Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy week in Washington, and I am glad to be back home for the Juneteenth holiday weekend! I’m glad to share a few highlights of the last week here.
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Last Saturday, we opened our new district office in Sugar Land, and held a ribbon cutting and open house. I was honored and delighted that so many leaders from Fort Bend County and the City of Sugar Land joined neighbors from across the district to celebrate the official opening of our new office, including State Representative Ron Reynolds; State Representative Suleman Lalani; Fort Bend County Commissioners Grady Prestage, Dexter McCoy, and Andy Meyers; Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman; Sugar Land City Council Members William Ferguson, Naushad Kermally, Carol McCutcheon, and Suzanne Whatley; Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan; Fort Bend County Treasurer Bill Rickert; Judge Juli Matthew; President of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce King Banerjee as well as representatives from the office of Fort Bend County Judge KP George, the University of Houston at Sugar Land, and the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Texas. It was great to meet neighbors from across the district and around the corner who showed up to help us cut the ribbon and celebrate this new space! The Sugar Land district office is located at 1600 Highway 6, Suite 455, Sugar Land, Texas 77478, near the intersection of Highway 6 and 59. For a full list of hours, appointments, and services available at the office, click here.
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After an uncertain week last week, we returned to Washington because the House was to reconvene on Monday. The House did reconvene and debated some bills on suspension Monday, but we did not have any recorded votes, as we ordinarily would. During debate, that House passed by a voice vote the Block Grant Assistance Act of 2023, H.R. 662, to authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide block grants to states to assist agricultural producers with losses related to droughts, hurricanes, floods, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze, and other natural disasters that occurred last year.
The House got back to recorded votes on Tuesday, and we passed several bills and resolutions on suspension this week with broad bipartisan agreement, including a resolution to establish a special envoy position within the U.S. Department of State dedicated to advancing the Abraham Accords (H.R. 3099), as well as resolutions calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, (H.Res. 377) and Paul Whelan (H.Res. 272), U.S. citizens wrongfully detained in Russia. We also passed the Changing Age-Determined Eligibility to Student Incentive Payments (CADETS) Act, S. 467, to expand the eligibility age to include any qualified student who will meet the age requirements for enlistment in the U.S. Navy Reserve at their time of graduation, and ensure that high-performing, non-traditional cadets can receive this funding. The CADETS Act passed the Senate earlier this year, so it will now go to the President’s desk for signature.
The House also debated and voted on several other bills and proposed amendments to them, including two bills related to regulation of gas stoves on Wednesday: the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, H.R. 1640, relating to a proposed rule from the Department of Energy, and the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, H.R. 1615, relating to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While I have expressed some concern about technical aspects of these bills, I voted in favor of the bills, both of which passed.
I voted against the remainder of the bills brought to the House floor this week, including: - a resolution (H.J. Res. 44) to overturn the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule that updates the factors that the ATF considers when determining if a firearm with an attached stabilizing brace or “other rearward attachment” would be considered a rifle or short-barreled rifle, and, therefore, subject to registration. The rule specifically clarifies that it only pertains to attachments that allow a weapon to be fired from the shoulder, not braces that are genuinely designed to wrap around a person’s forearm, which could be helpful for certain people with disabilities. The ATF’s final rule closes a loophole that allows gun owners to circumvent National Firearms Act (NFA) regulations that are required when purchasing a rifle (like fingerprinting, enhanced background checks, and tax stamps) by attaching a stabilizing brace to a pistol, which effectively turns the weapon into a short-barreled rifle. These braces make easily concealable pistols, including those with the capability to fire rifle-caliber ammunition, more stable and simpler to use. The type of braces targeted by the rule have been used in four mass shootings since 2019.
- a resolution (H.J. Res 42) attempting to override President Biden’s veto of a resolution Congress passed earlier this year to nullify the Washington, D.C. Council’s “Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act,” which permanently extends the temporary law enforcement transparency and accountability measures enacted following the death of George Floyd. I voted against this resolution earlier this year, and it did not get enough votes this week to override the President’s veto.
- the REINS Act (“Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act” of 2023, H.R. 277), a bill to amend the Congressional Review Act to require congressional approval of "major rules" issued by the Executive Branch, broadly defined as those that would result in a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. This overly broad bill makes it much more difficult to implement laws Congress has already passed and slows down rules and regulations, which is inconsistent with the view I have heard from constituents across all kinds of industries and ideological groups opposing the kind of uncertainty and delay this rule brings.
A freshman Republican member of the House also brought a privileged resolution to censure and fine Rep. Adam Schiff based on unsupported and deeply problematic claims relating to Congress’ investigation and impeachment of former President Trump. I voted for a Democratic motion to table consideration of the resolution, indefinitely postponing it. The motion to table passed 225 to 196, with 20 Republicans joining all Democrats.
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On Wednesday, I joined Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06) and several other members of Congress at a press conference on the Right to Contraception Act, which she introduced last week. I am an original co-sponsor of this legislation that establishes a federal right to contraception to empower Americans to make safe and well-informed decisions about their reproductive health. We were joined by family planning providers from across the country, and I met many who had travelled from Texas to be there to support this important legislation.
