macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of proceeding with- the conference negotiations on H.R. 2669. the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. In appointing conferees today. I am proud to say that we will be taking the first step in making college more affordable and accessible for students. Overall. this is an opportunity for the conference to look at both bills. consider concerns anid put forth the best possible compromise. and that is our goal. During this process. not only have we looked carefully at what will work for students and families. but we have done our best to listen to and ad* dress the concerns brought to our attention. In an attempt at bipartisanship. we have met with the administration. as well as the staff from the other side of the aisle. in such discussions and with the administration. and we believe -at the end of the day the conference will include provisions that have broad bipartisan support while maintaining some of our key priorities. These include the following: Significant investment in Pell Grants. We heard the concern voiced on this floor by Members on the other side of the aisle. and we believe it is important to include a significant investment beyond the House bill in this con.ference. Understanding that increasing Pell Grants is also an issue included in President Bushs budget. we believe this goal can and should be met. Cutting interest rates in half will remain a key priority for helping the middle class as well as ensuring debt relief for students and delivery of such needed financial support for Historical Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic serving institutions and other minority serving institutions. I hope that we can continue the dialogue and work together on final passage in the conference. I am very proud to be here today to offer this motion to officially proceed in the conference with the Senate on legislation that will allow the Congress to do more to help Americans pay for the cost of college than any effort since the GI Bill at no cost to the taxpayers. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 will get us closer to the goal of ensuring access to higher education for all qualified students. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-09-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

If the gentleman has no further speakers. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I might consume. I just want to point out for a number of Members who have asked about whats the relationship of this reconciliation to the loan scandals that the Nation was witness to earlier this year. this legislation does not contain the language of the Sunshine Act that we passed overwhelmingly in May of this year. That will be contained in the Higher Education Act that the House and Senate plan to do soon. Its in the Senate bill. and we have passed the Sunshine Act. As Members will recall. this was legislation that falls on the heels of public reports of colleges and lenders and their relationships between colleges and lenders and special relationships that were developed in some cases for the exchange of gifts. financial favors. holidays. special treatment to people working for the colleges that were steering people to a particular lender for their loans. Whether or not that was in the best interest of the student or not really didnt come into play. These practices have gone on for a considerable period of time. In some cases. theyv.e been brought to the attention of the Department of Education by the Inspector General. They were not properly dealt with. and the Attorney General of the State of New York. Mr. Cuomo. brought them to the Nations attention with his investigation of some of the large lending institutions and these practices and entered into a number of consent agreements with those individuals. We had hearings on this matter and the failure of oversight by both the Congress and the Department. and we passed the Sunshine Act in reaction to those hearings that we had. again. andwas passed on a strong bipartisan vote. We think these two things are connected. The terms are now removing the excessive subsidies that were used in many instances to grease these relationships for the benefit of the lenders and not for the benefit of the students and of their families who are borrowing the money to pay for their college education. So I just wanted to bring the Members up to snuff on that matter. With that. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-09-04
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise this evening to share with you and to- share with all of our colleagues some truly wonderful news about a good friend and his health. a friend who is a former Member of this body. and the senior Senator from the State of South Dakota. This announcement is news of our friend. TIM JOHNSON. Last week. Senator JOHNSON was welcomed home by his constituents for the first time since suffering a debilitating brain hemorrhage last December. It was a joyous day. full of smiles. laughter and tears. And after 9 months of hard work. determination. and strength of mind and spirit. all qualities that have marked his tenure in public service. tomorrow TIM JOHNSON will return to the Senate Chamber. In Senator JOHNSONs recovery. the prayers of South Dakota families. the prayers of all of us. and indeed the prayers of countless people across the country have been answered. And TIM. his loving wife Barbara. and their beadtiful family will .cqntinue to move forward as resilient and remarkable as ever.
