macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman from Kansas for his kind words. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 1056. the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act that my colleague. Congressman DENNIS MOORE. introduced. This bill is almost identical to the bill I introduced last year and the one which he referred to that passed the House by 4170. For States like Florida and many others on the gulf coast where commercial insurance has been difficult or impossibleto come by. the only recourse is to turn to the surplus lines or nonadmitted market. Certainly streamlining the rules in this market is crucial to the consumer and any State that is facing an insurance crisis. Unfortunately. today. the regulation of the surplus lines market is fragmented and cumbersome. Insurers aid brokers who want to provide insurance across State lines are subjected to a myriad of different State tax and licensing requirements. Oftentimes these regulations will conflict. making it impossible for one company to comply with all of them. This situation leaves policyholders underinsured and with even less of a choice in providers. Moreover. most of the companies that purchase insurance in the nonadmitted market do so frequently. These sophisticated commercial entities are large corporations that . employ educated risk advisers with a thorough understanding of the market and their risk exposure. Yet in most States. including my home State of Florida. these companies are required to shop around in the admitted market where they know they will be denied coverage. they know that this has happened before and it will happen again. they know they cant get it. They have to do this before they are permitted to shop. in the surplus lines market. This practice is useless and cumbersome and it only adds to the cost for the policyholder. H.R. 1056 solves this quagmire. giving policyholders alternatives to restrictive markets. The bill also acknowledges another program in the insurance industry. this time on the reinsurance front. Over the years. some State regulators have been taking it upon themselves to throw out arbitration agreements between reinsurance providers and primary carriers. These are contractual agreements decided upon by very sophisticated parties on both sides of the transaction in order to settle disputes without having to go to court. If these agreements are valid in one State. they should be valid in all accredited States. Therefore. H.R. 1056 prohibits States from voiding established. contractual arbitration agreements between reinsurers and primary companies. Obtaining insurance already .has its obstacles. Adding 49 other States speed bumps of inefficient State rules does not help. And with reinsurance rates rising at crippling numbers. companies should be encouraged to stay out of the courts and follow their own arbitration agreements. Our bill provides commonsense solutions to the nonadmitted and reinsurance market and it enjoys broad support. I thank
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I dont have any additional speakers on this bill. but I wanted to take a moment to indicate that it is such a pleasure to work with Mr. MOORE. the gentleman from Kansas. He alwvays looks at things in a very bipartisan manner and always with the end goal in mind of helping the consumer. I certainly appreciate .that. I know that the policyholders out there do. I would certainly urge passage of this very important bill. H.R. 1056. With that. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I wish to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma . who sponsored this bill.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I have no additional Members who have requested time. but I just would encourage a positive vote on this bill for. obviously. someone who loved our country very. very much. and would encourage Members to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker.. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2546. which would rename the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville. North Carolina. the Charles George Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This legislation was introduced by my colleague from North Carolina. Representative HEATH SHULER. and I appreciate his efforts to bring this bill to the floor for consideration so that we can pay tribute to yet another Medal of Honor recipient. This legislation honors a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his comrades in arms and for his country. As a grateful Nation. it is fitting and right to offer tribute to him by giving his name to a facility that expresses our Nations promise to those who served us in military uniform. Private First Class Charles George was a native of Cherokee. North Carolina. and a member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. He served his country bravely in the U.S. Army and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on the night of November 30. 1952. On that night in Korea. Private First Class George was a member of a raiding party committed to engage the enemy and capture a: prisoner for interrogation. During the execution of its mission. the group was subjected to intense enemy fire and suffered several casualties. PFC George fought valiantly and. upon reaching the crest of the hill. leapt into the trenches and closed with the enemy in handtohand combat. When friendly troops were ordered to pull back upon completion of the mission. he and two comrades provided cover for the withdrawal of troops. While they were leaving the trenches. - a grenade was hurled into their midst. PFC George shouted a warning to his comrades. pushed one soldier out of the way. amid threw himself on the grenade. Even though severely injured and certainly in agony. PFC George remained quiet so that his comrades position would not be disclosed. His companions evacuated him to the first aid station. where he shortly succumbed to his wounds. Mr. Speaker. at this time I will submit the text of Private First Class Georges Medal of Honor citation for the RECORD.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I .yield myself such .time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2602. a bill to designate the VA medical facility in Iron Mountain. Michigan. as the Oscat G. Johnson VA Medical Facility. This legislation was introduced by my colleague from Michigan. Representative BART STUPAK. and it will honor a soldier who served his country with gallantry and distinction under fire during World War II near Scarperia. Italy. I appreciate Congressman STUPAS hard work and initiative on this legislation. On September 16. 1944. Sergeant Johnson. a mortar gunner. expended his ammunition and assumed the dutie& of a rifleman. As the leader of the squad of seven men. he was ordered to establish a position 50 yards to the left of his company to cover its exposed flank. Repeated enemy counterattacks had by that afternoon killed or wounded all of his men. Collecting Weapons and ammunition from his fallen comrades. he continued to hold his exposed position and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy throughout the night. On September 17. 25 German soldiers surrendered to him. 25 soldiers surrendered to one very brave soldier. Two men were sent out to reinforce him that afternoon. but were caught in devastating mortar fire. Sergeant Johnson secured their removal and continued to hold his position until his company was relieved on September 18. Twenty dead Germans were found in front of his position. By his heroic stand and utter disregard for personal safety. Sergeant Johnson was in large measure responsible for defeating the enemys attempts to turn the exposed left flank. Mr. Speaker. I will submit Sergeant Johnsons complete Medal of Honor citation into the RECORD.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that we are considering S. 229 on the House floor today. This Senate bill would name the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque. New Mexico the Raymond G. "Jerry" Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Jerry Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Silver Star for heroism during the Korean War. Its companion bill in the House. H.R. 474. introduced by Representative WILSON. has the support of the entire New Mexico delegation as well as Governor Richardson from that State. � During his service in the United States Marine Corps. Second Lieutenant Murphy was cited for his "conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of duty as a platoon commander. He was twice wounded. but he repeatedly refused medical attention and continued to lead his men in an assault against a cleverly concealed and wellentrenched enemy force. Mr. Speaker. at this time I would submit for the RECORD the text of Lieutenant Murphys Medal of Hpnor citation.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. at each opportunity granted us to consider a bill honoring the service of a Medal of Honor recipient. I stand in awe of the dedication to country and comrades these people displayed through their lives. whether those lives extended beyond their act of bravery or were ended in that the act. Of the four Medal of Honor recipients to whom we have paid tribute today. one made the ultimate sacrifice for his comrades and his Nation. Three survived the battle to return home where they continued to serve their Nation through service in the military and through service to the Federal Government. Many who lived and worked with them had no knowledge that these men had received Americas highest award for valor in combat. Their lives of quiet humility only accentuated their moments of resounding achievement. The great example of those lives and those moments will. with passage of these bills. Mr. Speaker. be enshrined in the namings that we are now considering. We must remember that we are voting not simply to name four buildings. we are consecrating the gift of four lives lived well. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support S. 229. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of National Save for Retirement Week that will be celebrated during the week of October 21 to 27 this year. Our national savings rate is abysmal. Despite our. best efforts. there are
Date: 2007-06-25
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. America recently got a wakeup call when we learned that law enforcement had thwarted a Muslim extremist plot to blow up Kennedy Airport and the surrounding neighborhoods.. This is not the first time that we have had our security exposed at our airports. In March airport employees at Orlando International exploited a loophole in our security and placed a bag with an arsenal of weapons on the airplaiae. As workers. they never had to pass through a metal detector or had anyone check their bags or equipment. That is why I introduced H.R. 1413 with my good friend Congresswoman NITA LowEY from New York to implement a 100 percent worker screening pilot program at seven of our airports. Listen up. America. It is unacceptable that we spend billions to secure our airports and airplanes from dangerous passengers. yet we leave the back door open to workers. I would hope that the Homeland Security Committee heard this wakeup call and scheduled a full committee markup as soon as possible so we can close this dangerous loophole.
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I greatly appreciate and respect. frankly. the passion and the consistent passion of the sponsor of this amendment. Hes been very consistent and passionate to try to make sure that the United States is as independent from foreign sources of energy as possible. However. I think we can do that without this amendment because there are many areas that are available for. oil and gas exploration without this amendment. And this amendment overturns a longstanding bipartisan moratorium on new natural gas drilling in areas. in certain areas that are too close to sensitive coastlines. Congress addressed this issue. as the gentleman from Florida had said a little while ago. Mr. YOUNG. year after year. and last year we had a huge battle and. I think. a compromise. which none of us thought was great. but it was a compromise. which I think kind of hopefully settled this issue at least for a while in. that compromise. This amendment would. unfortunately. allow for natural gas drilling way too close to our precious coastlines. It can potentially damage sensitive habitats. Just the byproducts of drilling itself can be potentially damaging. and it can be very damaging t6 the ecosystem and particularly. for example. to the economy of the State of Florida. Mr. Chairman. tourism alone accounts for $57 billion to the economy of the State of Florida. Imagine what an impact if we were to do. something that jeopardizes that vital industry for Florida. but also for the national econ-. omy. And. again. there are many other areas that are available for oil and gas drilling without this amendment. So I would respectfully. and understanding the passion and where it comes. and obviously I understand that hes trying to do what he believes is right for the country. but I think we can do itin a way that also balancesthe coastlines sensitivity to the environment that this will be close to. I think the bipartisan arrangement compromise that we did last year does that and therefore. very respectfully I would ask for a "no" vote on this amendment.
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I move to strike the last word. I rise in opposition to Mr. PETERSONS amendment to allow exploration within 25 miles of the coast. It was just around this time last year when the Florida delegation finally. most of us agreed to go along with the negotiation that had been hammered out which protected the gulf coast. The gulf coast in the Tampa Bay area. which Mr. YOUNG and I both represent. was protected some 230some miles where there would not be any exploration for gas or oil. Why? Because of several issues. Number one. military mission line. where regularly they are doing military exercises. Very. very important area to. protect. Then eventually some of us who are very. very reluctant. but who realize that our friends on the other side of the aisle and even some people on this side would never go for anything in ANWR. so we cant stick our heads in the sand. so we agreed to 230 miles out. But let me tell you that what we are asking for is a disaster here. a disaster in many ways. Will people ever believe us again? We said we came to an agreement that had protected the coast and given some protection to the east coast. Now we have an amendment here which shortens that area to 25 miles. I represent eight counties. four of them are coastal counties along the gulf coast. Many of them have been hit by hurricanes. To have this kind of exploration this close to the shore. not only in Florida. but along the gulf coast. is asking for trouble. Its a baitandswitch. It absolutely is a baitandswitch. Those of us who agreed last year to have some exploration did not agree to the 25mile amendment. And I guess if you cant get 25 niiles. they will try for 100 miles. Thats not what we agreed to do our share of exploration for domestic energy sources. My colleague from south Florida was absolutely right about the tourism and fishing industry that would be affected. but also the very. very fragile habitat that exists. and one that we want to protect. Now. some would say Republicans. aifeni3.thatoeoncerned:about the environmen : bu D. as somebody who received the .Sierra.. Club award.- I disagree. Republicans do care about the environment. Thats .one reason why we set up buffer zones that were certainly far greater than 25 miles. And let me express a great fear: if we do this for gas. oil certainly will follow. And. you know. I just dont remember there being a lot of tourism in ANWR. But youre affecting States where there is a lot of tourism. You know. the citizens confidence in Congress is at -an alltime low. If we do this baitandswitch as suggested in
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Just so that we make sure the record is straight. and I appreciate your courtesy and your time and I do understand the situation youre in. When Mr. Pombo made that statement. it was accurate because he came to me and I said. is my district included in this area. and they said. no. it would not be. And based on that understanding I said. well. then. I support what shes doing because if she wants to do it in her district. I have no problem with that. Then after the fact. when the amendment came last year and we agreed to it. Mr. Pombo also said that he did not believe my district should have been in there originally. But I understand your situation. I understand your courtesy. and all I can do is ask for support of my amendment.
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. I believe that our constituents would much rather support the arts with their dollars instead of channeling this additional increase through Washington where Lord only knows of that dollar that gets up sent up here how much actually goes back into the District for the arts. Yes. my district has received some funds. But. additionally. they dont want to have the concurrent tax increase that goes along with the increase in spending. The amount that the President has requested certainly is sufficient for the National Endowment for the Arts. and I encourage the Members support. for this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman. I am sure that the gentlewoman from New York did not mean to misquote me. I did not say my district did not receive very much money. I said my district does receive some money. but I did not say that they did not receive very much money. I just wanted to make sure that the record was corrected on that. And. yes. thankfully. I do have an arts community that is alive and well. And I have communities that will support that arts community. But what we dont want to see is digging ourselves further in the "lets just pile more money on various agencies" model. which only will drive up our deficit. That was the point that I was trying to make. If my constituents have a choice of maybe encouraging their friends and neighbors to go to an event to increase the revenue. but we are sending the money up here to Washington only to have it- sent back with this increase. They would prefer to have that money generated at the local level.
Date: 2007-06-26
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I remember serving with Silvio Conte. and he did love fish. bfit he also didnt like some of the boondoggle subsidies. You will recall he used to go to the floor with a pigs nose on every. year and talk about the subsidy to beekeepers. So he saw some things that werent supposed to. be utilized for Federal- funding. and the gentleman understands that. I would just say. if we are worried about endangered species in the Northeast. maybe we could restore at least one Republican in Massachusetts in the name of Silvio Conte.
Date: 2007-06-27
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. That is the whole purpose of having a study for $7 million to estimate the cost and to make sure that the city of San Francisco and the other water districts receive that money.
Date: 2007-06-27
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. As you may recall. this first came up during the Reagan administration when thenSecretary Don Hodel was surprised when a staff member came into his office and. said. Mr. Secretary. how would you like to give us another Yosemite Valley? He said. What are you talking about? The staff member said there is a twin to Yosemite Valley sitting under. I forget how many feet of water. He said. Well. that water goes to San Francisco. doesnt it? And he said. Yes. but we think there are alternatives that would allow San Francisco to still get that water. that pristine water. as it has for 80some years. and yet restore the Hetch Hetchy. The estimates I have seen. it may cost upwards of $2 billion. Now that is a lot of money. but I would ask you: How much would it cost us to build a Yosemite Valley if we could possibly build it? It is priceless. as they say in the commercial.