Dear Friend,

Democrats in the House will continue to press for votes on a path to citizenship for DREAMers – the 800,000 young people who deserve peace of mind and the ability to remain in America, the only country they call home.  We are only three signatures away from forcing a vote through a rare, bipartisan “discharge petition.” If the petition gathers the signatures of a majority of House members, we can overcome the refusal of Speaker Ryan to allow a vote on the DREAM Act. View a list of my Florida colleagues who have and have not joined me in signing and supporting this discharge petition.

Democrats also are pressing a discharge petition to save Net Neutrality. On Dec. 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to overturn the Obama Administration’s Open Internet Order and end Net Neutrality, which prevents Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from obstructing, speeding up or slowing down internet traffic based on content.  The FCC’s decision could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet and even blocked content. Last month, the U.S. Senate voted to disapprove the FCC’s decision on a 52-47 bipartisan vote.  While House Republicans continue their refusal to act and bring the matter up for debate, House Democrats have offered a discharge petition to force consideration of a resolution that would overrule the FCC’s decision and reinstate Net Neutrality to protect consumers’ rights to a free and open internet.

Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado underscores the need for Congress to swiftly pass the Equality Act, so that discrimination against LBGTQ Americans is outlawed.  The Equality Act – which I have championed and is cosponsored by more than 190 of my colleagues – would update America’s current anti-discrimination laws. There are federal laws protecting people based on race, sex, disability, and religion – but there are no explicit protections for people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas of public life. Most people oppose discrimination against our LGBTQ neighbors, but it is still too common. Our federal laws must be updated to guarantee comprehensive protections from discrimination. Read my release here.

Thanks to everyone at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital for hosting my Vietnam War Veterans 50th Commemoration. It was a powerful and inspiring event where we honored veterans and families for their service and sacrifice during the Vietnam War era. I heard individual, moving stories of service directly from veterans as I personally thanked and provided a commemorative pin to each veteran at the ceremony. Vietnam veterans were not always welcomed home with parades and tributes due to the divisiveness of the war, and hopefully America will never make that mistake again. This is my fourth commemoration ceremony and I intend to schedule more, so please contact me if you know a veteran who should be honored!

This week, Republicans in Congress have scheduled votes on the following legislation:

Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3249 – We must take steps to provide the necessary resources to help local jurisdictions prevent and fight crime in their communities. This bill establishes the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Grant initiative within the Department of Justice to “foster and improve” existing partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, communities impacted by increased violence, victim advocates and researchers in order to reduce violent crimes. While this bill will provide necessary resources to help fight crime, the rhetoric of fighting gangs has too often been laced with racial bias, so we must be cautious that this grant initiative is implemented to target crime and not used in a discriminatory fashion.

H.R. 8, Water Resources Development Act –  This bill was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and provides for improvements to the nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources infrastructure. Investing in our nation’s infrastructure is vital to creating good-paying jobs and boosting local economies.  The Act could especially help the Tampa Bay area by keeping shipping channels serving Port Tampa Bay clear. Port Tampa Bay is the largest port in Florida and provides a $17.2 billion economic impact.

H.R. 5895 – While Republicans have fallen behind in moving the FY 2019 appropriations bills, I am glad to see some action this week. The “minibus” bill bundles together Energy and Water, Legislative Branch and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations. I have introduced three amendments to reverse severe cuts in clean energy research and deployment, and address the electricity crisis in Puerto Rico. My first amendment would restore funding for the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy initiative, which creates higher-paying jobs and keeps more money in families’ pockets. Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico are still struggling with basic things like keeping the light on. The Trump Administration has been derelict in its duty to take care of families still on the island and my second amendment would  not let the Army Corps leave Puerto Rico until power is fully restored to the island and the plan for transition to full control and operation of a modernized, resilient grid is completed and implemented. We must rebuild so that if another natural disaster like Hurricane Maria hits, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and taxpayers aren’t left in the dark. My third amendment would reinforce America’s trajectory towards a clean energy future by stopping the Trump Administration from artificially and unnecessarily propping up coal and nuclear power plants. The President and Republican leadership should abandon this anti-science, anti-innovation course that will heap costs on families, cost us clean energy jobs and cost us a clean energy future.