Representative Steve Southerland, II

A Solemn Obligation to America's Heroes

Rep. Steve Southerland, II — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

As we honor our fallen heroes this Memorial Day, we are reminded of the selfless sacrifice that generations of brave men and women in uniform have made on behalf of a grateful nation. While we may never be able to repay that debt, I'd like to take this opportunity to share some developments about the work we are doing on behalf of our surviving veterans.

As your representative, I take seriously my responsibility to support those who have fought to protect our freedoms. For this reason, I sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he become directly involved in ending the VA disability claims backlog. As too many veterans are well aware, the current wait time for disability claims is unacceptable, and it is time the Administration and both parties in Congress make solving this crisis one a top priority.

In addition, I am proud to have helped advance pieces of legislation this past week that will honor and empower those who have selflessly served. The Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013, for example, expands on-the-job training and apprenticeships for veterans. By providing new job opportunities to returning and unemployed veterans, we can strive to ensure that no one who fought for our country will have to fight even harder to provide for their family once they return home.

I am pleased to have voted in favor of H.R. 570, the American Heroes COLA Act, which provides automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for disabled veterans and survivor payments to spouses and children. The American Heroes COLA Act ensures that our veterans receive a COLA each year without subjecting their earned benefits to yearly Congressional approval.

I also supported H.R. 1344, the Helping Heroes Fly Act, which directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to make travel easier for severely injured or disabled service members, as well as H.R. 258, the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, which will makes it a criminal offense to financially benefit from making fraudulent claims about military service.

I remain committed to fighting for our brave veterans who have sacrificed so much to advance freedom. At this time of solemn remembrance, I hope you will join me in saying a prayer for our service members currently in harm’s way, while also extending a hand of gratitude to a veteran in our North and Northwest Florida community.

Sincerely,

Steve Southerland, II

United States Representative

Southerland Demands IRS be Held Accountable for Breach of Trust

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the House of Representatives conducts its first investigative hearing into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal today, U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement taking the President to task for a growing list of blows to the public’s trust in government:

“It’s going to take more than a couple of sacrificial staff resignations at the IRS to get to the bottom of this systemic abuse of federal power. Congress must look at reining in yet another federal agency that has grown too large, too powerful, and too involved in the lives of the American people. For the President to be unaware of his administration’s actions on a string of ethical lapses – from the IRS targeting conservative groups, to wiretapping of reporters and fatal security failures in Benghazi – displays, at best, a complete failure of leadership and, at worst, a shocking breach of the public trust.”

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Southerland Votes to Repeal ObamaCare Law

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement today following his vote in favor of H.R. 45, legislation that repeals the ObamaCare law:

“Putting Washington bureaucrats between patients and their doctors is not a solution to America’s health care challenges. North and Northwest Floridians have found out faster than any of us expected just how devastating ObamaCare would be, increasing costs and reducing access for patients while reducing shifts for hourly workers at companies that can’t afford the employer mandate. That’s why, in the 850 days since I first voted to repeal ObamaCare, I have voted more than 20 additional times to do so with a focus on replacing the costly and ineffective law with patient-centered solutions that lower costs and increase access to quality care.”

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Southerland Rural Communities Provision Approved by House Agriculture Committee

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a mark-up of the 2013 Farm Bill Wednesday night, the House Committee on Agriculture unanimously approved a provision based on Rep. Steve Southerland’s Building Rural Communities Act. The Southerland language, which is now set to advance to the House floor for consideration as part of the overall Farm Bill, provides rural areas with the technical assistance and training necessary to efficiently develop community infrastructure projects, such as police and fire stations and community health clinics – all at no additional cost to America’s taxpayers.

“I am pleased the House Agriculture Committee has acted in strong bipartisan fashion on behalf of America’s rural communities,” Southerland said. “At a time when local residents are increasingly leaving rural areas for jobs and services in larger cities, it’s more important than ever that our rural communities have the tools necessary to improve essential services in a smart, cost effective manner. This legislation is a win-win for North and Northwest Florida’s rural communities because it enhances job creation, emergency preparedness, and public health and safety without spending one extra dime of taxpayer money.”

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Southerland Applauds St. Joe Company and Green Circle for Job-Creating Agreement

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II applauded the St. Joe Company and biomass energy producer Green Circle Bio Energy, Inc., today for an agreement that could lead to several new job-creating opportunities for Port St. Joe and the surrounding region.

