Congressman Deutch (FL-21) has signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 720, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013. Under federal law, being a suspected or known terrorist does not disqualify one from buying guns and explosives. Therefore, if a background check reveals that the purchaser is a known terrorist, the federal government has no legal basis to prevent the purchaser from buying a gun. Currently, there are far too many gun regulation loopholes througho... Read more

Congressman Deutch (FL-21) has signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R.725, the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2013. This legislation directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allocate funding for comprehensive sexual health education programs in schools. Funding will be directed to age appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based programs that provide young people with the information they need to make responsible, safe decisions. The comprehensive sexual education... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H. R. 680, the Rilya Wilson Act. Rilya Wilson was a four year old girl that went missing in 2001 while her foster mother continued to collect payments from the state. It took 15 months for the Florida Department of Children and Families to discover the disappearance, and a full week for it to be reported to local authorities. This bill amends title IV of the Social Security Act to add a requirement for states to meet in order to continue receiving f... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 647, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013. It is difficult for people with disabilities or families with disabled family members to cover the high costs of medical insurance and other daily expenses. Individuals with disabilities deserve access to IRS-sanctioned tools to lay the groundwork for a brighter future. H.R. 647 would ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-exempt savings account... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 460, the Patients’ Access to Treatment Act of 2013. Every year, thousands of Americans struggle to pay for the medications necessary to improve their lives. Patients with a range of conditions, including multiple sclerosis and some forms of cancer, can benefit from specialty and biologic drugs; however their high costs prevent many Americans from accessing them. The bipartisan bill H.R. 460 will make these critical treatments more affordable to... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) has cosponsored H.R. 182, the Safe Skies Act of 2013. Currently there are different rest period requirements for cargo and air passenger flight crews. Cargo pilots fly in the same airspace and into the same airports as passenger airlines. Subjecting them to a different set of rest rules puts overall aviation safety at risk. This bill would modify a Department of Transportation final rule by applying the same member duties and rest period policies for both cargo and... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch has cosponsored H.R. 482, the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act. This bill will increase Congress’ efforts to reduce harassment at title IV institutions of higher education. H.R. 482 would require each institution to prepare a policy statement of their efforts to prohibit harassment of any kind by other students, faculty, and staff. The report would also include descriptions of the program, reporting procedures for students that experience harassment, and... Read more

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-GL) issued the following statements regarding the Bulgarian government’s report that two individuals responsible for the July 2012 terrorist attack on a bus in Burgas, Bulgaria, have ties to Hezbollah. Five Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver were killed in the attack. Congressman Bilirakis: “The Bulgarian government’s report is yet another example of Hezbollah's deliberate use of terror across the globe. Contrary to some European opinio... Read more

Congressman Ted Deutch has cosponsored H.R. 549, the Homeowner Catastrophe Protection Act of 2013. As shown with the recent natural disasters of Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes, the natural environment can have a devastating impact on the property and lives of homeowners across the country. Under existing law it is difficult for certain homeowners to safely protect their homes and family due to high tax rates. Natural disasters will always be unpredictable, and so the federal governme... Read more

Today, the House will vote on a rule that prohibit an amendment by Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) to H.R. 444 to preserve Social Security’s independence from politically-charged budget battles in Congress. H.R. 444, “The Require a Plan Act” is radical not just because it requires the President to submit a balanced budget for 2014, a metric not even achieved by the Republican-revered Ryan budget that privatizes Medicare. By including the seemingly innocuous phrase “unified budget,” in H.R. 444, H... Read more