Kathy Castor is Tampa Bay’s voice in the U.S. Congress. She was elected in 2006 and represents Florida’s 14th Congressional district, which includes Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County. She is the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in the U.S. Congress.
Castor focuses on issues vital to Tampa Bay area families and businesses, and is committed to building a stronger economy that works for everyone as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. She works on initiatives to create jobs, protect the environment and consumers, improve schools, ensure veterans receive the benefits and care they have earned, provide access to affordable health care and defend protections for people with preexisting health conditions.
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Providing better-paying jobs for Tampa Bay is Rep. Castor's number 1 priority. She has successfully fought to bring new, good-paying job opportunities to Tampa Bay’s small businesses and large economic engines alike, including Port Tampa Bay, University of South Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa International Airport, MacDill Air Force Base and federally qualified community health centers. She believes that a balanced approach for the budget charts a sustainable course for middle-class families, and has opposed measures that stand in the way of progress. Rep. Castor supports small businesses and community investments -- such as those in education, research and infrastructure -- that create jobs. In addition, Rep. Castor hosts a job fairs and job trainings info-sessions to connect our neighbors to higher-paying employment opportunities in Tampa Bay. |
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Too many women in America are not participating fully in our economy and that affects us all. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in the U.S. Congress and has been an unwavering voice in Congress to advance economic opportunities for all of our neighbors. But the latest statistics show that women do not have equal rights and opportunities. For example, although women are the leading or solo breadwinners in 41 percent of households, women still earn only 82 cents for every dollar that men earn. |
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, Castor was instrumental in ensuring that health care reform worked for Florida families, businesses, and university medical and nursing colleges. She helped to draft the landmark Affordable Care Act that passed in 2010, and she has worked tirelessly against weakening new patient protections, especially for neighbors with pre-existing conditions, and educating neighbors about health insurance enrollment in the new marketplace exchange.
Castor works hard to bolster and support our health care institutions -- University of South Florida, Haley VA Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa General Hospital and BayCare.
Castor co-chairs the Academic Medicine Caucus and Children’s Health Care Caucus.
Rep. Castor has worked on several initiatives to improve schools and educational opportunities for all of our neighbors. From Head Start to post-doctoral research programs, Rep. Castor believes in providing students and families with the tools they need to be successful.
Castor is dedicated to improving the lives of Cuban Americans. The Center for Democracy in the Americas presented Castor with the 2013 award for Courage in Congress for her advocacy in changing U.S. policy towards Cuba. The Tampa Bay community, including business and education leaders, have stood with Castor in developing ties and establishing Tampa as a Gateway to Cuba, and boosting cultural and educational exchanges. In 2014, President Obama announced that the United States would restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Castor continues to work on improving human rights and fostering better economic opportunities in Cuba and in the United States. Castor accompanied President Obama in 2016 in a historic trip to Cuba to cement reinstatement of diplomatic ties. She is a co-chair of the bipartisan Cuba Working Group and the lead Democrat on a bill to end the embargo.
Rep. Castor is committed to fighting for equality for everyone across Tampa Bay.
Throughout her time in Congress, U.S. Rep. Castor has worked to stem the gun violence epidemic in America. In the 116th Congress, she has helped lead her colleagues in passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act, a commonsense bill that ensures all gun sales and transfers are subject to a background check that should help stop senseless violence by individuals who should not have a firearm. House Democrats have also passed H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, to close the “Charleston loophole” after the South Carolina gunman in 2015 was able to purchase weapons after a 3-day federal background check ran out of time to turn up a prior conviction. The bill would extend the time to complete a background check. She also is cosponsoring bills to reinstate the ban on military-style assault weapons.
Also in the 116th Congress, U.S. Rep. Castor joined her colleague U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and other members in urging Senate Leader McConnell to call the Senate into session and take immediate action to pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112. She participated in a sit-in with Civil Rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis (GA5) in the 114th Congress and continues to advocate for funding of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research on gun violence.
