hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Page H1765] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Ms. ADAMS: today, I rise because too often in our schools the sounds of students talking and lockers clanking in hallways are giving way to silence and violence. Today, I rise because desks that should be covered in gum are too often covered in blood, the blood of students and their teachers. Today, I rise because three 9-year-old children and three adults are dead in Tennessee, as well as the person who killed them. Tennessee State representatives Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson wanted to bring attention to this tragedy. They wanted to honor the victims of the mass shooting at The Covenant School with action instead of insulting their memories with silence. From the floor of the Tennessee House, they led the public gallery in chants of ``no more silence,'' ``we have to do better,'' and ``gun reform now.'' Tennessee Republicans were so afraid of this message that they expelled Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, the two Black representatives, for their actions. These two courageous young men knew, as we do, that we cannot wait to be saved from the gun epidemic. They knew there would be more dead. Unfortunately, since the mass shooting in Nashville on March 27, over 900 additional people were killed by gun violence in our country, 22 in Tennessee alone. It really makes me sick. It makes me livid that we continue to accept the status quo and that we are comfortable living in a country where at any time our friends, our families, our neighbors, even our children and our grandchildren, can die a horrible death because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time when the wrong person had a gun. We will be judged if we don't act, not only by history, not only by our God, but by our children who will inherit our country with this metastasized gun cancer still attached. I am a Christian. As someone who knows and reads and lives Scripture, I can tell you beyond a doubt that the AR-15, the assault rifle, is the golden calf of Washington, D.C. Too many people in the people's House worship this idol and treat it with reverence. However, just like in Scripture, if we continue to worship this idol, the result will be physical and spiritual death. I stand with representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones in saying: No more silence. We have to do better. Gun reform now. No more silence. We have to do better. Gun reform now.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Page H1765] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mrs. FISCHBACH: on Saturday night, Pope County Deputy Sheriff Josh Owen was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty. He and two other law enforcement officers were responding to a domestic violence call in Cyrus, Minnesota, when the suspect opened fire. It was his 44th birthday. Deputy Owen spent nearly 12 years with the sheriff's office and recently received a Distinguished Service Award for his actions responding to a house fire. He is pictured here with his K9 partner, Karma. He was also a military veteran serving with the Minnesota National Guard and deploying to Iraq for 22 months. Josh leaves behind a wife, Shannon, and a 10-year-old son, Rylan. Those of us with ties to law enforcement, who see loved ones risking their lives every day to protect and serve others, share their pain. Josh's colleagues placed a squad car on the front lawn of the sheriff's office on Sunday, and the community has made it into a memorial to pay their respects to this outstanding member of the community and show his family how loved he was.  Yesterday, there was a procession to bring his body home. Law enforcement agencies from across the State turned out to honor their fallen brother. This is a devastating, heartbreaking reminder that our men and women of law enforcement put their communities above all else every single day. I am praying for Deputy Owen's family and for Pope County and Minnesota law enforcement communities as they mourn the loss of this hero and continue to serve and protect us every day.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Page H1764] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mrs. STEEL: I rise today to call attention to the Vietnamese Government's oppression of political opponents. Last week, the Communist Party Government of Vietnam sentenced Nguyen Lan Thang to 6 years in prison for documenting protests and human rights abuses in Vietnam. Thang is a well-known advocate for freedom and democracy. He is a renowned blogger and contributor to Radio Free Asia. He should not be punished for criticizing communism. This violation of the basic human rights of free expression is unacceptable and shows a worsening human rights situation in Vietnam. According to Human Rights Watch, Vietnamese authorities have convicted at least 163 people since 2018 for exercising their rights to freedom of association or freedom of expression against Vietnam's Communist Party Government. I have and will continue to call out the Communist Party of Vietnam for imprisoning journalists, human rights defenders, religious figures, and dissidents in Vietnam. The Chinese Communist Party has expertly influenced their neighbors, like Vietnam, hoping we will be silent in the face of these heinous acts. I urge all my colleagues to join me in condemning Vietnam's continued horrific targeting of anyone who dissents from the oppressive Communist regime, and I urge Vietnam to release its political prisoners, including Mr. Thang and journalists like Pham Doan Trang. We must come together, proclaim Communism as the evil that it is, and show the world that we will defend freedom.  Tax Day
