HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT & WIDENING

The Houston Ship Channel is the busiest waterway in the nation and has seen a 37% increase of container activity in the last year. To address national supply chain issues Port Houston installed new neo-Panamax STS Cranes to increase services offered, speed of cargo movement and is utilizing PIDP grant funding for a new container yard. Along with these enhancements, it is critical the Houston Port region obtains support for a wider, deeper channel to deliver everyday goods and petrochemical products more safely and efficiently.

The $1.1 billion Houston Ship Channel Expansion (deepening & widening) known as Project 11 has been authorized to begin construction through the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) passing in December 2020.

First and foremost, THANK YOU for your leadership to ensure Port Houston received funding in the IIJA 22 Work Plan. We appreciate your advocacy to fund the next stage of our channel expansion project with $142 million, which will allow larger container vessels to access our Barbour’s Cut terminal.

$250 million is still needed in federal construction funds for Project 11. Supporting this funding request through the President’s FY23 Budget that will impact critical aspects of Port Houston improvements and national supply needs. The funding will accelerate the President’s priority of improving our supply chain and several sectors will benefit, including but not limited to, general cargo, steel, and liquid bulk/plastic/resin production and trade. Supporting supply chain congestion challenges will enable the ship channel to send critical fuels to our allies across the world during international conflict, like the one taking place in Ukraine.

These investments not only improve our supply chains of container trade, but also protect our national security and support our allies abroad.

Community College Federal Priorities For Workforce Opportunities

Houston Port region community colleges are integral to building a strong Texas workforce by making high-quality education and training aligned with industry needs available to all individuals. Community colleges hope to see this become more fully integrated in the federal workforce system.

With the expansion of Port Houston, continued local industrial growth that requires skilled training and the recovery from COVID displacement, it is more important than ever that Houston Port region colleges can continue to offer quality public education to its students. Our local community colleges have identified several critical federal advocacy issues to ensure a solid foundation of workforce readiness and making certain individuals have access/support to life changing educational opportunities.

Support for Apprentices, Career/Training Programs, Federal Student Aid through the following Policy, Funding and Appropriation measures:

Strengthening Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs is a key tool to help Americans get back to work. The WIOA ‘22 introduced by the House Ed and Labor Committee reauthorizes and strengthens our nation’s workforce development system. The Houston Port region seeks support for legislation that will:

Fully fund WIOA programs by authorizing $74 billion over six years, which will allow the workforce system to serve one million workers per year by 2028.

Codify partnerships between employers and community colleges to provide high-quality job training.

Strengthens industry and sector partnerships to better meet the needs of both employers and job seekers.

Provide funding for innovative approaches to workforce development.

Extend Federal Financial Aid Eligibility to Students and Workers Enrolled in Short-Term Programs. Under current law, most postsecondary programs that are less than 600 clock hours over 15 weeks of instruction are not eligible for federal financial aid (PELL). The Houston Port region seeks support for:

JOBS Act (S.864, H.R. 2037) to allow PELL grant eligibility to students enrolled in qualifying short-term programs. This will ensure the placement of more people into good jobs.

Maritime Centers of Excellence Program Funding

The House and Senate have appointed conferees to negotiate the final version of the America COMPETES Act. The Houston Port region appreciates the support from the conference committee and specifically Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). A filed amendment to H.R. 4521, the Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021will allow $200 million to establish a grant to fund the Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence program, authorized by Congress under the National Defense Authorization Act of FY 2018. The Houston Port region seeks support to:

Establish a Maritime Center of Excellence at San Jacinto College that will in turn allow funding to pass through the College and increase competitive grant opportunities to enhance the maritime program.