Congresswoman Kathy Castor said today that the University of South Florida’s initiative to bring electronic prescribing to the Tampa Bay area will bring much-needed and well-paying health care and information technology jobs to the region. “PaperFree Tampa Bay is exactly what was intended by the economic recovery plan,” Castor said. “It’s going to create the high-wage jobs of the future.” PaperFree Tampa Bay is a guaranteed job creator as intended by the Recovery Act, creating more than 130 in the Tampa Bay area. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor hailed the passage of provisions that allow family members to more frequently visit their relatives in Cuba. The provisions are contained in the annual appropriations bill. “This is a huge victory for families in the Tampa Bay area,” Castor said. “The unnecessary hardship of these burdensome restrictions has finally been lifted for Cuban-Americans and their loved ones.” Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today certain Recovery Act dollars that will be directly targeted to the Tampa Bay area community as early as the end of this month. “Education dollars will be allocated to Florida by the end of the end of March,” Castor said. “This money will immediately flow directly into the hands of our school districts and the private sector vendors they partner with, helping to create and preserve jobs and educate our students. This funding will especially help students with disabilities, students from low-income families and students needing help paying for college.” Read more »

With President Obama’s housing plan and passage of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, Congresswoman Kathy Castor expects a large, new wave of loan refinancings for Tampa Bay area families at her next foreclosure prevention workshop – her fourth since the onset of the economic crisis. “Families should not wait for the workshop but should take action now to refinance their loans under the new Obama plan by contacting their loan servicer or lender,” Castor said. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today sizeable new investments for important local priorities that will spur jobs in the Tampa Bay area. The new resources were included in the 2009 appropriations bill, which was scheduled to pass in the House today. “Significant investments in the Tampa Bay area economy will preserve jobs and provide a shot in the arm to the local economy,” Castor said. Read more »

A provision in the appropriations bill that would allow family members to more frequently visit their relatives in Cuba is a victory for families in the Tampa Bay area, Congresswoman Kathy Castor said. Our efforts will allow family members to visit Cuba once a year, rather than once every three years. The bill also reverses the Bush Administration regulatory impediments on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba. Read more »

President Obama inherited a deficit that tops $1 trillion and an economic catastrophe the likes of which we have not seen in generations. Recovery will not happen overnight, but President Obama’s bold plan for economic recovery will put our economy back on track. The Recovery Act, foreclosure prevention plan and new access to affordable health care will stabilize the pocketbooks of Tampa Bay area families. Bolstering our economy and creating jobs will continue to be our top priorities. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Moffitt director William S. Dalton said today that the cancer and research institute is well-poised to bring hundreds of much-needed construction and health care jobs to the Tampa Bay area from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday. Read more »

“Responsible homeowners will have an opportunity to refinance. The thousands of Tampa Bay area families I have served at my foreclosure workshops have been looking for breathing room to stay in their homes and had trouble merely getting a lender on the phone. President Obama’s plan gives these responsible homeowners a fighting chance. Read more »

In the midst of the most significant economic collapse since the Great Depression, Congresswoman Kathy Castor hailed passage of the economic recovery plan. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a dramatic lifeline to families and businesses across Florida and the struggling Tampa Bay area,” Castor said. “President Barack Obama initiated a bold recovery plan of action upon taking office just as Franklin Delano Roosevelt did seventy years ago. Our neighbors and community now have better opportunities to stop the downward spiral of shrinking jobs, health care and savings.” Read more »