macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4532. This legislation will "permanently extend fee withholding procedures which allow Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to pay fees to lawyers and representatives in successful applications for benefits directly out of a claimants benefits. such as SSI disability." "The legislation would set the criteria for an eligible nonattorney representative. including requirements that a representative have a bachelors degree. pass an examination. have professional liability insurance. and undergo a criminal background check. In addition. the bill would allow the Social Security Commissioner to assess reasonable fees on recipients participating in the program. The program. which was last extended in 2004. is set to expire on Mr. Speaker. it is known that proper representation for Social Security is a must. in order for individuals to obtain their benefits. In some cases. many may not be able to afford attorneys. hence losing the capability to acquire benefits. which are directly related to the wellbeing of their life. I am very eager for this legislation to pass. so those citizens. who have desperate needs. would be able to have them met. By extending and continuing this "fee withholding" procedure. which is the practice of the Social Security Administration. this would open the opportunity for citizens to receive the proper representation. It enables them to pay their representative through the awarded Disability Insurance. DI. or SSI benefits. In addition. the program has also increased annual federal revenue by approximately $55 million. which is an added windfall. So in conclusion. I support H.R. 4532 and I encourage my colleagues to follow my lead!
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chair. today I rise in support of the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2009. Nearly 1 year ago. the administration called for a 60day review of the national cyber security strategy. The report found that our Nations digital infrastructure was largely at risk to a growing threat of cybercrime. Major advances in cyber security research and development were needed to address the reports findings. In order to protect against these sorts of intrusions I. along with other Members on the House Science and Technology Committee. worked to draft legislation that would address these findings. During the Research and Science Education subcommittee markup on September 23. 2009. I amended this legislation to include a description of how the program will help contribute to a more diverse workforce by including women and minorities. This can be achieved by partnering Minority Serving Institutions. in addition to stakeholders in industry. academia. and other relevant organizations. Promoting broader participation of women and underrepresented minorities will only benefit the intent of this legislation. I urge the passage of the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2009 which addresses many of the concerns in the administrations review. By adopting a comprehensive national cyber security research and development plan we will drastically advance American innovation in cyber security. I am proud to have worked towards securing some of Americas vulnerabilities in cyberspace while increasing public education in this area of technology.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. as the designee of Mr. SMITH from Washington. I rise to offer the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 11 offered by Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California: Page 21. line 21. insert "job security clearance and suitability requirements." after "job classification.". The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1051. the gentlewoman from California and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise in support of this amendment. which I am pleased to offer today on behalf of my colleague. Mr. SMITH of Washington. who is unable to be with us today due to a health issue. I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. which will strengthen our cybersecurity workforce. in turn protecting the security of our Nation. Our country faces numerous cyberattacks each day. and as a result. we must ensure that our cyberworkforce not only possesses the knowledge and the skills necessary to defend our networks but also the ability to collaborate with the numerous departments and agencies within the Federal Government who lead the effort to combat these threats. Information technology professionals at our civilian agencies who may not deal with classified information on a daily basis should be able to provide their expertise and have the ability to work with and discuss cyberrelated issues with the Department of Defense and our intelligence community. To that end. this amendment would modify Section 107 of the bill. which calls for the President to submit a report to Congress addressing the cybersecurity workforce needs of the Federal Government. The amendment would require the report to also examine the current security clearance and job suitability requirements that may serve as a deterrent to hiring an adequately trained cyberworkforce. Again. I want to wish Congressman SMITH a speedy recovery and encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I have no other speakers. and I would just ask to move this and for my colleagues to vote on it. And I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. LORET-
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 13 offered by Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California: Page 7. line 15. insert "representing realistic threats and vulnerabilities" after "event data". Page 23. line 2. strike "rights and" and insert "rights.". Page 23. line 3. insert ". and for the sharing of lessons learned on the effectiveness of new technologies from the private sector with the public sector" after "private sector". The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1051. the gentlewoman from California and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. the challenge of defending our Nation on a constantly expanding cyberfront continues to grow. As vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and chairwoman of the Armed Services subcommittee that oversees the Department of Defense cybermission. I have constantly tried to improve how we address the need for the next generation technology and personnel to defend our country against this 21stcentury cyberthreat. The underlying legislation. I believe. is an important step towards enhancing our Nations cybersecurity laws. and I have been a strong supporter of engaging the private sector in cybersecurity issues. especially when it comes to securing critical cyberinfrastructure. To this end. the amendments that I am offering today would strengthen two existing provisions in the bill to further enhance the cybersecurity dialogue between the public and the private sectors. My amendment would add language to help facilitate access to realistic threats and vulnerabilities for our academic researchers during the development of the strategic plan that is in section 103 of the bill. In addition. the amendment will strengthen section 108 by ensuring that the universityindustry task force will propose guidelines for the private sector to provide feedback to the public sector on the effectiveness of the new technologies. This sharing of "lessons learned" will help us to improve critical cybersecurity technologies. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying legislation. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I believe that I have no further speakers. and therefore. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and the underlying bill. and I yield back my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. LORET-
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the distinguished gentleman. and I thank him for his leadership on homeland security as well and as ranking member positioned on the Cybersecurity Committee. And I thank the chairwoman of the Cybersecurity Committee. and I thank her for this amendment which I rise to support. I am the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection. There is a great deal of overlap. So I thank Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. EHLERS. Mr. WU. Mr.
