In the News
February 6, 2024
CENTRAL VALLEY – Two Congressmen representing the Central Valley have introduced measures to assist California communities ravaged by drought and extreme heat, as well as to advance and promote policies essential to U.S. agriculture.
Issues:Agriculture
February 1, 2024
WASHINGTON, DC – Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan represented the Artsakh people’s inalienable rights, national interests, and democratic aspirations at a Capitol Hill briefing featuring powerful remarks by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and James Costa (D-CA), and organized by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
January 31, 2024
The House of Representatives has formed a new Agricultural Trade Caucus to enhance U.S. agriculture, with bipartisan support. The caucus aims to promote agricultural exports, facilitate trade, and knock down trade barriers.
Issues:Agriculture
January 24, 2024
Thirty-one lawmakers spend their time outside of the nation’s capital farming, ranching or running cattle operations, according to a new Congressional Research Service report. Twenty-three of these members hold spots on the House’s roster, while eight serve in the Senate, says the report, which is based on information compiled by Congressional Quarterly. When combined, they make up 5.7% of Congress’ overall membership.
January 15, 2024
California Congressman Jim Costa has introduced a bill known as “Jane’s Law” that aims to bring to justice individuals who flee court-ordered divorce settlements. The proposed legislation seeks to ensure that all parties involved in a divorce follow the terms and agreements established by the court, and seeks to end impunity for those who attempt to avoid their financial and legal responsibilities. If passed, this legislation could lead to significant changes in California’s family justice system.
Issues:Public SafetyVictims' Rights
January 9, 2024
In five years, Fresno’s core will be transformed into the first major hub on America’s most ambitious active infrastructure project: a 500-mile bullet train shuttling people 200-plus mph from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours. But unlike Interstate 5, the state’s north-south connector, it’ll run through the heart of the Central Valley.
January 2, 2024
Not only one of the more unusual stories for the Central Valley in 2023, but the discovery of an illegal bio-lab in Reedley with links to the Chinese government made headlines across the globe.
December 12, 2023
Still reeling from the discovery a year ago of a biological laboratory operating secretly – and illegally – in the city of Reedley, Fresno County supervisors unanimously gave initial approval to an ordinance requiring annual inspections of any privately-funded biological research labs that are not regulated under federal law.
December 5, 2023
California will receive about $3.1 billion from the Biden Administration to help advance planning and construction of the state’s bullet-train line through Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, including extensions to Merced and Bakersfield. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, announced the grant from the Federal Railroad Administration in separate statements Tuesday afternoon.
December 5, 2023
Despite mounting criticism of California’s high-speed rail project, Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno remains one of its biggest supporters. On Tuesday afternoon, Costa announced that he had secured $3.1 billion from the Biden administration for bullet-train projects in Fresno, Bakersfield, and other Valley cities.
July 16, 2026
Nearly every member of the House Democratic Caucus signed onto a letter demanding an independent investigation into two fatal shootings carried out in the span of a week by officers at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are calling for immediate independent investigations into both of these deaths, without interference,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Guerrero in Maine.
Issues:
Immigration