Congress

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Members of Congress are sent to Washington to serve the people they represent, not their own interests.  As President Donald J. Trump said in his Inaugural Address, this past election demonstrated that power must be restored to the people instead of Washington elites.  Know that as your representative I will remain focused on serving the people of Florida’s 4th District above all else, and I hope and expect the people will hold me accountable.

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More on Congress

Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2019 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

July 26, 2018 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The bill funds the Department Homeland Security, including aviation security, border and immigration enforcement, customs activities, protection against cyberterrorism, natural disaster response, and efforts to stop the smuggling of drugs and people into the U.S. It also includes funding for the U.S. Coast Guard, including the acquisition of six Fast Response Cutters.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

July 19, 2018 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6147, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019. This legislation funds programs that promote small business development, reduce burdensome regulations, protect our environment, improve our parks, increase important safety measures, and combat the opioid crisis.

 

Upon the bill’s passage, Congressman Rutherford released the following statement:

 

Congressman Rutherford Receives Legislator of the Year Award

July 17, 2018 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04) recently received the 2018 Security Industry Association (SIA) Legislator of the Year award for his work authoring H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, which was signed into law in March as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. Upon receiving the award, Congressman Rutherford released the following statement:

Rutherford Announces Funds for Vilano Beach Recovery, NE Florida Counties

July 6, 2018 Press Release

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Today, Congressman Rutherford announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will invest supplemental disaster relief funds in Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties for hurricane and natural disaster recovery. The USACE will invest $36.8 million in St. Johns County for the Vilano Beach renourishment project, as well as $2 million dollars in each of these counties for flood and storm damage reduction projects to make our shorelines more resilient against future storms.

Rutherford Statement on House Passage of FY 2019 Defense Appropriations Bill

June 28, 2018 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 2019) Defense Appropriations bill by a vote of 359-49. The bill funds the Department of Defense – including operations, readiness activities, equipment modernization, and health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families. It also provides funds for several of Congressman Rutherford’s initiatives that are of particular interest to Northeast Florida.

 

Rutherford Announces Key Funding for Northeast Florida Included in Defense Appropriations Bill

June 13, 2018 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL), member of the House Appropriations Committee, announces the successful inclusion of key funding for Northeast Florida in the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 2019) Defense Appropriations bill, which was passed today by the full committee. The bill funds the Department of Defense – including operations, readiness activities, equipment modernization, and health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families. It also provides funds for several of Congressman Rutherford’s initiatives that are of particular interest to Northeast Florida.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: House Passes Three Appropriations Bills for Fiscal Year 2019

June 8, 2018 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019. This bill makes major investments in water infrastructure and coastal flood protection, increases funding for veterans’ health care and benefits, and bolsters our military assets.

Sunshine State News: John Rutherford, Ted Deutch Want DOJ to Quickly Release Funds to Fight School Violence

May 31, 2018 In The News
The two Florida congressmen who led the charge in the U.S. House to pass the “Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act” are now calling on the U.S. Department of Justice for guidance on how to implement it. U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., brought out the bill at the start of the year with U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., as a co-sponsor. Introduced at the end of January, before the Parkland shooting, the proposal “would create a grant program to train students, teachers, school officials, and local law enforcement how to identify and intervene early when signs of violence arise, create a coordinated reporting system, and implement FBI & Secret Service-based school threat assessment protocols to prevent school shootings before they happen" and “would boost school efforts to develop violence prevention programs and coordinate with law enforcement to improve school.”

Rutherford, Members of Congress Send Letter to AG Sessions to Release Guidance on STOP School Violence Act Grants

May 30, 2018 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL), as well as the original cosponsors of the STOP School Violence Act – Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Hal Rogers (R-KY), and Derek Kilmer (D-WA) – led a letter signed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking that the Department of Justice work quickly to release guidance for the school security grant programs funded by the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus bill that was passed in March.

Rutherford Statement on House Passage of National Defense Authorization Act

May 24, 2018 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 351-66. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate and passage.