U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, has been named to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation including aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit and railroads.
Nehls, freshman representative for Texas’ U.S. District 22, cited the committee and its impact on the Fort Bend County region as his main focus in Congress.
“The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee was my number one House committee target, and I’m pleased to announce I achieved my goal,” Nehls said. “Infrastructure investment is critical to my district and the Houston region.”
Nehls has experience dealing with transportation in the area. As former sheriff of Fort Bend County, Nehls’ territory traversed through major thoroughfares like Interstates 59, 69 and 10.
“My work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will offer me the opportunity to focus on numerous issues such as highway and interstate development, national security, and flood management,” he said.
Congressman Brian Babin and Congressman Randy Weber are also Houston-area based House members on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“Congressman Nehls is a welcome addition to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, given his understanding of the role infrastructure plays in our national security, his decades of law enforcement experience and his experience directing large infrastructure projects during his military career,” said committee ranking member Sam Graves, R-Montana. “He’s also witnessed firsthand the effects of inadequate infrastructure while personally performing dozens of water rescues in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. I look forward to working with him on the committee.”
In addition to addressing transportation issues, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of national infrastructure, such as clean water and wastewater management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation.