Dear Neighbor,

First, a reminder that tomorrow at 6pm, State Representative Jon Rosenthal and I will host a Community Conversation on The First 100 Days in Austin and in Washington.  It’s been a busy session both in Congress and in the Lege, and there will be much to discuss.  I hope you will join us and look forward to answering your questions! 

You can click here to RSVP.  We will provide the link for the town hall via email on Monday at 4:00pm, so be sure to RSVP by 3:00pm tomorrow.  

It was a busy week at home and in Washington, D.C., and I am glad to share some of the highlights. 

While I was in Washington this week, I visited Arlington National Cemetery with several colleagues to remember and honor our fellow Americans buried there for their service to our country.

And it was fitting to introduce this week the Care Access Resources (CARS) for Vets Act with my colleague Congressman Mark Takano, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  In our community and communities across the country, cars are essential forms of transportation, but for disabled veterans, driving can present challenges.  The VA has a successful grant program that allows for a one-time payment for disabled veterans to adapt their cars to meet their specific needs, helping to ensure that they live independent and mobile lives.  Our legislation builds on the success of this program by making it possible for program participants to purchase additional vehicles to meet their needs every 10 years.

I was also glad to lead a letter with Representatives Judy Chu, Diana DeGette, and Barbara Lee to the Department of Health and Human Services on the Biden administration’s proposals to repair and rebuild the Title X family planning program.  Title X is the only federal program dedicated to family planning.  It was born in TX-07, introduced in Congress by President George H. W. Bush when he was the congressman for our district, and it provides critical preventive health care services for millions of low-income Americans each year. 

We passed several important bills this week.  We began the week voting to pass COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with overwhelming support, and I was glad to see President Biden sign it into law this week.  The law will ensure better tracking and reporting of hate crimes against the AAPI community, which have increased since the beginning of the pandemic, as well as provide support for victims and guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to report hate crimes.

The House also passed bipartisan legislation to create an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol.  As I have previously shared with you, I was in the chamber of the House of Representatives that day and witnessed the attack on our democracy—an attack we cannot forget and that we have a responsibility to ensure never happens again.  In order to do so, we need a comprehensive understanding of what happened, which is what the bipartisan, independent commission will work to do.  

The House also passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation I co-sponsored that will help secure strong and clear workplace protections for pregnant workers.

In addition to these bills, the House passed the following bills with overwhelming bipartisan support:

• Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Act to help homeless veterans with children quickly access federal programs designed to help service members reenter the workforce.  These programs help teach homeless veterans the critical occupational skills necessary to find jobs, reach financial stability, and secure permanent housing.
• GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline Act to ensure that veterans don’t lose access to expiring GI bill educational benefits due to school or program closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The legislation would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to pause the time limit currently placed on the use of GI Bill benefits and allow them to restart the clock after it is safe for veterans to return to school.
• Rural STEM Education Research Act, which directs the National Science Foundation to research ways to improve STEM education in rural areas.  This bill would also create regional partnerships between universities, local industries, and schools to provide Pre-K-through-12 students with more hands-on research experiences and encourage more rural students to enter into STEM-related fields.
• STEM Opportunities Act to help keep America a global leader in science and technology innovation by identifying and lowering barriers facing underrepresented minorities in STEM educational programs and professions.
• COVID-19 Fraud Prevention Act to create the Consumer and Investor Fraud Working Group that will provide resources, including information about legal aid, to help consumers respond to incidents and protect consumers from financial fraud during the pandemic.
• Homebuyer Assistance Act to make it easier to purchase a home with a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage by reducing the requirements appraisers have to meet before being allowed to perform appraisals on FHA financed homes.  This will help make homeownership a reality for first-time, low-income, and minority homebuyers, many of which utilize the FHA mortgage program.
• TRANSPLANT Act to reauthorize the National Marrow Donor Program, a federal program that matches unrelated volunteer bone marrow donors and cord blood units with patients who have been diagnosed with leukemia or over 70 otherwise fatal blood disorders and diseases.  The bill will ensure that patients have access to life-saving transplants and treatments.

As a reminder, you can view my full voting record on my website.

I was glad to join the Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy for a hearing with the Secretary of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, where I had the opportunity to ask her about support for carbon capture technology.  And the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce also held a hearing on automotive technology— “Promises and Perils: The Potential of Automobile Technologies”—where we discussed the potential of automobile technologies to help keep us safer on the roads. 

After returning home from Washington, I had the pleasure of joining the Houston International Festival in celebrating the United Nations Association World Day for Cultural Diversity with leaders from our community and dignitaries from around the world at Houston City Hall. 

On the other hand, we had good news this week in the fight against COVID-19.  Harris County reduced the COVID-19 threat level to Orange alert/Level 2.  Nearly a third of the population in Harris County is fully vaccinated, and Judge Hidalgo has said the decision to lower the threat level is a reflection of the success of the vaccine in lowering hospitalizations, death rates, daily cases and other key measurements. 

The COVID-19 threat level guidance applies mainly to those who are still unvaccinated, and recommends these people continue to minimize contact with others, avoid any medium or large gatherings, and visit businesses that follow public health guidance.

Anyone who is looking for a COVID-19 vaccine provider can click here to find a provider nearby.  COVID-19 vaccines are widely available across our community, and I encourage anyone who is eligible to get vaccinated.  The current positivity rate Harris County is at 7.6 percent.

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 or (202) 225-2571 any time.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,