This was a big week for our district.  A bill I originally sponsored and a critical amendment I originally sponsored both passed the House.

Harvey Funding Amendment

On Friday, the House passed my bipartisan amendment to provide an additional $45 million in federal aid to support Harvey recovery efforts.

As you know, many of our neighbors are still working to recover from Harvey's devastating impact.  I am always looking for ways to help with our recovery.  I learned last week that the House would vote on a supplemental disaster recovery bill to aid victims of the Puerto Rico earthquakes.  I saw this bill as an opportunity to correct to the denial of benefits to Harvey survivors who were denied federal assistance because they took out SBA loans.  I was glad to partner with neighboring Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) to get a bipartisan amendment to the bill deliver funds for our community.

During Harvey, our community demonstrated that we are at our best when we are working together to solve problems – and this bipartisan amendment reflects that very Houston spirit.  I spoke about why this amendment matters on the House floor.  You can watch my remarks here.  The bill passed, and is now in the Senate, where I hope it will pass quickly.



Protecting and Restoring Our Estuaries

The House also passed my bipartisan legislation with New Jersey Congressman Tom Malinowski and Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves to increase funding for and help protect estuaries like Galveston Bay.  The Protect and Restore America’s Estuaries Act reauthorizes and increases funding for the National Estuary Program (NEP), which works to protect the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries across the country.  Without reauthorization of the NEP, Galveston Bay would be at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal support.  Instead, this legislation reauthorizes the NEP for an additional 5 years and increases funding for this critical program.

Along the Texas Gulf Coast, we know the importance of protecting the water quality and wildlife in our estuaries.  Galveston Bay helps support our economy and provides a natural habitat that enriches our quality of life.  I am glad to see legislation to make sure Galveston Bay and estuaries like it across the country have the resources available to support their diverse marine life, maintain water quality, and encourage economic opportunity.

As you likely know, this week the President gave his State of the Union Address to the Congress and the nation.  It was my honor to have TX07 resident Dr. Jim Allison join me as my guest to the State of the Union this week.  A resident of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, Dr. Allison is the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the Chair of Immunology and Executive Director of the Immunotherapy platform at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Dr. Allison’s groundbreaking research in cancer treatment, and his staunch advocacy for the research conducted the National Institutes of Health, is a model of engagement and innovation.  I was glad to highlight his groundbreaking cancer research and innovation, and to share this vision of what we can accomplish by working together.


I was also happy to meet this week with local school board trustees from Spring Branch ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, and Klein ISD who were in town for their annual conference.  I also met with representatives from SABIC, which is headquartered in TX-07, as well as Houstonians in town to talk about our project to widen the Port of Houston and other developments in their businesses.



Save the date!  I will be hosting another Community Conversation on February 19 focused on health care.  A panel of experts will join me to discuss the rising costs of prescription drugs.  You can RSVP here. 



I’m also excited to launch Valentines for Vets!  I invite you and your family to make valentines for the veterans in our community as a token of our appreciation for their service.  You can drop them off or send them to my office at 5599 San Felipe Rd, Suite 950, by Thursday, February 13, and I will deliver them all to the VA Medical Center on Valentine’s Day.

If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact my office.  Have a great week!

Sincerely,