Two congressmen in the Florida delegation have teamed up to call for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create a data clearinghouse for composite building materials.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., showcased his “NIST Creation of Composite Standards Act” which has U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., as a cosponsor. Other backers include U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif.

Webster offered the rationale behind the proposal, pointing to the key role infrastructure plays in the Sunshine State.

“Infrastructure is critical to Florida’s economy, which is dependent on moving goods and people efficiency and effectively,” Webster said.  “Composites can help reduce construction costs and timeline and decrease the overall lifecycle costs associated with maintenance and repair. This helps maximize the value of every infrastructure dollar. Allowing NIST to conduct this vital research and establish nationally accepted composite standards will permit contractors and businesses to make the best decision for Americans and our country.”

“Composite materials are currently used for everyday purposes such as constructing bridges, watercraft, airplanes, sea walls, buildings, and much more. Use of these materials allow us to build more resilient products that maintain a higher resistance to many of the environmental factors that deteriorate traditional building materials. This bill will provide the standards needed to guide future composite material projects. NIST presently defines composite materials as, ‘polymers strengthened with fibers or other additives,’” Webster’s office noted.

The bill was sent to the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee last week. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Rep. Bill Posey’s (R-Rockledge) bipartisan legislation to fight coastal acidification and help estuaries like our Indian River Lagoon was recently approved by the Full House Science Committee.

Posey introduced the National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act (H.R. 988) with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), both fellow co-chairs of the Congressional Estuary Caucus.

“Because estuaries are places where fresh water mixes with salt water from the oceans, preserving the delicate balance of nature is necessary but can also be challenging,” said Rep. Bill Posey.

“This critical legislation will help protect our estuaries by ensuring that we continue to study and monitor the effects of coastal acidification and I would like to thank Representatives Bonamici and Mast for their work on this issue and their important leadership in our bipartisan estuary caucus.”

Specifically, H.R. 988 directs the Ocean Studies Board of National Academies to conduct a two-year study examining the science of ocean acidification and its impact on our estuaries.

During the mark-up, Posey offered an amendment to his bill, which was adopted, to authorize $1 million to conduct the study. The goal of the NEAR Act is to create a better understanding of coastal acidification so we can better manage and mitigate its effects on our nation’s estuaries and other natural treasures.

MELBOURNE – Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) will help kick-off the 8th Annual Cocoa Beach “Footprints in the Sand” Kidney Walk on Saturday, May 11 at the Cocoa Beach Pier in Cocoa Beach.

“It’s an honor to once again join with so many others in our community to take part in this year’s kidney walk,” said Congressman Posey, who is a member of the Congressional Kidney Caucus. “So many of us have family, friends, and loved ones who are afflicted by kidney disease and they need our strength and support. The road ahead is not easy for them, but as the kidney walk demonstrates, they do not have to travel that path alone.”

This year’s walk will honor longtime patient advocate and Kidney Walk co-founder Bill Hahn, who passed away late last year, as well as National Kidney Foundation of Florida volunteer Donna Avery.

“This year’s Kidney Walk is especially important as we honor and recognize Billy Hahn who co-founded the Walk with my twin brother and three time kidney transplant recipient, Rich Salick, in 2012,” said Phil Salick, operations manager for the National Kidney Foundation of Florida and living kidney donor. “Billy was also on our surf team growing up and as a kidney/pancreas recipient; his mission was to always spread awareness about kidney disease and transplantation. He has done so much for the NKFF, raising over $350,000 since the walks inception in 2012.”

The walk will begin at the Westgate of Cocoa Beach Pier. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. with the walk beginning at 10 a.m. with patient stories and awards shared. Prior to registration there will be a memorial paddle-out to honor Bill Hahn and Donna Avery.

“There are currently over 5,000 patients waiting for a kidney transplant in the state of Florida alone and many of these patients will die before ever receiving that life-saving transplant. With an increase in diabetes and high blood pressure among the population, spreading awareness has never been more important for the one in three Americans who are at risk for developing kidney diseases. The Kidney Walk is an important part of our mission because it allows us to educate the population on risk factors of developing kidney disease before it’s too late. The funds raised at this event are used for critical programs such as Direct Patient Aid and free kidney screenings that we offer throughout the state,” said Savanna Lanza, NKFF CEO.