Date: 2010-02-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank. first of all. the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and Global Health Committee of the Foreign Affairs. Mr. PAYNE. There is no doubt of his recounting of the enormous history that has been involved around Haiti. but also the track record of the Congressional Black Caucus. So let me continue my remarks. and I will yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I note on this Congressional Black Caucus hour that two of our members have come to the floor: the chairwoman. the Honorable BARBARA LEE. and the member from California. chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee and recent returnee from Haiti. MAXINE WATERS. So I will just recount. as the chairman just did. Chairman PAYNE. a lot of the work that we have done here in the United States. But also. in case many wonder why we are continuing this effort and why we have made a commitment as members of the Congressional Black Caucus to never give up and to never give out on Haiti and to view this as a longterm recovery and restoration is because the damage is so devastating. This reflects the early stages of the collapse of whole neighborhoods. literally the collapse of PortauPrince. and the devastating disaster that the people still face. Today. as we are looking at recovery. there are Haitians lifting stones by hand. one by one. to remove some of the debris that is already there. Knowing that between 150.000 to 200.000 are known or expected dead. we know that behind this rubble there are lost loved ones who have yet to be accounted for. Some 4.000 Americans are unaccounted
Date: 2010-02-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I find it interesting that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. the Republicans. say that this is a sham. You know what? It was the law for a decade under the Clinton administration. and I guess it wasnt a sham because the first thing the Republicans did was to repeal PAYGO so that they could run up the massive deficits of the Bush years. Were asking to put this back in place because this is how we cleaned up the unsustainable deficits of the Reagan years. This is how we got. for the first time. a surplus for this country that evaporated in the Republican irresponsibility. PAYGOs not a sham. Theres no more sacred cows. The fact of the matter is. youll have to choose your priorities. Our priorities may be different. but you dont get to charge them off to the future. Youre either going to pay for them. youre going to raise revenues. or youre going to cut something else. The fact is it worked and it worked and it worked and it worked and the deficit came down. And the fact of the matter is. I offered this in 1983. but it couldnt get to Congress because they thought it was too tough. Finally. under President Clinton we did it and the deficits came down. and we left you with an inheritance of $5 trillion that you squandered. you wasted. And now you want not to play by the rules. The rules are you should pay as you go.
Date: 2010-02-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Ill be happy to respond because those were some of the same exemptions that existed in the law. and the fact is the deficit came down. We erased the $300 billion annual deficits of the Reagan administration. We did it over time. and we left you $5 trillion that you squandered.
Date: 2010-02-04
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank my colleague. Were all entitled to our own opinions but not to our own facts. and it is a fact that the day President Obama put his hand on the Bible to be sworn in as President of the United States. he inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit. a record deficit in this country. This is an opportunity for all of us to stop just talking about the deficit and debts and actually do something about it. For the first time since 2002. Congress will bring. as a matter of law. the commonsense proposition that the Federal Government should pay for what it buys. And the history of success on this is clear. When the Congress lived under the PAYGO rules in the 1990s. we did turn deficits into record surpluses. After PAYGO was abandoned. deficits skyrocketed. our national debt clearly doubled. Much has been made by the other side of the aisle about the deficit in the first year of the Obama administration. The Congressional Budget Office analysis is pretty clear that the contributors to that were two wars. unpaid for. a record mandatory prescription drug bill. unpaid for. and. of course. two tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the wealthiest Americans. all on our national credit card. all running us deeper into the red. This legislation says enough is enough. and it says that virtually any new policy that reduces revenue or increases mandatory spending will have to be offset elsewhere in the budget. That is just common sense to every American family. And it says that if for some reason we dont abide by that discipline. youre going to have an acrosstheboard enforcement mechanism that will sequester the funds. Its time to do what every family has to do and pay as we go.
Date: 2010-02-04
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in strong support of this resolution. Not because it is good practice for us to continue increasing the national debt limit. but because for the first time since it expired under the previous administration. we are making PAYGO a statutory requirement. In addition to other efforts by the Obama administration and Congress. PAYGO requirements will help us get our financial house back in order from the mess that was handed to us by the previous administration. After two wars. and tax cuts that were not paid for. the $5.6 trillion dollar surplus we experienced in 2000 turned into a $1.3 trillion deficit. In the 1990s. the Clinton administration turned the deficits accumulated in the two previous presidencies into record surpluses. One of the key tools in this transformation was the PAYGO rule. which required Congress to find savings for the dollars it spent. Unfortunately. after President Clinton left office. the next administration and Congress regularly waived PAYGO rules and ultimately allow them to expire in 2002. After waiving and allowing these rules to expire. we saw the surplus built by the Clinton administration vanish. and deficit spending resumespending that will have to be repaid by our children and grandchildren. A New York Times analysis attributes 90% of that deficit to the economic downturn. Bush administration policies. and the extension of those policies. According to that analysis. only 7% of the deficit is attributable to the Economic Recovery Act passed early last year. which economists largely agree was a necessary emergency response to this recession. Madam Speaker. this is just good policy. For eight years. under the previous administration. we saw deficit spending spiral out of control. Now many of those responsible for that spending are criticizing the majority and the current administration for its spending policies. complaining that it is piling up debt for the next generation. Today those individuals have a chance to vote for legislation that ensures any future programs are paid for. and reestablish the rules that led to control in government spending and budget surpluses in the 1990s. I am an original cosponsor of the PAYGO legislation that passed the House last July. and I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to set our nation back on a path to sustainable spending policies that will ensure we do not have to continue increasing the debt limit indefinitely.
