The Hill Report: Week of December 7 - 11, 2015
This week I had the opportunity to sit down with the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) Board of Directors and representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) to discuss future issues with the water supply in North Texas. Over the past five years, NTMWD has faced a significant supply challenge as the North Texas region continues to expand and prosper. In order to maintain the quality of service North Texans deserve, the NTMWD has applied to build a new reservoir in northeast Fannin County. Unfortunately, the project was immediately mired in EPA and USACE red tape and is now in danger of not being allowed to move forward ? meaning higher water prices for consumers and the potential for even more stringent water restrictions across North Texas. As your Member of Congress, please know that I will continue to fight for North Texans and ensure that that both USACE and EPA commit to take any and all actions necessary to expedite the completion of the permitting process for the Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir.
Meeting with Texas Land Commissioner
On Thursday I was delighted to welcome Texas Land Commissioner, George P. Bush, to my office to discuss the Red River Private Property Protection Act and other important storm surge protection issues. I share the Commissioner’s view that the federal government has no business taking land from Texans along the Red River, which is why I strongly advocated and voted for the Red River Property Protection Act earlier this week. I will continue to work with the Commissioner to protect all citizens in Texas from ridiculous and baseless land grabs by federal agencies.
Congressman Sessions with
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush
Meeting with DART and Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman
Thursday afternoon I was pleased to meet with Dallas City Council Member Lee Kleinman and representatives from Dallas Area Rapid Transit to receive an update on plans to expand DART light rail operations and services. Specifically, we discussed DART’s plans to expand a number of platforms, increase services, and provide more capacity for North Texans who use the service. As one of the premier and largest light rail operators in the nation, I am proud to see DART continue to expand and grow so more North Texans can take advantage of its services.
Congressman Sessions with
Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman
Preventing Terrorists from Infiltrating our Country
In the past month we have seen radical Islamic terrorists take innocent lives through their barbaric, senseless attacks across the world, including most recently in the tragic attack in San Bernardino. Now more than ever it is critical that we take every possible measure to bolster our national security in order to protect innocent people from future attacks. That's why I proudly joined my colleagues in the House in taking a responsible step to strengthen our national security with the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2015. This bill addresses key vulnerabilities in the current Visa Waiver Program and prevents individuals who have traveled to terrorist hotspots in the past four years, including Iraq and Syria, from participating in this program.
House Passes Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act
Today the House passed the conference report for the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, also known as the Customs bill. This critical piece of legislation will increase U.S. competitiveness, create thousands of new American jobs, decrease our deficit by $116 million and increase revenues by $18 million over the next 10 years. In addition, this bill prevents the President from using trade agreements to alter immigration laws. I proudly worked with my colleague, Congressman Steve King from Iowa to insert an amendment that explicitly states that this bill does not allow the president to change immigration law through trade agreements or obligate us to expand visas. I am pleased that the House passed this legislation to strengthen Trade Promotion Authority.