macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong support of the LaTouretteOberstar amendment aimed at keeping Amtrak on track. This amendment restores funding for Amtrak to $1.176 billion. an increase of $626 million. This funding will save Amtrak from bankruptcy and allow the railroad to continue to operate in a safe and reliable manner. No passenger railroad system in the world operates without some.form of public subsidy. Yet. unfortunately. the bill before us would essentially end this countrys passenger rail system as we know it. Countries with welldeveloped passenger rail networks but much smaller populations such as Germany and Japan invest $3 to $4 billion annually on passenger rail. representing .over twenty percent of their total transportation spending. At five hundred and fifty million dollars. Amtrak would be forced toshutdown. all operations. causing unnecessary disruption and hardship on millions of Americans that depend on thisalternative mode of transportation. Local economies and businesses that have benefited from Amtraks service would also suffer. Amtraks twenty thousand workers would be out on the streets looking for new jobs. Last year Amtrak provided over eleven million dollars in wages for good paying jobs for Texas residents. Bankruptcy is not the solution for Amtrak. The American people want and deserve a national passenger rail system.. All transportation is subsidized by American taxpayers. Singling out Amtrak assumes wrongfully that taxpayers do want to invest in passenger rail and this just plain wrong. Polls consistently show that Americans support federal funding for a national rail passenger system. I urge my colleagues to renew this bodys support fora national rail passenger system and vote yes on this amendment. r
Date: 2005-06-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong support of the BrownMenendezRahall amendment aimed at keeping Amtrak on track. This amendment would strike current bill language that eliminates 15 longdistance trains and three shorterdistance routes. some of which provide essential transportation services to rural areas. In the State of Texas. Amtrak operates one shortdistance train. the Heartland Flyer. and two longdistance. the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle. which services my district. H.R. 3058 eliminates Texas only two longdistance routes. The elimination of these routes would have an adverse effect on Texas communities that depend on these routes and leave hardworking Texans. which depend on the $11 million in wages that Amtrak currently provides. unemployed. I -am fully aware that the money is very tight. We have a war to finance. and we have big tax cuts for some. But let us do something for the heartland of the USA. . Further. in certain rural parts of the State. these lines are often the only transportation alternatives to automobiles. The State of Texas is experiencing unprecedented . population growth. The growth is placing enormous strain on the States highway capacity. And all of us know where that bill is for the last 2 years. As the construction of new highways becomes less practical. the need for a comprehensive passenger rail system will continue to grow. Passenger rail is a component of this Nations economic and transportation backbone. Bankrupting and gutting our national passenger rail system is not the way to go. I urge my colleagues to renew this bodys stipport for a national rail passenger system and urge a yes vote on this amendment.
Date: 2005-06-29
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if my amendment is not accepted. millions of passengers will be stranded. Commuters. operators will be disrupted. Thousands of jobs will be eliminated. States will be forced to figure out how to pay for new services under already tight budget restraints. Taxes on freight railroads and their workers would increase as a result of decreased revenue for the railroad retirement and unemployment program. and local economies and businesses that depend on Amtrak services will suffer. Save our Nations passenger. rail network. Vote yes for the BrownMenendez amendment.
