Media

On Tuesday, Mar. 18, Congressman Bilirakis will present East Lake Fire Rescue in Palm Harbor, Fla. with a check for $18,000, and on Friday, Mar. 21, he will present the City of Oldsmar Fire and Rescue in North Oldsmar, Fla. with a check for $40,014. Both grants will go towards enhancing each department's overall operations and safety.

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.