Dear Neighbor,
It has been a quiet but productive week. The House is in recess for a district work week, and I have been working remotely and able to move forward several important matters. |
On Tuesday, I held a Community Conversation on the Omicron variant with Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine; Dr. David Persse, Chief Medical Officer for the City of Houston; and Scott Jeansonne, Interim Assistant Director for the COVID-19 Division at Harris County Public Health. I am grateful to the three of them for sharing their insights – answering live questions for neighbors as well as questions sent to our office in advance. If you missed the Community Conversation, you can still watch it here. |
You may remember me mentioning the REGROW Act, a bipartisan bill I introduced in the House to establish a program to provide funds for the plugging, remediating, and reclaiming of orphaned oil and gas wells and surrounding areas throughout the U.S. It became a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and was signed into law in November. The Department of the Interior is already taking applications for funds, and the State of Texas has applied. I spoke with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland this week and asked for robust funding for Texas, and followed our conversation with a letter reiterating why Texas is so well-positioned to put these funds to work right away—a win for our environment and our economy. As the lead sponsor in the House for the bill, it really is so gratifying to see this $5 billion program in action so quickly.
In addition, I joined my colleagues in sending several other letters on issues important to our community this week, including: - A letter to Secretary Becerra urging the United States Department of Health and Human Services to ensure coverage of at-home COVID-19 tests for Medicare beneficiaries.
- A letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to express strong bipartisan support for the Medicare Advantage program.
- A letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers General Scott Spellmon and Assistant Secretary of the Army Michael Connor requesting a significant amount of operation and maintenance funds in the President's FY2023 Budget for the Houston Ship Channel.
- A letter to Appropriations Committee Chairwomen DeLauro and Roybal-Allard and Ranking Members Granger and Fleischmann to request increased funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to bolster security and protect non-profit organizations, religious schools, and houses of worship. (More on this below.)
- A letter to President Biden to request the President's FY2023 Budget include $5 billion in funding for critical election infrastructure.
And I co-sponsored several pieces of legislation: - A Resolution condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022, H.Res. 881, to stand with the Colleyville community, the hostages, and all those affected and commend the Federal, State, and local law enforcement and emergency responders who responded to the terrorist attack. (More on this below.)
- A Resolution regarding the Equal Rights Amendment as 28th Amendment, to express the sense of the House that the Equal Rights Amendment is the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing protections against sex discrimination.
- The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, H.R. 2252, to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley.
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Are you a veteran who wants to share your story? Participate in the Veterans History Project. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this project collects and documents the experiences of veterans through video interviews in order to preserve their stories so future generations do not forget the realities of war. If you served in the military during any conflict since World War II, you are eligible to participate in this project. |
If you are interested in participating in the Veterans History Project, please download the two PDFs below Return the completed forms by email to fletcher.office@mail.house.gov or by mail to my office at 5599 San Felipe Rd., Suite. 950, Houston, TX 77056. If you would prefer to drop off your forms, please call (713) 353-8680 to schedule a time to do so. Upon receipt of completed forms, our team will contact you to schedule an interview. After the interview has been conducted, we will send it to the Library of Congress. If you have any questions or if we can be of service, please feel free to call our office at (713) 353-8680. If you would like to learn more about the Veterans History Project, please visit the Library of Congress' page about it. |
On Tuesday, we discussed several resources for our community from the federal government, Harris County, and the City of Houston: - COVID Test Kits: Visit COVIDTests.gov or call 1-800-232-0233 to order your four free at-home test kits.
- Additionally, as of January 15, private insurance plans are required to cover the cost of at least eight free at-home COVID-19 tests per covered individual per month.
- COVID Test Sites: Free local COVID testing is also available from City of Houston and Harris County. Find a location near you at:
- Vaccines: Vaccinations are one of our best lines of defense, for both personal safety and for our community. To find a free vaccine or booster near you, visit Vaccines.gov.
- Masks: The federal government has begun distributing N95 masks for adults free of charge at thousands of pharmacies and community health centers across the country. Learn more about CDC guidance on N95s here.
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Two weekends ago, we watched the tragic hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. Our district includes the heart of Houston’s Jewish Community, and I share the deep concerns of our neighbors and friends about the rise in extremist threats to the Jewish community here in Texas and across the country, as well as intolerance and threats to other religious, racial, and ethnic groups.
After the tragedy, I received an increased number of calls about the importance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This week, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to the Committee on Appropriations urging it to fund NSGP at a level that meets the increasing and extraordinary needs of at-risk populations at this time of heightened threat to faith-based and charitable organizations.
I also co-sponsored House Resolution 881 Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022. The Congress stands with the Colleyville community, the hostages, and all those affected. I am committed to working to ensure the safety and security of our neighbors and to bringing our community’s values represented in our strong interfaith partnerships and efforts to Washington. |
Tuesday begins Black History Month. The House will reconvene in Washington for votes; first, H.R. 5577 to rename a post office in Atlanta in memory of the Honorable John R. Lewis.
Much of our legislative work this week will focus on the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act of 2022 (“America COMPETES”), which invests in production of American-made semiconductors, tackles supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in the United States, turbocharges the U.S.’s scientific research and technological leadership, and strengthens our economic and national security at home and abroad. I anticipate that the House will vote on the bill later in the week. This bill will ensure that the U.S. can outcompete any country in the world, now and for decades to come. For more details on the bill, you can read more here.
We’ve had a great response to our Lizzie’s Little Learners Challenge! As a reminder, students have until tomorrow to complete the challenge. Forms will be due Monday, February 7. Learn more and download the log sheet at fletcher.house.gov/little-learners! |
Next, join our TX-07 team in spreading some love to our veterans this Valentine’s Day! I’ve launched my third annual “Valentines for Vets” program and am inviting students and their teachers in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District to submit Valentine’s Day cards and letters thanking local veterans for their service. We will collect cards and deliver them to Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center for Valentine’s Day. |
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 are here to help. With best wishes, |
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