Mel Martinez

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 1, 2010) – Former U.S. Sen. Melquiades “Mel” Martinez of Florida has been elected to the board of directors for Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), the company announced today.

Martinez, 63, was the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate, from 2005 to 2009. While in the Senate, he was a member of several influential committees, including Energy and Natural Resources and Commerce. Previously, he served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was instrumental in the rebuilding efforts in New York City after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.    » read more »

August 28, 2009 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today announced he will appoint former Deputy Attorney General George LeMieux to serve the remainder of Senator Mel Martinez’s term upon Martinez’s official resignation. LeMieux, 40, currently serves as chairman of the law firm of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A., and previously served as chief of staff to Governor Crist.    » read more »

Withholds decision on Sotomayor until after confirmation hearing

June 9, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today met with United States Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

After the meeting, the senator made the following comments.

Senator Martinez said:

"She is not only a delightful person, but also a very deep thinker about judicial issues. As a longtime lawyer, I enjoyed the conversation about issues of jurisprudence, the role of the judiciary, and the role of a judge.

"She is very bright and very much someone who would fit in very well at the Supreme Court.    » read more »

Special Committee on Aging discusses the Long-Term Care Insurance Industry

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging examined the long-term care insurance industry. The high cost of long-term care and the current economic instability are creating significant financial planning challenges for baby-boomers, seniors, and individual states.

The committee discussed the industry's current limitations and how to prepare for the growing number of seniors who will be in need of long-term care.    » read more »

Sen. Martinez requests briefing on joint DoJ & HHS health care fraud plan

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today called for a briefing from the departments of Justice (DoJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) on their interagency effort to combat Medicare fraud.

Specifically, Senator Martinez is asking for the departments to provide information about the data-driven approach to prevent and detect Medicare fraud, plans to identify new geographic areas requiring targeted enforcement, the strategy to conduct on-site verification of medical equipment suppliers, compliance training for Medicare providers, and efforts to strengthen compliance and enforcement in Medicare Parts C and D.    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- (Orlando, FL) - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today issued a statement regarding the President's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.

Senator Martinez said:

"During the twenty-five years I spent in Florida courts, I gained a great respect for our judicial system and the importance it plays in our society. At the apex of this system is the Supreme Court of the United States. On that court, we must have the very best.    » read more »

Updating the U.S. Census to meet the needs of our nation’s elderly & disabled

May 21, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today introduced an effort aimed at updating the U.S. Census' current function questions to better improve our nation's long-term care services and support systems. By replacing a small portion of the survey with standardized function questions used by medical providers, the Disability Data Modernization Act will provide more accurately collected data used for planning the future health care needs of elderly and disabled Americans.    » read more »