Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa congratulated the Central Valley California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) for their recognition by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Central Valley HIDTA was honored with an award for an Outstanding Marijuana Investigative Effort because of their role in Operation Mountain Sweep. The operation was an 8-week, multi-agency, multistate marijuana operation targeting illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands in 7 states, including California.

Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa expressed his extreme disappointment in the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to exclude Fresno Unified School District, Central Unified School District, and Sanger Unified School District as finalists for the Race to the Top-District Competition. The three cash-strapped school districts all serve high-need populations in the San Joaquin Valley.

Calls for Congressional Action to Reform the RFS

Congressman Costa Understands the Policies Needed to Ensure Manufacturers Succeed

Fresno, Calif.  – Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Fresno Unified School District will receive $160,000 from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This competitive grant will allow Fresno Unified to build the resources necessary to assist lawful legal residents with the naturalization process.

Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Jim Costa joined a bipartisan group of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to echo their previous calls for the House to bring up the Farm Bill before it adjourns for the election. The current Farm Bill expires on September 30th when the nation’s agriculture policy will revert to 1949 levels barring the enactment of reauthorization legislation.

Fresno, Calif.  – Rep. Jim Costa announced today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded over $850,000 to three Valley airports for rehabilitation and renovation of their facilities. Firebaugh Airport, Hanford Municipal, and Delano Municipal were the recipients of the grants that will be used to upgrade their facilities and replace outdated equipment.

Creates Positions for 3 Additional Victim Advocates

Bakersfield, Calif.  – Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance (GBLA) has received $400,000 from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. With this award, GBLA will collaborate with the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault in order to strengthen its programs that provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

FRESNO, CA- Congressman Jim Costa is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite their review process for concerns regarding inhumane treatment of animals at Central Valley Meat Co., Inc. Since learning of the investigation on Monday, Congressman Costa has made this his top priority and has spoken daily to officials at USDA and management at Central Valley Meat to help find a path forward for the plant which employs nearly five hundred in Hanford and Kings County to reopen as soon as possible.

Now is the Time to Complete Kennedy’s Vision

Fresno, Calif.  – Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement in honor of the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy coming to the San Joaquin Valley to break ground on the San Luis Project. Costa called on federal, state, and local officials to take the bold steps necessary to complete Kennedy’s vision by moving forward with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

Washington, DC- Rep. Jim Costa, former House Majority Whip Rep. Tony Coelho, former speaker of the California Assembly Robert Hertzberg, and Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani joined together to express their deep appreciation for Rep. Dennis Cardoza’s years of dedicated service to the people of the San Joaquin Valley. The officials released the following statements.

Washington, DC- When House Republicans offered a temporary disaster relief bill today, Rep. Jim Costa called for real relief for farmers. The House voted to advance H.R. 6233, the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012, which would offer some disaster relief to farmers but fails to offer American and Valley agriculture the sort of certainty that only a five-year Farm Bill can. Costa opposed the measure because there is no acceptable replacement for the bipartisan Farm Bill.

Washington, DC- Rep. Jim Costa announced today that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded more than $4.5 Million to Fresno County and the City of Hanford. The funding was made available through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Grant, and the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) programs. In March, Costa joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to urge that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee maintain funding for CDBG in 2013.

Washington, DC- Rep. Jim Costa applauded Governor Brown and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announcement today that laid out a path forward for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). In their announcement, state and federal officials stressed that the status quo is unsustainable for both the health of the Bay Delta and the economies of the California communities that rely on water from state and federal projects.

FRESNO- Congressman Jim Costa, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, and California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer today announced that the Federal Transit Administration has selected Fresno to receive a $2.45 million Bus Livability Grant aimed at improving the connection between downtown Fresno and the City’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Washington, DC- Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Valley law enforcement will receive over $360,000 to support a wide range of activities intended to control and prevent crime based upon local needs and concerns. The funds were released by the United States Department of Justice through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne JAG).

