Newsletter: The Hill Report - Week of March 16 - 20, 2015

Statement

This week, we passed two pieces of legislation that would protect the scientific process and reform the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is imperative that scientific data is balanced and unbiased, however, under our current system there are no requirements to prove their findings. I believe it is irresponsible for taxpayer dollars to be used to enforce onerous regulations that are based on faulty science. Scientific developments require transparency and reproducibility, and the EPA should have nothing to hide from the American people. This is why I was pleased to support the passage of H.R. 1029, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015 and H.R. 1030, the Secret Science Reform Act of 2015.

Later in the week, the House of Representatives passed S.J. Res 8, legislation that expresses disproval of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) "ambush rule." This rule expedites union elections and forces employers to give substantial personal information about their employees to unions without consent or confidentiality standards in place. This rule cripples the rights of hard working Americans to make careful, informed decisions about whether to join a union by providing them with significantly less time to decide how they will vote. These are not policies that help the American worker and bolster the economy -- they are policies that are part of a culture of union favoritism that cause nothing but harm. To express my extreme disproval of this rule I proudly voted for this legislation to preserve the rights of workers to make informed and independent decisions.

Meetings with North Texans

On Wednesday I was delighted to meet with North Texans from the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas. Since 1959, the Association has represented rental property owners, management companies and the professional service groups that work with these businesses. Today the group works with more than 1,930 rental properties consisting of 495,000 individual units spread over 11 North Texas counties, including both Dallas and Collin counties. Given there remains a need for Congress to create a balanced housing policy that recognizes the critical role apartments play in providing shelter for Americans and North Texans.

UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth

Thursday morning I had the opportunity to speak to the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus and introduce Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman and Lt. Morgan Luttrell of the Center for Brain Health at UT Dallas. We discussed the incredible strides that they have taken to improve cognitive brain performance in former members of our military, as well as students and seniors. Their 12-session cognitive improvement techniques are working especially to help those suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder adjust to daily life as a citizen. I am proud to have such an innovate and cutting-edge facility in the 32nd Congressional District and I look forward to learning more about their work as they continue their efforts.

United States Army Corp of Engineers, Southwest Division

This week I met with Brigadier General David Hill, Captain Edwin Jimenez, and representatives from the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), Southwest Division to receive an update on USACE projects in North Texas. As North Texans, we have many infrastructure issues of critical importance to resolve, from water supply and drought to transportation, flood risk management and disaster response support. I look forward to working with the Army Corp of Engineers to find the right solutions to satisfy our common goals and help North Texas grow and prosper.

Meadows Foundation

I was pleased to meet with representatives from the Meadows Foundation. The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic institution that assists the people and institutions of Texas to improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations. I was delighted to learn more about the immense contributions they have made to institutions and agencies across the state of Texas.

Source