Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of strengthening the Affordable Care Act. Last Saturday, we held a townhall meeting in my home of St. Petersburg, Florida. Over 550 Pinellas County residents showed up, and the message was overwhelming: Work together, fix health care, don't destroy it, put people above politics.

The Republican bill unveiled this week would drive up healthcare costs, strip away important protections, and leave millions without coverage. It is wrong for senior citizens. It is wrong for women. It is wrong for the poor and the disabled. We are judged by how we treat the least among us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an innovative effort in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida that's empowering the community and changing lives. Looking for new solutions to the chronic problem of poverty in the African American community, and spearheaded by local activist Gypsy Gallardo, a partnership between the Pinellas County Urban League, the City of St. Petersburg, and over 100 grassroots community organizations, known as the 2020 Plan, is already showing results.

The goal is simple and direct--reduce poverty by 30 percent in the South St. Petersburg community by 2020. The Plan, focused on providing a hand-up, not just a hand-out, is holistic. It connects all aspects of society; government, the business community, the non-profit sector, and concerned citizens, focusing on investment in economically distressed areas to generate jobs and revenue, career training and education to reduce barriers to employment, and providing the necessary social services to strengthen the family unit. Since its inception two years ago, the Plan and its partners have raised $2.2 million through a combination of grants, private investment, and donations.

If the most recent Census data is indicative, The Plan is having a real impact. In 2015, the poverty rate in this community dropped by 8.5 percent. That's compared to a 1.7 percent decline in Florida and a 1.6 percent decline nationally over the same period.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this effort, and couldn't be more proud of my hometown. The 2020 Plan underscores the power of community coming together to care for each other. It is inspiring, and holds promise as a model for communities across the country. I salute their leadership, and look forward to our working together in the years ahead to reach our goal.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an innovative effort in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. Known as the 2020 Plan, its goal is simple: to reduce poverty by 30 percent in south St. Petersburg by 2020. The plan connects all aspects of society to promote investment, create jobs, and support families, and it is working.

In 2015 alone, the poverty rate in the community dropped by 8.5 percent, compared to 1.6 percent nationally. This effort is truly inspiring. I salute the leadership of Gypsy Gallardo; the Pinellas County Urban League and its president Watson Haynes, my brother; the city of St. Petersburg; and over 100 grassroots community organizations that are working together to reduce poverty in this historically underserved community. Thank you and God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this important document as well.

Friends, we may have vastly different views on how best to create a more perfect Union, along with different styles and different temperaments, but we all share a commitment and, frankly, a responsibility to bring the voice of the people to Washington, D.C.

I am honored to represent much of Pinellas County and my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, and I promise to fight for the needs of my home. But I pledge to do so in keeping with what is known as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. This is a rule that I strive to live by every single day.

Poll after poll shows that Floridians and, frankly, all Americans are fed up with the divisiveness and rancor of Washington. As we move forward debating the issues of the day, let us be mindful of the words of President Abraham Lincoln: ``Though passions may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.''

I am proud that our freshman class--yes, this awesome freshman class--has put forward its commitment to civility. It states that, despite our political differences, at the end of the day we must work together to move our country forward, putting people over politics and treating one another with mutual respect and much more grace even when we may disagree.

I thank, again, the gentleman from Louisiana and the gentlewoman from California for their leadership and for their friendship, putting people over politics. God bless you all, and God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 11.