I loved getting to see so many Houstonians at some big events this week, including the Houston Parks Board annual luncheon, where we celebrated the work done to create, improve, protect, and advocate for parks—supporting more than 250 parks and creating more than 14,000 acres of new parks and trails to date—and the vision for the future in the Bayou Greenways project to connect 150 miles of trails along Houston's major bayous to bring 1.5 million people within 1.5 miles of a greenway.

And I was thrilled to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the HOPE Clinic at its luncheon, highlighting the vision of the founders, sharing the incredible work the clinic has done since it began, and honoring Dr. Peter Hotez for his important work on vaccines for COVID-19 and neglected tropical diseases and for his vision of making health care accessible for all.

I also met with several constituent groups this week, in person and virtually.  It was great to welcome back to the office TX-07 residents who are members of the Recording Academy (the organization that celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards — music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement) to discuss issues impacting the music creator community. 

Although we are not in session in Washington, I am continuing to work on issues important to our community.  This week, I joined my colleagues in sending several letters, including: 

• A letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing support for a forced arbitration exemption for the Permanent School Fund (PSF); 
• A letter to President Biden; Attorney General Merrick Garland; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Director Steven Dettelbach to urge the administration to establish clear guidance and enforce existing rulemaking on ghost guns by requiring all framers and receivers to be serialized.  (In August, ATF issued a final rule saying that all frames and receivers must have a serial number and must be sold with a background check.  But manufacturers are claiming that their frames and receivers are not frames or receivers because they are incomplete and they are selling frames and receivers separate from some firearm parts–parts that are easily accessible–and needed to complete a firearm.); and
• A letter to leaders of financial institutions that have created a new merchant category code for gun retailers, supporting their efforts to enable financial institutions to flag suspicious behavior for law enforcement through this code.

Join me in congratulating TX-07 resident Onur, a new U.S. Citizen!  He needed help communicating with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for his naturalization case that was outside of normal processing times.  He reached out to the constituent advocates in my office and they were able to inquire about his case with the agency.  He was contacted by USCIS shortly afterward for a naturalization interview.  In a note to our office, he said, “Today I am proud to call myself a U.S. citizen, thank you Lizzie Fletcher!”  If you need help, or someone you know needs help, with a federal agency, including USCIS, click here. 

As November approaches, now is the time to prepare for holiday visits with family.  Some doctors project that there may be a winter surge in cases.  Protect yourselves and your loved ones with one of the most effective forms of protection: get your COVID-19 bivalent booster.  Go to vaccines.gov/search to find a vaccine near you.

Our community and the world have been gripped by the protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.  We have many Iranian American neighbors in TX-07, and I have heard from many voicing their support for those participating in protesting the Iranian government’s oppressive rule.

As brave women and girls of Iran inspire the world with their courageous demand for equal rights and equal dignity, I stand with them, along with people across TX-07 and the United States, in their peaceful protest of injustice and in their hope it will lead to a better tomorrow.

Tomorrow night, I will host a Town Hall on Veterans’ Affairs and Issues at BakerRipley’s Reunion Hall with special guests, VA Houston’s Deputy Medical Center Director Lindsey Crain, MHA, FACHE; Combined Arms’ Mia Garcia, Executive Director for Texas Veterans Network; and the City of Houston’s Director of Veterans and Military Affairs, Robert Dembo III, USN to discuss how we can best support our veterans.  RSVP here or by clicking on the graphic below.

Finally, we have a few deadlines coming up for students in TX-07:

• Tuesday, Nov. 1: Military Service Academy Nomination Applications are due.  Learn more here or call (713) 353-8680 if you have questions about the application.
• Tuesday, Nov. 1: The Congressional App Challenge closes and final submissions must be uploaded to the portal at CongressionalAppChallenge.us/students.

As always, 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 look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,