Representative Lizzie Fletcher

Dear Neighbor,

Since I last wrote to you, our country has faced more senseless and brutal gun violence, including right here near our home. Like so many of you, I was horrified and outraged by the brutal killings in Cleveland, and heartbroken for the families and loved ones of the five people who were murdered. I saw Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales this week as he was headed out to assist in the search for the killer, and I am grateful to him and all our law enforcement officers who worked to keep us safe while this killer was at large. On Wednesday, I spoke with a friend from Atlanta who was responding to the tragedy there and reacting to the fear and trauma across her community.

In recent weeks, no matter the setting, one of the first things neighbors at home ask me about is guns and gun violence. Public safety is the first responsibility of government, and keeping our communities safe from gun violence must be a top priority at every level of government. My team and I have been working with local governments to identify federal grants and support made available in the Safer Communities Act that Congress passed last year and President Biden signed into law. But we must also do more. Based on input from our community, I have co-sponsored legislation to ban assault weapons and other gun safety legislation, and I will continue to champion these efforts to keep our communities safe.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. So, I made this a focus of my time at home in the district this week, convening meetings to discuss issues that are top of mind in our Asian American community in TX-07. And I was glad to have Kevin from our legislative team in D.C. join me in Houston to meet with community leaders this week.

We met with community leaders in our district office, including a roundtable discussion on a range of issues–from the importance of language access, to data disaggregation, to responding to increased anti-Asian sentiment, to developments in the Texas Legislature. Thanks to State Representative Gene Wu for zooming in from Austin to share updates with our group (pictured below). We also met with Ling Luo, Founder and Chairwoman of the Asian Americans Leadership Council, an organization dedicated to educating and nurturing Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders in civic engagement.

We also got out of the office and out and about in the district, including for an AAPI Women in Business event with Women 4 Women to discuss a wide range of issues, challenges, and opportunities.

I enjoyed seeing many familiar faces during our meeting with the Houston chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America, a trade organization dedicated to promoting home ownership opportunities for the Houston Asian American community.

5.2 Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)

And I was glad to meet with board members of the Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce, which promotes multicultural relationships among Houston-area businesses.

I look forward to continuing to partner with our dynamic Asian American community in the work ahead!

While I was home, I also met with representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association of Houston to discuss federal funding for dementia-related research, an issue I know is important to people across our district. And I had a great visit with a young neighbor and her parents about her interest in our government and democracy.

This week, I was delighted to host the finalists in our 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Luke Wang, a student at Bellaire High School, is the winner of our fifth annual Congressional Art Competition for his submission, Anticipation, which beautifully captures light illuminating the face of a girl in deep thought. I look forward to welcoming him to Washington this summer and seeing his art hanging in the Capitol over the next year.

I am also looking forward to having the art of our finalists hanging on the walls of our district offices this year. I thank our volunteer judges who reviewed the submissions and selected the finalists, and I am proud of all of the students who submitted their artwork and demonstrated such creativity and talent in our competition this year.

Even though the House was not in session this week, I co-sponsored several pieces of legislation this week, including:

The Bill of Rights for Students and Parents Resolution, H.Res. 219, to express a commitment to building safe, welcoming, supportive, and inclusive schools across the country and to highlight the importance of meaningful and inclusive family engagement in K-12 education;
The Supreme Court Ethics Act, H.R. 927, to provide for a code of conduct for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States to increase transparency and accountability; and
The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act, H.R. 2736, to prohibit advertisements that use deceptive or misleading statements related to abortion services.

I also joined a bipartisan group of Texas colleagues in a letter to the Texas Military Preparedness Commission in support of Joint Reserve Base Ellington’s Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant application.

TX-07 neighbor Ganapathy M. contacted our office for assistance with getting an update on his naturalization application. Constituent advocate Fatimah got answers that Ganapathy had been waiting on:

“I was unable to reach the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for my naturalization update. I reached out to Congresswoman Fletcher’s office and [Constituent Advocate] Ms. Fatimah very promptly followed up with the agency. Within a day I was contacted by USCIS who scheduled a follow-up naturalization interview. I am very pleased to say that today I finally received confirmation from the USCIS for the next naturalization ceremony. Thank you very much Ms. Fatimah for your timely support!!!”

If you need assistance with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or with another federal agency, we may be able to help. You can fill out our form here or call our Houston office at (713) 353-8680.

Those who have attended our town halls in the past know that a real highlight is seeing some of our young neighbors receive the Congressional Award.

The Congressional Award is Congress’ award for young Americans. It is non-partisan, voluntary, and non-competitive, and is open to all young people in the United States between the ages of 14 and 24, regardless of ability, circumstance, or socioeconomic status. Participants earn Bronze, Silver, and Gold Certificates and Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. Each level involves setting goals in four program areas: Voluntary Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration.

With summer approaching, I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about it and to encourage our young neighbors to think about working toward this award. I do love to give them out! For more information on the Congressional Award, click here.

In Washington, our team met with representatives from the Organization of Chinese Americans-Asian Pacific American Advocates, the Japanese American Citizens League, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

And in Houston, our team met with representatives from Culture of Health Advancing Together, the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association, the Asia Society Texas Center, and the Korean American Association and Community Center of Houston.

Our team was thrilled to attend the U.S. Small Business Administration Awards Luncheon where TX-07’s Lyndsey Brantley was named Woman Business Owner of the Year, and Nancy Ward was named Innovation Recipient of the Year. Congratulations to the both of them!

And, throughout the week, our team met with more neighbors across Houston, including the Houston Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce Texas, Asian Pacific American Justice, and Boat People SOS. And they had a chance to stop by the Community Health Workers Conference hosted at the United Way of Greater Houston, the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Chinese Community Center.

Elections are happening across Texas and Election Day is tomorrow, May 6!

In Harris County, municipal governments and municipal utility districts (MUDs) are holding bond elections. Tomorrow, Vote Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Use the “What’s on my Ballot?” tool to find out what you’ll be voting on here.

In Fort Bend County, voters will be selecting Fort Bend Independent School District trustees, as well as voting on bond propositions. Tomorrow, Vote Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and you can learn more about where to vote here. And, to be prepared before you enter the ballot box, you can find your sample ballot here.

The House is back in session next week, and I will head back to Washington. I look forward to sharing another update next week.

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you. Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,