Three freshmen congressional Democrats from Central Florida announced their first committee assignments this week.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., was named to the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee. Demings pointed to her record as Orlando police chief, including her efforts after 9/11 in crafting and implementing security measures.
“Orlando is the number one tourist destination in the nation and has to bear the unfortunate title of being home to the ‘deadliest mass shooting in America,” Demings said. “The security of our nation is, and always should be, the number one priority of our government. We are coming off of an election where our nation’s cyber-security was threatened at the highest level. Protecting all American’s from cyber-attacks must be a priority as we move forward into the 115th Congress. As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security I will work across the aisle, and put the security of our nation and our neighborhoods first.”
Earlier in the week, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla, was named to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
“I am deeply thankful for this opportunity to serve in a role directly impacting many of the key issues facing Pinellas County,” Crist said on Tuesday when he was named to the committee. “From this platform, I will fight to make flood insurance more affordable, defend and strengthen reform of Wall Street, and provide greater access to capital for aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses – from the local barbershop to technology startups.”
Crist’s office noted his background as governor and state attorney general shows a “proven track record of fighting for consumer protections in the insurance, utilities, housing, and banking industries” which “includes issuing rules to keep companies from abandoning Florida consumers and vetoing deregulation legislation that would have put the insurance companies back in charge.”
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla. who used to work for the Defense Department was named to the House Armed Services Committee.
“Florida is home to numerous military installations and hundreds of thousands of military personnel, veterans, and their families. I’ll use my previous experience at the Department of Defense and my position on the Armed Services Committee to support our men and women in uniform and strengthen our national security,” said Murphy on Tuesday. “From cybersecurity to terrorism, we must ensure our service members have the resources and training they need to adapt to rapidly-evolving threats, and I will work with both Democrats and Republicans to help keep our country safe.”
