macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-15
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you. Madam Chair. and I thank Ranking Member CAPITO for her assistance as well. Quickly. I would add two things. One. this bill helps us to stabilize the housing market. There are many persons who seek to buy homes who have not been able to buy homes because the flood insurance was not available. yet required. to make the purchase. We also have persons who are concerned about the hurricane season. We have extended the flood insurance program. but this helps us to stabilize it and stabilize the housing market My final point is this: auto insurance is not something that I necessarily want to have. I dont use it regularly. There are many who purchase it and never use it. but it sure is good to know that you have it in the event of an accident. Flood insurance is something that we need. not because we know it will happen to us but because of the possibility. I thank the chair. I thank the ranking member. I beg that we pass this legislation.
Date: 2010-07-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5114. the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federallybacked flood insurance available to homeowners. renters. and business owners in participating communities in exchange for those communities adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. Unfortunately. Congress did not reauthorize the program by the May 31 deadline of this year. and as a result many Americans living in floodprone areas. including people in my congressional district. have been unable to obtain flood insurance or renew their coverage. Hurricane season is now upon us. and therefore this is an issue on which Congress must show urgency. The Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010 would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through the year 2015. along with making certain reforms. One such reform involves a five year phasein of flood insurance rates for newly mapped areas not previously designated as having special flood hazard. This is particularly important for lowincome citizens living in where flood maps change frequently. I have always been a supporter of the National Flood Insurance Program because I believe that hardworking Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their homes and businesses will be protected in the event of a major flood. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5114 and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program so that people are once again able to obtain this peace of mind.
Date: 2010-07-15
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I regret that I was unable to participate in a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives today. The vote was on the Motion to Recommit on the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010. Had I been present. I would have voted "no" on that question.
Date: 2010-07-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. thank you for your leadership. and. as well. I appreciate very much the debate that this House had just a few minutes ago about H.R. 5114. the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010. I rise to support that legislation and. specifically. to discuss an issue that really impacts all Americans. An amendment that I crafted. a very effective amendment. would have prohibited States and local governments from misusing new Federal flood insurance program requirements to disadvantage businesses and homeowners in any way. meaning. to take their property away because they have misinterpreted the Federal laws as to whether or not your home is in a floodplain or in a floodway. Those of us from the gulf understand that very well. Unfortunately. under Federal law. it is often misinterpreted by State and local officials. resulting in unintended consequences in many communities across this country. For example. in the White Oak community. 2.400 homes were being violated because a local government was misinterpreting whether or not these particular individuals could stay in their homes. Their values plummeted. I am going to continue to work on this legislation going forward to ensure this language gets in the bill and that we fight to protect homeowners once and for all.
Date: 2010-07-19
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. as the lead Democrat sponsor of H. Res. 1219 I rise in support of this bipartisan resolution expressing support for recognizing the month of September as National Child Awareness Month. My colleague from California. Congressman KEN CALVERT and I were pleased to introduce H. Res. 438 because it will raise awareness of childrens charities and youthserving organizations across the United States. This resolution recognizes that these organizations efforts on behalf of children and youth are critical contributions to the future of our nation. As we know. September is traditionally backtoschool month. a time when families focus on preparing children for the coming school year. In addition to academic preparation. it is also a time when the American public should be focused on the physical. social and economic wellbeing of our nations children. It is my hope that H. Res. 1219 will encourage more individuals to volunteer for or contribute to causes that help our children. An enhanced awareness of childrens charities and youthserving organizations. made possible by this resolution. will assist these organizations efforts to encourage volunteers to become involved in the lives of the most disadvantaged children in our communities across the country. I am confident that National Child Awareness Month will serve as a banner that will unite charitable organizations of diverse missions. size. geography and scope to focus on a common goalimproving the lives of our nations youth. Many nonprofit youthserving organizations and charities across the country have expressed their strong support for the recognition of September as National Child Awareness Month. I am hopeful that President Obama will share my enthusiasm and issue a Presidential Proclamation to designate September as National Child Awareness Month. With his support. both public and private programs across the nation will be acknowledged for their contributions to ensuring our childrens wellbeing. In the meantime. I would like to thank my colleagues for their unanimous support for the adoption of H. Res. 1219expressing support for designation of September as National Child Awareness Month as it will serve to bring the nations focus back to the one resource that guarantees our future successour children.
