Congressman Pete Sessions Visits Houston County
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – U.S. Representative Pete Sessions visited The Moosehead restaurant in downtown Crockett Tuesday, Feb. 14 to give Houston County residents an update on Washington legislation and hear their concerns and issues.
Sessions is the U.S. representative for Texas’ 17th congressional district spanning 14 counties from Nacodoches to Waco, Session’s boyhood home.
Before he spoke to the assembled locals, Sessions spoke with The Messenger about his trip to our area and his first open meeting with Houston County voters.
“I came out here to do this informal meeting and it’s a chance for me to come back and see my friends,” Sessions said. “We’re actually here with a couple of members of our staff that are going to meet with the county judges. And we’re trying to do the formal thing with the county judges to make sure they understand who we are, how to contact us and what we’re doing in these 14 counties.”
Sessions acknowledged rural counties like ours have unique challenges he promised to address in Washington.
“As Congressman it is my job to see the larger infrastructure things that are necessary to protect our way of life,” Sessions explained. “Things that are done to prepare us for the future. And I think those are economic in basis – and also making sure the infrastructure – whether it be broadband or an opportunity to have safe highways. That is a key component of what our appropriations debate should be.”
Sessions mentioned Houston County’s Leon Hunt had recently visited Washington and given a talk on the specific needs and challenges in Texas’ rural counties. Hunt is the Executive Director of DETCOG, Deep East Texas Council of Governments.
“Yes, Hunt came to Washington and we sat down with him to understand from a regional perspective and it was a very powerful meeting. We think the way we help Houston County the most is by working with them on a regional basis,” Sessions said.
After making his remarks about his committee work and the new Republican majority in Congress, the locals began asking questions. The first several of which were about prisoners arrested during the January 6, 2021 confrontations in Washington, D.C. Sessions agreed they should be treated differently, but said some of them had waived some of their rights and Sessions promised to pass this along to the Judicial Committee and Sessions’ good friend and Chairman Jim Jordan.
Sessions introduced some of his staff traveling with him, including Melinda Kartye from his Nacodoches office who is in charge of being the liaison with “deep East Texas.”
The crowd thanked the Congressman for coming and answering their questions. Sessions promised to always be in touch and return soon.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