Date: 2007-09-04
Speaker: LINCOLN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Youre starting us off on a bad note. Its good to be here this evening and to engage in conversation and dialogue certainly on the situation that we are in today in Iraq. and certainly in this country. I want to deviate just a little bit and talk a little bit about my study hall period. Folks say that Members of Congress had recess. When I was in school and we had recess. we played most of the time. but I can assure you for the last several weeks of the month of August I did a lot of traveling in the district I represent. listening to a lot of people. the chamber of commerce. business people. individuals on the street. country stores. wherever I might have been. -restaurants. coffee shops. We talked about a lot of things. People are worried about the war in Iraq. People are worried about the war in. Iraq to the point where we know we cant lose there or we cant allow this nation to go into anarchy. but how do we prevent that from happening? And as I listened to those debates and those dialogs. I realized that people were seriously concerned about what were doing and how were engaged. I hear people talking about whether we should have gone or not. Thats legitimate. and I think historians. probably political scientists over the next several years. next decades and next centuries will obviously gauge that and will judge that. We can talk about whether the war was prosecuted right or not. and. quite frankly. I think there are some questions there as to whether or not this administration. Mr. Speaker. and whether this White House. Mr. Speaker. has engaged the way that would bring about a quicker resolution to where it would .win much quicker in Iraq. But when I went home on Sunday. I drove back down through the Shenandoah Valley. down Highway 81. hit Interstate 40. went across the Cumberland Plateau. and I realized what a beautiful Nation we have. When you look at those hills along the Blue Ridge down through the Shenandoah Valley and then the Cumberland Plateau near the Cumberland Gap and realize the beauty of this vast Nation that we have and the people who live here. I had an opportunity. my first day off. to spend about 7 hours fishing at a great warriors old. mill. Sergeant Alvin C. York. in Palmyra where I live. LI 2145
Date: 2007-09-04
Speaker: LINCOLN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Mr. Speaker. one of the things we really need to make sure of is that the American public as they watch this Blue Dog Coalition group here talk tonight. every one of us to the "T" comes from rural areas basically. We love America. we love our troops. we visit them. I have been to Iraq five times and Afghanistan twice. I went for a reason. to tell our troops thank troops thank you. we love you. we appreciate you. We pray that an umbrella of safety will be put over our troops. We work for those back home to be sure that their families are recognized and that our communities uphold them and undergird them. I dont want anybody to have a misinterpretation of what we are saying here tonight. This is about America. and it is not about TV ads that try to justify a War going on in Iraq. I am ashamed.those things are on TV. We support our troops. and we will continue to do that.
Date: 2007-09-05
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

Madam Speaker. I am proud to join my.colleague from Pennsylvania. Mr. DENT. in !suptorting the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week. I signed on as an original cosponsor of this important initiative because I believe that teen driver safety--especially in Pennsylvaniadeserves our support and our attention. This is an important piece of legislation and I urge my fellow Members of Congress to support it today. I am also proud of the research and prevention efforts of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. which includes a campus in my district. We should all applaud their commitment to keeping our teens and roads safer and I hope that the establishment of Teen Driver Safety Week will bring attention to this important issue in communities like mine across the United States. Madam Speaker. the figures are daunting: Almost 7.500 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 were involved in fatal crashes in 2005 and the fatality rate for teens is four timesthe rate for drivers between 25 and 69. The good news is that we can do something about it. The majority of teen driver crashes in our country are due to avoidable mistakes likespeeding or cell phone use. The research shows that involvement from parents. educators and peers can make the difference in saving young lives. In my own district. an organization called Central Bucks Cares is leading the charge to engage teen drivers in safe driving practices. After the tragic deaths of Laura Lauterbach and James Ogden. both students at Central Bucks East High School. the nonprofit community coalition assembled a roundtable discussion on teen driving. Following the roundtable. student intern Sarah Canavan of Buckingham helped Central Bucks Cares to draft a contract that teen drivers and their parents could agree to. Teens agree to responsible driving practices. including courteous behavior towards other drivers. bicyclists and pedestrians. as well as adherence to traffic laws and road signs. Parents agree to serve as good role models in their own driving and to encourage safe driving practices by enforcing the terms of the contract. Sarahs younger sister Amy and her mother were the first teen/parent pair to sign and fully support the agreement. I hope that many more families in Pennsylvania and nationwide will follow their example in making a commitment to safer teen driving. Madam Speaker. I see the difference that Central Bucks Cares is making in my district and I hope that this legislation will help other communities to do the same.