Rep. Castor has brought consumers' concerns to the forefront, from assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure after the housing market crashed, to legislative proposals for faster processing of Veterans' claims, to working with local law enforcement to get them the tools they need to crackdown on a massive tax fraud scheme uncovered in Tampa Bay in 2011, involving more than $468 million in taxpayer money.
Rep. Castor is committed to an open internet. In 2015, important steps were taken to ensure an open internet so consumers are protected and cannot be charged more for certain websites by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These rules took important steps to ensure an open internet where consumers cannot be charged more for certain websites by ISPs and prevented them from blocking, slowing down or charging more for websites you want to visit. Now, the FCC is making an anti-consumer effort to reverse these actions that preserved net neutrality protections, possibly causing consumers and businesses to suffer higher costs and less online access, affecting Rep. Castor’s neighbors in Tampa and across the country.
The FCC’s current Net Neutrality rules have been upheld in Federal Court and have strong public support. During the FCC’s public comment process to repeal the Open Internet Order, the Commission received more than 22 million comments that overwhelmingly called for the Commission to leave the current rules in place.
Rep. Castor has been a staunch advocate of immigration reform that provides a fair pathway to citizenship. This not only benefits immigrants, but all Americans because it upholds this country’s legacy as a nation of immigrants and brings significant economic benefits.
Information on Emergency Payments for Veterans Awaiting Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Benefits
Veterans whose post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits have been delayed can receive emergency payments, up to $3,000, at the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office. Veterans visiting the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office should bring a government-issued photo ID and a course schedule. Veterans in need of transportation to the regional office can request free van service by calling their nearest VA medical center.
Veterans also can apply online at www.va.gov. Payments applied for online will be issued within three work days of your request.
To help ensure the veterans in her district receive the benefits and care they have earned, Rep. Castor regularly holds roundtable discussions with veterans and veterans-related nonprofits to address challenges and maximize collaboration.
Rep. Castor fights for investment, expansion and support our base’s military missions and personnel need to keep our country safe. MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. is home to two combatant commands, Special Operations Command and Central Command; the 6th Air Mobility Wing; the 927th Air Refueling Wing; and dozens of mission partners.
She is the co-chair of the Air Force Caucus and the Special Operations Forces Caucus.
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Tampa Bay is a community of small businesses. Rep. Castor frequently meets with local small business owners committed to our region and seeking to expand, including a recent roundtable with small businesses and entrepreneurs where they expressed their concern over the proposal in front of the FCC that would roll back net neutrality rules, or regulations that require service providers to treat all content equally. Please see the following resources that I hope you will find helpful: |
Investments in infrastructure projects - roads, bridges, broadband, schools, water infrastructure, energy grids and transit - will create jobs, rebuild America and keep Tampa Bay moving! Rep. Castor’s Clean Distributed Energy Grid Integration Act was incorporated into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, signed into law November 15, 2021 by President Biden.
Too many women in America are not participating fully in our economy and that affects us all. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor has been an unwavering voice in Congress to advance economic opportunities for all of our neighbors. But the latest statistics show that women do not have equal rights and opportunities. For example, although women are the leading or solo breadwinners in 40 percent of households, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. What’s even more staggering is the Paycheck Fairness Act has been twice introduced in Congress, but twice rejected.
This is just one of many unacceptable statistics hindering economic prospects for women. U.S. Rep. Castor has worked to aggressively elevate these issues until everyone in Congress and America understands that when women succeed, America succeeds. Read about the legislative proposals U.S. Rep. Castor has championed and the events she has hosted in her drive to ensure that generations of women enjoy equal rights, equal treatment and equal opportunities.
Affordable Care Act (links to Families USA)
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor serves on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, including the Health Subcommittee, and as a member helped craft the Affordable Care Act to ensure it works for Florida families.
Rep. Castor believes that America should be committed to renewable energy and energy conservation, and has fought to restore funding that has been slashed from these initiatives. She believes clean energy initiatives are also critical to boosting our economy, creating jobs and maintaining global leadership.
Rep. Castor has supported a withdrawal of U.S. troops out of Iraq and redeployment of U.S. troops from Afghanistan while remaining committed to diplomacy. Her first committee assignment was the House Armed Services.