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Page H1764] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mrs. STEEL: today is tax day, the deadline for over 200 million Americans to file their taxes. Over the past year, responsible, hardworking families across the Nation created a budget, sacrificed to stick to that budget, and paid what they must by law to the government. Meanwhile, their government spent taxpayer dollars recklessly, resulting in a national deficit that is over $31 trillion. That is approximately $250,000 per taxpayer. My friends on the other side of the aisle claimed that they would close the gap by raising taxes and hiring an army of 87,000 new IRS agents to increase audits, especially on hardworking families making less than $100,000 a year. Collecting more taxes from hardworking Americans will not fix the Federal Government's irresponsibility. While California suffers from the highest income tax rate in the country, the State's reckless spending resulted in a deficit of $22.5 billion. High taxes and reckless spending will not solve our Nation's problems. That is why the House of Representatives passed my bill with Representative Adrian Smith to defund the IRS's plan to hire 87,000 new agents. The IRS exists to serve the American people, not target them. More taxes and more spending will only result in a higher deficit and a broken economy that will weigh on the backs of our children and grandchildren.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Page H1763] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. BACON: in honor of Women's History Month, I rise to recognize Deborah Bowers Kippley for her years of dedicated public service in the State of Nebraska. As an arts educator, Debbie's leadership, skills, and initiatives have benefited the minds of our youth for decades. Debbie had a strong interest in the arts from an early age. In 1974, she graduated from Omaha Burke High School where she participated in band, orchestra, and art. She continued her education, obtaining a bachelor's degree in art education and elementary education from Hastings College. After college, she toured with a Christian repertory theater company before being hired as an elementary arts teacher for Omaha Public Schools. During her time with OPS, Debbie participated in several Nebraska art-based programs. After 13 years with OPS, she wanted to start the elementary art program at Papillion La Vista Community Schools. After obtaining her master of science from the University of Nebraska Omaha, she earned her doctorate in administration, curriculum and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, concentrating on the variation of people's ability to create mental images and the effect this has on learning. As someone who struggled with math, reading, and spelling during her elementary years, Debbie believes her inability to create mental images at that age was the cause of her struggles. Her conclusion was to enhance the five senses by using art in learning in her elementary teachings to better help students learn. For the last nearly 40 years, Debbie has consistently given back to the community. Just a few of her accolades include Elementary Educator of the Year, president-elect and president of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association, and the Nebraska Art Teachers Association Roscoe Shields Award for her continued service to art education. She also assisted with the writing and creation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money for the arts. As a now-retired educator, Debbie continues to promote the arts by her work with the Congressional Art Competition for the Nebraska congressional districts, founded in 1998, and still manages the Papillion La Vista Arts Network, providing a theater experience for elementary and middle school students. Supervising art student teachers for the University of Nebraska Omaha is another task that she loves, and she is the president of the Papillion Downtown Business Association. Debbie has always believed in the power of the arts to heal, encourage, and empower. This has been her mantra for all her years of educating young minds. I salute and thank Debbie for her impression upon the community, a tremendous impact, which will be felt for many years to come.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E328] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. BARR: I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Mr. Gilbert Thomas Sowers. Mr. Sowers, a resident of Richmond, Kentucky, is a patriotic American who served our country in the United States Army. He celebrated his 90th birthday on December 15, 2022. Mr. Sowers was the son of William and Lily Durbin Sowers. He volunteered for military service in April of 1952 at the age of 18. He was sent to Pennsylvania for basic training and was later transferred to Germany. Mr. Sowers volunteered to go to Korea with the Second Infantry Division, where he was in charge of gathering intelligence. Following his first tour to Korea, he returned to Kentucky and married his wife, Betty. Mr. Sowers went to work at the Madison Frozen Food Locker but, after 2 weeks there, he entered the National Guard at the rank of Sergeant First Class. He was sent to Korea for a second time in the late 1950s and to Germany in the 1960s with his family. In 1964, Mr. Sowers and his family moved back to the States, where he became a drill sergeant and then a mess hall sergeant. He is known still today as a great cook. Mr. Sower's next order took him to Vietnam as a Field Kitchen Supervisor. Not only did he cook; Mr. Sowers was involved in combat as well. He earned a Bronze Star for his heroic actions in helping to evacuate wounded soldiers after an enemy mortar attack in June of 1968. Following his tour in Vietnam, he served one more tour in Germany then retired from the service in 1975 after 24 years, 6 months, and 23 days of service to the United States. Mr. Sowers serves as a Baptist preacher and the Chaplain of the local Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 1066 in Richmond. He has also participated in missing man ceremonies. He represents all his fellow veterans with honor and dignity. Mr. Sowers is a true patriot. He served our country proudly and I am humbled to honor the service of Mr. Gilbert Thomas Sowers before the United States Congress.