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Fight for Florida Continues in New Congress
By U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
January 3, 2019
Sunshine State News
For the past two weeks, Americans have watched petty partisan bickering in Washington, D.C. result in a partial government shutdown. And while that may go on for some time, I am optimistic this new Congress can deliver important victories for Floridians and our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico.
I do not blame you if you are skeptical, but beneath the doom and gloom headlines we were able to accomplish a lot during the previous Congress. Now it is time to build on that success. I will introduce more than a dozen bills aimed at making Florida safe, sustainable and thrive, and getting our neighbors in Puerto Rico back on their feet.
One of those bills will allow federal assistance to states that implement red flag laws, which typically enable a family member or local law enforcement to seek a temporary court order to restrict someone’s access to firearms. Those type of state laws could prevent the next school shooter from buying a gun, and we are already seeing the benefits of Florida’s red flag law. My Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act of 2019 will provide resources for Florida to carry out its law while encouraging other states to do the same. It is a commonsense step to build on our successes from last year, which include the STOP School Violence Act and Fix NICs Act.
I will also introduce legislation to improve our public housing and hospitals, and ensure our homeless veterans get the help they deserve. Protecting families and veterans in our community from unsafe and unsanitary living conditions should be a bipartisan priority. My SAFE Hospitals Act will modernize a decades old federal funding formula to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent fairly and our hospitals finally receive equitable federal funding to provide for our state’s most vulnerable.
For the past two years, Floridians faced the twin threats of red tide and blue-green algal blooms. My South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act requires a concrete plan to reduce, mitigate and control harmful algal blooms, with appropriate federal resources to enhance the state’s efforts. I will continues to fight for the construction of the reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee as part of the Central Everglades Planning Project and push for funding and executive action to address the state’s underlying water quality and infrastructure challenges. We made tremendous progress last year towards restoring the Everglades, but more must be done to corral the Army Corps’ bureaucracy if we are to complete the mission at a responsible pace.
Read the rest here.