Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Republican shutdown is a disaster for families across America and this great country, and we are not fooled by this political gimmick on the floor today. It is a gimmick; it is a gimmick; it is a gimmick. The Republican position in this Congress, as demonstrated in their budget, has been to slash support for Head Start students. I know this; Head Start parents know this; Head Start teachers know this; and our communities back home know it all too well. In fact, in the House Budget Committee just this past March, Democrats offered an amendment to eliminate the severe Republican cuts to education and Head Start students and to stop the layoffs of teachers. Republicans scoffed, just like they are scoffing at their basic responsibility to negotiate and pass a budget and keep government working. Mr. Speaker, when you shut down Head Start classrooms, did you know that the parents of these students may not be able to go to work or keep their jobs? That is not smart. Head Start keeps parents working or studying for their own degree so they can move out of poverty into the middle class.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. So I urge Speaker Boehner to bring a clean bill to the floor that funds the U.S. Government, not these political gimmicks. Enough of the gimmicks. We know we have 200 Democrats ready to support a clean CR and at least 20 or so Republicans. End these political gimmicks. Fund the government. End this calamity for American families.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise on behalf of 1,500 of my neighbors in Tampa who have been furloughed at MacDill Air Force Base due to the GOP government shutdown. They were laid off on Tuesday, and they will not be paid. I'm very proud of my community. The banks, credit unions, and the Tampa Bay Partnership are coming together to ensure they have bridge loans so the families stay afloat. But it should have not come to this. It is so irresponsible for the GOP to shut down the government because they disagree with a duly enacted law. I also rise on behalf of small businesses in my community. They are stymied from their expansion plans because the GOP has shut down the Small Business Administration. They want to buy equipment or get working capital, but the Republicans have shut them down. I rise on behalf of the veterans in my community that were waiting for disability benefits; but due to the shutdown, they're going to have to wait longer. And I rise on behalf of mothers, infants, and families all across this country in opposition to the Republicans' continued slashing of the basic sustenance that they need to keep going. This is not consistent with our American values. This dysfunction is irresponsible, and it's causing real pain. I urge my colleagues to set aside the political gimmicks, allow a vote on the bill that will get people back to work, and end this GOP shutdown before it causes greater pain.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 73 which is a political gimmick designed to distract attention from the great harm being caused by the GOP government shutdown and Republican budget policies. When you consider what makes America ``great'', you may think of the America's public schools where every child, rich or poor, can get an education unlike other countries. You may think of our civil liberties. You may think of the architectural wonders like the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay. I am inspired by the talented young researchers across America who are searching to find the cure for cancer or study treatments for Alzheimer's or advance the artificial pancreas for people with diabetes. The Republican bill on the floor today relating to the National Institutes of Health is a whitewash and a sham. Despite GOP assertions that they support NIH and research across America, the record proves otherwise. Over the last two years Republicans in Congress have taken a fiscal hatchet to the positions of young and talented researchers in hospitals, universities and cancer centers across America. For FY13 and FY14, President Obama and Democrats proposed healthy funding for the NIH. Republicans have cut it back by almost two billion dollars each year. Despite GOP assertions that they support research, Republicans have held firm to the sequester cuts for NIH which has led to the elimination of researchers across America. America's researchers, the scientific community, patients, doctors and all of us are not fooled by the Republican hoax here. For example, at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, one of America's leading cancer research centers, researchers on staff have been cut from 120 to 100. This is devastating for America's ability to investigate and eliminate cancer and treat the disease. America has invested in our best and brightest young men and women in the science and math fields and the Republican budget policies are eliminating their positions, cutting back their work and ceding America's top position in medical research to China and India. This is the same story at the University of South Florida, and the research in Alzheimer's nursing, neurology, heart disease or mental health. The budget ax employed by Congressional Republicans is hurting us all. We have fought back. In the Budget Committee, I cosponsored an amendment last spring to restore funding to NIH and cancer research. It was defeated with all Republicans on the Committee voting no. Democrats also offered a balanced sequester replacement plan numerous times, but the GOP has shot it down. With this