The Partnership has established a series of priorities going into this Congress focused around energy, COVID-19 response and the Houston Ship Channel. Additional focused issue areas include transportation, economic development, flood mitigation, international trade and more.
The Partnership is dedicated to strengthening the region’s position as the Energy Capital of the World through supporting prudent and sound policies and energy infrastructure investments necessary for the region to lead the global energy transition and accommodate global energy demand growth.
Through leveraging members’ experience and expertise, the Partnership is in a strong position to advance policies to support the region’s natural gas and oil industry and workforce, and work to transition to a more efficient and more sustainable low carbon future.
The Partnership supports continued response and relief packages to enable our communities to address and recover from the impacts of the pandemic, including funding for hospitals, public health authorities and community health clinics. These resources face significant funding gaps due to COVID-19 disruptions and require federal support to provide adequate testing and large-scale vaccine distribution.
Additionally, the Partnership supports extending personal injury liability protections for employers and businesses who make reasonable efforts to follow COVID-19 public health guidelines, and for front-line health workers and hospitals working under pandemic conditions.
The Partnership supports the widening and deepening of the Houston Ship Channel to provide safe and efficient transit for each vessel traversing the busiest deep-draft trade waterway in the nation. With the project included in WRDA passed by Congress at the end of 2020, we are committed to working collaboratively with the federal government, Port of Houston Authority, and private industry to ensure the completion of the project.
The Partnership supports significant investment in infrastructure designed to protect both our economy and our people from future severe weather events. Recent major flooding events revealed the billions in needed investments in the Houston region’s flood mitigation and storm surge infrastructure. We will continue to support policies that improve resiliency and fund infrastructure needs for flood mitigation and storm surge protection.
The Partnership supports maintaining and enhancing existing funding opportunities and meeting the region’s transportation needs. Given the interdependency of our regional, national, and international markets, maximizing the region’s economic prosperity depends on efficiently moving goods and people throughout the region.
The Partnership supports free and fair international trade through accountable trade and investment agreements. The Houston region is a global logistics hub where 17% of the economy and 330,000 jobs are directly tied to exports. Supporting open international trade and international investment agreements helps to create jobs in the region while securing a strong and diverse economy.
As America’s most diverse city, Houston’s foreign-born population plays a significant role in driving our region forward. The Partnership supports immigration reforms that meet the needs of greater Houston’s business community and the region as a whole. It is important to address immigration issues that have a disproportionate impact on our area to ensure talent is available to meet the needs of our companies.
The Partnership supports federal investment in the Houston region’s higher education institutions to ensure the current and future workforce meets the needs of the economy and accesses rewarding careers. The Partnership plays a leading role in improving regional coordination and alignment between industry, the public workforce system, public schools, higher education institutions and community-based organizations to produce the talent for a 21st century economy. The Partnership also supports policies to increase access to reliable and affordable broadband connectivity, which is essential for every individual’s education, employment, healthcare, and participation in the economy.
The Partnership supports policies, programs, and investments which encourage inclusive economic development in the greater Houston region and across its major industry sectors, including energy, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, commercial aerospace and aviation, and digital technology. Economic development initiatives help to maintain a diverse local economy, while creating and retaining jobs, and improving the quality of life of greater Houston.
The Partnership's impact work happens through Committees, which convene business and community leaders to fuel the growth and vitality of the Houston region.
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