Date: 2010-07-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to offer my strong support for the passage of an extension for Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits. Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits have expired as of June 1st. leaving millions of Americans without the financial lifeline they rely upon. Each week that Congress fails to pass this extension. another 200.000 Americans lose their benefits. These are not people freeloading off the government. They had jobs. and the years that they worked are reflected in the weeks of benefits they receive. They are also required to look for work in order to receive benefits. With a 9.9% unemployment rate. job prospects remain dismal for the unemployed. With hundreds of applicants for each opening. some hiring managers have even gone so far to exclude the unemployed from applying within their job advertisements. Without this extension hundreds of thousands of Americans will fall into poverty. Many more will have to make the excruciating choice between basic needs for their family. choices such as going without food or medicine in order to pay the rent or mortgage. Economists have pointed to the economic value of unemployment insurance benefits. These are dollars that are going back into the market. raising consumption and creating jobs. If we allow millions of Americans to slip into economic peril. it will only serve to hurt the economy and stall the recovery. This is economically important and ethically important. and I fully support the immediate passage of the restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the supplemental that this leadership passed was to create jobs. and I hope that the bill that comes from the Senate will embrace the need for American jobs. In Ohio. the home of our minority leader. there is a 10.5 percent unemployment. Can anyone explain to me why the Republicans continue to obstruct the extension of unemployment benefits. benefits that will benefit those who work and who have worked and who need to pay their mortgages and provide food on the table? We need to extend unemployment benefits for unemployed Americans now. Again. we have another story. Here is a story of privatizing Social Security or extending the age before receiving Social Security. I remember the fight. I was here on the floor of the House when seniors were calling our phone lines and saying dont privatize Social Security. Thank goodness for the wisdom of our seniors. If we had privatized Social Security. it would have collapsed in the abysmal disgrace of Wall Streetno money. But Social Security has been paying on a faithful basis now for decades. We know that 72 percent of the American public dont want us to raise the age to be eligible for Social Security. but yet the minority leader wants to raise it so he can pay for the Iraq and Afghan war. Bring the soldiers home. Recognize that 36 million families are in need of Social Security. Seniors are in need of Social Security. Keep our Social Security the way it isstrong and solvent.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of Social Security as it approaches its 75th anniversary. When FDR signed this historic legislation into law. he understood that the whims of Wall Street were sweeping many hardworking Americans into financial ruin. At the time. more than half of Americas seniors lacked sufficient income to be selfsupporting. Social Security changed all of that. Indeed. today. in my home State of Florida. 53 percent of seniors would be below the poverty line without Social Security. That hasnt stopped Republicans from wanting to end the guarantee of Social Security. In 2005. President Bush proposed privatizing Social Security. which would have cut benefits for 70 percent of retired Americans. Well. its deja vu all over again. While President Bush may be gone. his plans live on. House Republicans are once again calling to privatize Social Security. and Medicare for good measure. We simply cannot risk tossing millions of seniors into poverty. Let us rededicate ourselves to Roosevelts vision and to the economic security of all of our citizens and not throw our seniors out in the cold.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in support of the most successful program the United States Government has ever created. Social Security. Since its inception in 1935. Social Security has become the great promise that each generation will take care of those who came before it. In our district in Texas. nearly 65.000 recipients receive over $61 million monthly from the Social Security administration. Its a bluecollar district. home to thousands of hardworking families who have overcome wars and natural disasters in becoming the backbone of the American economy. The national average benefit for the retiree is $14.000 a year. a majority of income for 6 out of 10 seniors. This modest amount guarantees that tens of millions of parents. grandparents. friends and neighbors can retire with dignity. I believe its important to consider what would have happened if Congress had followed along the lines of thenPresident George W. Bush in 2005 to partially privatize Social Security and make Social Security subject to the stock market. Or consider what could happen if Congress follows along the plans of some of my colleagues across the aisle in cutting Social Security to reduce the national debt. I believe that cutting Social Security is irresponsible and wrong as we approach the 75th anniversary of Social Security.