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E328] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI: I rise today to join numerous organizations and individuals from around the country in observation of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. First introduced as a resolution by the Honorable Betsy Markey and passed by this chamber in March 2010, this commemoration brings critical attention to the devastating and persistent problem of distracted driving on our Nation's roadways. The latest data show that more than 3,000 people a year, an average of nearly 9 each day, are killed in distracted driving crashes. According to the National Safety Council--a leading safety nonprofit organization that is based in my district--only 62 percent of drivers reported to be ``very willing'' to obey state laws preventing cell phone use. Over the last 10 years, the prevalence of drivers using hand-held electronic devices while driving has increased 127 percent, climbing from 1.5 percent in 2012 to 3.4 percent in 2021. It is alarmingly clear that too many drivers fail to understand the dangers of distracted driving. Preliminary 2022 estimates from the National Safety Council indicate the deadly consequences of distracted driving are not fading. In 2022, over 46,000 people lost their lives in preventable traffic crashes. These estimates reveal that, compared to pre-pandemic numbers from 2019, the rate of deaths per miles driven in 2022 increased nearly 22 percent. These disturbing statistics are a reminder of how dangerous our roadways can be. I want to emphasize that these deaths are indeed preventable--and also, that these numbers are widely believed to be undercounted, as many states do not include the option on crash reports to document distracted driving. It is therefore imperative we continue to raise awareness in this chamber and in our communities. As we mark another Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I strongly encourage all motorists to firmly commit to driving safely and attentively, and to avoid using cell phones and in-vehicle technology that take attention away from the roads ahead.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E327-E328] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Ms. GRANGER: I rise today to recognize the 30th anniversary of one of Fort Worth's very own, Elbit Systems of America. For 30 years, Elbit Systems of America's technology, products and spirit have served side-by-side with warfighters, first responders, civil aviators, and medical personnel to fulfill the company's core mission: providing innovative solutions that protect and save lives. With fewer than 10 employees, the company was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1992. But in 1993, the company started operating in Fort Worth after purchasing a manufacturing plant from another defense contractor. Operations in Fort Worth began with one contract to service the F-16 fighter aircraft with 170 employees, and with a commitment to helping its customers keep America safe. Today, Elbit Systems of America has grown to nearly 3,500 employees; annual revenuesof almost $1.5 billion; and engineering and manufacturing facilities in seven states. It is no exaggeration to say that a huge contributor to the success of this business is its President & CEO, Raanan Horowitz. Raanan was one of the company's first employees, and since 2007 has led the company through America's times at war, economic challenges, and the uncertainty of the pandemic. While nearly doubling the company's revenue under this tenure, he's ensured that Elbit Systems of America operates by the highest standards. In fact, the Ethisphere Institute has honored Elbit Systems of America with its World's Most Ethical Company award five times since 2014, and back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Elbit Systems of America's products are found in practically every major weapon system, they produce surveillance systems to help secure America's southern border, and blood diagnostic machines to help protect us from illnesses and diseases. I'm proud to say that despite all its growth and success, Fort Worth, Texas remains Elbit Systems of America's home and headquarters, where it is actively engaged as a valued member of our community. The company is a national sponsor for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising awareness and funds for groundbreaking cancer research. Employees across the company also volunteer their personal time to support local food banks, family shelters, children's programs, and animal rescue. Earlier this year Elbit Systems of America was named one of the Best Companies to Work for in the Great State of Texas, and I am proud to count them a member of Texas' 12th Congressional District. I congratulate Elbit Systems of America for 30 years of operations, thank them for being such good neighbors and supporters of America's warfighters, law enforcement, and medical professionals, and wish them good luck during their future efforts in the decades to come.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E327] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. KILDEE: I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall No. 183 (H.R. 1151), and yea on rollcall No. 184 (H. Res. 240).