Date: 2005-06-29
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman. first of all. let me just say that the Republicans are very good at talking out of both sides of their mouths. Because as far as I am concerned. they practice what I call reverse Robin Hood: robbing from the poor and working people to give tax breaks to the rich. Not to Amtrak. but to the rich. So let us be clear. This is not about whether or not we support the homeless. I have never not voted to support the homeless. In fact. onethird of the people that are homeless are veterans. They are veterans. And we do not adequately fund the veterans appropriations. All of a sudden you discovered that we are $1 billion short for the veterans. We have been saying all along. all of the independent budgets. that we are $3 billion. So do not come up here and try to act Miss High and Mighty as far as this amendment is concerned. This is about Amtrak and whether or not we are going to have a National Transportation System in this country. It is clear that you have Republicans over there that do not support a National Transportation System. and we are going to have an opportunity to put it on the board. The ink is not even dry. They have not even printed the amendment when you come up here to take $100 million from Amtrak. Let us not kid ourselves. This amendment is not about the homeless. this is about taking another bite at the apple. The House voted to fund Amtrak at $1.178 billion. Let us do not just start over again. We have heard about the homeless. When do the Republicans support the homeless? Look at the budget. Over and over again. look at the record as to how you stand as far as the poor people of this country. In fact. we do not even use that word around here. Not poor people. We do not care anything about them. But transportation generates jobs and opportunity for the community. and that is what the question is on the table: Do we support a national rail �ystem? Do not be confused about the person and the amendment. The question is whether or not the American people support the foolishness that you keep bringing to the floor of this House. Eightyone percent of the polls say that the Congress is not in tune with the views and values of the American people. Well. you can fool some of the people some of the time. but you cannot fool them all of the time. I support funding programs for homeless. but I am going to vote against your amendment because I support a national rail transportation system.
Date: 2005-06-29
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in the spirit of a great and noble American. the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. who reminded us. Mr. Chairman. that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have fought injustice in housing. I especially thank the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman KNOLLENBERG). the gentleman from Massachusetts
Date: 2005-06-30
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life and public service of Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy Jerry Ortiz. A 15year veteran of the police department. as well as an Army veteran. husband and father. Deputy Ortiz was slain in the line of duty while valiantly working to wipe out gangs in southeast Los Angeles County. Deputy Ortizs tragic murder shows how the gang epidemic has gotten out of hand. and he paid the ultimate price trying to make his community safer. Deputy Ortlz was a model law enforcement agent and was admired and respected by his colleagues. He was awarded the Lakewood City Medal of Valor for arresting a robbery suspect. and he will be remembered as a tireless crime fighter who personified the ideals of communitybased policing. On behalf of every resident of the 39th Congressional District. I thank and honor Deputy Ortiz for dedicating his life to defending our country and making our community a safer place to live and to raise a family. May God bless and give strength to Deputy Ortizs wife and children as they mourn their tragic loss. Deputy Ortiz will truly be missed.
Date: 2005-06-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to join with my colleague from Connecticut in offering this amendment to ensure the fair treatment of the American taxpayer. Mr. Chairman. it was just back in 1998 that. in response to overly aggressive IRS collection tactics. the Congress passed the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act. That act specifically prevented IRS agents and their supervisors from being evaluated based on how much taxes they collected. They couldnt get a bonus based on how much tax they collected. The reason was pretty simple. We wanted to make sure that theIRS agents had an objective approach. that they werent harassing taxpayers for their own personal benefit. That brings us to why we are offering this amendment here today. The provision that was included last year in the FSC corporate tax bill reversed that policy. In fact. even worse. it said that private collection agencies could go out and collect these taxes and that they would get a 25 percent bonus if they collected those taxes. In other words. they were on a commission. based on how much they collected. which creates exactly the wrong incentive. an incentive that we tried to address back in 1998 when we passed that earlier legislation. Furthermore. it hurts the American taxpayer in another way. Right now. when the IRS agent goes out and collects taxes. 100 percent of those taxes go to the public Treasury to be spent on education and health care and other things that this Congress may decide to invest in for the American people. Under the existing special interest provision that got stuck into the law last year. 25 percent of those moneys are now going to go. not to the Federal Treasury for public purposes. but they are going to be pocketed by these private bounty hunters. essentially. debt collectors who are out there. who have an incentive to be oyerly aggressive with the taxpayer. have an incentive not to look at the issue fairly. and at the end of the day. they pocket 25 percent instead of those funds going to the benefit of the American taxpayer. Mr. Chairman. I commend my colleague for offering this amendment and I urge its adoption.
