WFTS ABC Action News

WASHINGTON, DC -- US Congressman Gus Bilirakis, (R) Palm Harbor, wants to bail on the bailout plan. Bilirakis says it's a mistake for Congress to throw good money after bad with the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Rep. Bilirakis said in a prepared statement, "I strongly opposed the bailout from the beginning and I oppose this attempt to facilitate the expenditure of TARP funds. The bill which passed the House (yesterday) will expand the types of institutions that can receive TARP funds and increase the power of the Treasury to spend taxpayer funds with little accountability to the American people.Congress should not release additional TARP funds without a clear strategy for deploying the remaining funds effectively and in a way that protects taxpayers."

Bilirakis voted for a motion to stop the release of the second $350 billion in bail-out funds from being spent and return to the American taxpayers the first $350 billion in bail-out funds that have already been spent. The motion failed on a party line vote.

Last Wednesday, Gus sent a letter to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), encouraging the Commission to consider the ramifications of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's (CPSIA) implementation. He also urged the CPSC to determine whether they can provide regulatory relief to businesses that will both protect children from dangerous products and ensure the continued survival of retailers that provide much-needed products for deserving children and their families.

On Friday, Gus sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) urging him to include proposals Bilirakis has made in economic stimulus legislation now making its way through Congress:

By Mimi Andelman, St. Petersburg Times

We won't soon be seeing Grandpa's face or Great-Aunt Shirley's height and weight on a milk carton, but we now have something that's sadly familiar for folks of missing kids: the "Silver Alert." It's the elder version of the "Amber Alert" that is quickly dispatched by law enforcement agencies when a child goes missing.

The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, will celebrate its 372nd birthday on December 13, 2008. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.

The City of Tarpon Springs was recently honored when First Lady Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative, designated it as one of the nation's newest Preserve America Communities.

Consular Call Center: Americans who have reason to believe that a relative or friend has been affected by the attacks in Mumbai, India should call: 1-888-407-4747.

Last Friday Gus attended the public unveiling of the first in a series of 'Freedom Homes' in St. Petersburg.

The Freedom Home has been developed to offer enhanced living in a “Freedomized” environment for those with disabilities as well as those who are able bodied.

On Friday, Gus attended the change of central Command ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Lt. General Martin Dempsey relinquished command to General David H. Petraeus, formerly commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq.

Gus, who is a Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee’s Task Force on Veterans’ Affairs, met with local VA officials and toured the new off-site VA Dental Clinic in New Port Richey which is expected to open sometime in the new year.