Today, Congressman Al Green (TX-09), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Congressman Gene Green (TX-29) met with the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Houston to analyze the positive effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in the nation’s fourth largest city. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Port of Houston.

           Congressman Al Green highlighted some of the funds the Recovery Act provided the City of Houston, with emphasis on his Congressional District, the Texas Medical Center and school districts in the area:

• City of Houston: $130 million
• Texas 9th Congressional District: $85 million
• Houston Independent School District: $196.7 million
• Alief Independent School District: $45.3 million
• Fort Bend Independent School District: $38.8 million
• Harris County Department of Education: $881,002
• Stafford Municipal School District: $800,000
• Texas Medical Ctr. and affiliated medical institutions: $155 million
           
           “In the field of education, which is vital for our nation to maintain its position as a world leader, these ARRA funds have been instrumental for developing assistance to disadvantaged and low-income students, as well as programs framed within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” he added.

           As for the effect of the Recovery Act in the Texas Medical Center, which is part of the area that forms Representative Green’s Congressional District, he stressed the fact it has created or saved 520 jobs.

            “Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, our nation is laying a new foundation for economic growth with a special emphasis on sectors that will be decisive in the near future, such as education, clean energy, transportation and infrastructure,” he concluded.