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Dear Neighbor,
After a productive week in Washington, I’ve headed back home to Houston for a District Work Period. I look forward to meeting with our community this upcoming week – including during an Across the Aisles and a Community Conversation on Healthcare, where we will be focusing on prescription drug prices.
You can read more about those events below, but first, I wanted to give you a recap of the week.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee met on something close to our all our hearts: protecting our pets during natural disasters. Pets are important members of our families, and for many people, it is hard to imagine leaving them behind in the event of a natural disaster. This hearing highlighted important information for preparation and disaster response for our pets, like Remy, who made a special appearance!
In the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, we marked up five bipartisan bills focused on clean energy. During this markup, the committee adopted one of my amendments to direct the Department of Energy to conduct research and development on modernizing our electric grid infrastructure. My legislation now awaits consideration by the full House, and I am glad to see it one step closer to final passage.
This week, the House passed H.J. Res. 79, a bipartisan resolution to remove an arbitrary Congressional deadline for the states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution. The ERA passed the House and Senate with bipartisan majorities in 1971 and 1972, but it originally contained a clause requiring that it states ratify it by 1979, a deadline that was later extended to 1982, before it expired. Last month, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA. With this week’s vote, the House successfully moved to remove the 1982 deadline, taking a critical step toward making the ERA the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Meetings for our Energy Future
I was glad to meet with senior executives from ConocoPhillips this week to discuss climate leadership and Houston’s energy future. It was a great follow up to my employee town hall at the ConocoPhillips’ headquarters in our district last year!
I also met with members of the Petroleum Equipment and Services Association (PESA) who live and work in the Seventh Congressional District about issues that matter to them—and to all of us.
Higher Education
I met with Houston Community College’s (HCC) Trustees to discuss higher education priorities. Our conversations centered around the need for PELL grants, simplifying FAFSA, and improving workforce development.
Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments
The Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments convenes members of our local governments in order to help solve problems on a regional basis. I was glad to meet with them and discuss how we can work together for residents in our district.
Have you gone to one of my Across the Aisles events? As a part of my commitment to meeting you where you are, I am glad to be able to meet you at Kroger stores across the district. On Monday, I will be at the Copperfield Kroger from 3 – 4 PM. Feel free to stop by to ask questions, share your thoughts, and find out how my office can help you.
I will also be hosting another Community Conversation on Health Care on Wednesday, February 19, focused on addressing the rising costs of prescription drug prices. A panel of experts will join me to help answer your questions. I hope you will be able to join us! You can RSVP here.
I returned home just in time for Valentine’s Day. I had so much fun collecting valentine’s cards from Condit Elementary School and taking them with others from across our community to the VA Hospital. It was a privilege and a pleasure to play cupid and share the love from our community with our veterans.
I am looking forward to a busy week at home. I hope to see you Across the Aisles or at our Community Conversation. If you want to visit and can’t make those events, please remember you can call or email my office any time.
Best wishes,
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