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E327] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT : I rise today to recognize a very significant date in the history of the national defense of our great Nation. On April 14th, the Air Force Reserve celebrated its 75th birthday. Its diamond anniversary is an occasion to reflect on the Air Force Reserve's proud heritage, recognize its history, and acknowledge its current contributions to national security as we look to the future. The legacy of the Air Force Reserve dates to the National Defense Act of 1916, when the need for a standby force led to the creation of the Federal Reserve. The Air Force Reserve was officially established on April 14, 1948, when President Truman transferred the Army Air Corps Reserve to the Air Force. Barely two years later, the Air Force Reserve would mobilize for the first time, activating nearly 147,000 Citizen Airmen during the Korean War. Since that date, the Air Force Reserve has provided essential capabilities and manpower in every major U.S. conflict and numerous smaller operations around the globe. Every day, Reserve Citizen Airmen are actively engaged in every Air Force mission set and are serving bravely and proudly to defend and protect American interests worldwide. Today, the Air Force flies in one formation. There is no distinction between active, guard, and reserve airmen. Our nation relies on the Air Force Reserve to provide strategic depth through surge capacity both at home and abroad. The Air Force Reserve has always been and will continue to be a ready now force that provides combat forces to fly, fight, and win. I am honored to have the privilege of representing the Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters, located at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. On behalf of the House Armed Services Committee and the people of Georgia's Eighth Congressional District, I thank the Citizen Airmen of the Air Force Reserve and wish the Air Force Reserve a very happy 75th birthday.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E327] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. ROGERS : I rise today to recognize 2nd Chance, Inc. on their 35th anniversary. Since its inception in 1988 as a non-profit organization, 2nd Chance, Inc.'s purpose has been to provide supportive advocacy services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The board of directors and staff of 2nd Chance, Inc. provide services to these victims from shelters to support to counseling until protection and assistance is no longer required. 2nd Chance opened its first emergency shelter--the Joy Kathryn Courtney House--in 1990 where up to 23 victims with or without children could be housed. The second shelter--the Legacy House--was opened in 2017 to house older victims and those with limited mobility issues. These places of refuge and the services provided by 2nd Chance have assisted countless numbers of women and families across Calhoun County and the surrounding area over the past 35 years. Many more individuals have been made aware of the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence and how to assist victims thanks to the services offered by 2nd Chance. Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the hard work of 2nd Chance, Inc., their 35th anniversary and their lasting impact on our community.
[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E327] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Mr. RASKIN: I rise today to highlight national ``Autism After 21 Day''--April 21st--as an important milestone during Autism Acceptance Month. As we use this month to recognize the many wonderful contributions of people with autism, it is also fitting for us to take a few moments to acknowledge the challenges that many people with autism face as they transition into adulthood. Each year in the United States, more than 70,000 children with autism become adults with autism. The transition to adulthood is difficult for many individuals, but it can be especially challenging for autistic young people, who too often face a formidable ``services cliff'' as they age out of the school system. Support services may drop off, and young adults with autism sometimes struggle to continue their education or find meaningful employment. Some young people in this situation experience a crushing loss of their community and can feel very isolated. In light of these major challenges, I want to recognize the extraordinary work of my constituents, JaLynn Prince and Dr. Gregory A. Prince, who founded the Madison House Autism Foundation. This remarkable organization is improving the health and wellbeing of autistic adults throughout their lifespans through employment partnerships, housing initiatives, and many other exceptional offerings. The Madison House Autism Foundation is also driving forward the Autism After 21 movement--a growing social movement that champions the expansion of attention, care and support to maximize the wellbeing of people with autism throughout their lifespan. Mr. Speaker, we must continue working to build a more inclusive and enlightened society that provides opportunities to autistic individuals of every age. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing April 21st as national ``Autism After 21 Day''.