Representative Kathy Castor

Dear friend,

Skilled and talented teachers are key to student success and a thriving Tampa Bay economy! This week, I announced a $1 million community priority grant that will boost the STEM teacher pipeline at the University of South Florida and keep high-quality teachers here in the Tampa Bay area to support our students and help them reach their full potential. Just a year ago, USF announced that they were going to eliminate the College of Education undergraduate degrees but fortunately rescinded this decision after community pushback. Now, thanks to these federal dollars, we have a down payment for the continued success of Florida’s future educators and K-12 students.

This week in Washington, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to help our neighbors bounce back and lower costs with direct aid for restaurant and small business owners who were left out of previous aid packages.

MY COMMITTEES

My Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled "Communities in Need: Legislation to Support Mental Health and Well-Being." Tampa health providers and schools are facing a worrisome shortage of mental health professionals, making it difficult for children to access the mental health services and treatment they need. We are advancing legislation to ensure that there are qualified professionals trained and ready to support our communities, especially our students, in the days ahead.

My Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation held a hearing entitled "Gouged at the Gas Station: Big Oil and America's Pain at the Pump." Big oil companies continue to rake in record profits while leaving Americans on the hook for exorbitant costs at the pump as a result of greedy companies and Putin’s price hike. I directly questioned oil executives on why Americans are seeing historically high prices while continuing to work with President Biden on lowering costs at the pump and redoubling our commitment to transition to a clean energy economy that is both independent and sustainable.

You can watch me question the big oil executives here.

My Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held a hearing entitled "Cost-Saving Climate Solutions: Investing in Energy Efficiency to Promote Energy Security and Cut Energy Bills."

Do you support ending taxpayer subsidies to oil companies?

Yes

No

I don't know

VOTES THIS WEEK

H.R. 3807 – Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022: Throughout the Covid19 pandemic, I’ve worked directly with small business and restaurant owners to connect them with the resources necessary to keep their lights on and pay their employees. Following up on the Restaurant Relief Fund, Paycheck Protection Program and other direct aid for Tampa business owners including in federal aid packages, the House will pass $42 billion for additional restaurant relief and $13 billion for other “hard hit” industries that did not receive previous federal assistance. This is a bridge for the mom and pop shops and local restaurants that make our Tampa community special.

My full statement here.

H.Res. 1023 – Resolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find Peter K. Navarro and Daniel Scavino, Jr., In Contempt Of Congress For Refusal To Comply With Subpoenas Duly Issued By The Select Committee To Investigate The January 6th Attack On The United States Capitol: The attack on the Capitol was a stain on our nation’s history, and the potential collusion of White House officials in the heinous attacks on law enforcement officers on that day must be fully investigated. We intend to hold all parties, both those who planned and those who partook in the January 6 riots, accountable.

Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6968 – Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act: This legislation will further isolate Russia from the global economy and leave it weaker in every way.

Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 7108 – Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act: This is the next step in Congress and the Biden Administration’s multi-pronged approach to hold Putin accountable for his continued invasion of Ukraine.

As always, my office is here to help at 813-871-2817.

Sincerely,

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week’s survey on whether or not the federal government should decriminalize marijuana. 63.7 percent of applications support the effort to do so, 32 percent do not, and 4.3 percent are undecided. Check back next week for results to today's survey.