context, it is easy to see through the House GOP's ploy to fund the NIH through this bill. They are not beefing up funding levels. They lock in the devastating sequester and thereby lay off more researchers and put diagnoses and treatments further out of reach. The cumulative impacts of year-after-year cuts in research erodes America's status as the world leader in scientific research. The American people are not fooled by the political games of my Republican colleagues. And let's not forget that this Republican government shutdown has lead to the NIH turning away new patients from clinical trials--in particular children. Grant applications will not be considered. And the NIH will stop answering hotline calls from our constituents with medical questions. The legislation we will be debating today is a ruse. It won't work. Let's stop playing games, and end the irresponsible Republican shutdown. Then, rather than the empty rhetoric relating to scientific research, commit yourself to making America great rather than tearing it down.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, when the American Government shuts down early next week, it will be plain that the Republicans in Congress are responsible. Unfortunately, it will be our neighbors back home and small businesses back home that will have to deal with the consequences. When the Tea Party Republicans pushed the country towards default previously, they caused real economic damage. America's credit rating was downgraded, and their previous government shutdown cost American taxpayers over $2 billion. Now they're back for more, and they appear quite willing to cause significant economic damage again. There is more to this story. Over the past few months, while our neighbors back home have been working hard at their jobs, getting their kids back into school, the story here in Congress has been one of dysfunction rooted in the House Republicans' inability and refusal to negotiate an overall budget for the United States with the U.S. Senate. They passed a make-believe budget proposal that was so unrealistic they could not bring themselves to come to a budget conference with the Senate. So, without a budget, House Republicans left the country in limbo, and they embraced the severe and mindless sequester cuts as their spending strategy. In contrast, Democrats have offered a balanced plan authored by Congressman Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, but now we are here in the eleventh hour. The Tea Party Republicans are holding the American economy hostage, and they have charted a course for job losses and real pain. The Republicans are very poor fiscal stewards for American families and businesses. They are reckless and irresponsible. I urge all my colleagues to vote ``no'' on their government shutdown plan.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the story of Lorraine, a mother from Sarasota, Florida, and Gwendolyn Friedman, a senior citizen from Tampa, Florida, faces of hunger in America.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, my amendment moves $3 million from the executive offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the Deputy Secretary's office, to the Office of Field Policy and Management, for a very good reason. The leadership at the Department of Housing and Urban Development has failed my neighbors in Florida under its unsubstantiated plan to remove the on-the-ground, community-based personnel from our local communities and transfer these positions to a single bureaucratic behemoth. On September 30 of this year, HUD executives plan to move our local community-based HUD professionals to other offices hundreds of miles away. Yet the housing and homeless challenges in my community will remain. Mr. Chairman, Congress was not consulted on HUD's plan. After HUD's plan was leaked, a number of Members of Congress inquired. So what is HUD's plan? The Deputy Secretary said HUD plans to remove its representatives from the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas, a region of over 6 million Americans, larger than 30 States, and from other communities across the country. I asked HUD's Deputy Secretary, Is this a cost-saving measure? He said, No. I asked HUD's Deputy Secretary, Have you done a workforce analysis so that the HUD workforce is devoted to the areas that need help and the appropriate places at the appropriate numbers? No. HUD executives have failed to provide any reasonable justification to Congress regarding the closing of 16 field offices, including two in Florida. Mr. Chairman, I suggest it is not appropriate to concentrate HUD personnel in offices hundreds of miles away from where they're needed. HUD is just asking for higher travel costs and an agency that will be more disconnected from communities. Today, my amendment cuts the executive office budget of HUD by 25 percent and moves those dollars away from Washington and back to the Office of Field Policy and Management to restore some of the HUD field offices that are being shuttered in 2 months. In moving the dollars out of Washington, my intent is to directly help our homeless veterans and those on the ground working for multifamily housing, Choice Neighborhoods grants, neighborhood stabilization, Hardest Hit, housing counseling, and more. My State and local communities cannot be served effectively under HUD's plan to stovepipe its personnel hundreds of miles away. Florida has a population of 19 million, and 1.5 million veterans live in Florida, of which about 8,000 are homeless. We have 57,000 people in Florida that are battling homelessness and our foreclosure