U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced today that relief from flood insurance rate increases is contained in the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which likely will be voted on by the House of Representatives tomorrow. Read more »

The Tampa Bay area is moving now. That’s right — the Interstate 4/Selmon Expressway Connector will open soon to the delight of commuters, port businesses and Ybor City enthusiasts. The massive infrastructure project failed to get off the ground until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act gave the project new life. Read more »

Another $4.4 million is heading to Florida health centers to help them sign up residents for health insurance. Read more »

To help expand the capacity of community health centers serving our communities, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced that 46 centers in Florida will receive $4.4 million in federal grant awards. “These outreach grants will create employment in Tampa Bay and assist our community health centers in their effort to enroll uninsured Americans in the new health insurance coverage options made… Read more »

Because of the Affordable Care Act, for the first time starting January 2014, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying health coverage for the up to 129 million Americans – including up to 7.8 million adults and children in Florida – with pre-existing conditions, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Florida has the fourth highest number of individuals… Read more »

A report today shows that states fully participating in the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have significantly boosted access to medical care for their citizens. The report states that applications increased by 15 percent in October compared to the average monthly enrollment in July – September. “While other states have put their tax dollars to work to provide… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) today visited an independent bookshop in Tampa to champion local Small Businesses at the start of the holiday shopping season. Since 2010, Small Business Saturday has been promoted as a day to support local businesses during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor pledged Monday "to raise the profile" of the state's need to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Read more »

During an event hosted today by the local chapter for Women in Defense, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) outlined the harm that sequestration continues to have on the defense industry and other economic engines across the country and in Tampa Bay. Many members present at the event knew all too well the negative impacts of sequester cuts and expressed their experiences… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) and a bipartisan group of Congressional members are urging adoption of legislation filed today to provide relief from flood insurance increases and to continue reforms to ensure financial stability in the fund that provides a national backstop for flood disasters. “This bipartisan breakthrough will benefit thousands of… Read more »