Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 5-28-21

State
Representative Fentrice Driskell Makes History As First Black Woman Elected To Lead Florida’s House Democratic Caucus
TALLAHASSEE, FL -
Representative Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) was unanimously elected to lead the Florida House Demo- cratic Caucus as Leader-Des- ignate for the 2024-2026 legislative term, becoming the first Black woman to ever lead the caucus.
Rep. Driskell was elected to the Florida House in November 2018 after de- feating an incumbent. She is an attorney who currently practices law with Carlton Fields in Tampa, Florida. As an honors graduate who re- ceived her degree in Govern- ment from Harvard University, Representative Driskell also made history as the first Black student to be elected President of Har-
vard’s student government, the Undergraduate Council.
During this year’s legisla- tive session, Representa- tive Driskell led the House Democratic Caucus as Policy Chair, a role in which she briefed members daily before heading to the House Floor.
Additionally, Represen- tative Driskell led the Florida Legislative Black Caucus' efforts on police re- form by negotiating with Re- publican House Leadership for several months, resulting in the unanimous passage of HB 7051, a bill containing several measures to increase transparency and accounta- bility in policing that is cur- rently awaiting the Governor’s signature.
The House Democratic
REP. FENTRICE DRISKELL (Dem., Dist. 63)
by Rep. Driskell.
“I am honored to con-
tinue serving the Caucus in this new role as Leader Des- ignate and to be the first Black woman to do so," said Rep. Driskell. "I am thank- ful for the opportunity to lead this Caucus and, along with my colleagues, work to ensure a brighter future for all Floridians. Together, we will continue breaking barri- ers, inspiring a new genera- tion of leaders to run for
COVID News
public office, and passing substantive policy reforms that improve the lives of everyone in our great state,” said Rep. Driskell (D- Tampa).
State Representative Driskell represents Florida House District 63, which is located in Hillsborough County and includes the Tampa-area communities of Carrollwood, Lake Magda- lene, Lutz, University, New Tampa, and Pebble Creek.
Caucus’ response to HB1, the anti-protest legislation intro- duced in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests for George Floyd, was also developed and spearheaded
Half Of US Adults Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19: CDC
Anna Mendez, LPN, administers a Johnson And Johnson COVID- 19 vaccine to Vern Henderson.
The U.S. passed another major milestone Tuesday in its race to vaccinate the pop- ulation against COVID-19.
Half of U.S. adults -- more than 129 million people over 18 -- are now fully vaccinated against the virus, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention.
The CDC data also shows that 49.5% of Americans of all ages, roughly 164 million people, have at least one vac- cine dose.
The entire country opened up vaccinations to anyone over 16 in the middle of April, and the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for anyone over 12 nearly two weeks ago. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for coronavirus vac- cines.
As of Tuesday, about 131
million Americans, roughly 39% of the country’s entire population, are fully vacci- nated against the virus, ac- cording to the CDC.
The White House coron- avirus response team her- alded the 50% vaccination threshold at a briefing Tues- day, calling it a "major mile- stone" and applauding every American who has played a role.
"The progress that we have made ... is due to all of you who have gotten vacci- nated, who have contributed not only to your health but to mine and my family’s and my friends’ and yours, and the health of people who can’t get vaccinated because of their medical condition," COVID- 19 adviser Andy Slavitt said at the briefing. "You’ve con- tributed to our country."
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021