Press Release

On August 11, in response to reports of understaffed and at-capacity hospitals in the Tampa Bay area, Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) urged Governor Ron DeSantis to reissue a Covid19 emergency order to allow more flexibility for a surge of nurses and medical professionals from out-of-state to treat patients as well as stabilize costs for our health facilities. “Florida is in the midst of a Covid19 public health emergency with a record number of cases since the pandemic began. 1 in 5 Covid deaths nation... Read more

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) voted in support of H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to restore the critical protections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). H.R. 4 would prevent states, including Florida, and localities from restricting the right to vote. Rep. Castor’s remarks on the House Floor can be found here. “As Florida and other states continue to enact restrictive, anti-voter laws, it’s more important than ever to fully restore the vital pro... Read more

“As the State of Florida is at the epicenter of the Covid19 public health crisis, and our heroic health care workers are working tirelessly to aid patients filling up our hospitals, I’m calling on Governor DeSantis to once again issue a Coronavirus emergency order to allow more flexibility for a surge of nurses and medical professionals from out-of-state to treat patients and stabilize costs for our overburdened hospitals. “There are health professionals ready and willing to come to Florida and ... Read more

Florida continues to lead the way in Affordable Care Act marketplace signups during President Biden’s Special Enrollment Period with 487,342 individuals signing up so far “Crucial During Covid19 Public Health Crisis” Today, Rep. Kathy Castor announced that health care is more affordable than ever for Florida families thanks to the American Rescue Plan’s enhanced tax credits – this will save families an average of $40 per person per month — that’s nearly $2,000 per year for a typical family of fo... Read more

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) led all Congressional Florida Democrats in urging Governor Ron DeSantis and leaders in Tallahassee to immediately distribute billions in K-12 federal funding made available to the State through the American Rescue Plan. Florida’s students and public schools are in dire need of additional resources to operate safely, address student academic achievement, and keep teachers and other essential personnel on the job, and available monies being held by the State wo... Read more

Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced today that she spoke directly with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to encourage greater flexibility for Hillsborough County to disburse federal Covid19 emergency funds to help neighbors facing eviction stay in their homes. An important area of help for both small businesses and families is rent relief. To date, Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa have combined to distribute $49 million in rental and utilities assistance through Hillsborough County’s Rapid... Read more

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) introduced an updated “Protecting the Information of our Vulnerable Children and Youth Act” or the “Kids PRIVCY Act” to strengthen the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The bill builds on COPPA's strengths and expands privacy protections for children and teenagers, and incorporates key elements of the UK's Age-Appropriate Design Code, including expansion of coverage to sites likely to be accessed by children and teenagers, a requirement for a ... Read more

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) voted to pass H.R. 4502, a package of seven government funding bills, with investments to create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunity for the middle class and small businesses, and provide a lifeline for working families. The package also includes nearly $11M in funding that Rep. Castor championed for local projects. “As our economy recovers from the Covid19 pandemic, House Democrats have crafted a government funding package that will lift families, su... Read more

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s (FL14) amendment to increase oversight of for-profit charter school corporations was passed by the House and included in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill late yesterday. The House will vote on the historic FY22 appropriations package for students, public schools, colleges and universities later this week. Castor spoke on the House floor to highlight the failure of the State of Florida to adequately support public schools ... Read more

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor led 35 House Members from the 12 non-expansion states in urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to include language to permanently close the Medicaid coverage gap in budget reconciliation being considered by Congress this summer. In Florida, almost one million individuals do not have access to affordable health care and are caught in the coverage gap. Florida’s failure to expand Medicaid cost our state $66 billion according t... Read more