February 8, 2021
Dear friend,
Welcome back to another edition of Mario’s Message. As the 117th Congress kicks off, I want to continue to ensure that my constituents are kept up to date on all things happening in Washington and Florida’s 25th Congressional District. It is my absolute honor to serve you, and I encourage you to get in touch with my office if we can ever be of assistance.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Information
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Governor Ron DeSantis has signed Executive Order 20-315, which outlines that providers can only administer the COVID-19 shot to the following groups:
- Long-term care facility residents and staff
- Healthcare workers in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, including paramedics and EMS
- People age 65 and older
Visit my website for the most up-to-date information about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution in our community.
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As of February 7, 2021, there have been 2,661,796 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Florida with a total of 1,993,966 people vaccinated.
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Luke and Alex School Safety Bill |
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As we approach the third anniversary of the Parkland shooting, one thing remains at the forefront of my priorities: doing all that I can to promote, enhance, and increase school safety. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I have secured billions in federal dollars to fund school safety initiatives, including school hardening measures, youth mental health services, and training for staff and law enforcement officers. Just last week, I had the privilege to re-introduce the Luke and Alex School Safety bill, which creates an all-inclusive site for schools, families, and community officials to obtain valuable information on school safety resources and best practices. I reiterate my gratitude to the Parkland families, including Alex's father, Max Schachter, Luke's parents, Gena and Tom Hoyer, and Gina’s father, Tony Montalto, who is the President of Stand with Parkland. They have truly turned their grief into advocacy for the safety of our children, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts in making our schools more secure.
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Reappointed to Three Appropriations Subcommittees |
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I'm beyond thrilled to have been reappointed to serve on the Defense, and State and Foreign Operations Subcommittees on Appropriations, in addition to serving as Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee. Now, more than ever, we must ensure that the United States is equipped with the best-trained, most capable military that will continue promoting and protecting our national security interests both at home and abroad. We must also redouble our efforts to demand human rights around the world, continue to fight against the vicious cancer that is the dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and support our key friend and ally, Israel. I look forward to serving my constituents on these important subcommittees.
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I'm proud to have joined my colleague, Rep. Michael Waltz in introducing the BOLIVAR Act to Ban Contracting with the Maduro Regime. We must continue to support the Venezuelan people by denying resources to their oppressors, oppressors who have engaged in narco-trafficking, corrupted Venezuela’s once democratic institutions, and perpetrated egregious human rights abuses including torture, imprisonment of political opponents, and murder. I strongly support this bipartisan effort to ensure that U.S. dollars are not used to sustain the anti-American, murderous regime in Venezuela. I commend Rep. Waltz for building on his legislation from the previous Congress to protect U.S. national security interests by prohibiting U.S. contracts that enrich the Maduro dictatorship.
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To keep up with live updates, connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, or visit my website for any constituent services I am able to provide you with.
As always, it’s a pleasure to serve you.
Warm Regards,
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Mario Diaz-Balart
Member of Congress
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