“Today’s announcement is great news for Port St. Joe and our surrounding region,” Southerland said. “By building upon Northwest Florida’s tremendous potential, both as a world leader in biomass production and a natural fit for rail, road, and waterway shipping, The St. Joe Company and Green Circle have made an important commitment to growing jobs and strengthening our local economy.”

According to the St. Joe Company, Green Circle is interested in leasing a site from St. Joe along the AN Railway to develop a wood pellet production facility. The wood pellets produced at the new production facility can be transported via truck or AN Railway to the Port of Port St. Joe for further shipment to overseas markets. Additionally, bulk cargo port facilities are being considered for development at the Port site to accommodate Green Circle’s shipping needs.

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Southerland Appointed to Endangered Species Act Working Group

Matt McCullough, Communications Director (202) 225-5235 — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II was appointed today by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) to serve on a newly-created Endangered Species Act (ESA) working group. The 13-member working group will hold a series of events, forums and hearings throughout the year to improve the effectiveness of the species protection law.

“Protecting endangered species and promoting jobs and economic growth need not be mutually exclusive,” Southerland said. “Through collaboration, I believe we can produce a more effective Endangered Species Act. That’s why I’m pleased to be part of a working group that is welcoming the input and real life perspectives of a diverse range of stakeholders, including not just animal protection advocates and conservation groups, but also the communities, small businesses, and coastal, agricultural and forestry interests that are impacted by the ESA.”

The Obama administration will be making listing decisions on nearly 800 species by 2016, including 160 this year. According to the House Committee on Natural Resources, hundreds of ESA lawsuits have been filed over the past five years, taking time and resources away from legitimate species recovery efforts.

For more information on the ESA Working Group, please visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/ESAworkinggroup.

Southerland Remarks on April Jobs Report

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement today in response to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April jobs report, which showed unemployment at 7.5 percent nationally:

“The fact that the Obama administration and some in the Beltway media are touting 7.5 percent unemployment as a welcome surprise shows just how low expectations have become the last four years. We have a long way to go in rebuilding our economy and restoring certainty in the marketplace. That’s why I joined my House colleagues in advancing a plan that balances the budget in 10 years, reduces Washington spending by $4.6 trillion and draws the line on tax increases. If we want to make measureable progress in reducing unemployment, we need the White House and Senate to stop picking winners and losers and start empowering job creators and hardworking families.”

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Congressman Southerland updates locals on legislative matters

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

Deborah Buckhalter (Jackson County Floridian)

U.S. Congressman Steve Southerland was guest speaker at Wednesday’s Marianna Rotary Club meeting. He talked about various things -- including the political “hit list” he says he’s already on as he begins his second term as the House Representative for Florida’s 2 nd Congressional District.

The Republican said campaigning has already begun for the 2016 election year, with Democratic opposition already posting billboards aimed at defeating him if he should seek a third term.

He said he will continue to defend his support of traditional family values and to fight for other things he believes in as he moves through his second term and potentially a third.

Southerland then turned his attention to various hot issues in Washington, and spoke of one successful bill he was proud to have supported, the Restore Act that sent BP oil spill recovery funds directly to the counties most affected in north Florida and four other Gulf states. Rather than the money being filtered first through the legislature, where he feared the fund could have been “siphoned off” to areas less affected, Southerland said the money can now go to its purpose of restoration and recovery where the spill dried up tourism, closed fisheries and otherwise hurt communities.

Southerland said he was happy to be assigned in his first term to committees is agriculture, natural resource, transportation and infrastructure, saying those were good fits for the concerns of his district. “We have been very busy making sure our rural counties get the support they need from the federal government and making sure we create an environment that your economy can thrive in. Sometimes we do a better job than others at doing that, and sometimes the federal government fails miserably at that, but it very, very important to me,” he said.

On the Natural Resources committee, Southerland said he is sometimes frustrated by policies that hamper the ability of people to take fair advantage of national forest lands. Often, he said, the Department of Interior’s oversight of those lands run counter to common sense.

