Dear Neighbor,

It has been another eventful week in our community.  As we continue to navigate the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to our lives and community, my team and I are continuing to work with our neighbors on all kinds of issues.

As I am sure you know both the Governor and the County Judge have issued orders that apply to our district for the weeks ahead.  We have done a great job here in Harris County of flattening the curve and mitigating the impact of the virus.  Even with our good work, Harris County has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state.  We know now is not the time to get complacent about our efforts to protect ourselves and our neighbors from this virus, especially the most vulnerable among us.  It is with these thoughts in mind that I have continued my Congressional work here in Houston this week.

As members of Congress and public health experts focus on how to live with this virus in our communities, a principal focus is testing.  I was glad to have the opportunity to visit one of Harris County’s mobile testing locations this weekend with Dr. Umair Shah, Executive Director of Harris County Public Health. 

We discussed what the county is doing, and what the federal government should be doing to facilitate testing, what that testing should look like, and what we can expect in the weeks and months ahead.

Testing is available here in Harris County.  I know we are all getting a lot of different information about availability of testing—and it varies around the country.  During our visit, Dr. Shah confirmed that tests are available at the Harris County sites.  Harris County Public Health has mobile sites circulating throughout the county, testing people of all ages six days a week (Monday through Saturday).

If you are concerned that you need to be tested for #COVID19, you can visit readyharris.org to complete an online survey and schedule and appointment at no charge.

In addition to this meeting, I was glad to participate in telephone conferences with Governor Abbott; several federal agencies, including Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); HISD Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan; and constituents across our district on issues affecting our community, from small business loans to energy matters to mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  These are trying times in so many ways, but I am inspired to see how our community is working together.

Congress continues to work remotely and to develop and advance legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As chair of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology, I convened a roundtable briefing  on the impacts of the pandemic on energy jobs and on potential paths to accelerate the U.S. energy industry’s economic recovery.  I was glad to lead this conversation between a bipartisan group of members of the Energy Subcommittee and leaders and experts from the Energy Futures Initiative.

Among the many issues we discussed was the importance of construction jobs in the energy industry, which was in keeping with the a bipartisan letter I wrote with the leaders of the Natural Gas Caucus and the Oil and Gas Caucus to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) earlier this week.  While some have called for a moratorium on the approval and construction of new natural gas pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, we encourage the FERC to continue processing, reviewing, and accepting projects while finding new avenues for public participation in the process.

I was glad to see that, following a bipartisan letter I led to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) explaining our constituents’ need for access to therapy services from home, including physical and speech therapy, CMS has confirmed that it will cover the telehealth appointments!

But there is more work to be done, which is why I joined with members of the Texas delegation and members of Congress from across the country this week in sending letters:

• Urging Governor Abbott to waive the biweekly recertification requirement to receive unemployment benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission during the pandemic.

• Calling on the Administration to:
  • Provide application status updates to struggling small businesses across the country that are seeking information about their EIDL applications.
  • Improve the infrastructure for testing and contact tracing in order to better manage the coronavirus.
  • Provide transparency and guidance to ensure workers in meat processing plants are protected against the virus.

• Ensuring Congressional leadership provides increased support in mental health resources and suicide prevention efforts given the unprecedented challenges that people across communities are facing.

What else would you like to see Congress address?  I want to hear from you and know how COVID-19 has affected your life. 

I am excited to join as a guest for an AARP telephone town hall taking place this Tuesday, May 5, from 1:30-2:30pm!  If you would like to join, you can RSVP here.

I will also host another TX-07 telephone town hall the following week.  Stay tuned for more details!  And if you have any questions before then, you can always call my office or download my COVID-19 Community Resources Guide for information on resources available to our community during this time.

I hope you know how important the 2020 Census is.  As a reminder, Census results will guide how federal support is distributed across the country for the next ten years, and it is essential that we are all counted to make sure our community receives the federal resources it needs. That’s money for roads, schools, and flood mitigation projects, among others.

As I write this today, the response rate to the 2020 Census is only 54.6 percent nationwide.  In Texas, the rate is 51%.  In Harris County, the rate is 50.5%.

Our district is above average for Texas – we are at 52.4%.  But, I am sorry to report, we are behind our friends in Dallas.  Need I say more?

If you haven’t done it yet, you can do it now!  Filling out the census is quick and easy, and responses are confidential.  You can complete the census now by calling 844-330-2020 or by clicking here.

I am proud to represent you, and I am here to help you.