Washington, DC - During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Great Compromise was reached; the House of Representatives would be elected by the people in proportion to each state's population every two years and each state, regardless of population, would elect two representatives to the Senate every six years.

This system encourages a special relationship between Members of Congress and the 640,000 or so we each represent. We want to be responsive to constituents' needs and to hear from you as often as possible. As a lifelong resident of our district, representing our neighbors' views and values is a privilege that I take very seriously. In order to better represent our area, our office sponsors regular town hall meetings to enable residents of the 29th Congressional District to speak their minds and inform me of their views on the issues impacting our community and nation. We have two upcoming town hall meetings scheduled that I would like to invite area residents to attend.

On Saturday, August 25 at 9 a.m., please join me at the Pasadena Public Library at 1201 Jeff Ginn Memorial Drive; or at 11 a.m. at the Milton Lusk Youth Activity Center at 1022 Mercury Drive in Jacinto City. If you are new to the area or haven't come to a town hall meeting before, try to schedule a few minutes to stop by so we can become acquainted. If you have attended our meetings before, I would enjoy seeing you again.

Town hall meetings also provide an opportunity to give constituents information about what Congress has done recently. The meetings on August 25 will highlight the impact on our area of recent energy and health care legislative activity.

For example, the House passed a comprehensive energy bill on August 4 that aims to increase renewable fuel production, among other provisions, and it may take up additional energy legislation later this year. Along with other representatives of oil-producing districts, I met with Democratic Party leaders repeatedly in the days leading up to the vote in order to make sure our constituents’ interests got a fair hearing.

Also this month, the House passed the CHAMP Act, which reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for ten years. As a senior member of the Health Subcommittee, I made sure the bill included a provision that guarantees 12-month continuous CHIP eligibility for children from low-income families, which will reduce bureaucratic snags in Texas and ensure better health for our most vulnerable citizens.

Of course, everyone at the town hall meetings will be free to raise whatever topics concern them. Please come on August 25 for a hands-on democratic experience.