Date: 2007-09-06
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts. Chairman FRANK. for his leadership in advancing the reauthorization of this important act. and the distinguished gentleman from Michigan. Mr. KILDEE. for introducing the legislation to do so. Like many Members of this body. I have the honor of representing a significant Native American population in my district. In fact. South Dakota is home to nine Lakota. Dakota and Nakota Sioux tribes. each of them adding an immeasurable contribution to our States rich and varied cultural landscape. Tragically. however. marly reservation communities in South Dakota and across the country suffer from extreme poverty. This poverty manifests itself in many challenges. including access to adequate health care. education. and. as we are discussing today. housing. Indeed. tribal leaders and tribal housing officials from across the State of South Dakota report a consistent and urgent message: there is a desperate need for more and better housing in Indian Country. and we owe it to the elders. children and their families to help do more to fulfill this most basic of needs. Historically. there has been inadequate funding provided for housing programs and unnecessary obstacles to growth. This has led to situations. such as on the Pine Ridge Reservation. home to the Oglala Sioux tribe in southwest South Dakota. where it is not uncommon to have 25 individuals or more living in one housing unit. It is worth noting that in my State and many Northern Plains States. temperatures can reach negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder in the winter. Yet there remain barriers to accessing Native American Housing Grant funds which. if removed. would help families in Indian Country to improve their living situations. So I urge strong support of H.R. 2786. which would reauthorize. clarify and improve the Native "American Housing Assistance SelfDetermination Act. and help ensure that all Americans. including the first Americans. have fair and equal access to adequate housing. a basic necessity of life. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-09-06
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Califo

Speaker. on Thursday. September 6 was unavoidably detained due to a p gation. I request that the CONGRESSIONAL reflect that had I been present and would have voted as follows: Rollcall No. 854: "Yea". On appro journal. Rolicall No. 855: "Yea". On agreeir resolution. Rollcall No. 856: "No". Pn agreein amendment. Rollcall No. 857: "No". On agreein amendment. Rollcall No. 858: "No". On agreeir amendment. Rollcall No. 859: "Aye". On passag _HOUSEt SePtember.6. 2007" rpipm .. 1 .PERSONAL iEXPLANATION. f
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this rule to make in order the conference report on H.R. 2669. the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. In this last election. we campaigned very hard on cutting the cost of college for students and making college more affordable for students and their families who are borrowing money to go to school. And it is clear that we intend to do that with the passage of this legislation today. In the first 10 hours as part of our 6 for 06 agenda. we cut the interest rates in half on the subsidized student loans so that those lowincome families and middleincome families who are struggling to meet the debt burden of sending their children to school will have some relief in that effort. And over the next 4 years in this conference report. we will cut those interest rates from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. which is a savings of the average indebted student upon graduation over the life of that loan of some $4.400. Also for the lowestincome students. the students most in need. we are increasing the Pell Grant up to a level over the next 5 years of $5.400. This is in keeping with what the President promised but never did. and this is in keeping with our promise that we would again restore the purchasing value of the Pell Grant. And yod can see from this chart. Mr. Speaker. the fact is over the last several years. the Pell Grant has been flatlined in spite of promises each. and every year that it wasgoing to be increased. and this year for the first time
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. pursuant to House Resolution 637. I call up the conference report on the bill to provide for reconciliation pursuant to section 601 of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2008.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield 1 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois who has worked very hard on this legislation. Thank you for that