Date: 2005-06-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 1 minute. I would just pose the question to the subcommittee chairman. I thank him for those remarks. but if the current A76 contracting.out process works so well. if that is the ideal that we want to have. why has the Appropriations Committee. on five different bills that it has reported out. changed those rules with respect to several agencies? With the Interior appropriations bill there was a rider that came out that passed the House that limited the amount of money that may be used for privatization review by the Department of the Interior and for the Forest Service specifically. On the Homeland Security appropriations bill. you prevented the Department of the Interior from reviewing for privatization work performed by three different categories of employees who serve on the front lines of the war against terrorism. On the Agriculture appropriations bill. the Appropriations Committee in this House included provisions that prevented the Department of Agriculture from reviewing for privatization any employees involved in rural. development or farm loan programs. E 1700 So I would just say to my colleagues. if the existing system works so well. why has the Committee on Appropria-. tions in this House this year already voted to change it in so many ways? Let us have a uniform policy that applies equally across Federal agencies.
Date: 2005-06-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman. this is not about getting rid of the competitive sourcing program. There always has been competitive sourcing in the government. and there will continue to be. The issue is what rules apply. I would suggest to my colleagues that the defense appropriations bill rider that was attached said whenyou have these competitions. you should at least demonstrate that the taxpayers -would be saved some money. A minimum of at least 10 percent of the funds was a good idea. That was required by this House. That is not required by the current A76 process. We should make that. That should not just apply- to the Defense Department that we get a good deal for the taxpayer. That should apply. The provision. of health benefits. let us do what the House has already done two times. which is adopt this exact language. We did it last year on this bill. We did it the year before. I urge my colleagues to do it again this year.
Date: 2005-07-12
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. and I rise to support this bipartisan effort to honor NASA with a 50th anniversary commemorative coin. Mr. Speaker. this is a great occasion. and I wish to thank those who have made this great occasion possible. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana . chairman of the Committee on Financial Services. the gentleman from Texas . the majority leader. the gentleman from Texas . the gentleman from Texas . the gentlewoman from New York . and the gentleman from California for their singular effort to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor. I also wish to thank the many who work at NASA. Mr. Speaker. from the top administrator to the janitors who sweep the floor. They all play a role in making space flight possible. And of course. Mr. Speaker. I thank God for those brave astronauts who leave loved ones behind to traverse the heavens. Mr. Speaker. while we commemorate NASAs 50 years of existence. we must acknowledge that it could not have been done without the hand of God. And if it is Gods will. Mr. Speaker. it is safe to say that we have only just begun.
Date: 2005-07-12
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank both my House colleagues but also my Rayburn Hall colleague. and also we both came to Congress in 1993 together. I rise to offer my strong support for H.R. 68 as an original cosponsor. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have made significant contributions to all aspects of science advancement over the last half century and deserve the commemoration by having a coin minted celebrating this anniversary. Since its inception in October of 1958. NASA has pushed the boundaries of exploration from Earth to the Moon. to the outer reaches of the solar system and to the edge of the universe through scientific and technological feats in air and space. NASA remains a leading force in scientific research and stimulating public interest in aerospace exploration. as well as science and technology in general. Since 1997. I have had the privilege of having NASA astronauts visit middle schools in the congressional district I represent. It is good to have them as neighbors. literally in the district of the gentleman from Texas . but they actually come to our district to visit. The interaction between these middle school students with the astronauts and the questions they ask about space and NASA demonstrate the benefits of our space program and the impact on getting our students today who are in middle school excited about math and science. It is really great when an astronaut who has a great story to tell can get the attention of these 6th. 7th and 8th graders. Because. again. that is the future not only of NASA but of our Nation. When looking back over its history. we remember such revolutionary achievements as the Echo Project. which led to advancements towards the satellite systems we take for granted today. the creation of the manned spacecraft center and mission control in my hometown of Houston. which later was renamed the Johnson Space Center. on through Neil Armstrongs first steps on the Moon and the liftoff of the shuttle program and the construction of the International Space Station. The achievements of NASA have not come without cost. however. and having a coin minted to celebrate NASAs accomplishments will also honor the sacrifices made by crew members of Apollo I. Challenger and Colombia who gave their lives advancing our space program. As NASA takes one more significant step in history tomorrow by returning to flight after more than 2 years. we have the opportunity today to express our support by authorizing the production of a coin emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and the JPL. -Our prayers and support are with our astronauts tomorrow. and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Date: 2005-07-12
