macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Germaneness. It is not germane. H.R. 2537. the Beach Protection Act. speaks only to beaches. It does not address the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. or FISA. and is clearly on a subject different from the bill under consideration. the Beach Protection Act of 2007. FISA is an outside issue.
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr: Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2537 and include extraneous materials in the RECORD. Lungren. Daniel 1- E. Lynch Mahoney (FL) Maloney (NY) Manzullo Markey Marshall e Matheson y Matsui McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) e McCaul (TX) McCollum (MN) Mcootter McCrery - McDermott I. McGovern McHenry McHugh McIntyre McKeon McMorris Rodgers McNerney McNulty Meeks (NY) Melancon Mica Michaud Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller (NC) Miller. Gary Miller. George Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (KS) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy. Patrick Murphy. Tim Murtha Musgrave Myrick Nadler Napolitano Neal (MA) Neugebauer" Nunes Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Pastor Paul Payne Pearce Ackerman Berry Brady (PA) Brown. Corrine DeFazio Fattah Feeney Pence Smith (NE) Perlmutter Smith (NJ) Peterson (MN) Smith (TX) Petri Smith (WA) Pitts Snyder Platte Soils Poe Sonder Pomeroy Space Porter Speer Price (GA) Spratt Price (NC) Stark Pryce (OH) Stearns Putnam Stupak Radanovlch Sullivan Rahall Sutton Ramstad Tancredo Regula Tanner Rehberg Tauscher Relchert Taylor Renzi Reyes Terry Reyns Thompson (CA) Reynolds Thompson (MS) Richardson Thornberry Rodriguez Tahrt Rogers (AL) Tiberi Rogers (KY) Towns Rogers (MI) Tsongas Rohrabacher Tsna RosLehtlnen Turner Roskam Udall (CO) Ross Udall (NM) Rothman Upton RoybalAllard Van Hollen Royce . Velizquez Ruppersberger Visclosky Ryan (OH) Walberg Ryan (WI) Walden (OR) Salazar Walsh (NY) Sall Walz (MN) Ssnchez. Linda Wamp T. Wasserman Sanchez. Loretta Schultz Sarbanes Waters Saxton Watson Schakowsky Watt Schiff Waxman Schmidt Welch (VT) Scott (GA) Weldon (FL) Scott (VA) Weller Sensenbrenner Westmoreland Serrano Wexler Sessions Whitfield (KY) Shadegg Wilson (OH) Shays Wilson (SC) SheaPorter Wittman (VA) Sherman Wolf Shimkus Woolsey Shuler Wu Shuster Wynn Sires Yarmuth Skelton Young (AK) Slaughter Young (FL)
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chairman. my amendment makes a few technical and clarifying changes to H.R. 2537. as reported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on December 12. First. it nakes a technical change to section 5(c)(2) of the bill. substituting the word "criteria" for "guidance" to remove any potential confusion on the intent of this language. Second. it makes a technical change to section 8 to address potential constitutional concerns raised by the administration on requiring States and local governments to perform certain actions. The managers amendment shifts the focus from requiring States and local governments to take certain compliance actions to conditioning a percentage of their annual BEACH grant should they choose not to take such actions. And. third. it puts in a statutory deadline of October 1. 2010. for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its evaluation and validation of "rapid testing methods" for the existing coastal recreation water quality criteria. This significant improvement to the bill will ensure that sameday monitoring data will be available before the end of the decade. Finally. the amendment changes the requirement of section 303(i)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act to ensure uniformity among States in the implementation of water quality criteria and standards. This amendment will ensure that should a State choose not to incorporate potentially new or revised coastal recreational water quality criteria into their own programs. the burden falls on the Environmental Protection Agency to propose regulations for such State setting forth the revised or new water quality standards. This was the structure of the original BEACH Act with respect to the first round of water quality criteria that should be carried forward to subsequent revisions to coastal recreational water quality criteria. The managers amendment was developed jointly by the majority and minority staffs of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. I am unaware of any opposition to this amendment.. and I urge its adoption.
