- Legislative Update-
Babin's Navigation Safety Amendment for the Port of Houston Approved by House |
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This week, the U.S. House adopted my amendments to the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) making safety and navigation improvements at the Port of Houston, as well as improving the process for an Army Corps of Engineers study on how to make such improvements. As a member of the House Infrastructure Committee and a representative of four ports across Southeast Texas, I know how critical these improvements will be for our region, Texas and the nation. We are the epicenter of oil and gas and we must do all we can to ensure that the impact of hurricanes is mitigated as much as possible.
Watch my full remarks here.
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Supporting Future Maritime Leaders
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Maritime jobs in our region are abundant and high-paying. That is why I introduced bipartisan legislation (H.R. 2286) last year to enhance maritime training and establish Centers of Excellence at community colleges, ensuring that we have an American workforce prepared for these jobs. I spoke at a conference at San Jacinto College on Tuesday, as they rolled out the new Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence.
| Cutting Wasteful Spending |
This week we took an important step to curb out-of-control spending as the House passed H.R. 3, legislation that cuts over $15 billion in excessive federal spending. For the sake of our children and grandchildren we must get federal spending under control.
Washington has an addiction to spending money it does not have, and this is an important step in the right direction.
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A Win for Religious Liberty
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This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 court opinion that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission actions violated the Free Exercise Clause, upholding Masterpiece Cakeshop owner and cake artist, Jack Phillips’ First Amendment rights.
Religious liberty won with this decision. I believe that Americans should be free to live out their deeply-held religious beliefs in all facets of their lives.
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Constituent Snap-Shots
I had the pleasure of visiting with Gavin and Gene Easley when they came by my Washington, D.C. office this week. If you’re ever in D.C., be sure to stop by and say hello; my staff and I always enjoy catching up with TX-36 constituents.
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My staff recently had the pleasure of presenting a flag that I was able to have flown over the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the grand opening of the SPARK Park at the Harvey Brown Elementary School in Channelview. Pictured: Harvey Brown Elementary School Principal LaKeisha LeBlank, Beverly Ferguson, Channelview ISD Superintendent, Greg Ollis, and Will Carter.
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Reminder: Make Sure You're Prepared for Hurricane Season
Hurricane season is upon us, even as thousands of Texans continue to rebuild and recover from last year’s devastating Hurricane Harvey. This season’s weather is dangerous and unpredictable, but there are steps you can take to keep your family safe in case of a hurricane and ease your transition to recovery.
As always, I'm here to help if you have any questions or need assistance your ongoing Harvey recovery efforts, or anything in the future.
FEMA has put together a helpful list of resources, available here.
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