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You are here: Home / Archives for U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast, Posey Bill To Protect Local Estuaries Passes House of Representatives

Posted on June 5, 2019

U.S. Representatives Brian Mast (FL-18) and Bill Posey (FL-8)’s National Estuaries and Acidification Research (NEAR) Act today passed the House of Representatives. The bipartisan effort to protect local estuaries – including the St. Lucie – authorizes a $1 million study by the National Academies of Science to research the effects of ocean acidification and identify ways to mitigate the consequences of acidification.

[Read more…] about Mast, Posey Bill To Protect Local Estuaries Passes House of Representatives

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

At Mast’s Urging, Appropriations Committee Increases Everglades Restoration Funding To $200 Million

Posted on May 22, 2019

Funding Level Nearly Triples Last Year’s Allocation
For South Florida Ecosystem Restoration

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee today passed the 2020 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which was amended to include $200 million in funding for Everglades restoration at the urging of U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18). [Read more…] about At Mast’s Urging, Appropriations Committee Increases Everglades Restoration Funding To $200 Million

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast, Soto Introduce Legislation Encouraging Congressional Offices at VA Facilities

Posted on May 20, 2019

U.S. Congressmen Brian Mast (FL-18) and Darren Soto (FL-9) today introduced legislation to streamline the opening of Congressional offices inside Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the nation.

[Read more…] about Mast, Soto Introduce Legislation Encouraging Congressional Offices at VA Facilities

Filed Under: Government, Leaders Tagged With: U.S. Congressman Brian Mast, U.S. Congressman Darren Soto

Mast Introduces Legislation Encouraging Congressional Offices at VA Facilities

Posted on March 27, 2018

Mast Opened First-Ever Office Inside VA Facility

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast today introduced new legislation to streamline the opening of Congressional offices inside Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the nation. The introduction of the bill, called the Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act, follows Rep. Mast’s opening of the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA this past January.

“Serving veterans in our community is not only deeply personal to me, it’s also the most frequent request that I get as a Member of Congress,” Rep. Mast said. “Opening the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA hospital has allowed us to help veterans on the spot: when and where they’re having an issue. Every single Member of Congress should do the same at their local VA and this bill will pave the way to make that high level of service a reality for our veterans.”

Since the opening of the VA office in January, many other Members of Congress have asked Rep. Mast about the process to open his office so that they can replicate the service for veterans at their local VA facilities. Unfortunately, opening the office took more than a year of navigating bureaucratic red tape.

The Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act would cut down on this bureaucracy by requiring the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to permit a Member of Congress to use a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of meeting with constituents of the Member. Moreover, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop regulations regarding the use of VA office space by Members of Congress, mandating that the space be made available during normal business hours and in a location that is easily accessible to the Member’s constituents.

Read the text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND

Rep. Mast opened the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA facility in January.  Through this office, veterans from around the area have improved access for assistance with any VA-related issues.  The office is located in room 1A-366 of the West Palm Beach VA.

The office is staffed jointly by the West Palm Beach area Congressional delegation on the following schedule:

Rep. Brian Mast – Mondays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rep. Lois Frankel – Tuesdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rep. Ted Deutch – First Wednesday of the Month: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings – Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Veterans may call ahead to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are taken on a first come, first serve basis. Veterans may also receive assistance at any of our other offices at any time.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Congressional Offices, legislation, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast, VA facilities

Mast Pushes Plan To Expedite Southern Storage Reservoir Federal Approval

Posted on March 26, 2018

SFWMD Submits Plan to Army Corps For Approval

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18), who has been a longtime proponent of the S.B. 10-authorized EAA Storage Reservoir, is pushing a plan to expedite federal authorization and construction of the reservoir.  South Florida Water Management District submitted its plan to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for approval today.

“The water being discharged from Lake Okeechobee onto the Treasure Coast is destroying our community, putting people out of business, killing sea life and even making people sick.  This reservoir is a critical step forward to restore our lagoon and beaches, and we cannot afford to wait another two years as it drowns in federal bureaucracy.  This exact moment is why I fought so hard to be named Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, and I will do everything in my power to ensure we get this project started without any further delays.”

The Army Corps must review, approve and submit the project to Congress prior to Congressional authorization and construction work beginning, but there is a substantial timing issue that could delay the project by another two years.  Federal authorization of projects like the reservoir occur as part of the Water Resources and Development Act, which Congress considers only every other year.  Congress is expected to consider the 2018 Water Resources and Development Act this spring, but the Army Corps is not expected to approve the project prior to the bill’s consideration.  S.B. 10 set a deadline of October 1, 2018 for this to occur.

To avoid a 2-year bureaucratic delay, Rep. Mast has been pushing a plan to conditionally authorize the project as part of the 2018 Water Resources and Development Act contingent on the Army Corps’ approval.  Under Rep. Mast’s plan, the EAA Storage Reservoir would be automatically authorized as soon as the Army Corps signs off on the plan, expediting the overall completion timeline by more than two years.  Rep. Mast’s letter to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster pushing this plan is attached.

Rep. Mast also joined a bipartisan group of his Florida Congressional colleagues on a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (who oversees the Army Corps) supporting the EAA Storage Reservoir proposal and urging expedited review.