“We you see, down in the Apalachicola National Forest, more trees rotting than we are harvesting, that is sinful. A national forest was designed by Congress to be a working national forest, not a national park. We have national parks; we don’t harvest any timber in national parks. But a national forest is designed to be a place ... where communities that live around those perimeters are able to log and harvest and have some economic benefit to those communities. I believe the nation forest service in many ways has failed in that area.” Southerland blamed poor management practices for some of the large wildfires the nation has seen in recent years, indicating those might have been avoided with appropriate management practices in place to clear the forest floor from the “fuel” that can make a forest “a tinderbox” in the event of a lightning strike that sparks a fire. He said, however, that the southeastern United States does a better job that other regions in managing those lands.

Southerland said he is also upset by what he feels is an over-reaching fisheries regulator who wants to “turn the Gulf of Mexico into an aquarium,” and that some regulations are not bases on good data and “absolutely strip us of our God-given right to fish.” He said he finds it inappropriate, for instance, that, in counting fish populations as a regulatory barometer, fisheries officials refuse to count those congregated around reefs, where the fish naturally seek shelter and could be counted to accurately reflect species populations.

The National Marine Fisheries commission he said, last year shorten the fisheries season and set bag limits so low that the economies of the communities dependent on the fisheries are being devastated and that he is determined to see a change in that circumstance.

Southerland also hinted at his support of the Keystone Pipeline initiative as a job creator and a way of reducing the cost of energy.

Asked about the continuing quest to find out more about those responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing, Southerland had this to say. “We know the individual (suspect) who was killed spent six months in Russia; Russia told us that he was returning and that we needed to keep our eyes on him, they communicated that to the CIA. That did happen, so somewhere, somebody dropped the ball…I think Homeland Security, the CIA and the FBI, we have to have a meeting of the minds…I'm not sure yet who bears all that responsibility, but we’re looking and we’re working to find that out.”

Southerland made clear his position on the idea of welfare reform. “If you are of working age, and you are physically, mentally, psychologically able to work, it is a sin for us to pay you not to work,” he commented.

On debt and the sequestration or debt-limit bill, Southerland said he didn’t vote for sequestration because doing so would have meant he’d have to break his campaign promise not to do anything to hurt Medicare. Southerland said sequestration cut that program by $115 billion. Instead, he said, he voted twice to replace sequestration with more flexibility within departments which would allow their managers to, rather than making a 2 percent across-the-board cut in spending, would have allowed them to decide what needed cuts and what needed to be left at full funding.

Southerland said he’ll be back to Jackson County in the future to update the community further about his take on what’s happening in Washington.

Bill aims to help rural communities

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

Valerie Garman (The News Herald)

PANAMA CITY — The city of Blountstown, located in Northeast Calhoun County, operates on a $3 million per year budget and is struggling to keep up with infrastructure needs.

“It’s no cheaper to fix things here than it is in a big city,” said City Manager Emory Pierce. “But in big cities with multi-million dollar budgets, a couple of thousand dollars to fix something is nothing.”

The story is similar for rural communities across the Panhandle region, and U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, is hoping a new bill might help those areas he said “form the backbone of North and Northwest Florida.”

Southerland recently introduced the Building Rural Communities Act, a bill aimed at giving rural government officials the necessary tools to plan large-scale improvement projects in a more cost-effective manner.

Co-sponsored by Rep. Mike McIntyre, D- N.C., the legislation would channel between 3 and 5 percent of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Essential Communities Facilities loan and grant program toward technical assistance and financial planning for rural communities.

“Unfortunately, across America many of these bedrock communities are fading away because they can’t match the access to infrastructure and services that larger cities provide,” Southerland said. “Our legislation will make it easier for rural communities to thrive by providing the technical assistance and project planning they need to strengthen public safety, public health, and public access to upgraded services – all at no additional cost to taxpayers.”

Pierce said funding issues have halted a project to run a force main sewer line from Altha, a small town to the northwest, to the Blountstown wastewater treatment plant. Currently, all of Altha’s buildings run off of septic tanks.

“Without real community sewer lines, they are severely limited in Altha and along that entire corridor toward Blountstown,” Pierce said.

He said the Calhoun County School District is exploring options for a new high school in Altha, but the current infrastructure cannot support a structure that size.

Overall, Pierce said he would support any bill that could potentially help rural areas like Blountstown.

“We have the normal aging infrastructure that all cities big and small have, and we are searching for funding to help with our internally generated funds,” said Pierce, who noted the city cannot raise utility rates for fear of losing customers. “All people and businesses here are strapped. If we raise rates, I would estimate we would lose several customers and the community just can’t stand that.”