rate is still too high. Over the last year, Florida has had the most homes-- over 103,000--foreclosed upon. California is a distant second. Nearly 9 percent of all Florida homes with mortgages were in some stage of foreclosure. Communities throughout Tampa Bay have been hit hard by the housing crisis, and the reliable and informed HUD professionals in the Tampa Bay field office have been on the ground helping our neighbors daily. Earlier this year, more than 5,000 notices of mortgage default, foreclosure auction, or repossession were sent across Tampa Bay. Florida continues to have a very high foreclosure rate--and Tampa is no exception. HUD professionals in my community have been there to help. They have helped us weather the economic crisis. The Tampa Bay HUD office has been critical for many of my neighbors and for community-based nonprofits working to solve the housing and homeless problems. Mr. Chairman, my amendment simply says that bureaucrats in Washington will have a little bit less to ensure that our communities, including my home of Tampa, Orlando, and other communities across the country, have the professionals in the field that we need to help our neighbors, our veterans, and others with housing challenges. I would like to thank my colleagues, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Grayson, Ms. Matsui, Mr. McNerney, and Mr. Costa for joining me in cosponsoring this amendment. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the Castor amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his unceasing efforts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this rule and H.R. 5 because the Republican bill fails America's students. Mr. Speaker, America's public schools are the envy of the world. We're fortunate to live in a country that believes that every child should be educated and given the opportunity to succeed in life. Our public schools are one of the best examples of American values. No matter where a child comes from, no matter what challenges a student faces in life--a disability, autism, poverty--that student can receive a good education. Our local public schools are largely community-based and locally run; but the Federal Government provides important support, especially for working-class communities and for students with disabilities and learning challenges. We have important work to do to continue to improve public schools and recruit good teachers; but under this bill, Republicans want to go in the other direction. The Republican bill before the House today proposes a harsh prescription for students and families who seek better schools and talented teachers. H.R. 5 guts education funding for students and teachers by over $1 billion below last year's levels at a time when we want high-quality curricula, and States and local school districts have been challenged financially. Back home in my Tampa Bay area district in Florida, I have over 200 title 1 schools, like Foster Elementary in Hillsborough County and Woodlawn Elementary in Pinellas County. These are students from working-class families. Over 90 percent of these students qualify for free and reduced lunch. It is the longtime compact between the Federal Government and our local schools that ensures support to these students that do not come from wealthy families. The students who attend these schools range from ones with special needs that require title 1 help to work with exceptional education teachers; English Language Learners that need a little extra help from translators; and students with severe emotional behavior disorders. The Republican bill retreats from these students and the responsibility to education. No Child Left Behind has been riddled with problems from the start. Its one-size-fits-all policy hasn't worked, but this Republican bill is not the answer. It's a step backward. And I urge my colleagues to oppose the rule and the underlying bill.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would restore funding for America's renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation initiatives, restore it to the very modest levels of the last year, 2013. These relate to the Department of Energy's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, the Department's electricity delivery and energy reliability initiatives as well. The problem with the Republican bill is it slashes, it eviscerates America's commitment to renewable energy and energy conservation. They also have something that I characterize, maybe a term of art, rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, because they take these various accounts and squeeze them in a vise down into a single account; and when you take it all together, it is a 57 percent reduction in energy efficiency and renewable energy. This is outrageous. It is shortsighted, and it is very poor public policy. The Republican bill slashes clean energy initiatives that are critical to the all-of-the-above energy strategy that I thought we all agreed on is needed for U.S. energy independence, ranging from solar to wind power and new technologies for more energy-efficient buildings and advanced vehicles. So I have to say, Mr. Chairman, if I hear any of my Republican colleagues say they are for an all-of-the-above approach on energy policy, this Energy and Water appropriations bill belies that. It really pulls the curtain back on what the plan really is on the other side of the aisle. The administration has objected, and I agree with them. They write: The Republican bill would leave U.S. competitiveness at risk in new markets for clean energy industries such as advanced