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) today filed the Student Loan Relief Act (H.R. 3390) to tackle America’s rising student debt, give working families a more affordable path for college and spur economic activity. U.S. Rep. Castor is offering the bill as the U.S. House version of the legislation filed by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Read more »

This news release was issued by U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (TX6): WASHINGTON, D.C.: Today, Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2017 (ACE Kids Act), H.R. 3325. The ACE Kids Act will help improve the coordination of and access to high quality care to ensure optimal outcomes for children with complex medical conditions on Medicaid, while assisting to contain costs. Other original cosponsors in the House include; Reps. Gene Green, Anna Eshoo, Dave Reichert, and Jaime Herrera Beutler. A similar bill, S. 428, was introduced in the Senate in February. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) issued the following statement after U.S. Senate Republicans failed to achieve the votes necessary to repeal the Affordable Care Act and end Medicaid as we know it: Read more »

Today U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) opposed the Smoggy Skies Act, the GOP’s attempts to shift polluter costs to consumers and gut the Clean Air Act. U.S. Rep. Castor urged commonsense clean air protections, including an amendment to fight against rolling back safeguards for children and families. U.S. Rep. Castor’s amendment upholds the promise of environmental justice to ensure all… Read more »

This news release was issued by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12): Washington, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Kathy Castor (FL-14) announced today that they introduced the bipartisan Medicare Civil and Criminal Penalties Update Act, H.R. 3245. This legislation cracks down on Medicare fraud and abuse by increasing civil and criminal fines. Read more »

Today U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the following statement regarding the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill passed the U.S. House today, 344-81. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the following statement after today’s version of the U.S. Senate GOP Trumpcare bill was unveiled: “Unfortunately, the latest GOP Trumpcare bill is just as terrible as the previous version. The inclusion of the Cruz Amendment would inflict even greater suffering for Americans with pre-existing conditions – on top of an already brutal bill. Read more »

America’s caregivers are finally getting the recognition they deserve, but their support and wages warrant a boost as well. Nationwide, we have more unpaid family caregivers than the population of California; the value of family caregiver hours is more than six times Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services; and on average, family caregivers spend 20 percent of their total income on caregiving expenses. Read more »