Dear Neighbor,

One year ago, we were headed into the first days of a pandemic with so much uncertainty.  After weeks of beginning these emails by acknowledging the difficult moments our district has seen, I am glad to begin this week’s message noting that help is on the way.  Today, we are ahead of schedule for vaccine distribution, and funding to fight COVID-19 and provide economic relief is headed to families and communities.  We are not through the crisis yet, but we see light at the end of this tunnel.

I was in Washington again this week, where the House of Representatives passed four major pieces of legislation: the Senate version of the American Rescue Plan Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021.

The House passed a revised American Rescue Plan Act and President Biden signed it into law on Thursday.  This plan mobilizes the people and resources we need now, including a national vaccination program, financial assistance, unemployment assistance, rental assistance, funding for schools and funding for state and local governments that are responding to this pandemic every day.  In Houston and Harris County, local governments are estimated to be eligible to receive more than $1.5 billion, funds our local elected officials have told me are essential to our community’s ability to respond.

The legislation includes more for families, communities, and schools to combat the public health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, including a new round of economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per adult or child, an increase of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, support for small businesses, and funding to help get children back to school safely.  More details are available here.

I am also pleased that as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act, my bill to incentivize states to expand Medicaid was signed into law.  More than one million low-income Texans live in a coverage gap, meaning that they don’t have access to health care because they don’t make enough money to qualify for ACA marketplace, but they make too much to qualify for Medicaid.  My bill provides a new incentive for states like Texas to expand Medicaid by increasing the amount of federal funding if they expand coverage.  It is vitally important that our Texas legislature takes advantage of this increase of funding to expand access to health care and keep our communities healthy.

The House of Representatives also passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act this week, which protects the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain, as well as two major pieces of gun violence prevention legislation, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, which establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, which closes the dangerous “Charleston loophole” that allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days.

Additionally, this week I co-sponsored the legislation and sent letters to Governor Abbott and the administration, including:

• H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021, to reauthorize VAWA after its expiration in 2018 and build upon previous iterations with additional grants and support to groups that work on domestic and sexual violence and prevention.
• H.R. 1784, the Medicaid REACH Act, to require official disclosure and verification by states of the data identifying the effects of denying health coverage financed with federal dollars to expand Medicaid coverage.   
• H.R. 1848, the LIFT America Act, to rebuild and modernize the Nation's infrastructure to expand access to broadband, clean drinking water, health care, reliable jobs, and more.
• A letter to Governor Abbott requesting the acceptance of federal funds for testing asylum seekers for COVID-19.

I am excited to launch this year’s Congressional Art Competition for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District.  Each year, talented young artists have produced beautiful art that reflects the diverse experiences and beauty across our district, and I am looking forward to seeing their submissions this year.  You can learn more and submit artwork here. 

I am also glad to announce that Spring Branch Community Health Center has been awarded $3 million in federal funding to help keep our neighbors healthy.  The Center has been on the frontline of combatting COVID-19, and this grant will help support its critical work in our community.

I was glad to come home at the end of the week, and visit with community leaders about the positive impacts of the American Rescue Plan with officials from around our community.  I was glad to be joined by West University Mayor Bob Higley from TX07 as well as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Dr. Persse, and others who explained the importance of the legislation’s direct allocation to our communities that are on frontlines of combatting the pandemic.  I am grateful for the partnership between local officials and our delegation to ensure that these needs could be addressed in the legislation.

As we wait for the provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act to take place, please remember that my office is here to help!  Our constituent services team can provide assistance working with federal agencies, like the IRS, the SBA, and FEMA—and we have now closed more than 4,000 cases in our community! 

If you have questions about direct income payments, unemployment assistance, or small business resources, we are only a phone call away at 713-353-8580.  I hope you will let us know if you have questions, concerns, or comments.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,