldn't imagine living without. And it could be that ARPA-H leads us to the next medical breakthrough that will revolutionize health care as we know it.  With the incredible research done in our district and by our neighbors, I support the creation of ARPA-H, and have cosponsored two bills to help make it a reality: the ARPA-H Act and the Cures 2.0 Act.

Also on Tuesday, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on anti-trafficking technology entitled Data Challenges Impacting Human Trafficking Research and Development of Anti-Trafficking Technological Tools.  

Lots of good meetings this week – a few highlights for you! 

On Tuesday, I was glad to meet with Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of the University of St. Thomas, who was in town for a conference.  I always enjoy meeting with TX-07 neighbors to discuss ways to improve our community! 

I came back to Houston at the end of the week, and was glad to be back home!

On Friday, I met with leadership from Houston METRO and toured the METRORapid Silver Line to discuss public transit projects that will benefit from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—the largest federal investment in public transit in U.S. history.  The IIJA will invest $3.3 billion in Texas to modernize public transit, improve accessibility, and expand public transportation options for projects like METRONext.  Through the IIJA, Congress has prioritized investments in the modernization and expansion of public transit for Houston families and people across the country.  I was glad to ride the Silver Line and discuss the IIJA’s impacts with METRO representatives as well as METRO’s goals and plans, and what we can achieve with federal investments in public transit in Houston.

Speaking of METRO…  On Friday, President Biden announced his intention to nominate Houston METRO Board Chair Carrin Patman to be the United States’ Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland!  The nomination was announced during my METRO meeting, and I could not be more excited to have our TX07 neighbor and community leader representing our community and country as part of the United States Diplomatic Corps. 

I have gotten many letters recently about Congressional redistricting.  Every ten years, following the census, the Congress goes through a process of reapportionment – apportioning the number of districts to the states.  Following reapportionment, the states go through a process of determining the district lines or, redistricting.  Following the 2020 census, Texas gained two Congressional seats (the most in the country), taking our Congressional Delegation from 36 to 38 members.  With the new districts, we also have new district lines drawn by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Abbott last November.  There are several court challenges to these districts.

As currently drawn, one of the new congressional districts, TX-38, is in the Houston area, and many current residents of TX-07 have been drawn into this new district.  In addition, some neighbors will now find their homes in Congressional districts 8, 22, and 9.  And some neighbors will find that they are still in TX-07.

Regardless of this process, I am still your representative in this Congress, which ends in January 2023, and I am still here to help you in every way I can.

On Thursday, I will hold a virtual Community Conversation on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with special guests from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Houston Airport System, Port Houston, and Houston METRO.  We will discuss how Houston will benefit from this transformative piece of legislation. Click here to sign up! 

This week, I’ll be in Houston to meet with neighbors and participate in virtual legislative meetings and hearings.  There are no votes in Washington this 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 are here to help.

With best wishes,