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I support this amendment offered by the gentleman from California. First let me commend my colleague from California for working with us to address some of our concerns with the initial draft of this amendment. 0l 1745 The amendment calls for the Admin.istrator of EPA to conduct a shortterm study to assess the benefits of using molecular testing for monitoring and assessing the quality of coastal recreation waters. This amendment is consistent with other changes made by this legislation to encourage EPA to quickly move on the adoption of rapid testing methodologies for pathogens and pathogen indicators. These studies and changes are essential for shortening the time period between when a water quality sample is taken and when the results of that testing can be made available to the public. As I have stated before. the goal of these changes is to move as close to the same day realtime information on the condition of the Nations coastal recreation waters as possible. This amendment helps move us closer to our goal. Again. I appreciate the willingness of the gentleman to work with us in crafting this amendment. and I urge its adoption. Madam Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

This amendment offers a significant improvement to the underlying bill by assuring that the public is made aware of identified sources of contamination to our Nations coastal recreation waters. I support those efforts of the gentleman in offering this amendment. and I urge its adoption.
Date: 2008-04-16
Speaker: DAVE LOEBSACK (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Iowa

the four Members of Congress sat with the Ambassador. and he was asked by one of us. "Whats the state of reconciliation and peace and resolving the .conflicts between the tribes and the different religious sects?" And I was sitting right next to him. so I wrote down his response to be sure I had it right. His response was. "The Maliki Government is somewhere between challenged and dysfunctional." Now. that was October. In March General Petraeus stated on March 13. "No one feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation." So its my contention that not only do the Iraqis need to start paying for their own reconstruction. I think they need to take responsibility for their own security as well because as long as we are putting our men and women in a police role to try to police their civil war and their ethnic and tribal and religious differences. its just going to let them continue to be dysfunctional. And when we phase out or pull out or whatever you want to call it and get back to the real business that this country faces. the real dangers that we face. which. as you said before. I believe. -are Afghanistan and Pakistan certainly more in terms of terrorism. that they will be forced to come to terms with whether they want to be a country or whether they want to be three separate groups of Kurds and Sunnis and Shia or whatever it is. But thats one thingAnd the other thing is I am a firm believer that after 5 years and a least $600 billion spent and over $1 trillion in veterans benefits that we have incurred that we will have to pay out of responsibility and the debt that we owe to the men and women who fought in this conflict that its time for us to start looking at what those dollars could do at home for the things that we really need to take care of. not just for national security but for economic security. education security. health security. and all the other meanings of the word. So I thank my friends both. and I thank the gentleman from Florida for chairing this session.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. as taxpayers filed their income tax this week. many were probably wondering just how much of their individual taxes would be invested in Iraq instead of here in the U.S. at home. Consider that every single second. the Bush administration is spending -$4.000 in Iraq. That means that income taxes paid by the average taxpayer would not even cover the cost of one second of this war. This country is already facing difficult economic times. We cannot afford to continue spending $339 million a day on a war that has no strategy for victory. If we invested one day of this sum in America instead. we could give 2.6 million American children access to medical and dental care. or we could hire more than 2.000 more border patrol agents- to protect our borders. And we could send 18.000 more students to college. Madam Speaker. at a time when Americans are getting squeezed at the pump and the supermarket and are suffering in the housing market. Washington Republicans need to realize that we should prioritize the needs of America over those of Iraq.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Menibers have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill. H.R. 5715. into the RECORD.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I want to thank Mr. McKEON for mentioning my staff and to Julie Radocchia and also that I failed to mention her birthday yesterday when I recognized her service.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chairman. I rise today in support of H.R. 5715. The Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. I would also like to thank Chairman MILLER of the Education and Labor Committee and Chairman HINOJOSA of the Subcommittee on Higher Education. Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness for their work on this important piece of legislation. Getting a college education has never been more important. and this bill will help ensure that students will still have access to the Federal loans they need to pay for college in the coming months. In recent months. uncertainty in the U.S. credit markets has made it difficult for some lenders in the federally guaranteed student loan program to secure the capital needed to finance college loans. Because of this. some lenders have scaled back their lending activity. While no student or college has reported any problems accessing Federal student aid to date. it is important that the Federal Government take steps to ensure that students will continue to have access to funds regardless of what happens in the U.S. credit markets. A viable Federal Family Education Loan Program is extremely important in my home state of Texas. The FFELP participants provide nearly twothirds of the student financial aid awarded annually to Texas postsecondary education students and parents contrasted to only 56 percent nationally. Our students can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that there will be liquidity and continued. uninterrupted access to Federal loans thanks to this bill.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I rise in support of the managers amendment to H.R. 5715. the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. The amendment was done on a bipartisan basis with the input of the senior Republican member.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. although I do not expect. to oppose the amendment.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I commend Mr. PETRI for this amendment. He addresses an oversight in the legislation in making sure that the Secretary has the ability to review and revise the regulations concerning prohibited guaranty agency inducements to ensure that agencies do not engage in improper inducements. We dont think this is a problem. but we had a problem in the past in the rest of the program. and we passed on a bipartisan basis. the Student Loan Sunshine Act. and I think this amendment is an important part of keeping the integrity of that act and the continuity within the student loan program so that all participants in that program understand that we cannot condone even an appearance of improper relationships. When students and families are borrowing money and making sacrifices for that money. we want to make sure that they get the best deal available and they get the best facts available to them. I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment. Madam Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. Members of the House. this is an important amendment. This committee. on a bipartisan basis. has struggled with trying to get a good handle. if you will. an understandable handle on the cost of education and the reasons for- the increases in the cost of education. as we watched the cost spiral up in higher education much faster than the general inflation index. And it is a rising concern in families. As their budgets compete with fuel. food and mortgage payments. this obviously becomes a very serious matter. Congressman McKEON and Congressman CASTLE have been on this watch for many years in this committee trying to help us come to grips with this problem and trying to carry on a positive conversation with the universities and colleges so that we can better define those costs that they control. the costs that they dont control. and certainly the actions of the States in their support for the public institutions. I think this amendment is very helpful. Congressman WELCH has spoken to me about this during our deliberations of the higher education bill and of the college loan reduction bill that we passed last year. This is an issue that continues to nag at us. I think providing some good guidance to GAO. with their expertise. we have an opportunity to really take a good look at a crosssection of institutions. what is properly driving the increases in cost and what maybe is improperly driving the increase in cost. and those things that can possibly be brought under control and be reduced by cooperative actions between the institutions. the States. and the Federal Government. So I strongly support this amendment. and I want to thank Congressman CASTLE and Congressman WELCH for offering this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I just want to thank the .gentlewoman from Florida � for introducing this amendment. She had talked to me about this early on. and it was an oversight. But she has raised the issue that for families that have engaged in serious medical encounters. the question of what the real bill is becomes a matter of serious negotiations that can take over a period of time. You get your bill. It says you owe $65.000. And then it says. but the real cost was $45.000. and somebody will pay $20.000. and you owe whatever is in between. And then you find out that Is really not true. that was the initial billing. and you back over a period of months. Those negotiations. because of an unexpected serious medical encounter within a family. should not bar. in these times. those individuals from being able to access student loans. It doesnt mean theyve lost their incomes. It doesnt mean any of that at that point. I think it is a very important addition to this legislatio.U as we are trying to weave together a support system for families that must rely on loans for the education of their children. I want to thank you very much for offering this amendment.
Date: 2008-04-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that. in the engrossment of the bill H.R. 5715. the Clerk be authorized to correct the table of contents. section numbers. punctuation. citations. and cross references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be appropriate to reflect the actions of the House.
