This week was National Police Week, where we appreciate and honor those who protect and serve and remember those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.  I am so grateful for the men and women of our local law enforcement agencies in our district, including the Houston, Bellaire, West U, and Sugar Land Police Departments, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Ft. Bend County Sheriff’s Office, our county constables, and others who work each day to keep our community safe.  This is especially true today, as our police and first responders help our community through our most recent storm.

In Washington, each year, Police Week brings an opportunity to pass bipartisan bills to address the needs of law enforcement officers across the country.  This year, unfortunately, no such bills were presented.  Instead, the House majority introduced partisan and divisive bills that do little to address the real concerns that I hear about from our local law enforcement.

I voted in favor of the Improving Law Enforcement Office Safety and Wellness Through Data Act of 2024 (H.R. 7581), a bill to require reports to Congress regarding attacks on police officers and mental health and resources available to them and for a resolution condemning violence against law enforcement officers (H.Res. 1213), which recognizes that law enforcement officers must have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to perform their public safety duties and protect fellow law enforcement officers, and expresses condolences to the loved ones of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.  Both passed the House.

I could not support several bills that included partisan and divisive language this week.  The Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act (H.R. 7343), which requires detention of any undocumented individual who is charged with, arrested for, or admits to committing assault on a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or first responder, duplicates existing laws that already direct the government to deport immigrants who are convicted of, or admit to, serious assault but adds vague definitions and raise due process concerns, so I voted against it.  The House also considered the DC CRIMES Act (H.R. 7530), which among other things permanently prohibits the District of Columbia Council from changing any undefined “criminal liability sentence,” which would be the biggest rollback of D.C. home rule—that is, the ability for Washington, D.C. residents to govern their local affairs—in nearly 30 years.  Finally, the House considered the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act Reform Act of 2024 (H.R. 354), which would strip critical gun safety protections from the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) and extend active and retired law enforcement officers’ ability to carry a concealed weapon to a number of places intentionally made exceptions in the original LEOSA, including school zones, playgrounds, and government buildings.  I do believe LEOSA needs reform, but because this bill undermines state laws limiting magazine capacity and relaxes training standards, I voted against it. 

The House also considered several bills regarding the southern border, including the Police Our Border Act (H.R. 8146), to require a congressional report on the impact of the border on state and local law enforcement agencies, and a resolution titled Condemning the Biden border crisis and the tremendous burdens law enforcement officers face as a result (H.Res. 1210).  While I share the concerns of many of our neighbors about border security and safety, as well as the impact of the increased law enforcement activity at the border, these two pieces of legislation appear to be nothing more than election-year messaging bills put forth for political rather than substantive purposes.  For these reasons, I voted no on both.

The House also considered the Israel Security Assistance Support Act (H.R. 8369), to prohibit the Biden Administration from withholding U.S. arms transfers to Israel, freeze significant funds at the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the National Security Council, and condemn President Biden for his decision to pause the delivery of certain weapons to Israel.  This bill constitutes an unprecedented limitation on President Biden’s executive authority and administrative discretion to implement U.S. foreign policy.  The Biden Administration’s support of Israel is ironclad, and President Biden has led efforts since October 7 to secure more than $15 billion in emergency security assistance for Israel, replenish defensive systems like the Iron Dome, and deter escalation of the conflict by Iran, Hezbollah, and others as Israel defends itself against Hamas.  This legislation undermines the President’s ability to execute foreign policy decisions and would set a dangerous precedent at this crucial moment in time when the United States is working with allies toward a negotiated agreement to release hostages and broker lasting peace in the region between Israelis and Palestinians.  For these reasons, I voted against the bill, which passed the House by a vote of 224-187.

The House did pass some important and bipartisan legislation this week.  We once again considered the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 3935) with amendments from the Senate.  The bill strengthens aviation safety standards, enhances consumer protections, and builds a modern, safety-centric workforce.  I voted for the bill to ensure airports and aviation workers have the resources, facilities, and equipment they need to increase efficiency and capacity.  You can read more about the provisions of the bill here.

