Property owners in Fort Bend County paid 2.4% of the value of their homes in property taxes in the second quarter of 2023, which is more than 2.2 times the national average, according to the real estate analysis posted by Houston Republic.
Property owners in Harris County paid 1% of the value of their homes in property taxes in the second quarter of 2023, which is less than 0.9 times the national average, according to the real estate analysis posted by Houston Republic.
Fort Bend County enrolled the 10th highest number of gifted and talented students among Texas counties in the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
On Thursday, June 29, 2023, Congressman Al Green confirmed his objections to the recent ruling by the Supreme Court to gut affirmative action in higher education. He released the following statement:
On July 5, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) announces $17,147,333.05 in federal funding to Houston Independent School District for emergency protective measures.
On Friday, June 23, 2023, Congressman Al Green delivered an impactful speech on the House floor centering on the importance of Juneteenth, the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, and his Conscience Agenda. He declared in his speech:
“I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. This is a big loss for Latinos and others who already face many challenges when trying to get into college. Affirmative action works. It opens the door of opportunity that’s often unfairly closed. This decision will take us back many years in making a good, affordable college education available to many students from districts like mine," said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
On June 28, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Southside Place Mayor Andy Chan, City of West University Place Mayor Susan Sample, Texas House District 134 Representative Ann Johnson, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, and Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen to announce that they have secured $32 million in funding to move forward with the reconstruction of Poor Farm Ditch. Representatives from the offices of Texas State Senators Joan Huffman and John Whitmire were also present for the announcement.
On June 26, Congresswoman Garcia announces $40,402,548 to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s Metro system. This funding is part of the nearly $1.7 billion in funding from the Federal Transit Administration for the 2023 Renewable Natural Gas Path to Zero Emissions Grant.
Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) introduced the bipartisan Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act. This legislation establishes standards for registration, inspection, chain of custody, labeling and packing, and proper disposition of donated bodies, to ensure bad actors are unable to take advantage of donors and their families. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) also introduced this legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Prior to today’s announcement of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, outlining the distribution of $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, advocating for clear guidance to allow local governments to use BEAD funds to increase their permitting capacity to deploy broadband projects effectively.