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in opposition to these measures. This legislation moves in the wrong direction for worker safety. We are spending valuable time changing small portions of OSHA to overturn court decisions and tweak the law to benefit industry. Im not sure we should be spending time addressing all these small issues when we know that reporting requirements are a problem and we could be doing something about it. It doesnt matter in which facility these accidents occurred. The fact is people should know if an accident has occurred and the company managing the site should report it whether contract workers were involved or not. If someone is seriously injured at my home. regardless if Im at fault there will be a report by the paramedics or the police and it will list my residence. In March. fifteen people were killed in a refinery accident in Texas City. None of them will be on the injury site log because the law doesnt require them to list contract workers. Since 1991 wleve known reporting requirements should be changed to include contract workers. The. report recommending this was sanctioned by OSHA under the first George Bushs administration. There is no reason the Republican leadership couldnt allow at least some discussion on the reporting issue today. People have the right to know if they are applying for a job at a facility that has a poor safety record. We should be talking about real issues instead of making things just a little better for industry. Weve known about this problem for 14 years. Thats too long to avoid making a simple change to the law to require sitebased reporting of injuries.
Date: 2005-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I would like to join my distinguished colleagues and pay tribute to my good friend. J.J. Pickle. Those of us who have the tremendous honor of serving in this great institution sometimes fail to see the giants that serve among us. Certainly J.J. Pickle. was one of those giants. He was a man who gave his heart. literally. to this country. He -poured hours after hours into trying to grapple with the important issues we faced as a Nation. and he did it because he loved this country. He was truly a public servant who cared about the people in the State of Texas. and cared about the people in this great country. It is rare that we see people in this institution who worked as hard as J.J. Pickle. However. in doing so. he was always able to retain his touch of the common man. As much as he accomplished academically and through the higher ranks of government in this country. he never lost the ability to relate to people on a daytoday level. To me he will always be Jake. the fellow who would put his arm around you. smile and joke. and ask how things were going. He was a man who cared about you as an individual and I cared about people. He loved highpowered debates with intellectuals. but he never put on airs. He was one of only seven southern representatives to vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act legislation. He believed that his most significant accomplishment as a lawmaker was the 1983 Social Security reform bill. which he helped pass as chairman of the Social Security subcommittee. That legislation eased Social Securitys financial problems by raising the age for full benefits from 65 to 67 in the year 2000. He could talk to farmers and mechanics as easily as Presidents such as from his mentor. President Johnson and other leaders. It is no wonder the voters of Central Texas kept Jake in Congress for 31 years. They knew a good man when they saw him. They. and all Americans. have lost someone very special. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. for allowing me to recognize J.J. Pickle. a man whose spirit and involvement has made a lasting mark on Texas and this Nation.
Date: 2005-07-14
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. Americans must have thought that the world was turned upside down the other day when they turned on their TV in the morning and they saw former Speaker Newt Gingrich. who was convicted of lying to the House of Representatives and fined $300.000. calling Joe Wilson. who President George Bush the first called a great patriot for standing up to Saddam Hussein. here was a convicted liar Newt Gingrich calling Joe Wilson a liar. Something is terribly wrong with that picture. The question of Karl Roves continuation in the White House is not a queStion just of a legal matter. It is of ethical and moral consequences. Does the President continue to rely on the advice and keep employed in the White House a man who sought to destroy the reputations and perhaps put in danger a CIA agent and her contacts and her fellow workers? Does the President continue to employ that person recognizing that that was done for the sole purposes of trying to get retribution because they provided the evidence that what the White House said about weapons of mass destruction was not accurate. it was not truthful. in fact. it turned out to be a lie?