Date: 2008-04-22
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 5613. the Protecting Medicaid Safety Net Act. The rules issued by CMS in August were said to be cost saving measures and a way to reduce waste. fraud. and abuse. If these 7 regulations go into effect Texas would lose $3.4 billion in Federal Medicaid funding over the next 5 years and nationwide cuts to Medicaid funding could total around $50 billion. These regulations attack the core mission of Medicaid by eliminating much needed services for children. the elderly. and the poor. These cuts will also have a devastating impact on states Medicaid funds. consequently hurting the most vulnerable populations who are helped by the Medicaid safety net. This population accesses services and support care from Medicaid because they cannot access services elsewhere due to costs or restrictions on benefits. If these regulations go into effect. I dont know where the states will find the funds to continue operating programs such as school administrative and transportation services. coverage for rehabilitative services. and outpatient hospital services. Especially since the lack of Medicaid funding will create budget crises in most states as they scramble to pay for services or eliminate them altogether. This bill gives Congress enough time to understand the consequences of these regulations and come up with a solution we all can agree on rather than cutting these necessary services. I am disappointed that the Administration has threatened to veto this bill. This piece of legislation is the result of a lot of hard work on both sides of the aisle. I am particularly upset that the Administration seems to have forgotten once again about its Texas roots. Texas. along with California and New York stand to lose the largest amount of funding from these Medicaid cuts and this is money our states cannot. afford to lose. This bill has the support of 2.000 organizations and the National Governors Association. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and stop these cuts.
Date: 2008-04-22
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise in strong support of the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008. Since its inception. Medicaid has been a joint State and Federal partnership to provide health care to the countrys neediest and most vulnerable populations. Unfortunately. the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS. recently issued a series of Medicaid regulations that will significantly shift costs to States and restrict services to needy incividuals. These regulations will force States to stop providing beneficiaries access to certain Medicaid services. Among the damaging Medicaid regulations issued by CMS. I am especially concerned about the restrictive rules on targeted case management services that help people with disabilities remain in their community. Nearly 200.000 people in Maryland receive some type of Medicaid case management services. and these new rules will put more than $60 million in Federal funds for Maryland at risk. CMS also proposes to eliminate or severely restrict Federal Medicaid funding for rehabilitation services. graduate medical education. hospital outpatient services. safety net institutions. and schoolbased. transportation and outreach programs. While CMS claims that the elimination of $20 billion in Federal Medicaid funding will create efficiencies in the program. it did not consult with Congress on these far reaching regulations. With so many* States. including Maryland. facing huge budget shortfalls and trying to figSE H2507 ure out how to provide Medicaid services to their populations. now is not the time for the Federal Government to cut back on its share of funding. The legislation before us today would delay implementation of the regulations put forth by CMS so that Congress can examine their full impact. Mr. Speaker. we have a responsibility and an obligation to our vulnerable citizenslowincome children. the disabled. and the elderlyto effectively provide access to adequate and quality health care services. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.
Date: 2008-04-22
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and congratulate him on his leadership along with the ranking member. Mr. Speaker. this year on May 14 we will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. We will also celebrate the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Our country. under the leadership of President Harry Truman. was the first country to recognize the State of Israel. And he later said. "I had faith in Israel before it was established. I have faith in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it. not just as another sovereign nation but as the embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization." We need to maintain the special relationship we have with Israel based on shared values. common strategic interests. and moral bonds of friefidship. Today. we honor not only that countrys independence but the significance of what Israel stands for. It represents the centurieslong yearnings of the Jewish people for a homeland of their own in the land of their forebears. The pogroms in tsarist Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the Holocaust under the Nazi regime in the 1930s and 1940s made the idea of a Jewish people having a State of their own where they could feel secure and never again be subjected to such horrors and brutality even more compelling and necessary. After many years of struggle. Israel emerged as an independent state. It gave refuge to tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors. many of whom had