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I rise in memory of a great Floridian. Claude Pepper. who served this body and the other body for over 32 years. He was one of the greatest advocates for senior citizens in the history of this body. and I rise today in his memory to talk about the importance of Social Security to maintain the safety net for all Americans as we celebrate 75 years of Social Security being that safety net for seniors. And I have some breaking news for everyone. Social Security is not the cause of the deficit. Let me repeat. Social Security is not the cause of the deficit. And the Republican plan to privatize Social Security is going to be dead on arrival.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5266. the National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act. I would like to thank Chairman OBERSTAR and subcommittee Chairwoman NORTON for their hard work and assistance in bringing this bill forward. I would also like to thank Mark Shriver. the commission chair. for his work and dedication to children. You all have provided crucial support in the creation of the National Commission on Children and Disasters and continue to do so in advancing this important bill to allow the commission to continue its important work. The passage of H.R. 5266. the National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act of 2010. is of extreme importance to our Nations efforts in protecting our Nations children before. during. and following a disaster. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I authored the KIDS WiSH Act to improve Federal. State. tribal. and local disaster preparedness. response and recovery efforts for children who make up nearly 25 percent of our population but whose needs are often overlooked in disasters. Children are not little adults. and their needs are unique and cannot be easily inferred from disaster plans prepared only for adults. The commission delivered its interim report in October 2009. which identified numerous gaps and made recommendations related to disaster management and recovery. child physical and mental health. education. child care. child welfare. juvenile justice. emergency sheltering. housing. evacuation. and family reunification. As President Obamas administration has taken shape. the commission has played a vital role in fostering communication and coordination among Federal agencies and their partners in implementing the recommendations. While there are encouraging signs that the unique needs of children are receiving greater attention. there is still a great deal of important work ahead for the commission beyond the current fiscal year. Just recently. in fact. in its interim report issued 8 months ago. the commission released a report which tracks the progress toward the implementation of the recommendations. Although the commission found that Federal agencies have taken some initial positive steps. many crucial recommendations remain substantially unaddressed. leaving children needlessly vulnerable in disasters. Therefore. I wholeheartedly believe that more work is needed to be done to bring about sweeping and permanent changes in the Nations disaster planning and management. which still heavily favor ablebodied adults. I encourage all of my colleagues to support our Nations children and to vote "yes" on this bill.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1463) supporting the goals and ideals of Railroad Retirement Day.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials on House Resolution 1463.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I strongly support House Resolution 1463. supporting the goals and ideas of Railroad Retirement Day. and encourage all of my colleagues to support this important legislation. This resolution recognizes Railroad Retirement Day and the 75year anniversary of the Railroad Retirement Act. The railroad industry established the first formal industrial pension plan in North America in the year 1874. The Railroad Retirement Act came because the Great Depression wiped out the private system before the Social Security program could meet the needs of railroad retirees. Additionally. the Statebased unemployment insurance system had failed to serve those whose work took them across the country. Under the Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Acts. railroad workers and employees fund retirement. survivors. unemployment. and sickness benefits programs for the Nations railroad workers and their families. During the past 75 years. more than 2 million retired workers. 1.1 million spouses. and 2.4 million survivors have received benefits through the Railroad Retirement Board. Finally. the program fosters a close relationship between railroad employees and employers. The change in the system over the years has been the result of cooperation between management and labor. and stands as an example of how government. labor. and businesses can work together to serve the Nations needs. Clearly. the railroad retirement programs serve a valid need in a very efficient manner. and is worthy of our recognition. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

My dear friend. I am so happy that you support the railroad retirement system. And I can tell you that some people have not always been supportive of Social Security. I remember when Social Security passed. it passed without any Republican vote. And constantly. year after year. Bush and the Republicans tried to privatize it. and the American people said "no" and the Democrats said "no" and I say "no. no." Now. I support the railroad retirement. and Im glad that we stand together for the railroad workers. I hope we can get that same kind of support for the Social Security benefits. Madam Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia .
