Two weeks after winning the congressional seat occupied for decades by his old boss, the late U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., the nations newest congressman is starting his work in Washington.
Newly elected U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla, was named to the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans Affairs committees on Tuesday. Jolly will serve on the Water Resources and Environment and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittees. The Republican defeated Democratic hopeful former state CFO Alex Sink in a special election held earlier in the month. Sink has left the door open to running again in November.
I am honored to be appointed to serve alongside my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans Affairs committees today, said Jolly on Tuesday. I look forward to working with fellow committee members to help create jobs, protect and enhance our beaches, improve our local and national infrastructure, and protect our Coast Guard assets in Pinellas and nationally.
Jolly won the praise of U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Tuesday.
Congressman Jolly understands the important link between efficient, effective infrastructure and our nations economy and competitiveness, said Shuster. I am confident he will be an asset to our committee, as we seek to strengthen our transportation network and our nations position in the global market.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who represents parts of the Panhandle and chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, welcomed Jolly to the committee on Tuesday. Miller campaigned with Jolly during the recent election and focused on veterans issues.
I visited with David not long ago to engage in discussions with local veterans from his district and saw firsthand that he would be a strong and active advocate in Congress on behalf of all veterans, Miller said. I am pleased to welcome David to our committee, and I look forward to working with him to improve the lives of Americas veterans while increasing accountability and efficiency at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jolly said he was very grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee and promised to advance legislation and proposals to benefit our nations veterans and ensure they have the support they need and deserve here at home. The new congressman also pledged to work with the fledgling FL-13 Veterans Advisory Council to work on issues in the Pinellas County district including improving the Bay Pines VA Medical Center.
The new congressman named some of his staff at the end of last week, with J.D. White, who was director of government affairs for WellCare Health Plans, serving as chief of staff, and Nick Catroppo, who had been Jollys campaign manager and a former aide to U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Fla., as deputy chief of staff. Jolly will be relying on fellow former Young aides, including legislative director Jenifer Nawrocki and constituent services representatives Sharon Ghezzi and Nicole Smith.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