South Florida Water Management District’s press release announcing submission of the project to the Army Corps can be found here.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Lake Okeechobee, south florida water management district, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast Amendment Passes Foreign Affairs Committee

Posted on May 4, 2017

Mast Amendment To Ensure Administration Reports To
Congress on Syrian Conflict Passes Foreign Affairs Committee

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) introduced an amendment to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2017, H.R. 1677, to ensure that the Administration reports to Congress on important aspects of military strategy.  The Amendment was adopted unanimously and the bill was passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday.
“While the President is evaluating the benefits of further military action in Syria, it is critical that Congress has the information needed to uphold our constitutional responsibility,” Rep. Mast said. “My amendment directs the Administration to report on the goals and benefits of specific military strategies.”
H.R. 1677 directs the Administration to report to Congress on the potential protection to the Syrian people of establishing a no-fly zone.
With the adoption of this amendment, the Administration is directed to include in a report to Congress:

Identifying who the ground forces are in Syria we are partnering with;

The center of gravity for both partners and adversaries;

Their capabilities, requirements and vulnerabilities;

What the Administration’s strategy does to mitigate the vulnerabilities of our partners;

And how success should be measured.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Amendment, Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, H.R. 1677, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast statement on American Health Care Act

Posted on May 4, 2017


U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) released the following statement:
“The Affordable Care Act has failed its promises to lower costs, to let people keep their doctor and to let people keep their plans.  As a result, Martin and St. Lucie counties have only one insurer on the individual exchange.  Premiums and deductibles have become beyond unaffordable for people throughout our community, and I’ve heard from countless families just like Debbie’s from Jensen Beach who saw their premiums double and their deductible balloon to more than $12,000 under the Affordable Care Act.
“The American Health Care Act delivers relief for families by ensuring that you get to choose your coverage and the federal government can’t tax you based on what you think is best for your family. The bill returns control of health care from Washington back to you and restores access to quality, affordable options that are tailored to your individual needs.  The bill does all this while also increasing Medicaid funding for Florida by $400 to $500 million dollars that will go to help the most at-risk people in our community get potentially life-saving coverage and treatment.
“Like millions of Americans, I have a pre-existing condition.  As a result of my time in the military, I lost both of my legs and sustained other internal injuries that continue to impact my health care to this day.  I care about this issue.  I believe it is my responsibility to be the staunchest advocate for people out there that also have pre-existing conditions, and I will be.  This bill mandates that people cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and allocates almost $140 billion in additional funding that will subsidize coverage for people with pre-existing conditions to ensure their costs are low, while driving down costs for everybody else as well.  Those claiming otherwise are the same people who said ‘if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor’ and they’re putting partisan politics ahead of the people in our community.”
BACKGROUND
In conjunction with passage of the American Health Care Act, Congress passed a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Mast, H.R. 2192, to prevent Members of Congress from exempting themselves from the American Health Care Act.  The bill enjoyed broad bipartisan support and was passed unanimously.
The Affordable Care Act has caused premiums to skyrocket across the nation, up about 25 percent on average this year. Enormous increases have left many families paying for insurance that they cannot afford to use.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, the American Health Care Act will lower premiums over time by an average of 10% and potentially more as further reforms are made to lower premiums.
The American Health Care Act explicitly maintains protections for pre-existing conditions in three ways:

  1. Guaranteed issue of coverage, guaranteed renewability of coverage and the prohibition on insurance companies denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions are all maintained.  States cannot opt-out of these requirements.
  2. The AHCA as amended specifically clarifies that its provisions cannot be construed as allowing insurers to limit coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. All of these protections will remain the law.
  3. The bill sets aside $138 billion to ensure that people with pre-existing conditions who might slip through the cracks still have access to affordable coverage.  In comparison, the Affordable Care Act provided only $5 billion.

The American Health Care Act provides a five-year, $10 billion pool of Medicaid funding for non-expansion states, proportional to the population.  Florida is estimated to receive an additional $450 million in Medicaid funding from the American Health Care Act as compared to current law.
This bill would repeal the penalties associated with the individual mandate, ensuring that individuals are not forced by the government to purchase a product that they do not want.  The Congressional Budget Office report states that “Most of that increase [in uninsured individuals] would stem from repealing the penalties associated with the individual mandate…because they chose to be covered by insurance under current law only to avoid paying the penalties.”  The government should not be able to force somebody to purchase something that they do not want.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: American Health Care Act, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast Statement on Passage of S.B. 10

Posted on May 2, 2017


U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) released the following statement after final passage of S.B. 10 in the Florida Senate and House:
“As I talk to people in our community, the one issue that keeps them up at night more than any other is the lack of clean, safe water in our area. Our waterways are irreplaceable treasures, central to the economy and quality of life in our region. The water being discharged by Lake Okeechobee into the Treasure Coast is destroying our community, putting people out of business, killing sea life and even making people sick. The Florida legislature’s commitment to building a reservoir south of the lake is a critical step forward in our work to restore our lagoon and beaches. I urge Governor Scott to sign this bill, and in my role as Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, I will do everything in my power to ensure the federal government matches Florida’s commitment to clean water.”
BACKGROUND
Rep. Mast has been a strong supporter of efforts to build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineers.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Florida House, Florida Senate, S.B. 10, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

Mast Statement on Russia Investigation

Posted on March 2, 2017

Brian Mast logo
U.S. Congressmen Brian Mast (FL-18) released the following statement today:
“Jeff Sessions needs to immediately clarify his Senate testimony and recuse himself from any investigation into Russian ties.  If he cannot commit to ensuring this process is completed with full transparency and integrity, he should resign.  The American people are demanding integrity, they are demanding answers and they deserve an unbiased investigation into the facts.”

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Jeff Sessions, russia, statement, U.S. Congressman Brian Mast

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