Following the Kidney Walk, a Sandcastles of Hope contest for children will take place on the beach. In addition, Translife will host a Donor Moms brunch for all families who have lost their children and became organ donors, saving many lives.

After introducing the proposal last week, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast’s, R-Fla., “Harmony’s Law” which will “help prevent hundreds of rapists—who were convicted and found guilty of rape in the military—from being freed from jail on a misconstrued technicality” has gotten strong support from the Florida delegation.

When Mast brought out the bill at the end of last week, his office offered some insights on why he had introduced it.

“The bill is named after Harmony Allen, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., who was raped during her third month in the Air Force by her instructor. Despite being found guilty and sentenced to jail time, he was subsequently freed due to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces misinterpreting the congressionally-mandated statute of limitations,” Mast’s office noted.

“I still bear the scars of what he did to me 16 years ago, and I have endured immense pain and suffering for justice, but my rapist is now free because of this absurd ruling that has now set a precedent that does not follow the intent of Congress,” Allen said.  “Knowing my rapist has been out there for the past 16 years has haunted me.  The fact that he’s been able to stay in the military that I loved so dearly, get promoted and possibly have the chance to hurt others horrifies me. What’s worse is that allowing the rapists in the military to use this unlawful technicality will not only allow my rapist to go free, but other rapists who committed rapes for nearly two decades could avoid being held accountable and go free.  They will be given a clean slate, receive medical benefits, back pay, and retirement even though they were rightfully convicted.  This is not justice and should not be allowed.”

“Harmony’s rapist was set free because of an absurd appeals court ruling that directly contradicts Congress’ intent to hold military members who commit rape accountable,” Mast said.  “This is a massive miscarriage of justice for Harmony and many others, which is why Congress needs to intervene to prevent possibly hundreds of rapists from being set free without repercussion.”

Mast’s office offered some of the legal details on Friday.

“Although Congress has made its intent clear in the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) of Fiscal Years 1987 and 2006 that these heinous offenses will have no statute of limitations in the military, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled in U.S. v. Mangahas that the statute of limitations for sexual assaults that occurred before 2006 is five years. In doing so, the court incorrectly overruled the military’s standard in place from 1986 to 2006 that rape could ‘be tried and punished at any time without limitation’ and misinterpreted the congressional intent of the 2006 NDAA by failing to apply it to cases that occurred prior to 2006,” Mast’s office noted.

“As a result, starting last year, convicted sexual offenders in the military are now able to appeal their convictions and be set free if they committed the offense before 2006 but were not charged within 5 years,” the congressman’s office continued. “Two convictions have already been overturned, including Harmony Allen’s case, and there are dozens more in the appellate queue. There may well be hundreds of convicted rapists released early from their sentence and acquitted of their crimes by the time the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has an opportunity to rule on every Mangahas appeal.”

Mast’s proposal would have the House Office of General Counsel “represent the interests of Congress in any cases related to the Mangahas decision” and have Congress ensure that “the passage of time should not bar the prosecution of rape or sexual assault under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.” The bill also ends statutes of limitations for sexual offenses in the military against children.

This week, U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., and freshman U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., threw their support behind Mast’s proposal.

“I am glad to join Congressman Mast to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation because survivors of sexual assault deserve justice,”Stevens said. “I am appalled that through a legal technicality, victims who were assaulted while serving our country may see their attacker walk free. Congress must clarify this misinterpretation of the statute of limitations for sexual assault in the military, and Harmony’s Law will ensure that those found guilty are held fully accountable for their heinous actions.”

“This important legislation will increase accountability and help better ensure that there is justice for victims of sexual assault in the military,” Posey said. “I was happy to partner with Reps. Mast and Stevens on this bill, and I commend all of my colleagues who have joined us in supporting this critical issue.”

