WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congresswoman Kat Cammack and Senator Rick Scott introduced the Increasing Value for Families (IVF) with HSAs Act to help individuals and families better plan and pay for medical expenses, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), by decoupling Health Savings Accounts (HSA) from high-deductible health plans, and doubling the current contribution limits on HSAs from $4,300 to $8,600 for individuals and $8,550 to $17,100 for families.

Senator Scott and Rep. Cammack are also leading a bicameral resolution expressing their full support of IVF.

“I’m pleased to join Senator Scott on this effort to support American families and look forward to growing the legislation’s support in the House,” said Rep. Kat Cammack.  “Building and growing a family is part of the American dream for millions in our country, but for too many parents and parents-to-be, IVF’s high costs put the option out of reach. By expanding HSA eligibility and increasing contribution limits for those HSAs, we’re pursuing solutions that will help make dreams reality. I’m proud of Florida legislators’ leadership on this issue and encourage my colleagues to join me in standing by our young families.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today announced the 2024 Florida School Resource Officer of the Year, Columbia County Sheriff Deputy Scott Ceckanowicz. Dep. Ceckanowicz has served as an SRO for six years, is described by peers as being exceptionally attentive and demonstrates a keen awareness of the needs and concerns of both students and staff alike—volunteering after hours to help with school projects.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “School resource officers have a very important role in the safety and wellbeing of our students. The 2024 Florida School Resource Officer of the Year, Deputy Ceckanowicz, goes above and beyond to protect the children where he serves and ensures they have the tools they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. His dedication to the school he serves is unmatched and I am grateful for his service and the example he sets for our students.”

Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter said, “Deputy Ceckanowicz’s dedication to our School Resource Unit and his passion for students is beyond measure. Everything he does for these kids, he does from the heart, not from obligation, and in doing so, strengthens the trust between the students and law enforcement.” Continue reading →

Attorney General Ashley Moody and a coalition of state attorneys general today called on the United States Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act, to ensure election integrity by protecting United States elections from illegal voters. The attorneys general call the bill a “common-sense reform” that has broad support among American voters.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The SAVE Act is important legislation that ensures only Americans vote in American elections, and I along with my colleagues strongly urge the United States Senate to pass this bill.”

In a letter sent to congressional leaders, the attorneys general note, “President Biden’s immigration disaster now threatens the security of America’s elections. During this surge in illegal immigration, cities and States across the country have started allowing noncitizens to vote in their elections. But allowing illegal voters in State and local elections, while bad enough, does not remain confined to just those elections. Indeed, some States have taken an even odder approach. Arizona’s Secretary of State explains that voters who register to vote without proof of citizenship will be designated ‘federal-only’ voters, meaning they are allowed to vote in federal, but not state or local, elections.”

The attorneys general go on to say, “The SAVE Act protects our elections from illegal immigrants and upholds the rule of law. Under the SAVE Act, individuals must provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The SAVE Act also will help States identify and remove illegal immigrants from their voter registration rolls by providing States with access to federal databases. Those simple, common-sense reforms will protect our elections.” Continue reading →

Ashley Moody urges Senate to pass SAVE Act for election security

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and a coalition of 22 state attorneys general are urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), which aims to prevent illegal voting by ensuring only American citizens can vote in elections.

“The SAVE Act is crucial legislation that ensures only Americans vote in American elections, and I strongly urge the United States Senate to pass this bill,” Moody said on Tuesday.

The attorneys general sent a letter to congressional leaders expressing concerns that President Joe Biden’s immigration policies have led to a rise in illegal immigration, which they argue could undermine election security.

The consortium pointed to instances where it was alleged that noncitizens are allowed to vote in local elections and noted that some states, like Arizona, permit noncitizens to vote in federal elections if they register without proof of citizenship. Continue reading →

One of the loudest complaints against the FAIRtax is that it will abolish the corporate income tax. According to the D.C. elites, it seems unconscionable that billion of dollars of corporate profits would go completely untaxed. They believe that the mega-rich corporations should be obligated to “pay their fair share”. An Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal by Phil Gramm and Mike Salon had some interesting points regarding corporate taxes:

* Americans don’t understand that corporations do not pay taxes and that corporate entities are owned by people – you and me.

* Corporate taxes are just like any other cost of doing business and when costs go up, the increase is passed onto different people in different ways – as higher prices to consumers, as lower wages to employees and/or as lower dividends to investors. Continue reading →

Good morning friends-

With the elections just around the corner, I wanted to share with you the constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot for the General Election on November 5^th, 2024.

Amendment One – Partisan Election of Members of District School Board – HJR 31 passed by the Legislature 2024…This will require members of a district school  board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election.

Amendment Two – Right to Fish and Hunt – CS/HJR 1157 passed by the Legislature 2024…Preserving the forever fishing and hunting, including by the use of traditional methods, as a public right and preferred means of responsibility managing and controlling fish and wildlife. Continue reading →

MARATHON, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida’s investments in coral reef protection and announced enhancements to the 2024 Lionfish Challenge and 2024 Lobster Mini-Season. Through the FY 2024-2025 Focus on Florida’s Future Budget, the Governor invested a historic $57 million for coral reef restoration and coastal protection, bringing the total investment in these efforts in the Governor’s second term to over $114 million.

The Governor also highlighted $5 million in funding to create additional artificial reef habitats through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This funding will support the establishment of an innovative framework for installing, overseeing, and preserving artificial reef habitats in the Florida Keys. Continue reading →

HIALEAH, Fla. —Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his commitment to approving a historic teacher salary funding increase of $1.25 billion in the budget for Fiscal Year 2024–25. Since 2019, Florida has invested over $4 billion in teacher pay increases and has raised starting teacher pay by nearly $10,000. To learn more, click here.

“Florida’s education system is number one in the nation, and we want to make sure good educators are attracted to Florida with attractive compensation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud to have invested more than $4 billion for teacher pay increases since the beginning of my time in office, and I will continue to push for increased funding for Florida’s teachers.” Continue reading →

This week marked the last week in Washington for the month. Next week we celebrate Independence Day with events throughout the district, and I look forward to seeing many of you at parades and July 4th celebrations next weekend.

This week was another busy one in Washington, with many groups from Florida’s Third in town, from FFA students to the winner of our 2024 Art Competition. We showed some students from Bronson FFA around the Capitol and attended the celebration for our top artist as the 2024 art pieces were hung in the tunnel to the U.S. Capitol. You can see photos from those visits below.

On Tuesday, Olympic legends Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt testified before the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations about how other nations aren’t held to the same standard by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As the Olympic Games in Paris approach next month, it’s important that the athletic competitions are fair. You can take a look at the remarks from the hearing below.  Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Early this morning, the House Agriculture Committee completed its full committee markup of the 2024 Farm Bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. Congresswoman Cammack voted to pass the bill, joining her colleagues for a final bipartisan vote of 33 to 21.

Congresswoman Cammack spoke during the opening remarks for Members during the markup, lauding the bill’s provisions that will support Florida’s farmers, ranchers, and producers. View her full comments here.

Included in the bill are several wins for Florida’s specialty crop producers, including the establishment of a specialty crop committee, funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, more funding for specialty crop mechanization and automation research. Additionally, the bill ensures AGI (adjusted gross income) waivers for disasters and eliminates the AGI limitation for farmers who make more than 75 percent of their income from agriculture. Continue reading →