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I wasnt here in 1935 but I certainly was here in 1995. and I do know where the Republicans stood as far as not only privatizing Social Security but gambling with Social Security and where would they be with the crash in Wall Street. I would like to yield such time as he may consume to the chairman of our committee. the gentleman from Minnesota . whos the guru and has all of the figures and the statistics on the history of Social Security and those who support it and those who have never supported it.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. let me just say that I welcome a debate on how we can reform Social Security any time. but I can truly say. having been here during the 1990s. one way that you shore it up is not to privatize it. Coming from Florida. I mentioned earlier that I come from the State where Claude Pepper served in this body and the other body for over 32 years. He was one of the strongest advocates for Social Security. Clearly. we can see what happened on Wall Street and what has happened with other programs and pension funds. Social Security is a safety net. Being in this body. let me say you stand for something or you fall for everything. and one of the things we are going to stand up for on this side is for Social Security. We are very happy that we are having before us today the railroad retirement that we all can support. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. let me just say that we. on our committee. always stand ready to work in a bipartisan manner. and we would certainly be interested in ideas that dont include privatizing Social Security. But for Members to come on this floor and act as if Social Security is the reason why we have the deficitfor several years. I know there is no institutional memory. we had what we call reverse Robin Hood. robbing from the poor and working people to give tax breaks to the rich. Thats what got us in this hole. Now I am glad we all can support the bill that is before us today. but as far as I am concerned its the Ways and Means that handled this particular issue. and I am prepared to debate and discuss and work with my colleagues to come up with solutions as to how we can tweak the program.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady who chairs the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and has done an excellent job. I thank the ranking member that shares that responsibility with her. Mr. LUNGREN. I rise today to congratulate these members for the Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010 and to make the point that under Chairman THOMPSON we have. in actuality. passed more authorization bills on our committee. and particularly those that relate to subcommittees. The Committee on Transportation Security has passed H.R. 2200 and is waiting for action in the Senate. I join my friend from California and indicate that homeland security is not a partisan issue. it is a bipartisan issue. as he has indicated. And I join him in wondering when we can adhere to the 9/11 Commission report and get a more singlefocused review of homeland security in the Homeland Security Committee. I hope that maybe we will have the opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner. to work with the other body. and to really accomplish the idea of maintaining homeland security issues in the Homeland Security committees. both in the House and the Senate. This legislation shows what our committee can do under the leadership of Chairwoman CLARKE and Ranking Member LUNGREN to be able to establish a roadmap for Science and Technology. After listening to the oversight findings of the Committee on Homeland Security. the GAO. and the DHS Inspector General. H.R. 4842 requires Science and Technology to establish requirements for how basic and applied homeland security research is identified. prioritized. funded. passed. and evaluated. and emphasizes the need to prioritize research around risk. We all know that Science and Technology really is the backbone of our homeland security efforts. It is to keep us ahead of the terrorists who want to do us harm. H.R. 4852 authorizes the establishment of a more quasiautonomous Testing. Evaluations and Standards Division within S&T to help ensure that technology is properly evaluated. Additionally. in an effort to foster better collaboration between S&T and the private sector firmsmost especially small firmswith promising homeland security technologies. H.R. 4842 authorizes the Office of PublicPrivate Partnerships. I want to congratulate the chairwoman and the ranking member on this issue. Before my committee. the Subcommittee on Transportation Security. many times small businesses will come before us and really act in angst about the fact that their new technology is languishing at the Department of Homeland Security. Now we have. because of this legislation. the Rapid Review Division that is in charge of establishing an accessible. streamlined system to conduct timely reviews of unsolicited technology proposals in order to more effectively harness the ingenuity of the American private sector in an area where DHS continues to struggle. It is important that we do that.