WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) released the following statement after U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Andrew Kelly announced that, in a reversal of a previous announcement, Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River will not occur: "The Army Corps' decision to delay discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie Estuary is absolutely the right one. I thank the Florida Department of Env  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, issued the following statement: * * * Chair Kathy Castor of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Thursday, after the House of Representatives passed the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447): "Today's bipartisan legislative package addresses more than 50 recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan we released this summer,  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment issued the following testimony by Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein as part of a virtual hearing entitled "The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and Water Management in Florida" on Sept. 24: I'm Noah Valenstein, and I have the pleasure of serving as the Secretary for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Thank you, Chair  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment issued the following testimony by Chauncey P. Goss II, board chairman of the South Florida Water Management District, as part of a virtual hearing entitled "The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and Water Management in Florida" on Sept. 24: Thank you for hosting today's hearing and discussing "The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and Water Management in Florida."   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, voted to pass crucial legislation that would modernize America's energy system. The package includes her provision to invest in research and development for the undergrounding of powerlines to make the process more affordable and increase reliance, lifespan, and safety. Utilities across Florida ar  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued the following testimony by Sandy-Michael E. McDonald, director of the Office of Economic and Small Business Development for Broward County, Florida, as part of a hybrid hearing entitled "Driving Equity: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program" on Sept. 23: My name is Sandy-Michael E. McDonald and I am the Director of the Office of Economic and Small Business Development  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures issued the following testimony by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer as part of a remote hearing entitled "Restaurants in America During the COVID-19 Pandemic" on Sept. 25: My name is Buddy Dyer. For the last seventeen years, I've had the privilege of serving as the mayor of the great city of Orlando, Florida. Most of you probably know Orlando as the world's number one destination for visitors. We also like to say t  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, issued the following news release on Sept. 25: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the below statement following introduction of her Kids Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act, H.R. 8372: "As more and more children find themselves with access to smart devices, especially while many are learning virtually this fall, it is critical we take steps to protect them from harmful and damaging content online. That's why I am proud to introduce th  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, issued the following statement on Sept. 24: * * * Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL) released the following statement following protests and civil unrest in the wake of the Kentucky grand jury's decision in the Breonna Taylor case. "Breonna Taylor's family did not get the justice they deserve, and I empathize with the deep well of pain in the hearts of the thousands calling out for justice in her name this week. "Peaceful protesting is a   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. W. Greg Steube, R-Florida, issued the following news release on Sept. 25: Today, U.S. Representative Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) filed a discharge petition on H.Res. 1116, the rule providing for consideration of HR. 8265, the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. Within this legislation is language to expand Paycheck Protection Program eligibility to include 501(c)(6) organizations. U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) previously pushed for this with his ori  more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, released a statement after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blocked a bipartisan resolution, cosponsored by 38 Senators, recognizing the week of September 20, 2020 as "National Small Business Week." The bipartisan resolution has passed the Senate every year since 2005. This is the 57th year the d  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, released a statement after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blocked a bipartisan resolution, cosponsored by 38 Senators, recognizing the week of September 20, 2020 as "National Small Business Week." The bipartisan resolution has pa  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following excerpts of an op-ed published in USA Today: * * * Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for USA Today on how the Democrats are changing their tune for partisan purposes and threatening to block a Supreme Court nomination without even knowing who the nominee will be. In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, "...The American people elected a Republican Senate in 2014 to be a check on the Obama/Biden administration. Senate Repu  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release on Sept. 25: Today, Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza requesting information on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan returns, and urging the SBA to make this information available to the public. * * * September 25, 2020 To: The Honorable Jovita Carranza, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 Third Street SW, Washington,   more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issue, wrote to the European Union's High Representative Josep Borrell, with regards to the upcoming sham parliamentary elections in Venezuela. "A majority of EU   more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the bipartisan Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act of 2020 to establish national standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture. The bill would designate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the lead federal agency for marine aquaculture. The legislati  more