Press Releases
The remarks will be presented to Dr. Forbes on Wednesday, Mar. 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the East Lake Woodlands Country Club, 1055 East Lake Woodlands Pkwy in Oldsmar, Florida.
Due to Dr. Forbes's efforts, more than 4,000 trees were distributed in 2007, resulting in more than 7,000 trees total that have now been planted in the Florida Counties of Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, and Polk.
Today, nearly two million Americans claim Greek ancestry, including Congressman Bilirakis, whose grandparents emigrated from Greece to the United States in the early 1900s.
During floor debate on H. Res. 1024, Bilirakis emphasized the struggle for independence of the Greek people, and the historic and dynamic relationship that defines the deep American-Hellenic ties.
Below are excerpts from Rep. Bilirakis's prepared floor statement on H. Res. 1024:
This bill, which was approved by the Senate on Feb. 12 by a vote of 68-29, would make available crucial tools to the U.S. intelligence community to conduct surveillance on terror suspects seeking to harm the American people. The Senate FISA bill would also give immunity to those third party groups who have acted in the interest of national security to cooperate with intelligence officials.
Bilirakis issued the following statement:
The SAVE Act includes several border security and immigration enforcement initiatives as well as a more streamlined process to verify employee eligibility. This bill has received wide bipartisan support and currently has 141 cosponsors, including Congressman Bilirakis.
| Also Check Out: • Full Text of H.Res. 951 |
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Garrett (R-NJ), was cosponsored by 295 members of the House, including Rep. Bilirakis, passed the House today by a near unanimous vote of 404 yeas to 1 nay (Roll no. 93).
For the second consecutive year, Congressman Bilirakis has introduced legislation, which would provide a 0.5 percent military pay increase above the President's request. On Monday, he introduced H.R. 5481, which would guarantee a minimum pay raise of 3.9 percent in FY09. In 2007, Bilirakis introduced H.R. 2027, which provided for a 0.5 percent raise above the President's request. The FY08 Defense Authorization bill signed into law earlier this year contained language similar to Bilirakis's bill.
Congressman Bilirakis was taking part in the American Dental Association's "Give Kids a Smile" (GKAS), which promotes awareness of the importance of dental health and provides free dental services to low-income children.
Awardees will receive a range of medals, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge. The presentation will take place from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Lake Tarpon Village, 36299 U.S. Hwy. 19 North, Palm Harbor, Fla.
"Cuba had been ruled by the oppressive communist dictator Fidel Castro for more than half a century. During that time, democratic rule was been non-existent and Cuban democracy advocates were harrassed, jailed or killed at the hands of Castro's regime.
"Today, this ugly page in Cuba's history is slowly turning with the announcement of Fidel Castro's resignation; giving greater hope to those who seek a more representative and free form of government in Cuba.
"Chairman Tom Lantos was a man who championed the cause of human freedom, not only through his work in Congress and as a co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, but also as the only survivor of the Holocaust to serve in Congress.
"Tom's commitment to freedom and defense of human rights throughout the world was emblematic of a man who was one of only a handful in his family to survive the Shoah and used his remaining time on this Earth to fight for those who did not have the chance to fight for themselves.