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Congressman Darren Soto, Chair of the Civil and Voting Rights Task Force in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following statement following surfaced court documents indicating the Trump Administration is considering sharing confidential census data with law enforcement and other national security agencies:

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2018, U.S. Congressman Darren Soto will recognize nine individuals in Central Florida for their invaluable contributions to the community. The honorees' biographies were submitted into the Congressional Record and they will receive official Congressional Certificates.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019, which includes provisions introduced by Congressman Darren Soto to continue funding the National Early Child Care Collaboratives (NECCC) Program at $4 million and increases funding for Gulf War illness research under the Defense Health Program by $1 million.

Congress has approved a defense funding bill that includes $30 million intended for the BRIDG facility in Osceola County. BRIDG, a non-profit public-private partnership, would use any funding it receives to establish a Microelectronics Cybersecurity Center and to develop trusted microelectronic devices in a secure environment to support the Department of Defense. This provision was championed by Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson in the Senate, and by central Florida Reps. Darren Soto and Stephanie Murphy in the House.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1310 the "Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act" or SMASH Act, a bill introduced by Congressman Darren Soto to support and expand programs for mosquito-borne and vector-borne disease surveillance and control. The bill was passed as part of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018.