Special election set for April
It will be April before residents living in state House District 64 find out if James Grant will return to represent them, or if someone new will go to Tallahassee on their behalf.
Gov. Rick Scott has ordered a special election for Grant’s seat after conflicting court rulings put the November election results in jeopardy. The inclusion of a write-in candidate was successfully challenged ahead of the November election, but then overturned after the election, promoting the House to not recognize Grant, a Lutz Republican, as the winner.
The election will start from scratch, with a primary set for Feb. 10, and an actual special election running April 21. Scott used an executive order to move the special election forward.
Grant beat fellow Republican Miriam Steinberg in the November election, and it’s unclear whether she will run in the new election. Grant filed for the seat Nov. 26.
Housing workshop in Elfers
Pasco County will hold a housing workshop to discuss the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program Dec. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.
It will take place at the Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive.
The county is set to receive more than $15 million from the program over the next three years from money funded through documentary stamp taxes. In order to receive funds, the county must have a plan in place by next May.
SHIP currently provides funding for down payment assistance, housing rehabilitation, tax payment and rental programs. Of the funds allocated, 65 percent must be used for home ownerships, 75 percent for construction, and 30 percent for very low-income households.
To RSVP for the meeting, call (727) 834-3445.
Congressman wants incentives to treat rare diseases
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis has introduced H.R. 5750 to Congress, known as the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures & Treatment — or the OPEN ACT.
The bill would incentivize drug makers and innovators to repurpose major market drugs for life-threatening, rare diseases and pediatric cancers, the Palm Harbor Republican said, which would open the door to development of hundreds of treatments for rare disease patients.
“There are over 7,000 rare diseases, impacting 40 million Americans — that is nearly 1 in 10 people,” Bilirakis said in a statement. More than 95 percent of those diseases have no treatments, because each rare disease impacts just a small number of patients.
“My bill will leverage the free market to incentivize drugs to be repurposed to treat rare diseases,” Bilirakis said. “This bill can help millions of people by ensuring medications are safe and effective for rare conditions, and can be reimbursed through insurance coverage.”