We also voted on many bills under suspension of the rules, which all passed with broad bipartisan support.  I voted in favor of all these bills, which included:

• the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 4510), to reauthorize the NTIA and ensure its mission of closing the digital divide and maintain U.S. global tech leadership; 
• the Youth Poisoning Protection Act (H.R. 4310), to ban the consumer sale of products containing high concentrations of sodium nitrate, which can be lethal when ingested; 
• the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2023 (H.R. 4581), to amend Title V of the Social Security Act to support stillbirth prevention activities and research; 
• the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 6960), to ensure children receive appropriate health care during a medical emergency; 
• the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (H.R. 1797), to establish a consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and protect against the risk of fires caused by such batteries; 
• the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2023 (H.R. 6571), to establish a supply chain resiliency program within the Department of Commerce; 
• the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2023 (H.R. 6572), to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Blockchain Deployment Program; 
• the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act (H.R. 3950), to require event ticket sellers to display the total ticket price upfront in any advertisement or marketing that lists a ticket price; 
• the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 7659), to support and strengthen the Coast Guard in its critical missions and strengthen sexual assault and harassment protections for Coast Guard members; and
• the Recruit and Retain Act (S. 546), to address staffing shortages nationwide by enhancing law enforcement agencies’ access to federal hiring tools.

As a reminder, you can always find a list of all of the votes I have taken for the district on my website.

I also co-sponsored several other pieces of legislation on issues important to our community, including: 

• the Seniors' Access to Critical Medications Act of 2023, H.R. 5526, to make permanent a waiver the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued that allowed for Medicare patients to receive critical medications by mail or allow for a family member to deliver them;
• the Caring for Grieving Families Act of 2023, H.R. 5909, to limit cost-sharing for prenatal care for women who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth to ensure parity with copayments for prenatal care for pregnancies that are carried to term;
• the Caring for All Families Act, H.R. 789, to update the definition of family in the Family and Medical Leave Act to include a domestic partner, parent-in-law, aunt, uncle, sibling, adult child, grandparent, grandchild, son- or daughter-in-law, and other significant relationship, ensuring a broader range of caregiving relationships are covered by this legislation;  
• the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act, H.R. 1088, to provide a Congressional Gold Medal to Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her groundbreaking achievements, including her election as the first African-American woman in Congress; and
• the FIFA World Cup 2026 Commemorative Coin Act, H.R. 7438, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Finally, as I have noted before, I have been working with our team and with people across our district to develop proposals for community projects to submit for this year’s appropriations process.  Again this year, members of Congress have the opportunity to propose specific projects be included in our annual appropriations legislation, known as “Community Funded Projects.”  This week, we finalized our submissions, and have submitted fifteen projects (the maximum number permitted) for the Appropriations Committee to consider.  This is just the first phase of the process, and inclusion is not guaranteed, but we have worked to submit projects that will have a positive impact across our district and meet the criteria the committee has established.  You can see the list of projects I have submitted for our district on my website.  I will keep you posted on their progress.

The Energy and Commerce Committee had several bills on the floor this week, and also several subcommittee hearings.  On Wednesday, I participated in the Communications & Technology Subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 National Telecommunications and Information Administration Budget with Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson.  I took the opportunity to ask him about public safety communications and the buildout of broadband infrastructure. I have introduced bills on both of these topics and asked him to share his thoughts on reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority and how NTIA is working with local governments to streamline permitting for broadband projects. You can watch our exchange here:

I was glad to meet with several Houstonians visiting the Capitol this week, including representatives from the Transport Worker Union of America, Lighthouse of Houston, and American College of Physicians. 

In Washington, Team TX-07 participated in nearly three dozen meetings with constituents and advocates, including representatives from Talos Energy Inc., Entomological Society of America, Shell, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Chevron, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Murphy Oil, and the American Association for Cancer Research.