Posey isn’t the only member of the Florida delegation to get behind the bill. Other cosponsors include U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Val Demings, D-Fla., Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Darren Soto, D-Fla.

BREVARD COUNTY • PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – U.S. Rep. Bill Posey praised the soon-to-be-completed Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project as a unified effort that keeps Port Canaveral’s economic engine running while restoring 3.5 miles of shoreline south of Canaveral Inlet to the pre-inlet levels of the early 1950s.

Canaveral Port Authority Commission Chairman Micah Loyd led a tour by water of Port Canaveral for the Congressman to review progress on the nearly completed Sand Bypass Project and to highlight critical current and future Port infrastructure projects.

Joining the tour was U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Andrew Kelly, Commander and District Engineer for the Jacksonville District. The Corps is the federally authorized agency that funded, administered and managed the project.

“The Sand Bypass Project is a very important project to our community and critical to preserving this coastal region,” Loyd said.

“We are thankful for the support from Congressman Posey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their support and commitment to coastal resiliency.”

Speaking on Earth Day 2019, Posey said the sand bypass effort captures the spirit of this year’s Earth Day theme to protect plant and animal species from extinction.

“Our port is a leader, not only in economic development but also is a pioneering leader in caring for our environment,” said Posey, who is a founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Estuary Caucus.

“We have learned that our economic well-being depends upon the health of our ecology. We take care of ourselves when we take care of our environment.”

When completed in early May, the six-month-long Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project – the largest volume effort in the Port Canaveral area since the first in 1995 – will have pumped almost 1.4 million cubic yards of sand taken from the shoreline north of Port Canaveral along Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to beaches south of the Canaveral Inlet from Jetty Park to less than a half-mile south of the Cocoa Beach Pier.

“The Sand Bypass Project is a key element of the Port’s long-term inlet management plan to protect our coastal environment while ensuring continued economic growth,” Posey said at a press conference at Jetty Park after a boat tour of the replenished coastline.

“Now, residents and visitors alike enjoy restored beaches and benefit from the recreation and storm protection that the beaches provide.”

Locally sponsored by the Canaveral Port Authority and funded and administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federally authorized $18-million effort is bringing the Jetty Park shoreline and points south in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach to pre-Port levels of the 1950s.

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey on Monday called the extended investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election a “travesty.”

“You had a crew of attorneys that hated the president’s guts doing the investigation,” without any opportunity for cross-examination, Posey said during a news conference Monday following a tour of the Port Canaveral area.

Yet, in the end, Posey contends, President Donald Trump “clearly … was exonerated” by Mueller’s report. “If he wasn’t, they would have filed charges.”

“The report, written by Mueller, was written like no other report ever written by the Department of Justice ever in history, whereby it made excuses for not exonerating” Trump, said Posey, R-Rockledge.

Nevertheless, Posey said he was “sad that we’ll probably have another two years in Congress, with the primary discussion being about the Mueller investigation — and people that are still so deeply distressed about the last (presidential) election, that’s all they want to focus on — changing the result.”

Posey was even reticent about the questions at the news conference from FLORIDA TODAY about the Mueller investigations, saying: “I think everybody is probably sick and tired of hearing about the Mueller investigation, but if you insist, we’ll talk about it.”

Congressman compliments port

Posey was at Port Canaveral for an hourlong boat tour of port projects, including a soon-to-be-completed federally funded Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass Project.

Posey indicated that he liked what he saw and — noting that Monday was Earth Day — he recognized the port for its efforts to protect the environment.

“Our port is a leader, not only in economic development, but also is a pioneering leader in caring for our environment,” said Posey, who is a founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Estuary Caucus. “We have learned that our economic well-being depends upon the health of our ecology. We take care of ourself when we take care of our environment.”

As part of the current sand project, about 1.34 million cubic yards of sand have been dredged from the shoreline north of Port Canaveral. The sand is being placed along 3.5 miles of shoreline from just south of the Port Canaveral inlet to a location 0.6 miles south of Cocoa Beach Pier.

The $18 million project began in November, and will be completed by the end of this month.