Southerland’s bill was referred to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture for further consideration.

Southerland, Miller Fight for Local Control of RESTORE Act Funds

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Steve Southerland, II and Jeff Miller authored a letter today to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew reaffirming the clear intent of the RESTORE Act, which clearly specifies that 75% of Florida's BP fine money must be allocated directly to the eight hardest hit Northwest Florida counties.

“The RESTORE Act is clear and unambiguous in its intent that the lion’s share of Florida’s BP fine money go directly to the eight hardest hit counties,” Southerland said. “Our letter to Secretary Lew reaffirms that North and Northwest Florida’s congressional delegation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with county officials in accordance with federal law. These RESTORE Act funds are a critical lifeline for our coastal communities and no one will know better than the counties, themselves, how to restore their local economies and ecosystems.”

NOTE: Attached is Rep. Southerland’s and Rep. Miller’s letter to Treasury Secretary Lew.

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Southerland Introduces "Building Rural Communities Act"

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II introduced the Building Rural Communities Act (H.R. 1632) this week to assist rural communities with obtaining the critical technical assistance or financial planning necessary to construct community enhancement projects in a more cost effective manner. Southerland’s bill, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC), directs 3-5% of existing funding in the USDA’s Rural Development Essential Communities Facilities program for technical assistance.

“Rural municipalities, country towns, and small farming communities form the backbone of North and Northwest Florida,” Southerland said. “Unfortunately, across America many of these bedrock communities are fading away because they can’t match the access to infrastructure and services that larger cities provide. Our legislation will make it easier for rural communities to thrive by providing the technical assistance and project planning they need to strengthen public safety, public health, and public access to upgraded services – all at no additional cost to taxpayers.”

Similar project planning has already been utilized to build or upgrade water and wastewater projects in Marianna, Blountstown, Rosedale in Gadsden County, and Taylor County. Southerland’s bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture for further consideration.

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Southerland Hails Florida Approval of 44-Day Red Snapper Season

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II applauded the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) today for approving a 44-day recreational red snapper season for 2013. The proposed 2013 snapper season for Gulf of Mexico state waters would run from June 1st through July 14th, a window that better reflects the economic challenges facing Florida’s anglers than the proposed 27-day federal season.

“I applaud Florida’s FWC for standing tall in defense of our fishermen,” Southerland said. “As federal red snapper seasons have gotten progressively shorter, more and more fishermen are being forced off the water and out of business. Today’s FWC decision proves that our state leaders have a better understanding of our fisheries’ challenges and opportunities than Washington ever will.”

The FWC originally proposed its 44-day season in February.

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Southerland Fights to Put Fishermen First in Gulf, Atlantic Management

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II authored a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations today asking for a restriction on federal funding for new Limited Access Privilege Programs – also known as “catch shares” – in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic seaboard until fishermen’s concerns about the programs have been addressed. Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) and 23 other House members joined Southerland’s effort to remedy catch share concerns through the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens fisheries management law and not through the appropriations process.

“This bipartisan coalition of Gulf and Atlantic Coast lawmakers has come together with the simple demand that our fishermen be heard,” Southerland said. “At a time when many of our coastal economies are struggling, it would be incredibly reckless to shut our recreational and commercial fishermen out of a planning process that could hurt coastal jobs and limit public access to a once-open resource.

“While we don’t expect to eliminate catch shares currently in place, we do expect proper process to be followed before any new catch shares are implemented. This can only happen by listening to our fishermen, addressing their concerns through an update to the Magnuson-Stevens law, and ensuring the development of better scientific research, stock assessments, and economic impact statements.”

Southerland serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which will be reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) later this year.

Southerland Reacts to Boston Tragedy

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement regarding the tragic attack in Boston this afternoon:

“The Boston Marathon is a time-honored tradition that brings people together from across the globe. Today’s tragedy was not just an attack against the United States, but against all peace-loving nations. As we begin to understand the cause of this terrible attack, we must hold the evildoers accountable to the fullest extent of the law. For now, let us remain focused in thought and prayer on the victims and their families during this incredibly difficult time.”

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Southerland Takes U.S. Forest Service to Task for Mismanaging Forest Lands

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II held the U.S. Forest Service accountable today for over-regulating and mismanaging access to America’s national forests.

