There were lots of votes this week.  Generally, the bills debated on the floor were focused on efforts to roll back protections for public lands and endangered species.  But we also passed several bills on suspension on a bipartisan basis, including the Fire Weather Development Act of 2024, H.R. 4866, which authorizes appropriations for federal agencies to improve fire weather forecasts, establishes wildfire research committees, and develops recommendations for disseminating fire warnings, and the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act (H.R. 4755), which directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct outreach on privacy-enhancing technologies and requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support related research.  I voted in favor of both bills. 

On Tuesday, the House considered the Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act, H.R. 529, to change the current limit of U.S. "customs waters" from 12 miles to 24 miles; the Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act, H.R. 4824, to expand the research, development, and demonstration program on carbon dioxide sequestration within the DOE; the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act, H.R. 4877, to establish a research, development, and demonstration program concerning abandoned oil and gas wells; the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2023, H.R. 6093, to improve hurricane and tornado forecasting, allow new private sector partnerships and boost public communication on weather crises; the Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration Act, H.R. 3738, to establish the Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration to administer economic opportunity assistance programs for veterans and their dependents and survivors; the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, H.R. 4016, to make it easier for veterans with disabilities to be made financially whole in the event they are defrauded of their benefits; and the Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act, H.R. 1767, to establish a process for student veterans to restore their GI Bill education benefits in instances where student veterans are defrauded by educational institutions.  All of these bills passed on a bipartisan basis.

The House also considered the WEST Act of 2023, H.R. 3397.  This bill would require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw its recent Conservation and Landscape Health Rule clarifying that conservation is an eligible allowable use of public lands (like energy development, grazing, mining, and recreation) and allowing public lands to be leased for restoration and mitigation purposes to balance use and promote the long-term vitality of public lands.  I voted against the bill which passed the House by a vote of 212-202.

The House also considered the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023, H.R. 615, which would prevent the BLM and Fish and Wildlife Services department from prohibiting or regulating lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands or waters.  Lead poisoning has been linked to population decline in certain endangered species.  While lead has traditionally been used for ammunition, shells, and tackle, other newer metals like tungsten, steel, and bismuth are available for sportsmen and women on public lands where there are ecological concerns.  For these reasons, I voted against the bill which passed by a vote of 214-201.

The House also considered the ironically named Trust the Science Act, H.R. 764, introduced by Lauren Boebert of Colorado.  If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a Trump Administration rule that removed the gray wolf from list of protected species under the Endangered Species Act.  Whether a species is removed or kept on an endangered species list is best left to.  I voted against this bill on the basis that experts with background in wildlife management—that is, the scientists—are better positioned than members of Congress to make that determination.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 209-205.

The House also considered the Superior National Forest Restoration Act, H.R. 3195.  This bill would nullify a recent public land order which finalized the mineral withdrawal of 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest for mining purposes.  Because the Forest Services determined that mining in the area could result in serious and irreparable harm, and because protecting America’s public lands for proper use should be a priority of Congress, I voted against this bill.  The bill passed by a vote of 212-203.

We also considered the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, H.R. 6285, which, if enacted, would direct the BLM to reinstate six oil and gas leases on about 300,000 acres of land within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  The revocation of these leases happened after two leases were given up by operators who chose not to pursue drilling for economic reasons.  I voted against this bill, which passed the House by a vote of 214-199.

We also considered the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, H.R. 2925.  We did not, however, have a final vote on the bill because a procedural motion to send the bill back to committee passed.  This is the first time a motion to recommit (what we call an MTR) passed since I have been in Congress.  And, I learned this week, that it is the first time it has happened since 1992.  Usually, this is a party-line procedural motion.  This week, six Republicans voted for the MTR.

The House did consider and pass another resolution, H.Res. 1112, “denouncing the Biden administration’s immigration policies.”  I voted against this resolution.

Finally, the House considered and passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, H.R. 6090.  If enacted, this bill would require the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism as it investigates anti-Jewish discrimination on college campuses.  As antisemitic threats against Jews in the United States have reached historic levels, it is critical that we ensure the safety of Jewish community members in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District and across our country.  I voted for this bill and it passed the House by a vote of 320-91. 

As a reminder, you can always find a list of all of the votes I have taken for the district on my website.

