macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. I rise today in opposition of H.R. 3094. the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act. Contrary to what the title suggests. there is nothing democratic or fair about this biased attempt to weaken labor unions and hurt working families all across the country. This partisan bill does nothing positive for the high unemployment rate in this country or our vulnerable economy. Instead of utilizing our limited time on the House floor to consider real solutions to the economic problems we are facing today. this legislation seeks only to exploit these difficult times in order to advance a Republican ideological agenda against union organizing and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The goals of this legislation are simply to undermine the ability of American workers to organize and bargain collectively. H.R. 3094 will create barriers to union elections through waiting periods and more stringent criteria. dilute voter pools. and disproportionately tip the scales of power in favor of employers. We have seen similar attempts to disarm the NLRB in this Congress before. also deceptively titled to deliberately mislead the American people. The Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act. which I opposed. sought to gut the NLRB of its authority entirely. Under the guise of protecting jobs. this bill also sought purely to advance a partisan agenda. It is these same partisan tactics that are preventing this Congress from making any significant progress on the real important issues at hand. Mr. Chair. it is shameful that my Republican colleagues insist on bringing such partisan bills such as H.R. 3094 to the House floor. At this critical time for our economy. it is absolutely vital that we spend our time constructively to work toward shoring up our economy and creating jobs here at home. Instead. they have demonstrated that radical ideology is a more important priority than compromise in the name of finding real solutions to our nations problems.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3094. the Republican plan to crush workers rights and destroy any glimmer of hope our working families have at economic recovery. The Republicans designed this bill to destroy 75 years of National Labor Review Board case law in their attempt to dismantle the middle class. Collective bargaining and the right to organize helped build a strong American middle class. It doesnt cost the federal government one dime in real money. Instead of taking steps to create jobs and strengthen working families. Republicans are dismantling key worker protections. All workers should have the ability to negotiate with their employer about salary and benefits. whether theyre in a union or not. Organized labor is great for business. Thousands of companies across the country thrive with a unionized workforce. Those businesses recognize that their employees deserve to have a safe workplace and fair wages and benefits. Thats just good business. This bill encourages corporations to stall NLRB elections while they mount a onesided. antiunion campaign. At its core. this is an undemocratic bill that undermines our values. We have a long established process for workers to attempt to form a union and collectively bargain with employers. Employers and employees should stay on equal ground in the process. There is no need to deny workers their right to a free and fair union election. Many of my Republican friends like to talk about the issue of Tort Reform. They like to tell us that we have to prevent frivolous lawsuitsthey cost taxpayers millions and millions of dollars and they drag down the economy. I have news for my Republican friends: the Election Prevention Act encourages frivolous litigation. This bill will mean mountains of litigation before union elections can be held. The result is a massive backlog. Guess who picks up the tab? The American taxpayer! We have important issues facing our country and it boggles my mind that we are taking up yet another bill that does nothing to get our friends and neighbors back to work. We need to focus on lowering the unemployment rate and creating jobsnot taking away the rights of hardworking Americans. I urge my colleagues to recognize this veiled attempt to destroy the rights of American working families.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. today in the United States. 13.9 million people are unemployed. Nine percent of the American workforce is out of a job. worrying how to make ends meet. Nearly half are longterm unemployed. jobless for over 27 weeks. These Americans are looking to Congress for help. The President sent us a comprehensive plan for job creation and this House has not acted. We have over thirteen percent unemployment in the construction sector and roads and bridges to repair all over the country and this House has not brought an infrastructure bill to the floor. Local governments are facing tough budgets and laying off teachers and police and this House has provided no relief. Today we have a bill on the floor that will not create a single job nor help a single American worker. Instead. it will make it more difficult for them to assert their rights in the workplace and almost certainly encourage frivolous litigation. The time we spend on legislation like this is time we fail to spend addressing the real needs of the American people. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 8. beginning on line 4. strike "subparagraph (B) " and all that follows through "(1) by inserting" on line 8. and insert "subparagraph (1). by inserting". Page 8. line 24. strike "last sentence-" and all that follows through page 9. line 9. and insert "last sentence. by inserting or consideration of a request for review of a regional directors decision and direction of election. after record of such hearing. and". The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 470. the gentlewoman from Texas and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Very briefly. in listening to my good friend from South Carolina. its time to take out the white hanky and begin to cry for the employers against these deafening and deadly workers. some of them veterans and single parents. Hear me very clearly: there are 35 days for the filing of a petition. but there is no limit to the amount of time the employer can delay the election through litigation. If that isnt an imbalance against the vulnerable workerthe worker who is behind a cashier. the worker who is manufacturing a madeinAmerica trinket of some kind. the textile worker. the returning soldier on the battlefieldthen what is? God bless the employers with their constitutional rights. I applaud them. But what this bill is doing and what this section is doing is taking a spear and going on and on and on with dilatory litigation tactics to disallow the organizing that is protected under the Constitution and the due process under the Fifth Amendment. Go ahead. employers. get your lawyers. Move on. But the question is. how long is too long? I reserve the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from South Carolina has 21/2 minutes remaining.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I yield myself such time as I may consume. What I say to my good friend from South Carolina is that I have the greatest respect for employers. Id like the gentleman to join me in passing the American Jobs Act to give them payroll tax relief and to give them tax credits for hiring new employees. But you have to ask the question: After this bills implementation. will workers view their workplaces more favorably? Will their wages match the growth rates of the companies and economy? Will workers feel like American employers. supported by government. provide meaningful safety for community survival? This legislation. frankly. undermines the American workers. Can we all get along? Can we find a way to address the concerns of making sure that we are fair to the employer but not have delay after delay after delay to deny someone his constitutional right of organizing freedom of expression? I think we can. The elimination of the provisions that I have spoken of is a dilatory upper hand of employers to get the better hand of our employees. I reserve the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas has 15 seconds remaining. and the gentleman from South Carolina has 45 seconds remaining.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

In my hand I have H.R. 3094 and in this hand I have the Constitution. I dont know who you would stand with. Support my amendment. support the Constitution. provide workers the opportunity for freedom and the right to organize. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Jackson Lee amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will be postponed.
Date: 2011-11-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. I would like the RECORD to show that. had I been present. would have voted "yea" on rollcall votes 863. 864. 865. 866. 867. and 868 and I would have voted "nay" on rollcall votes 869. 870. and 871.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. today I rise to honor the president of California State University at Fullerton. Dr. Milton Gordon. and to recognize his upcoming retirement. For over two decades. Dr. Gordons outstanding commitment to higher education has let California State University at Fullerton become one of the largest and one of the most inclusive institutions in our Nation. Because of Dr. Gordons vision and commitment for greater cultural diversity in higher education. the university currently ranks ninth in the Nation in bachelors degrees awarded to minority students. And additionally. it ranks number one in California among colleges and universities awarding bachelors degrees to Hispanics. Dr. Gordons caring. articulate. and collegial nature created a sense of pride among the faculty. the staff and students advocating for excellence in all aspects of university life. It has been an honor for me to work with Dr. Gordon. He has been a mentor. he has been a shining light in Orange County. And I congratulate him on all his awards and distinctions. and I look forward to his next career. We hope to reel him in to continue to work on our community. Thank you. Dr. Gordon.