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Dear Neighbor,
Happy Father’s Day! I send my best wishes to the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and father-figures across the district that have shaped, guided, and protected us throughout our lives—including my own.
This has been a productive week in our district and in Congress—here are a few of the highlights:
The majority of this week, I devoted my time to the work of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act.
Our committee “marked up” the bill – which means we debated and amended provisions of the bill as a full committee. Our markup lasted more than 24 hours—all day Wednesday and Thursday—which I was told is one of the longest markups in recent memory. I offered several amendments to the bill that reflected the priorities of our area, and was glad to see several made part of the final bill:
- An amendment to expand federal support for natural gas and propane as alternative fuels in the Alternative Fuel Corridors Grant Program, for which I secured bipartisan support.
- An amendment to establish federal corrosion planning and inspection protocols for bridges, which will help strengthen and maintain safety—and ensure we have less bridge closures and longer traffic delays due to underlying corrosion issues.
- An amendment to allow storm-prone regions to apply for federal funding to build underground utilities, and important resiliency measure.
- An amendment to ensure high-speed rail projects, like the Texas high-speed train project, can more easily be financed, which I worked on with my T&I Committee colleagues Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Congressman Colin Allred of Dallas.
We have to continue working to bring our country’s infrastructure into the 21st century. The INVEST in America Act will help address some of the country’s most urgent infrastructure needs. The bill passed our committee Thursday night, and will now head for a final vote by the full House of Representatives.
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I am proud to serve as Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force, where we are committed to maintaining our country’s position as a global leader in trade. This week, we endorsed a bipartisan resolution to reaffirm the United States’ commitment as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and encourage the administration to reform the WTO’s Appellate Body. This will help ensure that the WTO becomes more efficient and transparent, allowing American businesses to benefit. You can read more about our efforts here.
I was proud to receive the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award for my work with my Republican and Democratic colleagues on legislation that supports our economy. This award honors the top 20 members of the House of Representatives and top 10 Senators who have demonstrated bipartisan leadership critical to advancing policies that support America’s free enterprise system. It has been important for me to bring Houston’s collaborative spirit to Congress, and I am honored to be recognized for working across the aisle.
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Our TX-07 team continues to work remotely consistent with the guidance from our local officials as well as the House of Representatives Committee on House Administration.
I was glad to visit virtually with constituents again this week, including health care providers, energy innovators, and a Cub Scout Troop in the district, among others!
I did take the opportunity to take part in Juneteenth celebrations at Independence Heights with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and other community leaders to announce the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday, which I co-sponsored and which Senator Cornyn is expected to introduce in the Senate tomorrow. Juneteenth represents the promise of equality, opportunity, and freedom. In the 155 years since the announcement of freedom and equal rights on June 19, 1865, we Americans have struggled to make that promise a reality for all, but we have that opportunity now to work together and move our country forward. I am proud to support this bill on behalf of our district.
I am also aware and concerned, as I know many of us are, about dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases that our region has seen this week. Our county remains at a Level 2 COVID-19 Threat Level, meaning “that there is ongoing transmission of the virus and that testing and contact tracing capacity is likely sufficient to meet demand.” As you likely already know, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has issued a new mask order for businesses. As cases and hospitalizations here continue to rise, wearing a mask is something each of us can do to help keep our neighbors safe. Community health depends on individual action, let’s all do what we can to stop the spread.
You can find a list of resources on my website—including information on housing assistance, veterans resources, unemployment information, support for small businesses, and more. We’ve also assembled guides that you can download, print, and share:
I hope you will be able to join me for my Mid-Year Telephone Town Hall this week on Wednesday, June 24 at 6pm. I look forward to sharing with you a mid-year report on what I have been doing as your representative to the Congress, what the Congress is doing to address the many challenges before us, and to hear from you about your experiences and concerns. To join, you can RSVP here
I am proud to represent you, and I am here to help you. If you need anything, you can send an email here or you can call my office at (713) 353-8680 any time.
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