macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. this Saturday. June. 14. the Orange County Water District will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Along with the other members of the Orange County delegation. I introduced House Resolution 1199 to honor this significant occasion. The Orange County Water Districts 75th anniversary is particularly meaningful as it comes just months after we opened up the largest groundwater treatment replenishment system in the Nation on January 10. 2007. The replenishment system is on the cutting edge of water reuse technology. It will purify 70 million gallons of water a day. prbviding clean water to over 100.000 families in Orange County. The vision and the initiative by the District in establishing the groundwater replenishment system is the reason it received the 2008 Clair A. Hill Award and was named the Public Water Agency of the Year in 2008. The District is a leader in identifying and creating new and exciting options to meet the water needs of California. of the Nation and of the world. and I hope that this resolution will make its way to this House quickly.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. letme express my appreciation to the gentleman from Florida for the time.. At the outset. I would like also to express my congratulations to our chairman. Mr. OBERSTAR. and Rail Subcommittee Chairwoman BROWN of Florida for their good works on the bill and also the gentleman from Pennsylvania
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. once again I want to thank Mr. OBERSTAR. Ranking Member MICA. Subcommittee Chairman SHuSTER and the staff. On behalf of the American people. I thank you. This is really a great day. Let me say thank you. Mr. OBERSTAR. for your hard work on this bill and helping to develop this managers amendment which incorporates provisions in the bill that would improve the overall Amtrak system. We are falling behind other industrilized nationswho -have prepared their country for the future by investing heavily in highspeed rail.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me begin by congratulating Chairman OBERSTAR and Ranking Member MICA and the Transportation Committee for all the work they have done in bringing this very important legislation to the floor. and to my colleague. Mr. DAVIS from Virginia. for his leadership on this issue of the WMATA system. the Washington Metro system. I am pleased to join with him and others in a bipartisan basis from the Washington region to offer this amendment. I think we all know that the Federal Government relies very heavily on the Metro system to bring thousands and thousands of Federal employees to work each day at our national security agencies. at the Department of Health and Human Services. and other Federal agencies throughout this region that help provide essential services to the American people. Its also a critical part of any evacuation plan in the event of a national emergency that would require the evacuation of the Capitol. Thats one of the reasons the Federal Government has made large investments in the WMATA construction in the past and its maintenance. and that is why its important that we continue to have a Federal role. What the purpose of this amendment is to protect that Federal amendment. because right now the Federal Government is at the whim of local jurisdictions as to whether or not they are going to make their payments into this system as part of a partnership. What this does is it says. yes. the Federal Government will provide. authorizes up to $150 million a year in matching funds. Those funds may only be released when WMATA certifies and notifies the Department of Transportation that local jurisdictions have established a reliable and dedicated source of funding todo their share of the funds in partnership here. It also increases accountability to protect that Federal investment by creating an inspector general to oversee WMATAs finances and adds four new federally appointed directors to WMATA. This is to protect the Federal investment that has been made and make sure the interests of the people in this area. consumers as well as the Federal interest. is protected. This has passed the House. I want to stress this. This Davis provision has passed the House in the past in 2006. We passed it. Its been sitting over in the Senate. I just urge all our colleagues to come together in 2008 to do what we did in 2006 and adopt this important provision.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. the Washington D.C. Metro system is the fourth busiest transit system in the nation. The system provides transportation to the federal employees who work here everyday and the millions of visitors that visit the city each year. This amendment will require a dedicated funding source provided by the local govemments that are served by the Metro. Something for which the Metro has been without for far too long. It also creates an office of Inspector General to help provide oversight of the System. This legislation also ensures that rail customers will have access to a broad range of wireless providers in case of an emergency and will provide additional dollars to the Transit Authority. The Metro system that serves this countrys capital is a national asset and I hope that both the local and federal government will continue to show full support for the system.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. we would encourage Amtrak to work closely with all the states they operate in to ensure that they are operating in conjunction with local commuter systems. This is one more example of the need for additional rail capacity and the affect this lack of additional infrastructure can have on a state. As more and more states turn to commuter rail service to move their citizens. it will be imperative that passenger. commuter. and freight rail work together to best utilize limited rail resources.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I encourage my colleagues to reject this sham amendment. Prohibiting funds for one route will have negative effects on the entire system. and its already addressed in this legislation in a way that wont harm Amtrak and the services it provides. Opponents of passenger rail have -repeatedly tried to siphon off the growth of our Nations rail system by cutting funds. zeroing out the budget. and now cutting out the only transcontinental passenger route. all while in the same time the opponents have the gall to ask for a better profit model. Let me tell you. Ive got some breaking news for you. There is something more important than profit. Amtrak was the first responder during Hurricane Katrina and used the Sunset Limited line. which is being restored in this legislation. to help evacuate thousands of gulf coast region residents while President Bush and his administration was nowhere to be found. Now. that is a part of every key State future evacuation plan. This amendment will have a negative effect on major States. eightCalifornia. Arizona. New Mexico. Louisiana. Mississippi. Alabama. Florida and Texas. Texas. Texas. The Sessions amendment will do the exact opposite of what were trying to accomplish with this legislation. which is to expand passenger rail service. reduce congestion and improve our energy independence. Passenger rails ability to reduce congestion is well known. with ridership numbers increasing steadily each year. One full passenger train can take 250 to 350 cars off the road. Passenger rail also consumes less energy than both automobiles and commercial airlines. I would encourage any Member who dont want to explain to their constituents why they no longer have access to Amtrak service. to vote "no" on this amendment.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. anyone who has railroad tracks in their district has heard from constituents who are upset by repeated train whistles. Unfortunately. these train whistles are the most effective way of warning people of an oncoming train. And even still we see constant reports of injuries and deaths on the tracks. Technology holds the key to many improvements throughout our rail system. including improved safety..And hopefully it can help with the ageold problem of train whistlei. We also need to invest in rnore grade separations at rail crossings to improve safety and cut down on the need to blow warning whistles in the first place.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman. families across the country are facing record gas prices and increased congestion on our roadways. We hear it every time we go home. And as Members of Congress. we have a responsibility to do what we can do to make things better. This amendment is about making sure that our public transportation resources are being used as effectively and efficiently as possible. Through this measure. we require Amtrak to take a hard look at passenger rail service at two important rail stations in our districts. Our hope is that they will find a way to help commuters and rail passengers in our districts by either expanding passenger rail service through increasing the frequency of stops or by reducing prices. For years. the Cornwells Heights and Princeton Junction stations have been hubs for commuters who work in New York City. Amtrak then cut the number of trains at these stations in half. Then they increased prices for our commuters. Mr. Chairman. countless families rely on the Cornwells Heights and Princeton Junction stations. and as a result of Amtraks train cuts and fare hikes. families have been forced to drive longer distances or pay much higher fares. Today. our region is making economic progress. and Amtrak has a chance to keep moving us forward. Mr. Chairman. in these troubled times. our local economy cant afford to take anymore hits and we cant allow commuters to use more time on crowded highways when they could be home with their families. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. Mr. Chairman. at this time I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey .
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of our time. Mr. Chairman. it now costs a Cornwells Heights commuter $972 per month just to get to work and back. More importantly. the cuts in service have put more cars on our clogged highways. more exhaust fumes in the air. and forced our hardworking constituents to spend more time getting to and from work and less time at home. That means more time on a train or in traffic and less time at home with the ones that they love. Mr. Chairman. our region is experiencing the economic revitalization. Increased rail service and more riders means progress. while more cuts means going backwards. I would like to thank the chairman. Chairman OBERSTAR. I would like to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania. Mr. SHUSTER. I would like to thank my colleague from New Jersey. Mr. HOLT. and also my other colleague from Pennsylvania. Ms. SCHWARTZ. for their support on this important measure. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman for yielding and appreciate the committee bringing this bill to the floor. It is just so fundamental that one of the times when government should step in and lend a family a hand is when that family. through no fault of their own. has lost their job. The difference is whether or not that family will be able to maintain and hold on to their home. to their car. to their kids education. to .provide the wherewithal for their children. And for millions of Americans. thats whats happened. And since theyve lost that job. they have also exhausted their unemployment benefits that has enabled them to keep their head- barely above water. Theyre gone looking for jobs. theyve gone looking for work. Theyve tried to retrain. They still havent been able to secure the employment because this is a terrible market for employment. What we need to do is to extend those unemployment benefits to those families so that they can hold themselves together. It should not be a policy in this country that when you lose your job through no fault of your own. that you crash to the ground. you lose your home. you lose your kids education. and you start all over again. Its not good for the economy. its horrible for these families. and its wrong for this government not to take every step we can to prevent that.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise in strong support of this legislation to temporarily extend unemployment insurance benefits. Whether we are in a recession or not. the point is clear: current economic growth has been so sluggish that the job market is weak and job prospects are poor. The recent May 2008 jobs report confirms this as the unemployment rate increased by onehalf point to 5.5 percent. which was the biggest onemonth increase in over 20 years. Since the first of the year. our economy has lost more than 300.000 jobs. By providing an extra 13 weeks of jobless benefits to workers in every State who exhaust their unemployment benefits and another 13 weeks of benefits to those in States with high unemployment rates. we can help approximately 4 million unemployed workers meet basic needs such as food and rent while they continue to look for work at a time when the economy is languishing. And we can give our economy a muohneeded boost. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. extending unemployment benefits would be one of the most costeffective and fastestacting forms of economic stimulus. Madam Speaker. many Americans are struggling to make ends meet. With rising gas and food prices and a weakened labor market. we can help those hardest hit by this sluggish economy by providing them relief in passing this muchneeded bill.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will note that I have had a chance to discuss this resolution with Congressman WOLF. At the conclusion of our discussion. we will refer this resolution to the House Administration Committee where we will do the appropriate followup. and I personally plan to keep in touch with the author of the. resolution so that the concerns that he has are fully addressed. I will just note that when the new majority was elected to the House and I was then appointed to the House Administration Committee. one of the first things I did was to ask to be briefed on our cyber security situation in the House. And I did receive that report. Certainly some things had been done. But more. in my judgment. needed to be done. and we have followed through on that.I will say that both the Speaker and Leader BOEHNER have met with the House computer security officials and were told that the sophisticated technology that we do have in place is going to prevent and detect intrusions. but it depends .on Members doing what they need to do to work within our security environment. We have security system programs in place that safeguard against unauthorized system access and disclosure of data. system controls that are in place to identify. verify trace authorized and unauthorized user activity. and to prevent unauthorized modification or destruction of House data. Chairman BRADY has ordered an immediate implementation of additional protections. Hes also directed House personnel to work with the FBI and other security agencies to ensure that necessary steps are taken to safeguard House systems. These improvements will help ensure that House network and data remains protected from harm. In addition to these efforts. the House has instituted a workingsmarter series. and we have had actually briefings forstaff in the congressional offices asking those staff in Member offices to come in and become aware of the cyber security steps that they need to take in each Members office. I dont know that every Member has had full staff participation in that. and in discussing this with Mr. WOLF. it would be my intention. perhaps working with
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I would like to yield to the chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over cyber security on the House Homeland Security Committee. Mr. LANGEVIN. 5 minutes.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. just a couple of comments. In terms of protecting ourselves. I cant emphasize enough. it is important for all of us to take steps to secure ourselves. I had an opportunity to take a look. We keep track of this. the intrusions. I took April by example. The origin of the intrusion in April. the country that originated the largest number of intrusions into the House. the United States of America. U 1745 And China wasnt second. So yes. there are intrusions coming from China. from Russia. from European countries. from our own country. and wed better take precautions to protect our data. You cant protect a BlackBerry. If you take your BlackBerry overseasI just thought everyone knew thisand download something. you are opening yourselves up to a vulnerability. Now. we can take a snapshot of where your BlackBerry is before you go and see if its been compromised while youre gone. but if youre not secure in your activities. youre not secure in your activities. And so I take very seriously what youre saying. which is that not every Member understands this. We have to change that. and Im going to be active in playing my part to change that.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Reclaiming my time. let me just note that obviously we dont want sensitive information from the government to be in the hands where it can be compromised. Were not arguing that. Im just pointing out that if Members use a computer in their office thats networked to visit aWeb site in China. you can betyoure asking for some malware to be put on your computer. and its going to take everything that is accessible to the other computers in your network. And so you shouldnt do that. When I travel with my laptop. and I sometimes do. you know. I never hook that laptop into. the network of the House. In fact. its against the rules to do so. And I dont do it because that would compromise the computer network. And so I would just note that the Homeland Security Committee has been very vigorous over the past 5 or 6 years that Im aware of. I mean. we dont need a wakeup call. weve been yelling "fire" for half a decade and we havent really been heard by those who have responsibility in the administration to act. However. we are moving forward in terms of systems in the House. What Im hearing from you. Mr. WOLF. and others. is that Members level of information is quite variable on this. and we will take that seriously and do an effort of outreach on that. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I would just note. the thrust of the gentlemans resolution has to do with the House. which is why Im addressing the House computers. On the other hand. Ive been concerned for a long time about cyber security in the Federal Government. in the DOD. in the Homeland Security Department. and frankly. in the private sector. And it is very spotty. I just wanted to make a correction. I was briefed on the National Journal story. What happened on the nuclear power plant issue. it was not an attack. It was someone who was uploading some software onto a computer that he did not realize was networked. and it was inconsistent with other software. And actually it didnt work as designed because the control system shut it down. Having said that. I have said in publicso I dont mind saying it here again todaythat we have cyber security vulnerabilities. especially SCADA systems that were installed years ago before we were thinking about 9ecurity. We have not paid enough attention to that either in the private sector or the public sector. We have had FERC before the Committee on Homeland Security on several occasions urging them to force utilities to take the steps they need to preserve their networks. and they say two things: One. they dont have enough authority. and two. they dont want any more authority. So Weve said this is an emergency situation. and were not getting an emergency response attitude from the agencies with authority. That is certainly something that other committees may want to look at. Im just familiar with the efforts that Ive been involved in. and theyve been. substantial. although. regrettably. not yet successful. . I would just like to stand up alittle bit for our IT guys here in the House. It was our IT guys who discovered that your computers had been infected and notified you. And its bad that they were infected. but its part of the price you pay when you use a network computer to visit a potentially dangerous Web site. But they cleaned it up and responded promptly. and I think they deserve credit for letting that system work. And just a final note on hits from China. Thats not the same as an attack. And we keep track of the hits we have on our Web site. I mean. I get hits on my Web site from all over the world. I dont know why people in other countries come and visit my Web site. but its not an attack. its that theyre looking at information that I have made publicly available. What we are concerned about is attempted intrusions. and there are many of those in an astoundingly small successful effort. This is a constant battle. As the hackers become more sophisticated. our defenses need to become more sophisticated. and it never ends. Thats why the effort to improve our patches in our security needs to happen every single day. There needs to be continuous monitoring of our systems. And it has to be all of us. This has to be a team. And every Member needs to take responsibility for this. along with the government itself. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-11
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I will just say that I appreciate Mr. EHLERS comments. As he has. I have introduced many Members to the concept of the Internet. Luckily that is no longer as necessary today as it was at one time. But some of our colleagues are real whiteoutonthescreen folks. and we need to bring them forward to the modern era. But you are right. It is not just the Members. As I have mentioned to Mr. WOLF. I have made a commitment that I intend to follow through to ask the Republican Conference and also the Democratic Caucus to appear. not just by myself. but with toplevel experts. to explain to Members their responsibilities and vulnerabilities for them when they travel abroad with mobile devices as well as their desktops in their office and how to preserve their network. And its not just for the staff. I mean how many of us have made clear to the summer interns that if they have their laptop. and theyre on a peertopeer network for whatever reason at home. and then. they plug that laptop into the House network. I might add in violation of our rules. that they have introduced a vulnerability to our system? I dont know how many of us have given that little tutorial to these wonderful young people. but all of us should. So I think this has been a helpful resolution. Mr. WOLF. because it has opened my eyes to the need to get Members to pay more attention. And I am going to play the most positive role I can to make sure that happens. But it is also going to take the cooperation of the Members themselves. because if this is not taken seriously. it wont happen. -I reserve the balance of my time.