I was proud to tell the assembled group that the Title X Family Planning Program was born in TX-07. It was introduced in Congress by then Congressman George H.W. Bush, and has been an important resource for families across the country for more than fifty years.
While most Americans use some form of birth control at some point in their lives, this right is once again in jeopardy. Last year, Justice Thomas mentioned in his concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that the right to contraception established in Griswold v. Connecticut—giving married people the right to use birth control—should be reviewed. Last year, when we passed this same bill in the House, less than a dozen Republican members voted for it. Whether you call it birth control, contraception, or family planning, it is your right. And it is our job to protect it.
On Thursday, I introduced the Reproductive Health Care Training Act with Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), and Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02). The Reproductive Health Care Training Act creates a grant program to establish medical programs in states where abortion is legal, so that students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians training in states where abortion is limited or banned can receive proper education in reproductive health care. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) also introduced this legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Restrictions on access to abortion in our state and others that have eliminated abortion care place burdens on medical students and residents, who cannot receive proper training to provide the full range of reproductive health care, as well as on their patients. It is critical that as we work to restore and protect abortion access, we also work to educate the next generation of health care providers on the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion care. For both our students and our educational institutions—especially our highly regarded medical schools in Houston—success depends on proper and full education.
If enacted, the Reproductive Health Care Training Act would establish a program, funded at $25 million each year for the next five years, to award grants or contracts to medical programs in states where abortion is legal to: - Ensure education for students, residents, or advanced practice clinicians studying or working in states where abortion is limited or banned; and
- Prepare and encourage students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians training to serve as abortion providers after completing such training.
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This week, I co-sponsored several pieces of legislation on issues important to our community, including: - The Debt Ceiling Reform Act, H.R. 3953, to repeal the debt ceiling and grant the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue new debt as long as the president notifies Congress that new debt is needed;
- The Respect, Advancement, and Increasing Support for Educators (RAISE) Act, H.R. 3264, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a refundable tax credit for certain teachers as a supplement to state efforts to provide teachers with a livable wage; and
- The Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 2742, to expand protections under the Animal Welfare Act, by prohibiting broadcasts of animal fighting ventures in the U.S. and shipments or transport of certain roosters.
I also sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo asking for explicit guidance indicating hiring personnel and upgrading technology are eligible uses of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds. This letter expands on my work to provide state and local governments with resources to facilitate, modernize, and streamline broadband upgrades and deployment in my Broadband Incentives for Communities Act.
I joined my colleagues in sending several other letters on issues important to our community, including: - a letter to the House Armed Services Committee supporting Ukraine, prioritizing climate resilience and energy security, supporting servicemembers and their families, investing in American innovation, and strengthening supply chains;
- a letter to the Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt supporting the City of Houston's application for the Electric Vehicle Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program; and
- a letter to retail pharmacy corporations calling on them to become certified to dispense medication abortion.
I also signed three discharge petitions to urge House Republicans to bring common sense gun safety bills to the floor for a vote: - The Assault Weapons Ban, H.R. 698, to ban the sale, import, manufacture, or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons;
- The Bipartisan Background Checks Act, H.R. 715, to establish new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties; and
- The Enhanced Background Checks Act, H.R. 2403, to close the “Charleston loophole,” which allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days.
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On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Energy & Commerce Energy Subcommittee held hearings on the work of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was an important opportunity to hear from the commissioners about issues that are important to all of us in Houston and across the United States. I focused my questions on issues relating to hydrogen and advanced nuclear technology that are important to people doing the work here at home. To view my questions in the hearing with FERC commissioners, click here or on the video below.
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On Wednesday, Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14), Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02), Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01), and I officially launched the new bipartisan Flood Resilience Caucus to protect families, homes, and communities across the country from flood damage. Along the Texas Gulf Coast, we know all too well the devastating impacts of flooding and disasters. I am committed to working to protect communities from the impact of flooding and that is why I am glad to launch the Flood Resilience Caucus. I look forward to working with my co-chairs of the caucus to bring the needs of our coastal and inland communities to the forefront and work creatively to address the threat of flooding.
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As always, I love welcoming Houstonians on their trips to Washington! This week, I met with members of several associations, including the Texas Association of Broadcasters; the American Nurses Association; and the Global Business Travel Association to discuss a variety of issues–from protecting access to AM radios to reducing carbon emissions in the travel industry.
I also met with representatives of Community Health Choice to discuss ways to provide quality, affordable health care for people in Texas and across our country.
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In Washington, staff met with lots of folks, including representatives from the U.S. Postal Service, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the National Association of Land Professionals, the American Psychological Association, and more. In Houston, our field representatives attended Coffee with a Cop in Sugar Land, and the Fort Bend County Mayors’ Meeting.
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I’m glad to be home this weekend, and am looking forward to celebrating Father's Day and Juneteenth with people across our community. I wish everyone celebrating this weekend lots of joy.
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The House will reconvene on Tuesday, and I will be back in Washington. I am looking forward to providing an update at our Mid-Year Telephone Town Hall next Thursday evening from my office in Washington! I look forward to sharing a summary of the year to day and answering your questions. Submit your questions and RSVP for the event here.
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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,
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