vehicles, advanced manufacturing, energy efficiency for homes and businesses, and domestic renewable energies such as wind, solar, and biomass. They do this at a time when they are content to leave huge taxpayer subsidies going to the big oil companies, meanwhile slashing very modest investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation. Specifically, the impact of these cuts will reduce by 50 percent the homes weatherized to help our neighbors back home reduce their energy bills. And Ranking Member Kaptur was absolutely correct: those working class neighbors back home do not have big lobbyists here in Washington, D.C. This bill would also significantly delay research on next generation technologies that save energy in our homes, our schools, our hospitals, and businesses. The Republican bill will hinder the development of cost-effective new technologies and appliance standards that save Americans money by increasing energy productivity. This bill spells a likely demise and ends solar energy job training for students and military veterans at 261 community colleges. The Republican bill will slow efforts to modernize and secure the electricity delivery grid and respond to energy emergencies. I ask simply that we return the funding levels to the very modest levels of last year. The amendment also directs that funds be allocated in the same proportion as they were in fiscal year 2013. These clean energy initiatives are critical to achieving energy independence, boosting our economy, creating jobs, and maintaining global leadership. Ranking Member Kaptur was absolutely right during this debate. She said we are sacrificing our future and not living up to the standards of this great country because you're slashing the investments that make this country go: investing in innovation and technology. I'm afraid that it really highlights the broader issue, and that is the fact that the Republicans refuse to negotiate on the budget. They passed the budget 100 days ago. The Democrats have appointed conferees. I don't know what the holdup is, why my Republican colleagues are afraid to negotiate on the budget. But in the meantime, here on this amendment, we have an opportunity to stand up for jobs, for clean energy and the future of our great Nation. I ask support of the Castor amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I appreciate that there is a point of order brought up, but I think there is a major point of order that faces this House of Representatives, and that's the fact that the Democrats have appointed conferees to negotiate the budget, and my Republican colleagues appear to be afraid to come together and discuss the budget.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chair, at this time, I will insist upon a vote on the point of order.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank the chairman of the Agriculture Committee and the ranking member and thank them for including the Castor amendment in the farm bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that addresses a problem relating to the American citrus industry and implementation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Mr. Chairman, the Congress approved the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, and it was signed by the President in 2011. The agreement has increased opportunities for U.S. businesses, farmers, and workers through an important access to a vital foreign market. Under this agreement, over 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products will become duty-free within 5 years of the date of the agreement. For American agricultural products, the U.S.- Korea agreement immediately phases out tariffs and quotas on a broad range of products. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that annual U.S. agricultural exports to South Korea will increase by a minimum of $1.9 billion upon full implementation. In particular, the free trade agreement eliminated South Korea's 54 percent tariff on frozen concentrated orange juice, and it phases out the tariffs on fresh grapefruit and freshly squeezed orange juice over 5 years. The negotiated removal of such tariffs will allow the American citrus industry to grow and expand. It will create jobs in America, including jobs related to citrus growers, maritime businesses and ports such as my home port, the Port of Tampa. This is great news for my home State of Florida and other States across the U.S. where they grow citrus. It's vital to our economy and local communities. But we have hit a little bit of a stumbling block with South Korea during the implementation of the free trade agreement. South Korea is resisting the USDA's country-of-origin certification for U.S. citrus. My amendment, the Castor amendment, seeks to correct this problem by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that the Department's certificates of origin are accepted by any country with respect to which the United States has entered into a free trade agreement providing for preferential duty treatment. Fortunately, the Congressional Budget Office says there's no new cost for this amendment. I would like to thank my colleagues from Florida, Congressman Webster and Congressman Hastings on the Rules Committee, for their support in getting this amendment made in order. I'd like to thank Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Peterson for their fair consideration. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the Castor amendment.