Last week, I cosponsored the Countering Antisemitism Act, H.R. 7921, to strengthen the federal government’s response to antisemitism in the United States.  This bill takes a comprehensive approach to addressing antisemitism, including by establishing the first-ever National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism and appointing a senior official within the Department of Education responsible for countering antisemitism on college campuses.

On Thursday, I sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the EPA to take a coordinated approach to crafting its update to the methane reporting requirements under Subpart W of the Clean Air Act.  This proposed rule will be key to ensuring technically feasible reporting requirements that incentivize advanced detection and quantification technologies of methane in oil and gas operations.

On Tuesday, I joined my colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy (DOE) Jennifer Granholm to discuss the work DOE is doing to implement legislation we passed in the last Congress, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.  For Houston, these bills have already delivered $1.2 billion for the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub; $3 billion in loan guarantees for #TX07-based Sunnova to expand solar access; and $200 million for T.EN Stone & Webster Process Technology to help decarbonize the chemicals sector. 

Energy was the theme this week, and I joined a small working group of my New Democrat Coalition colleagues the next day for a roundtable on permitting reform issues with environmental advocacy organizations and industry groups, where we discussed shared goals and key issues for stakeholders. 

This week, the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) made its annual trip to Washington to meet with government officials, so there were lots of Houstonians on the Hill.  I was glad to visit with GHP members about the things on their minds and the importance of their visit to Washington to advocate for our city and our region.  I had the pleasure of—almost literally—running into TX07 resident and City of Houston Housing and Community Development Director, and former president and chief executive officer of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, Mike Nichols and the City of Houston team, who were in town for meetings about federal solutions to reduce homelessness and increase access to affordable housing.  And I had the pleasure of visiting with a native Houstonian (whose mom still lives in the district) in the running for the Ambassador award at Running Start's Young Women to Watch Awards.

Of course, Team TX-07 was also busy this week both in Washington and in Houston.  In Washington, Team TX-07 participated in more than two dozen meetings.  Some highlights are pictured below, including meetings with representatives from BakerRipley, ConocoPhillips, the Auto Care Association, Physicians for Reproductive Health, FWD .us, #TX07’s VN TeamWork Inc., and Air Traffic Controllers from Houston. 

And in Houston, Team TX-07 was busy helping constituents and attending events around the district, including a SPARK Park dedication at Baker Montessori in Montrose, Alief ISD’s Taste of Alief Festival, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce’s State of the County, the HOPE Clinic’s Bite of Hope Program, and the Asian Chamber of Commerce’s AANHPI Heritage Month luncheon. 

I am excited to report that, this week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will award $5.5 million in federal funding to Harris County Public Health (HCPH) to support its Maternal and Child Health Program.  This innovative program will help meet the health care and social needs of mothers and infants in underserved communities throughout Harris County.  You may remember that I was able to secure more than $1.4 million in federal funding for this program through congressional appropriations two years ago.  Earlier this year, I wrote a letter to the Biden administration advocating for the HHS funding announced this week to continue the work to improve community health and address disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. You can read more here.

I have heard from many of you about the need to expand the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which Congress created in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).  The ACP allows qualifying households to save up to $30 a month on their internet bills. Thousands of households in TX-07 qualified for the program and enrolled, but the ACP ran out of funding on April 30. 

In January 2024, the bipartisan, bicameral Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act was introduced, and, if adopted, would provide an additional $7 billion for the ACP.  This Act has broad support, and I am one of more than 224 co-sponsors. We are working hard to move this legislation to keep Americans connected to the internet.

Next week, the House will be back in session and I will be back in Washington.  We expect to take up some time-sensitive legislation, including the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is set to expire on May 10.  We also expect to take up other legislation from several different committees.  You may also have seen in the news that Congresswoman Marjorie Tayor Greene has announced that she will try to force a vote to remove the House Speaker next week through a Motion to Vacate.  I don’t know how it will move forward, but I’ll report back next week.

In May, we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.  This week, I joined my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) for our official caucus photo for the 118th Congress.  I join my colleagues in CAPAC and neighbors in Houston in celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage, culture, and history, and I look forward to continuing to partner with our dynamic Asian American community.

I am also proud to represent so many people and institutions that are at the heart of Houston’s thriving Jewish community.  This month, we celebrate the inspiring history of Jewish people in America and the vital and varied ways Jewish Americans contribute to our nation, and I look forward to doing so in our district this month.

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please 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,