Canaveral Port Authority Chairman Micah Loyd recognized Posey for being “instrumental in helping us secure” the federal money for the sand bypass project.

He said it is “a very important project to our community.”

This is the fifth such project since the program’s inception in 1995.

Col. Andrew Kelly, commander and district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, said the program is designed to preserve the beaches south of Port Canaveral to the sand level they were before the port opened in 1953, and inlets and jetties interrupted the natural flow of sand to the south of the port.

“This project demonstrates that, when people work together, we can pursue our vital economic interests at the same time we take care of our environment,” Posey said.

Posey cited various entities involved in the sand bypass project, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, federal and state environmental agencies, the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Brevard County’s Natural Resources Management Department, and the cities of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.

Posey also noted that Port Canaveral was the first deep-water port in Florida to create an inlet management plan.

During his boat tour aboard the Chalmette, Posey also was briefed by Port Canaveral officials about the port’s $163 million Cruise Terminal 3 and parking garage project, scheduled to open in 2020, as well as about various cargo berth projects in the works.

“Port Canaveral … is so critical to our economic situation in Brevard County,” Posey said. “It’s the economic engine that never seems to stop or even slow down.”

Posey credited Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray and his team, as well as the elected Canaveral Port Authority board, for the port’s “extraordinary” progress in recent years.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – During a series of engine tests Saturday afternoon, a SpaceX official said a Crew Dragon vehicle experienced an “anomaly,” which witnesses said sent a large plume of smoke into the sky at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Witnesses reported seeing the large plume of smoke around 3:30 p.m. 

A SpaceX spokesperson released the following statement:

“Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of engine tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand. 

Ensuring that our systems meet rigorous safety standards and detecting anomalies like this prior to flight are the main reasons why we test. Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners.”

Officials did not say if this would cause any delay for the launch of a Crew Dragon capsule targeted for July. 

In March, SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon capsule with a mannequin on board, which successfully returned to Earth six days later.

Dale Ketcham, of Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency, said accidents are a part of spaceflight.

“This is the nature of what we do here. It’s the nature of the industry,” he said. “You build into your system. You’re going to have accidents, and hardware is going to fail. Elon’s lost a lot of rockets in the past and learned from it.”

Rep. Bill Posey said he does not believe the incident will delay SpaceX’s schedule.

“What we’ve heard may have happened will probably not affect at all the SpaceX schedule,” he said. “And we will be launching American astronauts on American rockets on American motors in the near future.”

Ketcham echoed Posey’s remarks.

“SpaceX is good about figuring out what went wrong, fixing it and getting back in the air,” he said.

WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday House Ways and Means Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Representative Tom Reed (NY-23) and Rep. Bill Posey (FL-08), co-chair of the Congressional Motorsports Caucus, announced the introduction of the bipartisan Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act.

The bill makes permanent the seven-year cost recovery period for motorsports entertainment complexes, giving these economic drivers the tax certainty needed to make long-term investments in safe racing environments. 

“Motorsports are a huge economic driver, both across the country and in our district, and the tracks used require constant investments to ensure they are safe for drivers and spectators alike. To make these investments, everyone in the industry needs long-term certainty about what they can rely on in our tax code, but in 2017, the provisions that provided that certainty expired,” said Chairman Thompson. “That’s why I introduced my bill, the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act, which make the seven-year cost recovery period permanent for the industry, incentivizing more investment and ensuring motorsports facilities have the same advantages as other entertainment complexes. This is a simple fix that will allow the motorsports community to continue contributing to our economic success.”

“Our district is home to Watkins Glen International – the world’s premier racing facility – so we’re proud to reintroduce the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act,” said Rep. Reed. “This common-sense legislation will provide economic certainty the motorsports industry needs, both in our district and across the country, to continue investing in our communities.”

“This important legislation will help family-owned race tracks across our nation improve the driver and fan experience, create jobs and, most importantly, enhance event safety features,” said Rep. Posey.

The motorsports industry adds more than $37 billion each year to our economy and supports more than 250,000 jobs generated by 1,200 facilities around the nation.

