| Kathy Castor is Tampa Bay's voice in the U.S. Congress. She is serving her seventh term representing Florida's 14th Congressional district, which includes Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County. She was originally elected in 2006, and is the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in the U.S. Congress.
Castor focuses on issues vital to Tampa Bay area families and businesses, and is committed to building a stronger economy that works for everyone. She works on initiatives to create jobs, protect the environment and consumers, improve schools, ensure veterans receive the benefits and care they have earned, provide access to affordable health care and defend protections for people with preexisting health conditions.
Castor is an outspoken advocate on behalf of the hardworking families, students, veterans and seniors of our Tampa Bay area. She successfully worked to raise the minimum wage, cut taxes for middle-class families, increase the amount of Pell grants for students and improve Medicare. During the housing downturn, she hosted numerous foreclosure prevention workshops designed to help homeowners stay in their homes. And, during the economic recovery, Castor hosted job fairs to connect neighbors to employment opportunities. Castor is a leading voice in Congress and Florida to protect our health care and the safety of our neighbors, including protecting our communities from gun violence as well as our public health in the face of the Zika virus outbreak.
In the 116th Congress, Castor was appointed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, where she is leading her colleagues in bold action to confront the climate crisis and its escalating costs. She also serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Subcommittees on Consumer Protection & Commerce, Health, and Oversight & Investigations. She also co-chairs the following caucuses- Academic Medicine Caucus, Air Force Caucus, Congressional Soccer Caucus, Special Operations Caucus and the Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus. In addition, she leads the bi-partisan Cuba Working Group steering committee.
In the 115th Congress, Castor served as the Vice Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She was a member of the Subcommittees on Energy and Power, Health, and Oversight & Investigations. She also co-chaired the following caucuses- Academic Medicine Caucus, Congressional Soccer Caucus, Special Operations Caucus, Fertilizer Caucus and the Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus. In addition, she led the bi-partisan Cuba Working Group steering committee.
In the 114th Congress, Castor served on the Budget Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She was a member of the Subcommittees on Energy and Power, Health, and Oversight & Investigations. She also co-chaired the following caucuses- Academic Medicine Caucus, Congressional Soccer Caucus, Special Operations Caucus, Fertilizer Caucus and the Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus. In addition, she led the bi-partisan Cuba Working Group steering committee.
In the 113th Congress, Castor served on the Budget Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She was a member of the Subcommittees on Energy and Power, Health, and Oversight & Investigations.
For the first six months of the 112th Congress, Castor served on the House Armed Services and Budget Committees. In June 2011, Castor was reassigned to fill an open seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and continued serving on the Budget Committee throughout the 112th session.
In the 111th Congress, Castor served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she worked on health care reform, consumer protection issues and telecommunications priorities. She also was a member of the House Ethics Committee.
In the 110th Congress, Castor served on the Rules Committee, a rare but prestigious committee assignment for a freshman. The committee has jurisdiction over the rules and order of business in the House.
Castor also served three terms on the Democratic House Steering and Policy Committee, which assigns fellow party members to other House committees and considers policy direction for the House Democratic Caucus.
Before her election to Congress, Castor served as a Hillsborough County Commissioner and chair of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission. As County Commissioner in 2005, she was the sole vote against a gay pride ban; this ban was finally repealed unanimously by the Hillsborough County Commission in 2013. In 2005, Castor was named as the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Woman of the Year in government.
Castor is a graduate of Tampa's Chamberlain High School, Emory University and Florida State University College of Law. Castor and her husband have two daughters. She is the daughter of former Hillsborough County Judge Don Castor and former University of South Florida President and statewide-elected Education Commissioner Betty Castor. She is the former President of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and partner in a statewide law firm. |