rep gus bilirakis
Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) joined together in a bipartisan bill to permanently ban offshore drilling from Florida's coasts. The aptly named Florida Coastal Protection Act prevents the development of offshore oil and natural gas production in Florida waters, an issue on which both Democrats and […]
Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan bill redesignating the Republic of Turkey's (Turkiye) designation from an Eurasian country to a Middle Eastern one for diplomatic purposes. Rep. Bilirakis's Turkey Diplomatic Realignment Act would require the U.S. State Department to move Turkey's designation from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs to the Bureau of […]
Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) has introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to improve access to molecular diagnostic testing for rare cancer patients. Named the Finn Sawyer Access to Cancer Testing Act, Rep. Bilirakis's legislation specifically allows cancer patients on Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to receive molecular testing at first diagnosis rather […]
Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) has reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) to prevent Medicaid capitation payments from going to deceased enrollees. Named the "Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for (LIVE) Beneficiaries" Act, Rep. Bilirakis's bill requires states to refer to Social Security's Death Master File database quarterly to ensure that Medicaid capitation […]
Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is cosponsoring legislation that would improve healthcare access for veterans by easing various restrictions and improving the availability of mental health resources. The bill, named the "Veterans' Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers" (ACCESS) Act, has several provisions, including establishing a baseline for community care standards. Additionally, the list of […]
Representative Gus Bilirakis's (R-FL) bipartisan Major Richard Star Act has garnered strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate but has gotten nowhere since it was introduced in August 2022. This led him and Representative Raul Ruiz (D-CA) to demand action in a recent letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring the bill […]
A bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) to reauthorize research into congenital heart disease (CHD) has been signed into law, reinforcing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the fight against the condition. The Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024 reauthorizes funding for researching CHD's causes, prevention, and treatment through Fiscal […]
As Florida continues to recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, small businesses seeking federal aid face mounting deadlines that cannot adequately be met. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Laurel Lee (R-FL) have written to the Small Business Administration (SBA) urging deadline extensions so that these businesses can still receive aid. The letter noted that disaster […]
The fight against rare diseases has been slow due to several factors relating to regulations, something Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) seek to amend in recent bipartisan legislation easing the regulatory process between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and rare disease specialists so that treatments can be developed more efficiently. As […]
Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) have introduced a bill improving the recruitment and retention of staff for the Board of Veterans' Appeals. This would, in turn, increase the Board's timeliness and ability to process claims. The Board, as described by their website, is charged with assisting veterans in making appeals claims and […]
As adviser to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on veterans issues, Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) told The Floridian in a recent interview that there is a clear difference in the priority by which veterans are treated between the Trump Administration and the Biden-Harris Administration, slamming the latter for "doing everything they possibly can to eliminate community care." […]
WASHINGTON—As the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) works its way through the U.S. Congress, it must address a vital question: How do we balance government authority and parental rights? Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) discussed the bill with The Floridian, saying, "I think that the legislation was necessary to save lives, and the parents have been […]
By Rep. Gus Bilirakis When I was in my district last week, I met with hundreds of constituents who made it quite clear that the number one issue they are concerned with is securing our border. Last week, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced 302,034 illegal immigrant encounters at our Southern Border in December - the highest month in […]