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I rise today in commemoration. Mr. Speaker. of World AIDS Day. and I thank our minority leader for her eloquent recounting of how far we have come. In our best days. we can look to my dear friend Magic Johnson. who has been a living example of the improvements and the courage of those who are living with the HIV infection. but we recognize that. of the 15 million people medically recommended for antiretroviral medication worldwide. only half of them have access to drug treatment. In the United States. nearly one in five people with HIV. or 240.000 people. dont even know that they are infected. Communities of color and young gay and bisexual men face the most severe burden of HIV in the United StatesMagic Johnson. on one hand. and my dying friend on another hand being at the bedside of a person dying with AIDS. who. one. lived with the stigma and didnt have a way out. Today. I will join others and be tested for the HIV virus. and I encourage others to do so. I congratulate my constituents. the Harris County Hospital District and the Thomas Street Clinic. for their 12th annual World AIDS Day. Thank you. Mr. President. for recognizing that 6 million more people need to have access to AIDS prevention drugs. To those who have lost their lives. may I say to you on this day that your life that was lost should not be in vain. We still look for a cure. and we work for a better Nation and an opportunity to provide resources to those around the world and in the United States who still suffer. It is our challenge. We accept that challenge. and I believe someday we will be victorious. To those who commemorate this day because they mourn. I commemorate it with you in your mourning. For those who celebrate life. I. likewise. celebrate life.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in opposition to the bill. Instead of focusing on jobs and helping middle class families. the Republican leadership is hard at work today creating additional ways in which corporations and special interests can dominate our elections process. Ending the Presidential Election Campaign Fund opens the door for large political spenders to enjoy an even greater role in the funding of political campaigns. The voluntary public finance system for Presidential campaigns was created in the early seventies as a direct result of the corruption of Watergate. the largest political scandal of our generation. Stopping corruption and the appearance of corruption is as important today as it was during the Nixon years. The level of spending by corporations and special interests since the Supreme Courts decision in Citizens United should give every American reason for concern. Do my Republican colleagues really believe that more corporate and special interest money in politics is going to benefit in any way the 99 percent of Americans who dont have lobbyists? The current public finance system for Presidential elections has problems. Most notably. it has not kept pace with the cost of modern campaigns. so we should fix it instead of eliminating it. And I would note that the Republican National Committee recently received $18 million from the fund. so if the Republicans think its such a bad idea. perhaps they should ask the RNC to return the money. As for the Election Assistance Commission. the EAC is the only Federal agency focused on improving Federal elections. This was an outgrowth of the disastrous process of the 2000 election. Remember. 100 million votes were cast. but it took a decision of the Supreme Court before a winner was declared. The experience left a black eye on our elections process. Its not something America should go through again. As State and local budgets are cut. the value of this commission is going to grow.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Have there been problems at the EAC? Yes. there have been problems. What should we do about it? We need oversight and reform. We shouldnt just abolish this commission because we are going backwards to the bad old days of inconsistency among voters. I urge my colleagues to focus on the economy. focus on jobs. and dont pass bills that give corporations and special interests even greater influence in our elections.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. it is clear. when I have the ranking member of the Small Business Committee who has an enormous history of commitment to small businesses. and the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. both former chairs. opposing this bill. then we obviously know that it is problematic. What I know of small businesses is that they. frankly. want to have an anchor to promote and propel their business needs. The regulatory scheme and the underlying premise of this bill is to eliminate any anchor for our small businesses. And when you do that. youre clearly undermining their growth and opportunity. I would add. as well. that I challenge as to whether or not this debate today creates any opportunity for small business. provides them access to credit. guarantees any loans. creates any jobs. Absolutely not. and it is absurd that we would suggest that agencies that are trying to promote small businesses are stopping small businesses and. therefore. we want to implode the regulatory scheme. The APA provides an opportunity for due process through the court system. If our colleagues have problems with regulations. they can run to the courts. You dont have to implode the process to be able to address the problem. Lets help small businesses. lets discuss how to create jobs. and lets vote against this legislation.