During a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands hearing, Southerland highlighted the destructive impact that onerous regulations and ever-shrinking public access has had on forestry communities.

“Forestry communities across America are being crushed by the heavy boot of Washington overregulation,” Southerland said. “In North Florida’s Apalachicola National Forest, loggers have seen their access to timber restricted further and further, to the point that just seven-percent of its total growth and 27-percent of its allowable cut is being harvested. This type of sinful mismanagement is putting hardworking Americans out of work, crippling rural economies and increasing the risk of deadly forest fires. It’s time for the federal government to get out of the way and allow our timber producers to responsibly access a God-given resource that belongs to the people, not the Beltway bureaucrats.”

Southerland is an original cosponsor of the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, which renews the federal government’s commitment to managing forest resources for the benefit of our nation’s rural schools and counties.

Southerland Proposes Tech Assistance Expansion

Deborah Buckhalter (JC Floridan) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

U.S. Congressman Steve Southerland was in Marianna on Monday to announce his intention to file a bill which, if passed as proposed, would expand the reach of an existing USDA technical assistance fund. A set-aside within the USDA’s Rural Development-Essential Community Facilities (CF) program, the assistance fund is currently limited to use on water and wastewater projects. Through it, Marianna recently obtained money to get the technical assistance it needed to carry out a drainage improvement plan associated with a street project.

Expanding the use of the fund would allow rural communities to hire consultants to help them find and compete for USDA grants and loans to fund a wider range of projects, things like improved police and fire stations, health clinics, senior centers, courthouses and other assets.

The legislation, as proposed, would also allow local governments to use the funding to train employees, and get financial advice in trying to not only secure government grants and loans, but also in setting up a repayment plan for the loans. The bill also includes provisions that would allow the communities to engage experts who would monitor and help them properly maintain the funded facilities after they’re completed.

Southerland wants 3-5 percent of the CF fund set aside for this type of assistance. If roughly $21 million is devoted to the CF fund this year as expected, the set-aside would mean that from $630,000 to a little more than $1 million would be available for rural communities to request.

In Southerland’s 2 nd Congressional District, of which Jackson County is a part, there are 14 counties; 12 of those are rural in nature, he said, and could potentially benefit greatly from the dedication of funds to provide them technical assistance across a wider range of projects.

Southerland said he believes there is bi-partisan support for his proposal, called the Building Rural Communities Act. He said he expects to file it soon after he returns to Washington for session this week.

State legislator Marti Coley joined Southerland at Monday’s announcement, the Representative and Speaker Pro Tempore expressing her support of the plan. Southerland revealed the bill at a public meeting in the engine bay outside the Marianna Fire Department main station, located at Marianna City Hall.

Also joining Southerland for the announcement were representatives of the non-profit Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, which works with USDA in providing technical assistance for hire to communities on water and wastewater projects. That entity supports Southerland’s proposal, and a representative of the organization said it wants to expand into some of the other areas of assistance that his bill addresses.

Southerland said his legislation is modeled after the technical assistance program for water and wastewater, which he said he believes has been of great service to communities which could not otherwise afford to hire high-caliber technical experts.

He also said that, because the technical assistance fund would be taken from the already- established CF program, the set-aside would mean no additional cost to taxpayers.

Southerland Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Rural Communities

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II hosted a press conference at Marianna City Hall today announcing new legislation to assist rural communities with obtaining critical technical assistance or financial planning when undertaking infrastructure enhancements, all at no additional cost to taxpayers. Southerland’s bill, the Building Rural Communities Act, improves access to existing funds under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s rural development loan program for small communities looking to build or modernize police and fire stations, courthouses, community health clinics and other public services.

“We appreciate Rep. Southerland’s commitment to improving access to public safety, health, and community enhancement services for Florida’s rural communities, said Gary Williams, Executive Director of the Florida Rural Water Association. “His leadership on this issue will be critically important as we work together to build a bright future for small cities and rural areas across our state.”

"Technical assistance providers like RCAP have worked with USDA-RD's water and wastewater program for decades to make it one of the most efficient and effective in the federal government,” said Robert Stewart, Executive Director of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership. “Rep. Southerland’s Building Rural Communities Act builds on that success by expanding the assistance that is available to rural communities to address the infrastructure, public safety, and other essential community facilities needs that support growth and economic development in rural areas."

“USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program is an important low cost financing tool for rural counties and their partners,” said Matt Chase, Executive Director of the National Association of Counties. “Our nation’s rural counties appreciate Rep. Southerland’s leadership on rural development efforts and support the Building Rural Communities Act, which will assist local effort to build essential community facilities that enhance economic opportunities and quality of life.”

Southerland’s bill, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC), sets aside 3-5% of funding in the USDA’s Rural Development Essential Communities Facilities program for technical assistance. Similar assistance has already been utilized to build or upgrade water and wastewater projects in Marianna, Blountstown, Rosedale, and Taylor County.

NOTE: For more information on the Building Rural Communities Act, please click the link below.

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Southerland Responds to March Jobs Report

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ disappointing March jobs report:

“Today’s jobs numbers, which amount to less than half the original projection and the smallest gain in 10 months, should serve as a red flag for the Obama administration’s tax-and-spend agenda. It has become painfully clear that the President’s policies aren’t working, even to the former chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, who called the report ‘a punch in the gut’ and ‘not a good number.’ That is why I voted for a ‘Path to Prosperity’ budget that restores fiscal sanity by balancing the budget in a decade and providing long-term certainty for hardworking families and job creators. Now it’s time for the White House and U.S. Senate to recognize the warning signs before it’s too late.”

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Southerland Talks Civics with Students

Jessica McCarthy (Panama City News Herald) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

PANAMA CITY — Civics lessons usually come from textbooks, but Jinks Middle School students got to go to the source Tuesday when U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland paid a visit.

Southerland spent about an hour with students, talking about different areas of government and answering questions from students. He talked about what it was like to grow up in Panama City, his experiences running for Congress and how important it is for students to work to build the future.

“Growing up here, being a local product, graduating from middle school and high school here and now I’m a member of Congress and I’m just like you,” he said.

He said he regularly schedules time with students around his district.

“No matter what political party these students associate with, the important part is they take an active role in creating their future and America operates best when all hands are on deck,” said Southerland, a Republican. “I want to inject the element of personal responsibility.”

Students’ questions ranged from how hard his job is to how much he makes a year to ethnic diversity in Congress. Some students also wanted to know what kind of music he listens to, how he felt when he won his first election and whether he would put more money into education budgets.

He talked to the students about how important their vote was, giving a real life example of a local school board race that came down to two votes, but did not limit the discussion to civics. He also talked about being rich in what he called the right things, friends and family, the value of hard work and playing by the rules.

He told the students there would be bad days where the ball didn’t bounce their way, but over the long haul, if they worked hard, told the truth and played by the rules, more often than not, that ball would bounce their way and they would have peace of mind.

The students cheered their support after Southerland said he didn’t like the FCAT although the cheering quieted a little when he said he is in favor of testing, just not so much pressure and weight being placed with one test.

He said he was impressed with how much the students already knew.

“Their questions and answers and knowledge of civics and government was as good or better than any other (school) group I’ve spoken to,” Southerland said. “Kudos go to the school district and kudos to Jinks and the instructors for doing a good job.”

Rep. Steve Southerland Visits Panhandle Hospitals

WJHG-TV (Panama City) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST

BONIFAY - Five years ago, Doctors Memorial Hospital in Bonifay launched a new era in health care, openings a new 48,000 square feet facility, double the size of the old hospital. But, the road to that new facility was long and difficult.

"We started off trying to get approval from the government" explained Doctors Memorial Board Chairman, Joe Sowell. "We had to get a referendum with Holmes County and we got it. And it passed with about 80 percent."

But Sowell was worried looming federal budget cuts would derail the community's hard work. "I'm afraid it's going to be very negative" he said. "Don't know all the consequences of it yet, but few little things I have saw, it has more of a negative impact than a positive."

Hospital administrator Joann Baker shared Sowell's concern for the uncertain future.

"We're still unsure of what's going to happen at Congress, how it's going to effect the rural hospitals. But, I would love for them to keep in mind that each community does need their hospital" Baker told us.

Congressman Steve Southerland said he was interested in knowing what Doctor's Memorial Hospital needed. He toured the facility Monday and updated administrators about what was going on in Washington.

"There's some [hospital] programs that probably need to be phased out, and then probably some that need to be built up a little better" Southerland said. "So I'm eager to talk to administrators this morning about some of the health care challenges they face."

For now, administrators said they would continue to treat their patients, and hope for the best.