The Hill Report: Week of June 12 - 16, 2017

For the past eight years Democrats forced Americans to comply with hundreds of new regulations that strained our economy and decimated job creation. One of the most egregious examples of the Obama-era’s regulatory agenda was Dodd-Frank. Dodd-Frank was nothing short of a complete disaster that shackled our economy to the chains of bureaucracy. It produced thousands of pages of rules and regulations that forced community banks to shutter their doors, saddled small businesses with costly compliance regulations, and put all Americans at a severe disadvantage. 
 
This week the House turned the page on the era of onerous regulations and passed a measure to create real economic growth that allows our free-enterprise system to thrive. Under the leadership of Chairman Jeb Hensarling, the Financial CHOICE Act responsibly rights the wrongs of Dodd-Frank by bringing accountability to the financial services industry, stopping taxpayer bailouts, and providing all Americans, regardless of their circumstances, the opportunity to achieve financial independence. Importantly, this legislative package also repealed the misguided and flawed Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule. I proudly supported this measure to unleash our economic prowess and reinvigorate our American economy.

Voting to Bolster Border Security 
This week the House also passed H.R. 2213, Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act of 2017, a bill to responsibly streamline the hiring process for United States Customs and border Protection agents. Under President Trump's leadership, Secretary Kelly has made a concerted effort to provide the necessary resources to secure our porous borders and uphold our rule of law. However, our border patrol - the most critical resource we have on the ground - is severely understaffed. This bill appropriately addresses this problem by allowing already thoroughly vetted candidates to expeditiously go through the hiring process and begin their important duties of protecting our borders. These individuals are critical to the safety and security of our nation and we must responsibly ensure we have enough officers on the ground to protect our borders.

Meetings with Texans  
Navy League 
On Monday I hosted a congressional briefing with former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, North Texans representing the Navy League, and policymakers to discuss vital role the United States Navy plays in our national security and why we must seize the opportunity to grow the fleet. Having served as Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan, Secretary Lehman provided insight as to how the Navy is working around hurdles including steep funding cuts and material shortages. As Congress continues to address military funding levels and sequestration, I look forward to continuing to work with my House colleagues to ensure our service men and women have all the tools they need to protect our country.

Congressman Sessions with John Douglas Crawford, Secretary Lehman, and John Ritter at the Navy League Briefing

American Jewish Committee of Dallas 
On Tuesday I met with students from North Texas to discuss the importance of the US-Israel relationship and how we can work together to combat hate, promote Israel's security, and counter the spread of radicalism and extremism. Simply put, the United States cannot step back from its role as a global leader when it comes to protecting civil liberties and freedom.  As a beacon of freedom in a region plagued by strife, the United States must also continue to support our ally Israel and advance Israel's security and global standing as a democracy. Throughout our history, the United States has always come to the aid and defense of our allies, and we will do the same for Israel. As your Member of Congress, I will continue to work to ensure that the United States remains committed to the security of the Jewish people.

Congressman Sessions with Adam Carter and Margot Carter of the American Jewish Committee of Dallas

TI 
On Wednesday, I was delighted to meet Julie Van Haren, the Senior Vice President of Communications & Investor Relations for Texas Instruments. As one of the leading edge companies headquartered in Dallas, T.I. continues to serve as a shining example of a Texas company that can operate on a global scale but also give back to the local and regional community. As a Texan, I am proud to represent the hard working business men and women who continue to grow our economy and create jobs, and look forward to working with them to make Texas an even better place to live and do business.

Congressman Sessions with Julie Van Haren, Steve Bonner, Paula Collins and Gene Irisari of Texas Instruments

Experian 
This week I was pleased to meet with members of the Experian team to discuss the growing identity theft crisis, as well as the need for new credit education tools. I believe that Congress needs to reform the outdated Credit Repair Organizations Act to enable the development and delivery of new credit education tools. These pro-consumer reforms are supported by the National Bankers Association; the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the US Black Chambers; and the National Baptist Convention of America, among many others. It's important to note that you can take steps to protect yourself from credit fraud and identity theft. Here are some tips that Experian shared with me that I thought you may find useful:

To identify fraud, you should carefully review your credit report:
Accounts: If you see a newly opened account that you don’t recognize, this could be a sign that a criminal obtained a line of credit using your identity.
Inquiries: In the “Requests viewed by others” section of your credit report, review the list of creditors for any names you don’t recognize.
Addresses: If you discover an address you’ve never lived at on your credit report, this could be a sign that someone has tried to obtain credit in your name.

Congressman Sessions with Murray Johnston, Joseph Manna, and Lee Lundy in a meeting with Experian

JP Morgan 
Texas representatives from JPMorganChase shared some exciting news with me this week! They have contributed $459,100 to nonprofits in the 32nd Congressional District of Texas, of which I am proud to represent, in support of Workforce Readiness in our community in 2016 alone. They also employee 1,600 of our North Texas neighbors and provide almost $2 billion in financing to Texas small businesses. I'm also proud to say that their employees donated 1,500 volunteer hours to nonprofits in our community. Thank you JPMorganChase for the contributions you are making to economic opportunity and growth in our North Texas home.

Congressman Sessions with David Emerick, Michael Lister, David Nolet, and Jennifer Lackey in a meeting with JP Morgan