Date: 2010-02-04
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. many people might not be focused on the work that was done today and led by the Democratic Caucus. and I think its important to reinforce what we did today. We protected the American people. We protected our veterans. We protected our seniors with Social Security and Medicare. We protected the most vulnerable. our children. As everyone knows. our children have. many times. the least opportunity for health care reform except for the work that we did just a few months ago when we worked to enroll some 11 million more children in the Childrens Health Insurance Program. But at the same time as we move forward. we know more and more children are uninsured.
Date: 2010-02-22
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of House Resolution 1046 to recognize the significance of Black History Month. In February of every year. people across the country cast their thoughts on the long and unique history of AfricanAmericans. It is particularly important to do so to both celebrate the accomplishments and remember the lengthy struggle that the AfricanAmerican community has endured in this country. We have benefitted immensely from notables such as Booker T. Washington. Duke Ellington. Althea Gibson. George Washington Carver. and Zora Neale Hurston in addition to political and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King. Jr. Shirley Chisholm. Thurgood Marshall. Rosa Parks. and Sojourner Truth. I am proud of how far we have come as a community. but as we look to the future. I am also reminded of the challenges that the 21st century is presenting to us. AfricanAmerican ingenuity has been key in developing many of our modern technologies and hightech devices. However. as the world becomes a more interconnected and technological place. there is an increased need for experts in science. technology. engineering. and math (STEM) professions. This trend makes it remarkably important to nurture and attract Americas minority youth. the fastest growing collegeeligible population. to the sciences. For this reason. I am introducing a resolution during Black History Month to recognize the importance of AfricanAmerican contributions to scientific innovation. and I encourage my fellow colleagues to join me in supporting it. Madam Speaker. Black History Month is not only a time to look to the past. but also to reflect on the present and prepare for the future. The AfricanAmerican community has overcome many obstacles throughout our countrys history. and as we continue down a path toward prosperity. I know that this community will play an integral role in the years ahead. I encourage my fellow colleagues to support this resolution and join me in recognizing Black History Month.
Date: 2010-02-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would like to thank my dear friend. Mr. KANJORSKI. for offering a privileged resolution. My simple words are that this House was privileged to have a man like John Murtha walk these halls and this floor. I know that as he is honored on Wednesday night with a Special Order. we will gather to celebrate and commemorate a life well lived not only for his family. but for his country and for the people that he loved and the military that he served and respected. Madam Speaker. I come as well today to speak very quickly about the Presidents issuance of a health care reform package. Everywhere I have gone in my district there are people crying out for relief. and that relief comes in terms of no preexisting disease. lower premium costs. the insuring of 36 million. and the opportunity for people to go into an exchange and find the insurance that they can subscribe to. including that which covers those of us in Congress. We have to stop those who are dying. 45.000. who live without insurance. It is time to pass health care reform now.
Date: 2010-02-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

When we were fighting in the civil rights movement. you could always count on the naysayers to stand aside and say America could not tolerate the equality of so many new people. Here we are today with the same crowd complaining about the good. Let me tell you about the Investment Act that has generated opportunities for jobs. Before I tell you that. we do have a health care plan. one that will provide the largest middle class tax cuts in American history for affordable health care. one that will provide you with a competitive marketplace to go in and buy your insurance. No preexisting condition can ever keep you from health insurance. As far as I am concerned. the people in the 18th Congressional District understand the good. and they know that health care in this form is good for them. Then. as we stood with Speaker PELOSI at the Port of Houston on Monday and were able to announce $45 million to fix one of the most dangerous bridges in the Nation. investment. and to acknowledge 2.000 jobs and 3.000 extra jobs. the good is on the way.
Date: 2010-02-23
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. February 14 marked the start of the Lunar New Year. a holiday celebrated by Asian and Asian Americans around the world. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the rich history and contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to our country. For the last 13 years. Ive had the pleasure of representing the largest Vietnamese population in the world out of Vietnam. which is right in Orange County. California. Every year. the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California organizes the Orange County Tet Festival. which celebrates the Lunar New Year with an array of traditional foods. ceremonies and customs. This year. we celebrate the Year of the Tiger. known for their courage and optimism and fearless leadership. Those are the qualities of the tiger. and all of my constituents have demonstrated them in overcoming the enormous challenges that are facing our economy. Again. it is a great honor to represent the Vietnamese community in Orange County. and I look forward to wishing them a great new year. Chuc ma na moi! JOBS