Dear Texans,
Over the last few weeks during House District Work Period, I have been traveling the district meeting with constituents, elected officials, and local businesses.
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Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project |
I am pleased to announce that Port Freeport celebrated an historic milestone on April 8, 2021, with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, a federal cost-shared initiative with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). I joined distinguished guests and members of the community at an open-air event commemorating the start of dredging the channel from its current 46 feet to depths ranging from 51 to 56 feet.
For many years, the channel deepening project has been a priority for Port Freeport, receiving congressional authorization in 2014, during my first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In February 2020, Port Freeport was one of only two navigation projects nationwide to receive a “new start” designation for commencement of construction.
The estimated total project cost is $295 million, with the federal government share being $165 million and the remaining $130 million to be funded by the 2018 voter-approved bond package. To date, Port Freeport has received $43.9 million in federal funding for the project.
Our area’s ongoing industrial expansion, fueled by the production of shale oil and gas, as well as the Port’s proximity to fast-growing populations, have intensified the need for this project. The Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project has been a long-time coming, and I am proud to usher in a new era for Port Freeport as it becomes the deepest port in Texas.
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On March 24, 2021, I was privileged to participate in a productive lunch with 6 Jefferson County mayors: Mayor Thurman Bartie (Port Arthur), Mayor Becky Ames (Beaumont), Mayor Don Albanese (Nederland), Mayor Kerry Abney (Nome), Mayor Becky Ford (Bevil Oaks), and Mayor John Durkay (Taylor Landing). Our fellowship lasted over two hours, and truth be told, we could have stayed even longer if only our respective schedules would have allowed.
Some of the overriding concerns expressed by these local leaders included: strengthening the border, protecting our gun rights, and keeping the economy open and moving. Another recurring theme affecting Jefferson County communities across the board, according to the mayors, is the fact that they are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (2008), not to mention the more recent storms.
We also touched on topics ranging from more efficient methods of distributing stimulus funds locally, the deployment of broadband and fiber optics, and upgrading local radio systems for improved disaster response, to the ongoing challenges of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster-recovery policies and procedures. My team in Washington, D.C., as well as in our 3 district offices in Texas, is actively engaged with the various local, state, and federal agencies involved in these various efforts.
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I recently visited Garrett Farms in Danbury, where I met with members of the Texas Farm Bureau to discuss their legislative priorities for the 117th Congress. Mr. Garrett and Mr. Harvey were gracious enough to show me around the farm, where we talked about various pieces of equipment, what a typical day was like on their farm, and how important agriculture is to the environment.
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Energy Security Forum 2021 |
I was honored to be invited back to speak at this year’s Energy Security Forum in Houston, on Thursday, April 8, 2021. Produced annually by U.S. Energy Stream, Inc., this event is a testament to the industry leadership of Anthony and Peggy Livanios, who have assembled a remarkable roster of voices on issues of critical importance to our region.
The following text is an excerpt of my prepared remarks. For a link to the complete text, click here. Outside of Texas, and especially in Washington, D.C., too many people overlook the fundamental importance of affordable and reliable energy. We, unfortunately, saw the effects of that ourselves just two months ago. But the low prices and certainties that our grid provides enables our manufacturers of all types to compete with the world. If we are to continue competing with the developing world, including rivals such as China, we must continue this history of reliable and affordable energy. Abandoning oil and gas at this juncture will not work and will cost us our competitive edge.
A strong oil, gas, and power infrastructure strengthens our national security. We cannot support a thriving oil and gas industry, and thus a secure America, without a robust and well-financed infrastructure system capable of extracting, transporting, and delivering the energy resources and power, that America needs to be strong.
A strong, secure, and competitive America relies on its infrastructure. Countless miles of pipelines safely deliver crude oil, refined products, and natural gas across our country every day, and they do so in a more energy-efficient fashion than any other transportation method. Despite what some in Washington might claim, we cannot do without these resources. We must continue to support and expand this reliable fuel transportation network. In fact, as America moves through a new energy transition, more pipelines will only become more critical.
As we shift to natural gas and away from coal, and as we build out a network of captured carbon and hydrogen, we will need to invest in a new generation of pipelines and provide a flexible environment for pipelines to stretch from new origins to untapped destinations.
Our ports also play a critical role in bolstering our national security. Our energy ports remain critical to a robust exchange of global energy resources. Because of the incredible discoveries of the last decade, America now sits at the heart of the global energy trade once again. We now export crude oil across the globe, bringing profits back home and delivering energy security abroad. This is especially true of our allies operating in Russia’s shadow. America once again has the ability to provide reliable and affordable energy resources to Europe. …
But our globally competitive refining and petrochemical complexes still rely on global crude imports, especially of the crude types that are less abundant here at home. Our energy ports and maritime industries are critical in maintaining this flow of crude oil into our refineries and petrochemical complexes and to export our refined products to the world.
This is an important economic interest of the United States, but in a time of conflict, these ports would be lifelines, both for our domestic manufacturing needs, but also for our friends and allies abroad.
Unfortunately, this administration has placed John Kerry, one of the architects of the Paris Climate Accord, as a Cabinet-level “Climate Czar.” Debra Haaland, a former congresswoman who moonlighted as an anti-pipeline activist, is now the Secretary of the Interior. Gina McCarthy, the head of the Obama EPA, is back as the White House National Climate Advisor.
These officials do not have the interests of American workers or American industry at heart. And often, they do not have science on their side either.
