At the beginning of August, I had the honor and privilege of welcoming President Biden to Texas to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, where he delivered a powerful speech on the importance of enforcement and restoration of Americans’ civil rights.  The Biden-Harris administration has made historic investments to build capacity for robust and proactive enforcement of civil rights laws, securing more than $2 billion in total funding for Offices of Civil Rights across the federal government, increasing annual funding for federal civil rights offices by 23 percent. 

Following the speech, I had the honor of accompanying the President on his trip to Houston to pay his respects to the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and visit with her family at City Hall. 

Later that week, I also had the honor welcoming Vice President Kamala Harris to Houston, as well as members of Congress and other national leaders, who came to Houston to celebrate the life and legacy of Congresswoman Jackson Lee, whose lifetime of service will benefit our community in Houston for generations to come.

The weeks that followed gave me the opportunity to participate in community events and meet with constituents and community leaders all across our district.  I was glad to speak at several events, including the Greater Houston Partnership's Future of Texas conversation with Dr. David Callender and a town hall meeting at Sysco with State Representative Mano DeAyala and Houston City Councilmember Mary Nan Huffman.  I was honored to speak at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, touring and celebrating the opening of its new cultural center, the 20th anniversary of the Mandir in Houston and the 50th anniversary of BAPS in North America. 

As August is National Black Business Month, I was glad to visit a few Black-owned businesses in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District again this August.  Another annual August highlight was my visit with the Texas Farm Bureau representatives.  I also appreciated the opportunity for in-depth conversations on other matters of importance to people across our community, including a visit with my colleague Rep. Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) and our TX-07 neighbor Charles Foster on immigration matters and ideas for meaningful reform.  It was great to see so many neighbors and friends throughout August, and I will take their energy and ideas back to Washington this month.

A few big events to highlight here, and some important information to share.

Last month, I was glad to welcome U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman back to Houston as she visited with community leaders and small business owners about the impacts of Hurricane Beryl and recovery efforts, including at a roundtable discussion at the United Way headquarters in TX-07. 

As a reminder, homeowners, renters, small businesses, and non-profits are all eligible for financial assistance from the SBA, including: Business Physical Disaster Loans to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, Economic Injury Disaster Loans to meet financial obligations that cannot be met as a result of the disaster, and Home Disaster Loans for homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.  Some of the application deadlines are upon us already.  For more detailed information, see the updated information on my website.

On the topic of storm recovery, I was glad to have a chance in August to join Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones and Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen to highlight $959,752 in congressional funding I secured to make drainage improvements to the Keegans Bayou Watershed. The funding will be used to construct a stormwater detention basin to allow for capacity for a 100-year rainfall event, protecting nearby residences and buildings in Harris County and Fort Bend County, including Huntington Village and Townewest, as well as communities along the Brays Bayou watershed. 

As we all know, over the last decade, we have faced major storm events from which we are still recovering.  From the Memorial Day Flood, the Tax Day Flood, to Hurricane Harvey to Hurricane Beryl, each event has underscored the need to continue to improve our flood mitigation and water conveyance infrastructure.  Updates to the Keegans Bayou Watershed are much-needed improvements in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District that will have a real impact on the people of this community.  Protecting our community from flooding is a collaborative effort, and I thank our community leaders for their continued and meaningful partnership and leadership.

On the topic of partnerships, I was also glad to join Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, Texas A&M Transportation Institute Director Greg Winfree, and Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Marc Williams in August to highlight a $19.2 million federal grant from the Federal Highway Administration to deploy Vehicle To Everything (V2X) technology in the Greater Houston area, College Station, and the corridors connecting them.

V2X technology will allow vehicles to share information via sensors, cameras, and internal systems with other vehicles, road infrastructure, and Smart City systems using wireless data to enhance safety, efficiency, and overall mobility for vulnerable road users situated at signalized intersections, emergency responders navigating through varying traffic scenarios, transit operators seeking efficient routes, workers operating within construction zones, and everyone else on the road.

As I wrote to you a few weeks ago, I was also glad to host an event at Bellaire City Hall with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Deputy Director Jimmy Kirby on the new beneficial ownership information reporting requirement, a new federal law that requires companies doing business in the U.S. to report information about the individuals who ultimately own or control them to FinCEN.  I was glad to gather leaders from many of our local chambers of commerce and small business owners to help share information and identify questions and concerns for FinCEN.  For more information about this new requirement, click here. 

And, rounding out events rolling out federal programs and investments, I joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Administrator Dr. Erthea Nance and Alief ISD Superintendent Dr. Anthony Mays to highlight $7,900,000 in federal grant funding for Alief Independent School District (ISD) to purchase 20 electric school buses to modernize Alief ISD’s school bus fleet. 

With the new school year underway, it was terrific to gather at Alief ISD’s Marshall Center for Advanced Careers to see one of the new busses and to celebrate this investment in our community, which was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and to celebrate the dynamic, collaborative partnership that made this grant possible.

Although the House has been in recess, I still had a chance to co-sponsor several pieces of legislation important to our community, including:

• the SECURE Firearm Storage Act, H.R. 816, to require all firearms to be stored securely when a federally licensed gun dealer is not open for business to prevent smash-and-grab burglaries;
• the Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act, H.R. 3376, to allow funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program to be used to provide bonuses for the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers or career law enforcement officers; 
• the Stop Comstock Act, H.R. 8796, to protect reproductive rights by repealing portions of the Comstock Act that prohibit the mailing of abortion drugs and instruments;
• the NO BAN Act, H.R. 9244, to strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion and limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans;
• the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, H.R. 7634, to require the Environmental Protection Agency to issue a final rule that prohibits the discharge of plastic pellets and other types of plastics into waters of the United States; and 
• the Ban Water Beads Act, H.R. 6468, to direct the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission to enforce a ban on all water beads marketed for use by children in response to the increasing incidents of children ingesting water beads and suffering severe and deadly injuries. 

I also joined my colleagues in sending several letters on issues important to our community, including: 

• a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting the current status of the Department’s enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, including protecting language-minority constituents through Sections 203, 208, and 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act;
• a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel regarding the recent FCC rulemaking requiring disclosures to the public when generative artificial intelligence is used in political ads on TV and radio; and
• a letter to President Biden expressing concern over the wellbeing of Austin Tice, a United States Marine Corps veteran and investigative journalist who has been held in Turkey since 2012. 

In Washington, Team TX-07 held dozens of meetings throughout the month of August.  One highlight: Kevin attended the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ award ceremony where Harris County Public Library (HCPL) and the Children’s Museum of Houston were two of 10 winners of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the highest honor for libraries and museums in the U.S. given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. 

In Houston, Team TX-07 attended lots of events, including the West Houston Association Flood Control Forum with Southside Place Mayor Andy Chan, a SPARK Park ribbon cutting for Horn Elementary in Bellaire, an event commemorating Ukraine’s Independence Day, a State of the County discussion with State Rep. Gene Wu and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the City of Houston District G Resource Fair, and much more! 

This summer, families across TX-07 traveled abroad and several needed help checking on their passport application status, like Reshae, who our team was able to help:

“I contacted Congresswoman Fletcher’s office because I ordered my daughter’s passports in May, and in August, we still hadn’t received anything.  We were supposed to travel on August 14th.  Had to change my travel date.  I called multiple times for an update on where her passport was.  Paid for expedited and I kept getting, “it’s in progress.”  It was in-progress since MAY!  I sent out an email late August 12 to the Congresswoman.  August 13, the Congresswoman’s team reached out to me, and I filled out the paperwork required.  August 14, I got an email notification that the passport has been approved and now shipped and will be here by August 17!  I am forever grateful!  I was super stressed out, but they have eased that.”

Although summer travel has wrapped up for many, applying during the off-season is recommended.  Please call our constituent advocates in Houston at (713) 353-8680 or contact them on my website for help.

This week, the House will reconvene and I will head back to Washington for legislative work. 

As you may know, the most urgent item for Congress is, once again, to address government funding needs before the fiscal year ends on September 30.  It is essential that we work together to keep our government funded, operational, and functioning, but it appears that the House will once again propose extreme legislation that does not have support in the Senate.  I will, of course, keep you posted on these and other legislative developments with updates each week in September.

This week, we will observe the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  It is a day of remembrance and service across the country.  We honor the memories and the heroism of our fellow Americans who died that day and in the days that followed, and those who responded to the attack on our country.  And it is important for us to remember that, despite our differences, we are—and should be—united as Americans in protecting, defending, and serving our country and its highest ideals.

I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please remember that, whether I am in Houston or Washington, you can call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,