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, America faces so many challenges today: How do we create more jobs? How do we boost economic growth? How do we support middle class families and small businesses, build things in America again, improve our schools, and invest in our infrastructure? So is Congress considering any of these important matters today? No. In fact, here in the middle of June, the Republican-controlled Congress has not scheduled any legislation on any of those important matters. Instead, their priority today is H.R. 1797, where the all-male House Judiciary Committee and the House Republican leadership intends to interject themselves into the private medical decisions of women and their doctors. They discount the health of the woman. They run counter to what medical professionals, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, say is appropriate. So I urge my colleagues to reject H.R. 1797. Do not obliterate our constitutional right to privacy. Do not take such personal decisions out of the hands of women and their doctors. Reject this extreme bill.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank my colleague, the ranking member of the Rules Committee, for yielding the time and for being a consistent voice on behalf of families and students across America. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Republicans' Making College More Expensive Act and the rule, and I rise on behalf of students all across America, particularly back home in Florida and in the Tampa Bay area. Mr. Speaker, we know that a college education is key to success in life, and that the rising costs of attending college can be an impediment to a student's ability to get into the classroom and get the courses that they need. About 10 days ago, I was at Tampa's Robinson High School talking with graduating seniors, and they implored me to please stand up for them and be a voice because they see the direct connection on the money that their families have to spend and on their ability to attend college. That is why this Republican Making College More Expensive Act would be so detrimental to the future of our country and to those families and students that really want to get ahead in life. For example, the GOP's bill is projected to nearly double student loan rates by 2016, and by the time next year's freshmen graduate and start repaying their loans in 2017, the interest rate is expected to more than double beyond today's current rate. So I think about the 34,000 students in my district who rely on loans, whether they're at Hillsborough Community College, St. Pete College, the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa, or wherever. This Congress has got to stand up for families and students for a change. So I urge my Republican friends to cross over and join us and to block this student loan increase that the Republican leadership is proposing, side with students and families, oppose the rule and oppose the bill.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is working for families and small businesses all across America. Did you know that the Affordable Care Act provides tax credits to small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees and that over 360,000 small businesses have taken advantage of those tax credits so far and millions more remain eligible? Speaking of young people, in the State of Florida alone, over 224,000 young people have been able to have health insurance because they've now been able to stay on their parents' policies. Mr. Speaker, 1.3 million Floridians have received $124 million in rebates from insurance companies, an average of $168 per family, because of important consumer protection provisions in the law that say insurance companies can't charge families too much. Medicare is stronger, the doughnut hole is closing, and the Affordable Care Act is a godsend to so many families who have preexisting conditions, whether it is cancer or diabetes or some other chronic condition. To my Republican colleagues, let's come together to work on the economy and creating jobs rather than another deja vu of repealing health care and wasting time. I urge everyone to vote ``no'' on the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement into the Record opposing the GOP's awful Mother's Day gift--more work and less pay for working moms. Happy Mother's Day.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank the gentleman. Democrats in the Budget Committee proposed to strengthen Medicare and replace the Republican plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program. All it does is simply shift the cost to our families and older neighbors. Mr. Chairman, this Republican budget is not consistent with American values. It is not fiscally responsible. It is a charade. It is a capitulation to the Tea Party. It does not serve us well in economic recovery and the ways we want to grow America. It's a plan for economic weakness. It's a receding vision of American greatness in education, scientific research and infrastructure, and dignity for our parents and grandparents in their retirement years. I urge you to vote ``no'' on the Republican budget and support the balanced Democratic alternative.