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield 12 minutes to the gentleman from Texas . who is the subcommittee Chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee and who has just been so instrumental in the success of this legislation.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Im not going to use my time. but Im under very strict confines here with my leadership. Ive asked members of my. committee not to speak. so I cant be yielding time when I didnt give it to the members of my committee. Im sorry. I dont want to be put in that position.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am proud to stand today to support the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. I thank Chairman MILLER and the Conferees for their quick work on this Conference Report. and all the work they have done on this important legislation. Mr. Speaker. for years. American students and families have demanded relief from rising tuition and ballooning debt. The average student exits college with almost $20.000 in student loan debt. which. because of accumulating interest. can take years to pay. This debt is burdening our communities. When a student has tens or even hundreds of thousands 6f dollars of debt. it limits choices. Those students might not be able to take lower salary jobs in the fields where we desperately need themas teachers or first responders. When twothirds of our college graduates are in debt. it limits our economy. Those graduates have less money. for a down payment on a house. less money to invest. and less disposable income. Even worse. some students are deterred from going to college altogether when costs are too high. We lose some of the best and the brightest.-those who are qualified to learn. who want to learn. who have worked- hard and gotten the grades. but who run into financial barriers when it comes time to head off to college. Today. we are bringing some relief. We are going to open the doors to college and help our young people reach their full potential. Were going to increase Pell grants to make college more affordable. Were going to cut the interest rates on loans in half so theyre easier to pay off. Were going to institute incomebased loan repayment. so graduates dont have to choose between paying their rent and paying off their loans. And were going to expand loan forgiveness for those who enter public service. so we have more teachers. first responders and nurses. We made a promise to the American people before. the last election. Weve been working to fulfill that promise from the first 100 hours of the new Congress. And today. as our young people head back to school. the House and Senate are going to see that promise through with largest increase in student loans since the G.I. bill.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise today to commend Chairman CONYERS and the House Leadership for their diligence in addressing the issue of patent reform. and to express why I unfortunately. must oppose this bill in its current form. There is an overwhelming need to move patents through the approval process quickly. fairly. and economically. I commend this bill on many of the positive changes it makes to the reform system. but I remain concerned about provisions that may dramatically restrict damages payable by infringers. It is my fear that this bill will alter the current system in favor of defendants resulting in further backlogs. These changes to the current system would ultimately hurt existing patent owners. In addition. this bill implements a post grant review process that will lead to duplicative challenges. resulting in an increase to the cost of patent ownership and significantly decreasing the enforceability. predictability and value of all patents. Numerous technology firms. both large and small are opposed to this bill. as well as. many universities. These are the people on the forefront of our technological future and their voice and opposition need to be heard. Innovation and advancement are key to the future of America. It is my concern that this bill will tilt the legal balance in favor of patent infringers and discourage innovation and investment in research .and development. We must protect our innovators and allow them to pursue concise and necessary action in the court of law.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. and I support the amendment. I would just like to note. however. that we have had over 21 hearings in the subcommittee and have convened several briefings on top of that. We have had reports from the National Academy. the FTC on this subject. And I think the gentlewomans amendment to get still further information is valid. I support it. But certainly we have information today that has been gained over an extensive process over half a decade.
Date: 2007-09-07
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 864. the higher education conference report. had I been present. I would have voted "yea."
Date: 2007-09-10
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my disappointment over the continued lack of progress in Iraq. The sobering content in both the GAO report and the Jones report should finally be a wakeup call that some Members in this House need in order to act to bring our troops home. The findings should make it clear to this tonedeaf Administration that our current path in Iraq is failing. The problem of sectarian violence in Iraq will not be solved by sacrificing more blood of young Americans. After losing more than 3.500 of our brave men and women and spending close to half a trillion dollars. it is time to bring our troops home. To continue to ask our service men and women to make the ultimate sacrifice for a misguided policy is simply immoral.