Dear Neighbor,

Well, this week did not go as planned.  I was so looking forward to a very full week of meetings and visits around the district, but instead I was under the weather—so much so that I lost my voice for several days and could not talk at all.  I was so disappointed to have to reschedule several events, but now I have them to look forward to in the near future.

This week was also one of reflection and joy, as people across our community celebrate Easter and Passover.  I wish all those celebrating joy, peace, and hope in this season of renewal. 

I am so glad to have such a great team working for our district, especially this week as they kept so many things going while I was under the weather.  Our district’s senior policy advisor on health care, Anne-Marie, who has worked with people across our district on many issues, was in town this week to join me for meetings and visits this week.  She toured the new UTHealth Houston John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center to learn more about how they're helping people with mental illnesses, improve outcomes, and support our community.  

She also visited the HOPE Clinic Community Health Center (CHC) and took a tour with CEO Andrea Caracostis.  CHCs are vital to creating a vibrant, thriving city, and the HOPE Clinic is doing just that, providing care in multiple languages to the many communities and helping neighbors navigate the health care system.

And, I was glad to be able to host our community conversation on flood mitigation and recovery on Thursday evening.  Those who participated know I had a limited ability to talk, but it was a great chance for neighbors to hear from our Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff, Ben. 

Many thanks to our friends Alan Black, Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction at Harris County Flood Control District, Steve Costello, Chief Recovery Officer for the City of Houston, and Col. Timothy Vail, Galveston District Commander at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for coming back to talk about flood mitigation in our district, as well as Lt. Col. Rhett A. Blackmon, the incoming Galveston District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who joined us for the first time.  Protecting our community from disaster is a collaborative effort and I am grateful for the input of community members and for the work and the partnership of our panelists in our community conversation.  

If you missed it, you can watch it here.

Not being able to talk gave me time to read, and I spent a lot of this week reviewing requests relating to this year’s congressional appropriations, getting caught up on your letters, and sending some letters of my own.

On Monday, I led more than 40 of my congressional colleagues in a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), advocating for updated and explicit guidance on illegal machine gun conversion devices, also known as auto sears.

You may recall that in January, a gunman shot three Houston Police Department officers with automatic gunfire using an auto sear that converted his semiautomatic pistol into an automatic weapon.  It is critical that the ATF issue updated and explicit guidance on illegal auto to reduce gun violence and protect our communities. 

I also joined colleagues from Texas in a letter to President Biden urging him to address Governor Abbott’s new commercial vehicle inspection policy at our southern border deputizing state troopers to conduct inspections of commercial vehicles crossing the U.S.-Mexico border after Customs and Border Patrol inspections.  As we noted in our letter, Mexico is Texas’ largest trading partner with $442 billion of goods exchanged in 2021, $264 billion from imports.  According to industry leaders, two-thirds of the fresh produce in Texas comes from Mexico, much of which was sitting—and potentially spoiling—at the checkpoints last week.  The new state inspections was hindering the movement of such unpreserved goods like meat products, fruits, and vegetables, as well as medical and manufacturing supplies which are not only essential for the border communities of El Paso, Laredo, Pharr, and Brownsville, but businesses and industries across the country.

On a related note, I serve as the Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Trade Task Force in Congress, advocating for smart, effective trade policy that reflects the values and interests of our community and our country.  Here in Houston, we know the importance of the efficient flow of commerce through our ports of entry, including at our southern border.  Representing this international city with one of the largest ports in the world I will continue to advocate for policies that are efficient and effective.

We continued to see progress this week, as we also are following new developments around the world.  As a reminder, the CDC is recommending a second COVID-19 booster for certain individuals.  People over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster four months after their prior dose to increase their protection. This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose.  You can find more information here. 

The deadline for summer internships is tomorrow!  Students can learn more and apply here. 

Another important student date: All high school student artists in TX07 are eligible to enter their art into the Congressional Art Competition.  Learn more and fill out the form here to begin the submission process—and have it done by April 22!

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 are here to help.

With best wishes,