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The Texas General Land Office (GLO) allocated $413 million to the Local Infrastructure Program and $275 million to the Local Buyout and Acquisition Program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). The GLO allocated the funds to regional Councils of Government (COGs) based on a HUD-approved needs assessment. The locally-led COGs then conducted methods of distribution (MODs) for determining infrastructure and buyout and acquisition amounts for cities and counties within each jurisdiction.
To review the approved MODs, please visit https://recovery.texas.gov/action-plans/hurricane-harvey/index.html. - The grant application submitted by the City of Nederland to the GLO’s Hurricane Harvey Local Infrastructure Program has been approved. The grant application for $4,259,659.00 is to conduct drainage Infrastructure improvements to facilitate proper stormwater conveyance and reduce the impact of future flooding.
- The grant application submitted by the City of Taylor Landing to the GLO’s Hurricane Harvey Local Infrastructure Program has been approved. The grant application for $1,173,343.00 is to conduct street Infrastructure improvements to facilitate proper stormwater conveyance and provide continued ingress/egress to the area.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced an initial award of $3,120,612 to the Texas Workforce Commission to provide employment and training services to communities affected by severe winter storms in February 2021. Administered by the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration, the National Dislocated Worker Grant award of up to $9,361,836 will assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in 82 counties across Texas. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) issued a major disaster declaration in February 2021, enabling Texas to request this funding. Funding will support the creation of disaster-relief employment, including debris and damage cleanup; humanitarian assistance to connect economically disadvantaged individuals with repair, maintenance, and other services; and employment and training services to individuals enrolled in the project.
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Recent Co-Sponsored Legislation |
- H.R. 1452 - To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish the formula the Secretary uses to determine the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1210 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to improve the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act and provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1626 - To reimburse the States for border security expenses, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1662 - To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require the Postmaster General to provide State election officials with change of address information before a general election for Federal office, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1680 - To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to more comprehensively address the interstate transportation of firearms or ammunition.
- H.R. 1687 - To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to add membership in a significant transnational criminal organization to the list of grounds of inadmissibility and to prohibit the provision of material support or resources to such organizations.
- H.R. 1690 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to make the murder of a Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer a crime punishable by life in prison or death.
- H.R. 2153 - To invest in basic scientific research and support technology innovation for the economic and national security of the United States, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2002 - To amend the Social Security Act to remove the restriction on the use of funds under the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund to offset reductions in State or territory tax revenues.
- H.R. 2076 - To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a strategy to ensure no individual in custody is released into the community during a public health emergency related to coronavirus if the individual may have a communicable disease relating to any public health emergency, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2100 - To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from prohibiting the transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail, and for other purposes.
- H.Res. 263 - Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish the Committee on the Elimination of Nonessential Federal Programs.
- H.Res. 266 - Expressing appreciation and recognition for President Trump and the Trump administration for the creation of Operation Warp Speed and the historic development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
| - H.R. 814 - Union Accountability Act.
- H.R. 1692 - To extend and expand the Wildfire Hurricane Indemnity Program to cover losses due to high winds, polar vortexes, and hailstorms.
- H.R. 1707 - To ensure operational control of the southwest border, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1534 - To prohibit the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services from declaring certain emergencies or disasters for the purpose of imposing gun control.
- H.R. 1750 - To ensure that organizations with religious or moral convictions are allowed to continue to provide services for children.
- H.R. 1776 - To amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that major rules of the executive branch shall have no force or effect unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted into law.
- H.R. 1411 - To amend the Small Business Act to allow certain ranchers and farmers categorized as partnerships to use an alternative calculation for a maximum loan amount under the paycheck protection program, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1827 - To prohibit Federal funding of State firearm ownership databases, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1926 - To amend chapter 110 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit gender reassignment medical interventions on minors, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 60 - Knife Owners’ Protection Act of 2021.
- H.R. 1927 - To prohibit taxpayer-funded gender reassignment medical interventions, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 1699 - To provide for congressional review of actions to terminate or waive sanctions imposed with respect to Iran.
- H.R. 1496 - To require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take into custody certain aliens who have been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2000 - To amend section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify that such section does not prevent a provider or user of an interactive computer service from being treated as the distributor of information provided by another information content provider, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2162 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit fleeing law enforcement officers enforcing immigration laws, and for other purposes.
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The final date for submissions is Friday, April 16, 2021
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation, from each congressional district. 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 been involved with the nationwide competition.
Students submit entries to their representative's office, and panels of local artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The winning entry from our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The Washington exhibit will also include artwork from other contest winners nationwide. For requirements and entry information, please visit our website.
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DON'T FORGET
Tax Day for Texans
has been moved from April 15th to June 15th!
Victims of February's winter storms in Texas will have until June 15, 2021 to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
This may exclude individuals who make quarterly estimated tax payments, usually meaning those who are self-employed or those who own small businesses such as sole proprietors, partners, and S-corporation shareholders. In effect, anyone who does not work for an employer that withholds taxes from their paycheck may still have tax filings due on April 15th.
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It is a great honor to represent Texas’ Fourteenth District in Congress. We all know that the last year, as well as the last few months, brought some challenging times. Please know that we have been, and will always be, here for you. Call or stop by our offices—which are YOUR offices—if you need help with a federal agency.
Bureaucracy often brings red tape, but we know how to cut through it, and we are proud to fight on your behalf. Whether you need help with immigration, the IRS, Medicare, Social Security, passports, stimulus checks, small business loans, VA claims, FEMA relief, or other assistance, please call us!
We can also help with flags flown over the U.S. Capitol, nominations to the military academies, or tours in Washington, D.C. We welcome opportunities to serve you. For assistance or more information, please call or go online to visit weber.house.gov.
God Bless you and God Bless Texas!
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Sincerely,
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Randy K. Weber
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