Dear Neighbor,

This week, the House was in session, and I was back in Washington for votes, hearings, markups, and other legislative business.  I am glad to be home in Houston now, and look forward to being here over the next two weeks.

On that note, I hope you will join me tomorrow evening for an in-person Community Conversation on Public Safety and Hate Crimes at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.  We will discuss rising violence and hate crimes in our area and what we can do about it. To RSVP, click here.

I have heard from many of you about the infant formula shortage, and I am glad to report that on Wednesday, the House voted for two bills to address the shortage.  The Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022, H.R. 7790, provides $28 million for the Food and Drug Administration to provide funds to address the infant formula shortage.  The Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022, H.R. 7791, which I co-sponsored, improves access to formula products for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants so that families can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during extenuating circumstances, including supply chain disruption.  I was glad to see these bills move so quickly through the House to assist families in need and to protect the health, well-being, and development of infants.  It is important we do all we can in moments like these, and these bills will have a meaningful impact.

On Thursday, the House voted for the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, H.R. 7688.  Understanding the real impacts of higher prices of gas and consumer goods on people across the country, I appreciate and support efforts to address them.  But I voted against this legislation because I do not believe it is the answer.  The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act would not fix high gasoline prices at the pump, and has the potential to exacerbate the supply shortage our country is facing, leading to even worse outcomes.  Higher gasoline prices we are seeing at the pump are the result of a lack of upstream inventory and a loss of refining capacity—challenges arising, in part, from decreased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Market demand is high while supply is low, in a volatile world market, and that is leading to higher gasoline prices.  Here in Houston, we are at the heart of addressing those challenges from increasing upstream supply to downstream refining.  We know that our energy ecosystem in this country and around the world is complex, as are the challenges we face in this moment.  We need smart policies in place that enable American energy companies to increase production, which will increase supply, bring prices down, and replace Russian oil and gas in the global marketplace.  I am committed to working with my colleagues to enact energy policy that does so while at the same time advancing our environmental and climate goals.

The House also took up several other bills that we passed on a bipartisan basis, including:

• The Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022, H.R. 6943, to expand the Public Safety Officer Benefit program, which provides disability relief to families of officers who have died or who have been permanently disabled in the line of duty. This bill will expand the program to recognize post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a covered condition, which will allow officers experiencing PTSD to access disability benefits;
• The Patient Advocate Tracker Act, H.R. 5754, to help create an online system to allow veterans who are concerned about care they have received at the VA to log and track responses to their inquiries about problems with health care services by the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
• The Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act, S. 4989, to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to restore benefits under the American Rescue Plan’s Veteran Rapid Retraining Program (VRRAP) to veterans whose education was interrupted by their school’s closure or a loss of accreditation.  The VRRAP was created to provide education and training for high-demand jobs to veterans who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• The Veterans Eligibility to Transfer School (VETS) Credit Act, H.R. 6604, to amend current law to make it easier for veterans with fewer than 12 course credit hours to transfer their GI benefits and coursework to another institution, should their school close or program of study end suddenly.  Currently, veterans without at least 12 course credit hours are ineligible to transfer their coursework to another education program if they are using their GI benefits; and
• The Student Veteran Work Study Modernization Act, H.R. 6376, to expand eligibility for federal work study programs to student veterans who are pursuing their degrees part-time.  Federal work study programs provide full-time college students with employment opportunities while they work to complete their degrees.

On Tuesday, my bipartisan bill that I introduced with Congressman Peter Meijer’s (MI-03), the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act, H.R. 7289, passed the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, bringing it one step closer to becoming law.  The Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act implements a federal study to uncover the health hazards per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure presents to communities.  This legislation requires federal agencies with existing PFAS research to work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on PFAS exposure and toxicity, and to develop a federal research and development plan to address PFAS exposure.  PFAS chemicals are a group of chemicals used in a variety of industries, including electronics, aerospace, and construction.  They can accumulate in the body for long periods of time and have been linked to adverse health outcomes.  I am glad that my bill to disclose the health hazards PFAS exposure presents to communities is now one step closer to becoming law.

On Wednesday, the Energy and Commerce Committee marked up two of my bills, H.R. 7679 and H.R. 5218, and passed them out of the committee.  H.R. 7679 is a bill to improve and develop pediatric medical devices by reauthorizing the Pediatric Device Consortia (PDC) grant program and allow profits for certain Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) devices.  The Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner (COCM) Act, H.R. 5218, invests in the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM), an evidence-based model that integrates behavioral health into the primary care setting to ensure Americans can access mental health care services when they need them.  They were included in two broader pieces of health legislation, the Food and Drug Amendments of 2022, H.R. 7667, and the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022, H.R. 7666. 

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

• A letter to Governor Greg Abbott to request clarification as to why the State of Texas closed the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program early, before FEMA could notify the public that applications were open, and if they will reopen the application period.  The Nonprofit Security Grant Program provides much needed funding to help nonprofit organizations at risk of a terrorist attack.  These grants allow organizations to prevent and protect against potential attacks by supporting critical security enhancements, training, and other emergency preparedness planning. 
• A letter led by Reps. Gerry Connolly and Mike Turner to Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, Chairman Menendez, and Ranking Member Risch to support the advancement of the accession protocols authorizing NATO membership for Finland and Sweden.
• A letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to support election worker safety.

In between markups, hearings, and votes, I was glad to meet with Houstonians on the Hill, including members of the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) to discuss the state of the industry with the current geopolitical turmoil, companies’ economic contributions, commitments to environmental stewardship, and regulatory issues facing the industry.

I got home from D.C. in time to join the SPARK Park dedication and ribbon cutting at Jane Long Academy in Gulfton.  In honor of the event, I presented a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol and had a great time talking with students and community members.  This SPARK Park will be a great space to grow, play, learn, and spark something new!

Also on Friday, I was glad to attend the Greater Houston Partnership’s State of Houston’s Economy event for a discussion of how Houston's international ties impact the regional and national economy. 

In continuing our efforts to help Ukrainians with ties to TX-07, Shirley on our team was able to help a constituent, Olga, and her grandmother get a visa appointment so she could travel to Houston and continue her cancer treatments here:

Olga sent the following message, which I’m glad to share: 

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, my family was in danger. My grandmother was not able to receive medical treatment due to the war.  With that, I was trying to expedite the process of bringing my family to the U.S. so they can be safe and be able to receive necessary medical treatment.  Lizzie Fletcher's office did an absolutely amazing job in assisting with consulate matters and expedite the process.  I am very thankful to all of the employees that were working on this matter.

If you think you may need our help with a federal agency, click here.

As I mentioned at the start of this update, I’m glad to be home and looking forward to seeing people across the district at all kinds of events.  I hope you will join us tomorrow as we start the week with a community conversation.

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 look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,