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to call upon the rational and reasonable thinking of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and really discuss an amendment that speaks the obvious. The underlying bill puts into process a regulatory scheme that delays the implementation of regulations. Whether you agree or disagree with that approach. we all recognize that securing the homeland continues to be a top priority for this Nation. Im standing alongside some of our first responders looking over one of the Nations major ports. Many who live in those areas recognize the vulnerability of America through her ports or aviation or mass transit or highways or bridges or dams. Every moment after 9/11 is a new moment in this Nation. My amendment simply says to waive the provisions of this bill. H.R. 527. when it deals with homeland security. I hold in my hand the National Security Threat List that lists the issues that our Homeland Security Department and intelligence communities have to address. The listing is not classified. so I will mention the many tasks that they have to address: terrorism. espionage. proliferation. the moving forward on the question of economic espionage. targeting the national information structure. cybersecurity. Why would we want to interfere with the movement of regulations to protect the homeland under the premise of this bill? I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment that would waive the bills provisions in light of protecting the homeland. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 3 minutes.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will be postponed.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Add. at the end of the bill. the following:
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to think that our colleagues are in their offices communicating with their constituents and doing much of the work that we do and writing probably other great legislative initiatives. and they are paying attention to this debate and they keep hearing the words "small businesses" and they want to know why would any of us have a disagreement about small businesses when we have. I think. a consensus that small business are in fact the backbone of America. they are the job creators of America. I recall many of us have initiatives. I have an initiative of visiting small businesses. Just a couple of weeks ago. I donned the clothing of a medical practice. I went to a beauty school and tried to do a little bit of hair design. I went to an energy company. I went on to a small exportimport company. and I stood out as a safety officer for a construction company owned by a single mother. So we all speak the language of small businesses. And you would think that my good friends on the other side of the aisle would have looked more closely at how damaging H.R. 527 is because. for those who may be listening in their offices and others. right now you have a threeagency framework of reviewing regulations dealing with small businesses. Now youre going to include that all the agencies have to get into the act in stifling small businesses activities and their growth and opportunity. Remember now. right now we have three. and then were going to open up the lot so that every agency now has to go through a regulatory process to determine its impact on small businesses. It expands the use of small business review panels to review rules promulgated by all agencies to include all major rules. and some of these. of course. having the positive impact on our small businesses. What is the significant economic impact? Nobody knows. It forces agencies to engage in wasteful. speculative analysis. It imposes an absurd and wasteful requirement on those agencies. So I have a simple amendment. Ask the question beforehand: What is the economic impact of all of this vast new inclusion of other agencies to come down on our small businesses? It requires my amendment. a GAO study. to determine the cost of carrying out this bill and the effect it will have on Federal agency rulemaking. Simple. bipartisan amendment. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting it. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will be postponed.
Date: 2011-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I am a proud Cougar. and as you well know. Cougars are silent. fast. and deadly. We welcome Southern Miss to Houston. Texas. the 120 Cougars. and we plan to give you all the barbecue you can eat as we celebrate the victory of the great Cougars. University of Houston. academic and athletic champions. Its a pleasure to place this wager with you tonight. Cougarsready to pounce on you.
Date: 2011-12-02
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

My good friend from Texas has introduced an amendment that I wish all of us could have joined with. as well as Mr. JOHNSONs amendment that was not allowed in order. Weve made a complaint not necessarily on one amendment but on this underlying bill. And the amendment now adds yet another analytical requirement to the already numerous analytical requirements of H.R. 3010. I would have liked to have joined Mr. OLSON on making this just a job creation amendment. or a job creation bill. But part of the bills super mandate overrides existing statutes like the Clean Water Act. the Clean Air Act. and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. all of which reflect bipartisan legislative agreement to prohibit or limit consideration of costs in the rulemaking process. While I certainly agree with the idea of net job creation. H.R. 3010 does absolutely nothing to create jobs with or without the addition of this analytical requirement. We cant cure this bill. and we might have been able to do so with an amendment by Mr. JOHNSON that exempts all rules that result in job growth. After all. it was allowed for H.R. 527. the other bill that we are considering today. I dont know why we cant come together. as some would say. and put forward bipartisan amendments that talk about creating jobs. With that. I yield back the balance of my time.