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, Mr. Van Hollen. Mr. Chairman, Democrats and Republicans agree that deficit reduction is important; and, in fact, over the past year and a half, we've achieved over $2.7 trillion in debt reduction. But now, the Republicans want to take us through a charade with this Tea Party budget. If enacted, the Republican budget would weaken America's recovery. It would undermine what makes America great and what makes America strong, like education, the ability of students to attend college, medical research and innovation, the ability of our older neighbors to live their lives in dignity in their retirement years through Medicare and long-term care. Now, we get a lot of advice, and economists across the board, in fact our own Congressional Budget Office, advise that the best and fastest way to reduce the deficit is to make sure that people across America have jobs and are working. So it is inexplicable that the Republican budget proposes to eliminate jobs in construction, in education, scientific research, and instead heap the burden on middle class families. Experts predict that the Republican budget will result in job losses of 2 million fewer jobs next year alone, and that's on top of 750,000 jobs lost by the end of the year due to the sequester Republicans will not replace, just as the economy is improving for our neighbors and small businesses back home. In contrast, the Democratic alternative will generate 1.2 million more jobs and stop the sequester. And in committee, Democrats proposed to close those special interest tax loopholes that riddle our Tax Code, and Republicans said, no. Democrats proposed to offset unwise Republican cuts to medical research like Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes research at NIH; Republicans said, no. Democrats tried to cut the special interest spending in the Tax Code to offset Republican cuts to students who rely on Pell Grants; but Republicans said, no.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of Mr. Frederick Karl. His extensive contributions to numerous private and public agencies, including all levels of government in Florida, have left an unforgettable legacy for community leaders across the country to learn from and follow. Mr. Karl was born in Daytona, Florida, where he attended high school and was voted ``Most Personal'' by his senior class. He was born into the Great Depression, but also born into a family of public service; his mother, Mary, was a public school teacher who later founded a vocational school, now Daytona State College. She was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 2011. The attack on Pearl Harbor compelled Mr. Karl to join the U.S. Army in 1942 and he was commissioned as a lieutenant at age 18. After fighting throughout Europe, he came home at the end of World War II, bearing the silver and bronze stars for valor and a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained from German shrapnel during the Battle of the Bulge. Upon his return, he pursued higher education and earned a law degree from Stetson University. He started a distinguished career practicing law. By 1956, Mr. Karl's calling for public service steered him towards politics. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. His devotion to fairness and high ethical standards earned him the reputation as ``Conscience of the House''-- this would become his legacy. Serving as a state representative was the beginning of a long career in public service for Mr. Karl. After a run for the Governor's office, beginning in 1968, he spent four years in the state Senate. He presided over the trials of 52 officials suspended by the Governor, establishing a Rules for Suspension and Removal of Public Service from Office. In 1974, he was named Florida's first public counsel, a lawyer who argues for citizens on utility rate cases before the Florida Public Service Commission. In 1976, he became the last state Supreme Court Justice to be elected by Florida voters. In between service at the state level, Mr. Karl also contributed to his local community, as attorney for the Volusia County School District, and the Cities of Daytona Beach and Ormand Beach. In 1984, Mr. Karl's stature was called upon after ethics and creditability rocked Hillsborough County government following the arrest of several commissioners on bribery charges. Mr. Karl soon became Hillsborough County administrator, where he was known for his keen balance of thoughtfulness and decisiveness. He helped establish a new health care plan that integrated social services to provide a link to the various problems and challenges faced by indigent residents. The program has since been acclaimed nationally and served as a model for communities across the country. As a proponent of fairness, he took the lead on establishing diversity within county government, naming special officers that would ensure inclusion at all levels of government, from hiring, to procurement to leadership. Today, a 28-story building where most Hillsborough County government business is conducted bears Mr. Karl's name. Capitalizing on the real estate recession of the early 1990s, he engineered the purchase of the building to bring together more than 1,700 employees and more than 30 county departments and agencies under one roof, saving taxpayers money and increasing customer convenience for those seeking multiple services from their county government. Even after more than 50 years of dedication, Mr. Karl left Hillsborough County and continued sharing his wisdom and leadership. He served as president of Tampa General Hospital, lead attorney for the City of Tampa and a consultant for Poe Financial Group in Tampa as well as the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority. Mr. Karl passed away March 7, 2013, at age 88. He was a true professional who provided his tremendous legal skills, service and talent to our community, as well as to so many communities throughout Florida. We were fortunate to benefit from his commitment to fairness, diplomacy and fortitude, and we should forever be grateful for his contributions.