Most of the Florida delegation is backing an effort for Congress to fully fund Evergladesrestoration and water quality projects.

Four members of the delegation–U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla.–led ltters to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee leadership “urging House appropriators to fully fund Everglades restoration and water quality infrastructure projects.”

Other members signing the letter included U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.

“We in South Florida are speaking with one voice to tell the Trump administration that the federal government needs to fulfill its commitment to our constituents by providing the necessary funding for Everglades restoration,” said Mucarsel-Powell on Tuesday. “There is bipartisan support to fully fund Army Corps of Engineers projects for the Everglades at $200 million, and if President Trump was being sincere when he visited Lake Okeechobee about protecting our water, our environment, and creating new jobs, he should fully fund Everglades restoration programs.”

“For the third year in a row, President Trump’s budget has cut federal funding for Everglades restoration,” said Hastings. “So much of South Florida’s quality of life depends on the Everglades. More than 8 million Floridians rely on this national treasure for their water supply, and the sawgrass prairies and mangrove forests are home to numerous vulnerable, threatened, and endangered species. It is critical for the Florida delegation to stand united against anything that slows down Everglades restoration. This is not some impossible problem that we cannot solve. We can solve it with bipartisan support and full funding from the federal government.”

“The single biggest issue impacting our Southwest Florida community is water quality,” said Rooney. “Over the past two years, we have been successful in obtaining nearly $1.1 billion for repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and Everglades restoration. It is critical that we maintain these funding levels so that we may speed up the projects necessary to fix our water. Just last week, I was with President Trump at Lake Okeechobee receiving an update on these repairs and I stressed the importance of federal funding to fix our waters. Clean water is key to our economy and ecology in southwest Florida. I will continue working with my colleagues from Florida to fix our water quality.”

“The federal government needs to step up with a strong funding commitment for infrastructure projects that are critical to Florida’s environment, economy and public health, especially now that Governor DeSantis has made state matching funds for these projects a top priority,” said Mast. “We also cannot allow misguided red tape and bureaucracy to stand in the way of Everglades restoration, which is why we are requesting a $150 million increase in funding for the environmental restoration construction account that has been used by the Army Corps to fund projects like the C-44 Reservoir and Kissimmee River restoration. This has bipartisan support and is absolutely critical to stopping harmful discharges, toxic algal blooms and the continued destruction of the Everglades.”

A bipartisan federal bill would fund gear research and development to help save the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

The Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act (H.R. 1568), introduced by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) earlier this month, would provide up to $5 million in grants annually for the next 10 years to develop technology that would reduce the mortality rates for the species.

Some of the grant money would be used to research and develop new commercial fishing gear. About 85 percent of the population has scars or other injuries associated with gear encounters, according to the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Right whales have been listed on the Endangered Species Act for nearly 50 years. Conservationists estimate the current population at less than 420 and fear the population will only continue to dwindle as birth rates drop.

“We humans have nearly killed every right whale in existence through our direct and indirect actions over the past two centuries,” said Moulton in a statement. “Now we have a choice: We can be the generation that brings them back or the generation that allows their extinction. Let’s not miss this unique moment.”

Moulton filed similar legislation in August of last year, but Congress did not take it up before the session ended in January.

Co-sponsors of this year’s bill include three Democrats — Reps. Jared Huffman of California, Bill Keating of Massachusetts, and David Cicilline of Rhode Island — and three Republicans — Reps. John Rutherford, Bill Posey and Brian Mast, all from Florida.

Advocates say gear entanglements and collisions have led to a drastic reduction in their lifespan. Once expected to live for up to 100 years, the average life expectancy is now under 40 years because of human interactions.

“The SAVE Act is a bipartisan agreement that extinction is not an option,” said Martin Hayden, Earthjustice’s vice president for policy and legislation. “We applaud Rep. Moulton and Rep. Rutherford for moving us swiftly in the right direction, and we hope the other members of Congress will join them in this urgent work.”

Both the House Natural Resources and Budget committees have the bill for review. No hearings have been scheduled on the legislation.