Dear Neighbor,

This week marked 100 days since the start of this Congress, and 100 days since the attack on the Capitol.  I returned to Washington on Tuesday, beginning by paying my respects to U.S. Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, who died in the line of duty protecting our Capitol and our country earlier this month.  I am grateful to Officer Evans and to all the Capitol Police officers for their commitment and service in keeping our Capitol and the people who work there safe.

These first 100 days have been momentous in the House.  We passed The American Rescue Plan, providing critical relief from this pandemic to families and communities across the country.  We have also passed vital legislation that reflects priorities for our district, from the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to the Equality Act, The Dream and Promise Act, the PPP Extension Act, and so much more.

I remain committed to working on your behalf, and I am glad to share my work over the past week.

This week, I was proud to vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support.  I am an original co-sponsor of this legislation, which closes loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act to help eliminate the gender wage gap and ensure women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. 

We also passed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act to protect frontline healthcare workers from workplace violence, which has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House also worked on other key matters this week.  We voted to extend the Medicare sequester to prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts to Medicare and support health care providers.  Other highlights included passing the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act to establish a senior scams prevention advisory group at the FTC, the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2021 to educate people about the dangers of carbon monoxide inhalation, and the Microloan Improvement Act of 2021 to modernize the SBA’s microloan program to provide greater technical and financial assistance to small businesses.

We voted on several other bills this week, many of which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, which you can track on my website.

Our committees were busy at work this week.  The Energy and Commerce Committee’s held a hearing on the opioid epidemic, and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing regarding our innovation future.

I also testified this week before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about how the vision for transformative infrastructure projects and coastal protection in the American Jobs Plan is fitting for the Texas Coastal Spine Project.  You can watch my testimony here and you can read my remarks here.

I joined my Texas colleagues, led by Congressman Lloyd Doggett, in a letter to Secretary of Education Cardona expressing concerns about the delivery of $19 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds for Texas schools.  These funds were intended to provide students the support needed to overcome multiple COVID-19 pandemic challenges and other locally determined needs, but Governor Abbott has delayed and diverted these funds, and not a single dollar of the already-approved ESSER funds have reached Texas schools.  This is a topic of vital importance.  Schools need these resources to help re-open safely and help students.  I will continue to work on to ensure our educators have the help that Congress intended for them

I also joined my colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition in a letter to President Biden outlining our legislative priorities for health care. 

I met with lots of Houstonians virtually this week, including representatives from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) regarding infrastructure and labor standards, the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding support for legislation to improve vaccine delivery for children, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. and the Greater Houston Partnership.

I also met virtually with Secretary of Energy Granholm and my colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition to discuss the American Jobs Plan and our energy future.  I was glad to speak at the National Ocean Industries Association’s annual meeting, as well. 

I was glad to announce this week that the City of Houston will receive $1,656,849 in federal FEMA funds to help repair the Kendall Library and Community Center, which closed because of flooding damage during Hurricane Harvey.  Libraries are vital centers across our community, and these funds are vital for the city to move forward with restoration efforts. 

Another important community note: Veterans who have not yet received their economic impact payment through the American Rescue Plan should have started to see the $1,400 payments arrive in their bank accounts this week.  The latest round of payments specifically applies to veterans and their beneficiaries who receive Compensation and Pension (C&P) benefit payments and who do not normally file a tax return.  Most payments will be automatically deposited into banks accounts or loaded onto the Direct Express cards where veterans receive their benefits.  Those waiting on paper checks or debit cards through the mail should expect to receive their payments over the next several days.  If you are a veteran who qualifies for this payment and are having difficulty receiving it, or you know someone who is, please contact my office for help.

I am proud to represent you, and I am here to help you.  Please do not hesitate to call me to share your thoughts and concerns or to let me know how my team and I can help.  You can email here, or call my office at (713) 353-8680 any time.

Best wishes,