Email from Rep. Nehls Rep. Nehls Meets with Medal of Honor Recipient   Greetings! I wanted to take a moment to share with you a recap of what happened last week in Texas' 22nd District and the United States House of Representatives. This Week in Washington, D.C. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Questions Witness Panel at House T&I Subcommittee Hearing on Highways and Transit This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing titled "America Builds: How Trucking Supports American Communities." The hearing was held to examine issues concerning our nation’s surface transportation programs, which include highways, highway safety, and rail, among other programs. It is no secret that truckers are the backbone of this country. 80% of communities across the country depend solely on trucks to receive their goods and in 2023, truck drivers moved nearly two-thirds of all goods into our communities—12.9 billion freight tons worth an estimated $13.56 trillion. Despite the importance of truck drivers to our communities and the supply chain at large, challenges continue to plague the trucking industry. During the hearing, I reiterated my support for the work Congressman Mike Bost has done for trucker parking. His bill, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, aims to address the dangerous, nationwide shortage of safe, accessible parking spaces for large commercial trucks. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. Truck drivers should not be forced to park on the side of the road. It is not fair to them, and it is not fair to the general public. To further help solve issues that plague the trucking industry, I will be reintroducing my bill, the Trucker Bathroom Access Act. This bill ensures that truckers have access to bathroom facilities while they are on the road delivering or picking up cargo across the U.S. While this legislation would not require businesses to construct new bathrooms, it would mandate that truckers have the same access if a business has a bathroom available to their customers or employees. During the hearing, I outlined my disdain for speed limiters for commercial motorized vehicles (CMVs). Truckers agree that speed limiters are nonsensical, unsafe, and would create dangerous speed differentials between large trucks and other vehicles on the roadways. This committee should prioritize prioritize policies that support our truckers, promote safe practices for truck drivers, and improve the conditions for the men and women that keep our economy moving. Watch my questioning of the witness panel HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes to Advance Critical Bills in House Judiciary Markup This week, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup to advance several pieces of legislation, including H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. I am proud to support and be a cosponsor of H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bill would permit individuals with valid concealed firearm permits or those from permit-free states to carry concealed firearms in states that issue permits or do not generally prohibit concealed carry. Let me be clear: Constitutional rights should not end at state lines. If you are a law-abiding citizen, you should be able to carry a concealed firearm between states without worrying about conflicting state laws or onerous civil suits. Other critical pieces of legislation advanced by the House Judiciary Committee include H.R. 60, the Knife Owners' Protection Act of 2025, H.R. 2184, the Firearm Due Process Protection Act, H.R. 2255, the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act, H.R. 2243, the LEOSA Reform Act of 2025, H.R. 2267, the NICS Data Reporting Act, and H.R. 2240, the Improving Law Enforcement Safety and Wellness Through Data Act of 2025. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Meets with Brazoria County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce It's great meeting with constituents from our great district, TX-22, in my Washington, D.C., office. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Crystal Sarmiento, Mayor Pro-Tem of the city of Manvel, Texas. She was here in D.C. with her family on behalf of the Brazoria County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. If you or your family are planning to travel to Washington, D.C., please don't hesitate to reach out to my office HERE to schedule a meeting with me to discuss what's going on in Congress and more. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Joins the Steak for Breakfast Podcast Listen to my segment on the Steak for Breakfast Podcast HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes "YES" to Pass Bills to Reverse Harmful Biden-Era Rules and to Protect American Children from CCP This week, House Republicans took action to reverse Biden-era rules that limit consumer choice and increase prices for American families. House Republicans also passed a bill that will protect our students from foreign adversaries’ influence, specifically those of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) and Russia. Foreign influences on college campuses pose a growing and serious threat. H.R. 1048, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, protects American students from foreign adversaries' influence, strengthens transparency and accountability in our higher education system, and upholds the promise to make America secure. Specifically, this bill strengthens disclosure requirements for all institutions of higher education that receive gifts from or enter into contracts with foreign countries or entities. I proudly voted "YES" to pass this bill. Biden-era regulations raised costs, limited competitiveness, and stifled American innovation. That's exactly why the House also passed H.J.Res. 24 and H.J.Res. 75, resolutions that reverse Biden Department of Energy (DOE) rules that impose energy efficiency standards on walk-on coolers and freezers and set stricter energy efficiency standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers, which could lead to higher costs for consumers. I proudly voted "YES" to pass these resolutions to rollback Biden's burdensome rules. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Meets with Medal of Honor Recipient Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee Tuesday, March 25, 2025, was National Medal of Honor Day. This day serves as an important reminder for our nation's most cherished heroes, our Medal of Honor recipients. These servicemembers embody the highest levels of valor, bravery, and selflessness. These individuals went above and beyond the call of duty in service to our great nation. The stories of our nation's Medal of Honor recipients should inspire every American. On National Medal of Honor Day, I had the privilege of meeting with one of the 61 living Medal of Honor recipients, Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee. Master Sergeant Plumlee was presented the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. May God bless those who've received our nation's highest military honor, and may God bless every single Veteran. Are you interested in a tour of the White House? With President Donald J. Trump in office, requests for a tour of the White House are higher than ever. To ensure that you and your family can get a tour, please contact my office at least 90 days prior to your desired tour date. If you and your family are ever in Washington, D.C., and would like to schedule a tour, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-5951 or visit my website HERE. If you are unable to schedule a tour of the White House on your desired dates, consider visiting The People's House: A White House Experience. Located just one block from the White House, The People's House is open to the public from 9 AM to 5 PM, seven days a week. To plan your visit or reserve passes, visit their official website HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls on The Todd Starnes Show Listen to my interview on The Todd Starnes Show HERE. This Week in Texas' 22nd District Rep. Troy E. Nehls Announces 2025 Congressional Art Competition My office is now accepting Congressional Art Competition submissions through April 25, 2025, at 11:59 PM CST. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition. The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and is open to all high school students in the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and the winner will receive two plane tickets to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The rules, regulations, application, and checklist can be found HERE on my website. The theme for 2025 is American Patriotism. The winner of this year’s Congressional Art Competition will be announced in early May 2025. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call my Fulshear District Office at (346) 762-6600. Rep. Troy E. Nehls' Fulshear District Office Hosts Service Academy Day My District Office is looking to host an Academy Day in the Spring of 2025. This event would allow all TX-22 to learn how to attend one of the United States Service Academies. One of the privileges of serving in the United States House of Representatives is the opportunity to nominate outstanding young people from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas to be considered for appointment to our nation’s service academies. Admission to a service academy is a two-tiered process. First, the candidate must apply and meet the minimum standards set by the individual academy. Second, the candidate must complete the congressional application to be considered for an interview with the nomination review board in our office. Please note that the ultimate selection of appointees rests solely with academy officials and is based on their competitive evaluation of all nominees. In addition to staff from my office, representatives from all five academies (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and U.S. Coast Guard Academy) and current academy cadets and midshipmen will be on hand to answer questions. Students, parents, and educators will be able to hear from and meet with representatives on a one-on-one basis to become informed about the excellent opportunities associated with attending these premier educational institutions and the careers they generate. This forum is free; however, pre-registration is required and can be found on my website HERE. It will be held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, May 31, 2025. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call my district office at (346) 762-660. Update on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) expects more than 40 million individual tax returns for the tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the Tuesday, April 15 deadline. Taxpayers residing in a federally declared disaster area may have additional time to file and pay federal taxes. Get free help preparing and filing taxes electronically. Taxpayers can visit IRS.gov to get answers to tax questions. IRS.gov is the quickest way for taxpayers to get help. The Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) is a tool that provides answers to several tax law questions specific to individual circumstances. Free tax filing options. The IRS offers free online and in-person tax preparation options for eligible taxpayers through IRS Free File, IRS Direct File and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs. Most refunds issued in less than 21 days: EITC refunds for many available by March 3. The easiest way to check a refund's status is by using “Where's My Refund?” on IRS.gov or the IRS2Go app. The IRS asks that we allow returns to process for 10 weeks and amendments to process for 20 weeks. If you are outside of that timeframe, my staff is happy to help. Report taxable income; don’t file before receiving key documents. People should report all taxable income on their tax return and wait to file until they receive all of their income and informational documents. Choose a trusted tax professional. Taxpayers should review the tips for choosing a tax preparer and learn how to avoid unethical “ghost” return preparers who don’t sign or include a valid preparer tax identification number (PTIN) on every tax return they prepare. Be aware of tax scams. Be aware of scammers, who can become more active during tax season. They will attempt to mislead people about tax refunds, credits and payments. Know the signs of ID Theft. Check out the latest consumer alerts and read more about the most recent tax related scams identified by the IRS. More help is now available. The IRS also provides taxpayers help in-person at Taxpayer Assistance Centers nationwide. Some improvements taxpayers will see during the 2025 filing season are: IRS Individual Online Account. Individuals can create or access their IRS Online Account at Online account for individuals. New scam alert. There’s a new banner on the Online Account homepage that alerts taxpayers of potential scams and schemes, along with a link to their Digital Notices and Letters page to view correspondence from the IRS. Redesigned notices. The IRS redesigned 200 notices and an additional 84 redesigned notices are in line to be deployed in 2025. Mobile-adaptive tax forms. Taxpayers can now access 67 forms on cell phones and tablets. Virtual assistants to help with refunds and other questions. The IRS will offer voicebot services to all taxpayers calling the IRS for refund information. The voicebot is available in English and Spanish.  We can also help with general IRS questions or any other issues you may have with the agency. We will need a privacy release form filled out by the filers. The release form can be found HERE. Please contact my district office at 346-762-6600 if you have any questions. Do you believe federal judges should be impeached for executive overreach?  YES 70.7% NO 29.3% Follow Us We Want to Hear From You I always appreciate learning about the issues that are important to you. If you have a concern, please contact me HERE. Use this QR code to follow my Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts and join my Newsletter for updates. It's an honor to represent you and the great state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Should people be allowed to buy junk foods like candy bars and sodas with food stamps? Let me know below Yes No Sincerely, Troy E. Nehls Member of Congress By participating in the survey, you are opting into further communication from Rep. Nehls Rep. Nehls | 1104 Longworth House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice