macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1992-02-27
Speaker: DANIEL INOUYE (democrat)
Chamber: S

Chairman. Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Hart Senate Office Building. Washington. DC. DEA MR. INouYr. The Poarch Creek Indians has enjoyed many years of friendship with the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. On July 14. 1988. H.R. 5042 was introduced to provide federal recognition for the Lumbee Indians. This initiative is a result of the Lumbees years of effort to acquire acknowledgment as a federally recognized tribe. While it has been the official position of this Tribe that only those tribes who can meet the criteria of the federal acknowledgment process should be afforded government to government relations with the federal government. the Poarch Creek Indians Concur with their friends that special consideration should be extended. The Lubbees extensive involvement over a long period of time in Indian affairs represent a compelling reason for Congress to consider expediting the recognition process. The size and cohesiveness of the group is another factor supporting special consideration. Unfortunately. the Lumbees situation is complicated by the disparity between the -means and standards and procedures of federal agencies. The BIA has not enjoyed the resources to perform a timely and efficient job In evaluating petitions for federal recognition. It is not surprising that the Lumbees assert that the administrative burden and cost of processing their petition is extreme. While the Poarch Creek Indians would caution Congress regarding other groups using legislative recognition as a vehicle for circumventing established administrative procedures. Congress should consider a special appropriation for the BIA to accelerate its review process. Additional measures ought to be examined by Congress to expedite the acknowledgment process for the Lumbers as well as other tribal groups. We appreciate your continued efforts to address the multitude of problems which exist in Indian country. The concern of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs regarding this unique problem is greatly appreciated. If we can be of further assistance. please feel free to contact me. Sincerely.
Date: 1992-03-05
Speaker: D LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me. I rise in strong support of the Black Caucus alternative budget. I want to commend the floor manager. the gentleman from California. and I also want to commend the gentleman from New York . who worked on crafting this budget for us. Mr. Chairman. in spite of its name. the Congressional Black Caucus alternate budget is not a black budget. Instead. it is a visionary blueprint for a post cold war America. It is a document that examines the financial resources available to our Nation now that the Soviet threat is no more. And it examines these resources in light of the pressing human problems with which millions of good and decent Americans must grapple every dayhomelessness. joblessness. and a loss of our competitive standing around the world. The Congressional Black Caucus alternate budget recognizes the economic crisis facing America. This budget tackles the crisis headon and reflects a bedrock belief in the inherent greatness of this country. There are serious economic challenges facing our country. Mr. Chairman. and this budget addresses them with courage and vision. It does this by injecting urgently needed equity into our tax system. It does this by boosting the American workers competitiveness in the international arena. It does this by ensuring that the young bright minds of our country receive the high quality of education that they deserve. And it does this without compromising one iota of our national security. The 21st century demands that America be at the cutting edge of technology. Mr. Chairman. The 21st century demands that the American people have a health care system on par with that of our major trading partners. And the 21st century demands that the U.S. Government face up to its responsibilities to get our economy moving again. The Congressional Black Caucus budget meets all of these challenges and I commend Chairman Eo TOWNS of New York for leading us in crafting this alternate budget.
Date: 1992-03-11
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the Senate bill to amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to make a technical correction relating to exclusions from income under the Food Stamp Program. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration.
Date: 1992-03-11
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. S. 2324 makes a very simple citation correction in current food stamp law to prevent the Government from inadvertently penalizing certain blind people who apply for food stamps and receive Social Security insurance. Section 903 of the 1991 farm bill amendments was intended to exclude from food stamp income any SSI benefits that are allocated to a socalled PASS accountwhich stands for "plan for achieving selfsupport." Unfortunately. the statutory citation used in section 903 was incomplete. Now we are in danger of having the benefits in PASS accounts excluded for all SSI recipients except the blind. Mr. Speaker. this legislation will make the necessary technical correction that will include the blind. as we intended. to be among the SSI recipients eligible for this exclusion. I urge the passage of the House to support this bill.
Date: 1992-03-11
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. and include therein extraneous material. on S. 2324. the bill just passed.
Date: 1992-03-11
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise in support of Senate Joint Resolution 176. to proclaim March 19. 1992. as "National Women in Agriculture Day." Women have been a vital part of the American agricultural experience since the very beginning of our Nations history. Our Nations agricultural system is founded on the concept of the family farm operation where husbands and wives provide much of the labor and management needed. Unfortunately. it was not until recent years that women began receiving the credit and recognition they deserve for their role in contributing to the growth and success of American agriculture. The womans role in the successful operation of our Nations farms and ranches should not be underestimated. An increasing number of women are farmland owners and operators. Others work side by side with their husbands in caring for livestock or working in the field. Still other women. particularly for the beginning farm operation. supplement the familys income with offfarm jobs. The role of women in American agriculture is changing. Today women are viewed not only as equal partners in agriculture. they are also increasingly taking leadership roles on policy issues. Mr. Speaker. I applaud the great strides made by women in American agriculture. Our Nation and American agriculture are better for it. The economic future of American agriculture depends on it. I commend our colleague. Ms. LONG of Indiana who serves on the Agriculture Committee with me. for her sponsorship of this resolution in this body. I urge the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 176.
Date: 1992-03-24
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 401) recognizing the development of the relationship of the Virgin Islands with the United States.
Date: 1992-03-24
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Wyoming for those very kind and generous remarks. Mr. Speaker. once again. I want to urge my colleagues to approve this measure so that people of the Virgin Islands will know how much the House of Representatives appreciates the association we have had over these 75 years. In conclusion. I want to thank BOB LAGOMARSrNO. the ranking minority member of the Insular and International Affairs Subcommittee which I am privileged to chair. for working with me in developing this resolution. I also want to thank the distinguished chairman and ranking minority member of the full Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. the gentleman from California . and the gentleman from Alaska . for their cooperation in this matter. Mr. Speaker. finally. I want to thank the other members who have supported this measure: Majority whip DAVID
Date: 1992-04-09
Speaker: TERRY BOYER (democrat)
Chamber: S

Manager. Surety Bonds Branch. Financial Management Service. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Liberty Center. Washington. DC. DEAR TERRY: Last week. representatives of the American Subcontractors Association met with representatives of The Surety Association of America and the National Association of Surety Bond Producers. During the meeting. SAA President Lloyd Provost expressed concern about the petition of rulemaking that ASA submitted to Commissioner Douglas on February 16. 1990. Mr. Provost said that SAA had reviewed the petition. a copy of which he had obtained from your office. and is opposed to its consideration. While we do not question your right to provide Mr. Provost with a copy of the ASA petition or even to discuss it with him. we are concerned that such discussions have been undertaken when we have not been able to get a response to our letters on the subject. Indeed. recently. my phone calls have not been returned. I have been informed by a staff member in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy that "Treasury is opposed to the ASA proposal." We would hope that Treasurys opposition does not result in the denial of any response at all. Terry. I urge you to take steps to formally respond to the ASA petition of rulemaking dated February 16. 1990 (copy enclosed). If there is anything that ASA can do to help expedite consideration of this petition. please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely yours. E. CoLxrrz NELSON. Vice President of Government Relations. Enclosure.
Date: 1992-05-05
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 4774. a bill to provide the Secretary of Agriculture flexibility in carrying out the section 416 program of donation of surplus agricultural commodities to less developed countries. My colleague. Congressman GEORGE BROWN. has very adequately explained that the purpose of this legislation is to assist the country of Nepal in Implementing agricultural and food projects through the use of rupees generated in India through the sale of United States agricultural commodities. With passage of this legislation. private voluntary organizations worldng In Nepal can begin implementation of these needed projects. Since the Committee on Agriculture did not have a report from the Congressional Budget Office on H.R. 4774 at the time the bill was reported by the committee. I am submitting a copy of CBOs subsequent letter to the Committee noting the nocost provisions of the bill. I want to also thank Chairman DANTE FASCELL of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for his usual good cooperation in ensuring prompt consideration of this bil by the House. The administration advises me that it has no objection to the passage of this bilL
Date: 1992-05-14
Speaker: JOHN H. GIBBONS (democrat)
Chamber: S

Office of Technology Assessment. Washington. DC. DEAR DR. GIBBONS: We are writing to request that the Office of Technology Assessment undertake a study of energy production and use in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. examining the potential benefits and risks of transferring U.S. energy technology to these countries. In our view. such transfers could prove valuable in several respects. First. energy technology assistance could support economic and political reforms in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Limitations on energy services can significantly constrain economic growth. Appropriate energy technology assistance could enhance prospects for such growth. Moreover. many of these countries are. to varying degrees. dependent on energy supplies from Russia. Increasing these countries efficiency in energy production and use would increase their freedom of action in political and economic decisions. Second. Eastern Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union- present a potentially large market for U.S. energy technology. A study which links technological needs in this area with technologies the United States can supply would provide a useful basis for designing U.S. assistance strategies and may prove useful to companies themselves. Related impacts on U.S. exports and jobs should also be studied. Third. energy technology assistance could reduce environmental impacts associated with energy use and production. The devastating human and economic consequences of poorly designed. constructed. and operated energy. supply systems have already been well documented. Finally. transfer of technology could help improve safety in these countries by reducing their reliance on existing nuclear facilities which most experts agree are outmoded and dangerous. We request the OTA to undertake a study of these issues and such other related issues which. in consultation with the Committee staff. the OTA believes is relevant to this request. For further information. please have your staff contact Steve Polansky. Dave Hafemeister. or Michael Hathaway on the Committees staff. Sincerely. Claiborne Pell. Chairman. Joseph R. Biden. Jr.. Chairman. Subcommittee on European Affairs. Jesse Helms. Ranking Member. Larry Pressler. Ranking Member. Subcommittee on European Affairs. "
Date: 1992-05-27
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I have taken the floor a number of times to decry the deplorable situation that continues to plague the people of the Virgin Islands because of the vacancies in the District Court of the Virgin Islands. Since the second vacancy in this special twojudge territorial court was created In 1989. we have been faced with a system of visiting judges which. as a recent article published in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics correctly says. has caused many Virgin Islanders to lose faithin the judicial process. This article by Diane Russell. who was formerly an intern in my office. explains many of the problems with this system. The vacancies have created: A sense that justice is being imposed from the outside. problems because temporary judges are unfamiliar with the local laws they must rule on and apply in consistent procedures. problems because temporary judges are assigned to sentence individuals when they were not present for the trial. and problems of scheduling. transporta-. tion. and cost. I am including Ms. Russells article in the RECORD with this statement to help Members better understand this problem and in the continuing hope that it will encourage the President to fulfill the requirement of the law that organized the territory and established this court to nominate two judges so that the court can function as it was intended to and justice will be served.* Mr. President.. please do your duty and send forward your nomination for the second vacancy so that justice can be done in this U.S. territory.
Date: 1992-05-28
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the resolution. Mr. Speaker. I support the committee funding resolution. which freezes funding at the 1991 level. but I do so with some reluctance. since a freeze does not accommodate the 4.2 percent pay increase which all executive branch employees received and other inflationary increases. and therefore reduces the real value of funding which is necessary for committees to do the legislative and oversight work of the House. But we do recognize the state of the Nations economy which prompts this resolution to be presented without any increase and we will attempt to meet our agenda with the freeze. Providing our committees with adequate resources to develop effective and responsive legislation to the many complex and vital issues before us is important. At the moment. our own committee. is involved in legislation to amend the law which governs use of pesticides and insecticides which affect the safety and quality of our food and ground water. legislation which affects the oldgrowth forest reserve and the endangered spotted owl. a bill to improve the delivery of credit to our farmers and ranchers. and legislation which governs the operation of the trading of futures. valued in the tens of trillions of dollars. on the commodities markets. The. work of committees in overseeing the Federal programs within our respective jurisdictions is vital. Good oversight .can result in significant taxpayer savingslimiting the investigative ability of a committee through reduced funding could. in the long run. be fiscally unwise. During the 8 years that Mr. GAYDOS. as chairman of the Subcommittee on Accounts. has been responsible for committee funding. the aggregate increase has been about 3 percent. This is not an extravagant figure. The Committee on Agriculture has traditionally been a conservatively funded and staffed committee. and at years end. we have often returned considerable amounts to the Treasury when we have found it possible to meet our commitments without spending our entire authorization. The budget proposals we submit for the consideration of the Subcommittee on Accounts are not deliberately inflated. The amount requested is intended to give us the resources to meet the proposed legislative and oversight agenda of our eight subcommittees and the full committee which we plan to undertake for the session. During the 12. months of our authorization we are mindful of the way these funds are expended and we conserve wherever and whenever we can. The majority and minority members and staff of the Committee on Agriculture work well together and we have always endeavored to equitably share funding and other resources with our minority. We do intend to continue doing the best work possible for the House of Representatives and using allocated funds thoughtfully to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used judiciously. Unfortunately. the freeze in funding will hurt the investigative staffs of committees by not allowing the 4.2percent costofliving adjustment. which the President recommended for all Federal employees.
Date: 1992-06-22
Speaker: HARLEY STAGGERS (democrat)
Chamber: H

the new chair of the subcommittee. reported this bill - again overl year ago. and Americas veterans thank him .too. The gentleman from Missouri. Mr. BILL CLAY. chairman of the Libraries and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee of the House Administration Committee. advised me over 3V4 years ago that this bill would be moved concurrently by the House Administration Committee. and so it has.. I am most gratefulto the chairman of the full House Administration Committee. the gentleman from North. Carolina. Mr. CHARLIE ROSE. for his support and willingness to move these bills concurrently and to assure that it complies with the . Commemorative Works Act. I also want to extend a sincere hand of gratitude to all of the. veterans organizations across our. country who have worked so diligently to help gain cosponsorship for this bill. now over 240 Members of the House. and who have waited through the public hearing process. and through that process of finetuning the legislation to assure that this memorials construction will have. proper oversight and proper accountability of funds. And sowe thank today the American Legion. the Veterans of Foreign Wars. the Disabled American -Veterans. the Military Order of the Purple Heart. the Polish Legion of American Veterans. the Normandy Foundation. and the Paralyzed Veterans of America. In taking this important step toward constructing this memorial. let us rememberduring World War II countries representing over half the worlds population went to war. More civilians and military personnel were killed. more money spent. more property damaged and more sweeping political. -changes resulted than inany other war during this century. Over 16 million American men and women served this Nation in uniform. Over 406.000 Americans sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom.- American GIs fought heroically on al fronts. in the Pacific. the Atlantic. in Europe. Asia. the Mediterra-. nean. and NorthAfrica. The names and places are familiar to us all: Pearl Harbor. Midway. Coral Sea. Bataan death march. Battle of the Bulge. Normandy. Omaha Beach. and dozens of other battles. Please let us move forward in passageof this memorial to pay tribute to those who gave their lives to the enduring values to which our participation in that struggle is dedicated.
Date: 1992-06-25
Speaker: MAT MCHUGH (democrat)
Chamber: H

who has long been a champion of childrens issues. He will be missed by all of us when he retires. Mr. Speaker. this rule is designed to facilitate House consideration of important foreign aid related issues. I urge my colleagues to adopt it. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1992-06-29
Speaker: PEACEMAKING AND PEACE (democrat)
Chamber: S

KEEPING (Report of the SecretaryGeneral pursuant to the statement adopted by the Summit Meeting of the Security Council on 31 January 1992)
Date: 1992-06-30
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: Unknown

So. Mr. Chairman. you see it is a confused situation because we want the jobs here. We want to mill the. wheat and make the flour and then sell the flour under Public Law 480. But here Members say it is going to displace local sales. Do you want the jobs in Kansas or do you want the jobs in Kenya? I am afraid that here we are going into a situation where it is very popular now to bash foreign aid. to go against the foreigners. they do not speak English. they do not look like us. Well. some of them might look like me. But they do not look like the rest of my colleagues. And we are getting into that kind of situation. But my dear friend. whom I respect. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. this is not the thrust that we should be following. Yes. we need to restructure. Yes. we need to reform. But. to just~chop at the amount is not going to do what we are speaking about and what I agree is needed. I would like to have the AID in another agency that is more responsible and responsive to the needs of the recipient and to the needs of the domestic. to the product that is being used. I would think it would be more compatible. but that is not what the rules or the law stipulate. so I ask you. and in all sincerity. I agree with the thrust. when you say reform. when you say restructure. when they say possible abuse. when they say the possibility of misuse and the possibility of damaging the local economy. that we need to address. but you do not address that by cutting the funds.. You do not address that by cutting the funds. You do not even send a message. The message should come from the principals including myself. Restructure the damn thing. Reform it if necessary to the extent that it is responsible. Because in the end it is the taxpayers money that we are dealing with. and we have a solemn oath and we have a responsibility to protect that tAxpayers money. But. you are not going to protect it solely by slashing it off of this program. You are going to protect it by reforming the program. by restructuring the program and by having vigorous and strong oversight that has not been done in this case.