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Tampa Bay Members Of Congress Focus On Economy, Local Needs

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BILLY HOUSE

Published: December 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - Congress convenes its new two-year session in early January, and Tampa Bay's federal lawmakers agree that the ailing economy and Americans' dwindling access to health care are priorities.

At the start, the area's five House members and Florida's two U.S. senators will focus on a multi-billion-dollar economic stimulus package expected to include funding for state and local projects.

Democratic congressional leaders want the legislation approved early because President-elect Barack Obama hopes to sign it on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

But each lawmaker also has his or her own early legislative to-do lists, with pursuits that range from trying to abolish the Electoral College to passage of a federal program to help track missing senior citizens.

Congress will officially be sworn-in on Jan. 6. But the new session really kicks into gear after Obama gives two speeches. One will be his Jan. 20 inaugural address in which he is expected to lay out his priorities as the new president. The second will be a State of the Union address, which is likely to occur in February or perhaps as late as March.

"Obviously, the entire Congress is going to be initially focused on the economic situation and doing everything we can to fix the fundamentals of the economy," said GOP Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow.
But here are some of the other things that Bay Area members of Congress plan to be pursuing once the new session gets started:

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson: A leading congressional advocate for election reform, Nelson will in January resubmit a bill to abolish the Electoral College and establish a system of rotating presidential primaries.

He also plans to reintroduce legislation to move the nation closer to creating a national catastrophe fund for areas prone to natural disasters, like hurricanes, and will continue to advocate on behalf of the nation's space program.

The senator also is braced to fight any renewed attempts to expand oil and gas drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Republican Sen. Mel Martinez: In his final years in the Senate, Martinez, who said he won't seek re-election in 2010, says he expects to play a role in moving bipartisan legislation addressing the housing crisis. The former Housing and Urban Development chief wants to focus on ways to stimulate the housing market and avoid new foreclosures.

Martinez also sees himself being able to work in a bipartisan way on a range of other issues.

Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa: As a new member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Castor expects to play a role in helping to shape Obama's health care reforms.
She is particularly focused on seeing an expansion of coverage for children through the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP.

She also wants legislation to expand the number of resident physicians in Florida, and will battle for what she sees as Florida's fair share of Medicaid dollars.

Castor also will seek to secure funding for light rail for the Tampa Bay area.

Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor: Among the first bills Bilirakis plans to introduce is one that would establish a so-called federal "Silver Alert" program to help find missing people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other dementia-related illnesses.

Bilirakis also intends to join with Castor on a measure to allow Americans to send free mail and care packages to members of the military serving in combat zones.

Republican Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville: Brown-Waite will continue to push legislation to guarantee veterans get served at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals or clinics within 30 days – or be able to go to a private doctor and get reimbursed by the VA.

Also, she is working on legislation that would give homebuyers a new tax credit. She'll continue to work for bipartisan agreements on a catastrophic insurance fund, and SCHIP legislation.

Republican Adam Putnam of Bartow: Putnam will continue to seek passage of his Student Protection Act bill that would establish a national database of school system employees convicted of sexual crimes against children.

He'll also continue work on a bill that would modernize and give the Food and Drug Administration more tools to prevent potential sources of food-borne illness and establish new food safety regulations.

Republican C.W. Bill Young of Indian Shores: From his senior position on the House Appropriations Committee – a panel he chaired until 2005 – Young is expected to continue having a major say on Congress' annual military spending bill and be able to steer hundreds of millions of dollars to his district, region and state.

Reporter Billy House can be reached at 1 (202) 662-7673.

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