U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) honored the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (signed Aug. 6, 1965) with a visit to the Tampa Bay Academy of Hope, one of the many community organizations working on second chances for nonviolent ex-offenders. She talked to a group of students and young adults about the state of voting rights in America and Florida. U.S. Rep. Castor called on passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act to address the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. She also explained the urgent need to amend the Florida Constitution to restore the rights of nonviolent ex-offenders who suffer under Florida's rigid Jim Crow-style law that essentially bars rights restoration after completion of a sentence and probation. Read more »

Gov. Rick Scott isn't the only Republican in Florida to avoid saying whether he supports or opposes President Donald Trump's proposed ban on transgender members of the military. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the following statement on today’s announcement about the labor agreement reached between the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association and U.S. Soccer Federation that raises pay for players and effective through 2021: Read more »

Today on Equal Pay Day, the Paycheck Fairness Act is being introduced to help close the wage gap that still exists today for women to boost broader economic prospects for everyone. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the following statement today expressing her concerns about the recent uptick in activity by  hate groups in Tampa Bay and around the country. Earlier this week, she expressed her concerns to the FBI and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. “Diversity is the bedrock of our faithful, generous and hard-working Tampa Bay… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor released the following statement on the executive order on refugees:  “President Trump’s executive order targeting and banning legal permanent residents and refugees from war-torn areas is illegal, immoral and un-American.  It has made us less safe.  If the President wants to empower jihadists, this is the way to do it. I am in contact with… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced today that Tampa Police Department is the recipient of a $1.9 million federal grant to hire 15 more officers to strengthen its community policing efforts. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Castor announced a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Labor grant for CareerSource Pinellas’ YouthBuild, which gives youth seeking a second chance in life a bright and hopeful future by giving them the education and job training they need to turn their lives around. Read more »

Under a baking sun, church leaders and voting activists gathered Monday outside the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office to call for a constitutional amendment in Florida to restore felons' voting rights. Read more »

In 2015, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, started pushing to replace the U.S. Capitol National Statuary Hall statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, one of two images representing Florida. Read more »