Thank you for reading my newsletter! My team and I continue to work for you and our community. It was a very eventful week and I'm excited to tell you about what we accomplished. Here are some highlights from this week:

• Discussed my legislation with Rep. Chrissy Houlahan to incentivize and encourage national service on CNN with Brianna Keilar
• Introduced legislation with Rep. Val Demings to welcome the statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to our nation's Capitol
• Participated in this year's DeLand Mardi Gras Dog Parade to celebrate furry friends and talk with folks in our district
• Nominated 19 of our district's students to attend one of our great U.S. military academies
• Met with Executive Director of Florida Veterans Affairs Danny Burgess to discuss how to work together for Florida's veterans

ENCOURAGING NATIONAL SERVICE: As a Green Beret, one of the greatest callings in my life was to serve my country – but I believe service can extend beyond the military. Everyone can and should serve – and we should encourage young people to get involved in their communities and work together for the greater good. This is why I’ve introduced legislation with fellow veteran Rep. Chrissy Houlahan to incentivize national service by providing in-state tuition and hiring incentives for participants. When we serve, we learn how to see past our differences and unite for a common mission to bring back the goodness in our society.

Click below to watch us discuss this legislation:

HONORING DR. MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was an inspiring leader to many of us in our district and around the country through her dedication to civil rights and equality. Her legacy of leadership is inspiring and worth celebrating. A statue of Bethune will soon be placed in the U.S. Capitol to represent Florida. On Friday, Rep. Val Demings and I introduced legislation to welcome the statue of Dr. Bethune to the Capitol as the first statue of a black American to represent a state in Statuary Hall. Bethune was an example to all and I'm excited to share her story with the thousands visiting our nation's Capitol and ensure her legacy lives on.

CELEBRATING MARDI GRAS: Mardi Gras celebrations were in full effect in our community last weekend! One of the most fun events in DeLand every year is the annual Mardi Gras Dog Parade. I had a great time at this year's parade meeting constituents and their furry friends! More than 10,000 people and nearly 1,000 dogs participated and there were so many creative floats and costumes. I had the best time! As they say in New Orleans... laissez les bons temps rouler!

With the winner of this year's Mardi Gras Dog Parade costume contest

NOMINATING SERVANT LEADERS: One of the greatest honors for young people interested in serving our country is attending a service academy. Each year, I nominate student leaders to attend our service academies, which give these students a fantastic education as well as a commission as a military officer. This year, I nominated 19 students from our district to attend an academy. Two bright young women, Bowen Conlan and Kaci Helmick accepted their offers of appointment! Bowen is headed to the U.S. Military Academy and Kaci will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. We're all very proud and can't wait to see where your futures lead you! 

Presenting Bowen Conlan and Kaci Helmick with their Service Academy nominations

WORKING TOGETHER FOR OUR VETERANS: On Wednesday, I was joined in my office by a special guest, Executive Director of Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, Danny Burgess! Danny and I talked about Forward March, a new initiative from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the department to unite all of Florida’s state agencies, veteran service organizations, private partners and local communities together to provide our veterans with the best services, benefits and support we can.

Click below to learn more about the Forward March initiative: 

Please follow my daily work on social media by liking my Facebook page and following me on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. As always, feel free to reach out to my offices in Florida or Washington, D.C. if my team or I can ever be of service.

In Service,

Michael Waltz