Below is a list of bills I have introduced, letters I have led, awards I have received, and funding I have championed for the people of California’s 44th District in the 117th Congress. Click on each tab to learn more.
Bills │ Letters │ Awards | Community Project Funding
Letters Sent in the 117th Congress
Support for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Application for Grant to support the Zero Emission Bus and Infrastructure Deployment Project
In May of 2022, Rep. Barragán sent a letter to Administrator of the U.S. Federal Transit Administration Nuria Fernandez in support of an application by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for the Buses and Bus Facilities and Low or No Emission grant programs to support the Zero Emission Bus and Infrastructure Deployment Project. The proposal from Metro would support the procurement and installation of enroute and depot charging stations and related infrastructure needed to implement the transition to zero emission bus service on several routes operating in South Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Harbor Area, and other parts of Los Angeles County, including the Metro J Line.
In August 2022, LA Metro was awarded a $104 million grant to purchase and install charging infrastructure for zero emissions buses. This will help Metro transition several routes, including the Silver Line which runs up the I-110 from San Pedro to downtown LA, to battery electric.
Support for the Port of Los Angeles Proposal for a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant
More than forty percent of all seaborne imports to the United States enter through the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, home to both the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach. As the federal government continues to address the many issues disrupting our supply chain, it is essential to prioritize investments that will have the largest economic and environmental impact. In April 2022, Rep. Barragán sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in support of the POLA’s proposal for a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant to support the National Multimodal Freight Network Improvement Program: Maritime Support Facility Access/Terminal Island Rail System Grade Separation.
In September 2022, the Department of Transportation awarded POLA a $20 million RAISE grant for this project, which will reduce truck congestion, lower emissions, and a create a more efficient supply chain.
EPA Clean Truck Rule
Rep. Barragán led a letter with Senator Alex Padilla (CA), Congressman Donald McEachin (VA-04), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Senator Cory Booker (NJ) led 61 of their colleagues in urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize ambitious clean truck standards that reduce Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and greenhouse gas emissions and include requirements for the sale of zero-emission trucks.
EPA Risk Management Rule
We must protect our communities at risk of chemical disasters, including accidents at the refineries in Carson and Wilmington, and at Rancho LPG in San Pedro. That’s why Rep. Barragán co-led a letter to EPA on this issue with Senator Cory Booker (NJ) and 29 members of Congress. It’s important for EPA to finalize the strongest possible rule to protect communities, workers, and first responders.
EPA Methane Rule
Rep. Barragán, as the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Climate Change Task Force, led 15 of her Congressional Hispanic Caucus colleagues on a letter requesting the Environmental Protection Agency strengthen its recently proposed methane rule to require regular inspections of smaller oil and gas wells and prevent routine flaring. These improvements will help to address the climate crisis and improve public health in Latino communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by emissions from oil and gas wells.
EPA Freight Emissions Regulation
Rep. Barragán and Senator Cory Booker (NJ) led 48 of their colleagues in encouraging the Environmental Protection Agency to update technology standards for freight-related sources of pollution to address the high levels of air pollution in communities surrounding our nation’s freight shipping facilities and freight transportation corridors, including at the Ports of LA and Long Beach. The letter also requests information regarding EPA’s regulatory schedule for updating freight-related emissions standards, technology assessments for mobile and non-mobile freight sources, and opportunities available to streamline rulemaking to update several emissions standards by 2025.
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Letter
Rep. Barragán led six of her Los Angeles County colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives on a letter to the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, asking that they include specific recommendations from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and feedback from service providers in their next Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
In the letter, the Members request that the following recommendations be included in the Federal Strategic Plan: (1) include Housing First and Trauma-Informed Care; (2) mitigate the difficulties to obtain documentation for housing; (3) ensure livable wages and invest in capacity building for care and service workers; (4) the removal of justice-system barriers that prevent housing; and (5) encourage or require the inclusion of lived experience advocates in federal, state, and local programs.
HHS and CMS Letter on Alzheimer’s Drug Coverage Decision
Barragán led 40 of her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Brooks-LaSure urging them to re-propose or revise CMS’ National Coverage Determination (NCD) for monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The letter calls for CMS to reverse their proposed national coverage decision to restrict Medicare beneficiaries’ access to Aduhelm, a recently approved Alzheimer’s treatment, and all future similar treatments being developed to treat Alzheimer’s Disease.
CPUC Solar Proposal Op-Ed
Rep. Barragán wrote an op-ed in the LA Times with Compton small business CEO Kenneth Wells opposing the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proposal to slash incentives for solar power and charge people the highest monthly fee in the country. The CPUC has since withdrawn their proposal due to public pressure, and is reconsidering how to update its solar incentives.
CHC Justice 40 Letter
Rep. Barragán, as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Climate Change Task Force, led 13 of her colleagues from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in providing environmental justice recommendations to the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the implementation of the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. The Administration has implemented or begun implementing several of the recommendations, including a Comprehensive Mapping Tool to identify disadvantaged communities, and to reform existing grant programs to maximize the environmental justice benefits and minimize their harms.
Preserving Urban Parks Funding
When the previous Presidential Administration tried to eliminate funding for urban parks in underserved communities on its last day in office, Rep. Barragán successfully led a letter to President Biden requesting the decision be overturned. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently announced $61 million in grants for urban parks funding. This was part of the funding restored by the Biden Administration, as advocated for by Rep. Barragán.
Letter Calling for Expanded Dental Care Coverage
Congresswoman Barragán, as a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, co-led a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calling for the agency to expand dental coverage for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS subsequently announced that they will require treatment of additional oral health conditions.
Advocating for Provisions to Expand Health Coverage and Lower Costs
Rep. Barragán led more than 50 of her colleagues in the House of Representatives in a letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to lower healthcare costs and include healthcare provisions from the Build Back Better Act in any upcoming reconciliation legislation.
Letter to the FDA Commissioner on Food Safety
Congresswoman Barragán led a bipartisan letter to the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging him to unify the FDA food program and appoint a Deputy Commissioner of Foods to improve the agency’s ability to respond swiftly to current and future food safety events and more effectively communicate with the public.
Urging Swift Reimbursement for Monkeypox Vaccine Administration
Congresswoman Barragán led a letter with Rep. Jimmy Gomez and 37 members of the California Congressional Delegation urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to quickly approve reimbursement claims submitted by California community clinics for administering monkeypox virus vaccines.
Public Health Evaluation for Watts Jordan High School & Surrounding Area
On July 27, 2022, Congresswoman Barragán sent a letter to Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary of Health with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, requesting that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conduct a health consultation of the environmental contamination impacting Watts Jordan High School and the surrounding community.
On November 4, 2022, ATSDR confirmed that they will conduct a public health evaluation of Watts Jordan High School and determine, to the extent possible, whether contaminants in the environment could harm people’s health. Any findings and recommendations will be documented in a written public health report following the conclusion of the evaluation.