Washington, DC- Just before 1 am Thursday morning, the House Agriculture Committee voted on a wide bipartisan basis to advance the 2012 Farm Bill. Rep. Jim Costa joined 35 of his colleagues on the committee in supporting the measure that will set the nation’s agriculture and nutrition policies for the next 5 years.

Protects Small Truckers and Students

Washington, DC- Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement following the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act.

“Health reform was not a perfect bill, but the status quo was unacceptable. Costs were rising and continue to rise, coverage was becoming harder to obtain, and over 40 million Americans were without health insurance, yet we are still paying for their care.

I support Americans having access to the care they need when they need it. That includes those with insurance and those struggling to obtain it.

Department to Hire 1 New Officer

Fresno, CA- Rep. Jim Costa announced today that $125,000 has been awarded to the Mendota Police Department from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The funds from the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) will allow the police department to hire 1 additional officer.

Fresno, CA- Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Avenal Community Health Center has been awarded $920,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant is from the Health Cluster Grant program, which provides funds to improve facilities and boost capacity in rural areas.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Costa welcomed the 20th District Art Competition winner, Sarah Fanucchi of Bakersfield’s South High School, and her family to Washington. Sarah’s painting is of her mother’s official portrait when she enrolled in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 18. Her artwork “18 on 18” will hang in the U.S. Capitol for a year.

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of Agriculture announced that Kern and Kings Counties have been designated as agriculture disaster areas due to damage from freezing temperatures, hail, and high winds that occurred between March 1 and April 30th. Producers in Kern and Kings Counties now are eligible for consideration for federal assistance through the Farm Services Agency (FSA).

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Kern County and the cities of Bakersfield and Delano will receive $11.4 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for community development and assistance to the homeless. The funds were made available through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program and the HOME program. In March, Costa joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to urge that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee maintain funding for CDBG in 2013.

Fresno, CA– Rep. Jim Costa announced today that Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission will receive $19.7 million for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Fresno.

Washington D.C.  – Rep. Jim Costa called on Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to take action in order to bring greater water security to the San Joaquin Valley. In a letter, Costa stated that the status quo was not sustainable and expressed concerns that delays on decisions has created  a cycle of planning with no end in sight.

Calls on House to ‘Stop this Charade’

Washington D.C.  – Rep. Jim Costa called on House Republicans to abandon legislation that put politics above protections for women and children who are victims of domestic violence during consideration of H.R. 4970, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The law was originally enacted in 1994 and offers a wide range of services and support to victims of domestic abuse.

Fresno, CA – Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement regarding the release of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s revised 2012 business plan.

“I want to commend the High-Speed Rail Authority and the Governor for listening to the concerns raised about high-speed rail,” said Costa. “Transparency, construction costs, ridership numbers and long-term funding have to be addressed to make the project viable. Mitigation in the Valley, especially for agriculture, must be a part of the solution.”

Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement in response to reports that Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) had been detected in a Central Valley dairy cow. This is the fourth case of BSE ever in the United States and the first in California. 

Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa opposed partisan budgets put forth by both Republicans and Democrats, and called on lawmakers to set aside their differences to put the nation’s fiscal health first. In that spirit, Rep. Costa joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) in offering a budget alternative that mirrored the recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles Commission.

Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa announced Fresno County will receive $275,518 to offer rental assistance and case management to 50 homeless veterans. The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program is a jointly administered program by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Over 780 Acres of Valley Wetlands Set Aside to Protect Migratory Birds

Washington, DC – Rep. Jim Costa announced that 783 Acres in the San Joaquin Valley have been added to the National Wildlife Refuge System for waterfowl and wildlife habitat protection. The decision by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission will add 508 acres to the existing Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area.

Let’s Not Make a Bad Situation Worse

Fresno, CA – Congressman Jim Costa released the following statement in response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announcement today of a federal water allocation of 30% for south of Delta agriculture water service contractors. In light of recent dry conditions in California, the 2012 Federal Water Allocation Outlook is far lower than last year’s initial forecast of 45% for growers on the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley.

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement following the announcement that California homeowners would receive $18 billion as a part of the multistate settlement to penalize mortgage servicing misconduct and robo-signing.

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Jim Costa released the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address.