macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-26
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 2682. the Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2012. This bill provides a clear exemption for nonfinancial end users that qualify for the clearing exemption under title VII of the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Across the country. consumers and businesses alike are confronted with risks that are associated with their daytoday operations. To manage this risk. businesses use overthecounter derivatives to provide price certainty and stability in many other conditions which may arise or may otherwise be less specific. Consumers. in turn. benefit from these business prudent risk management practices a through lower volatility in the daytoday prices of the products that they purchase. Due to the importance of protecting the consumer while providing a progrowth environment for business. Congress provided an exemption from clearing and margin requirements for businesses and individuals who are not financial institutions. By providing this exemption. less than 10 percent of the capital involved in the derivatives market is relieved of the burdensome regulations and can be kept in the U.S. economy. To further the initial goal. H.R. 2682 clarifies Congress intent of keeping much needed capital in the U.S. markets. which plays an important role in the countrys economic growth. For this reason. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2682 so businesses and individuals can manage their risks of daytoday operations while not being constrained with the burdensome capital requirements.
Date: 2012-03-26
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

After listening to my colleague from Florida. Im going to tell you it just drives home the point that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Youre talking about a panel that will have control of roughly onesixth of the United States economy. That means more power in Washington. Im going to tell you. ladies and gentlemen. whether youre a Republican or a Democrat or an independent. the more power that rests in this House. the less liberty you have in your house. Were here standing up for your personal freedom and your individual liberties. Were working to make sure that you get a health care system that will continue to support you and your children. We have over 300 children and grandchildren that were the parents and grandchildren of in the freshmen class. and that generation is more important than the next election.
Date: 2012-03-26
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I think the gentleman from Arkansas made a wonderful point. that maybe we havent made enough and should have made more. And thats the difference between a recommendation and a decision. Oftentimes. we put together many panels of experts to make recommendations to Congress. and then Congress can decide to take action on the recommendation or not to take action. This bill flips that on its head in that a panel of unelected people is going to be convened that are actually going to make the decision. They are taking away the right of the American citizen to make the decision for themselves. completely contrary to what has been done in most cases in the past. This isnt a recommendation. ladies and gentlemen. This is a decision that is going to be made for you by bureaucrats in Washington. D.C. And Im going to tell you now that. just like a lot of Americansboth Republicans and Democrats and certainly the IndependentsI feel that the people in Washington need to mind their own business and leave Americans alone. And thats the bottom line. People are fed up with it. More power in this House means less personal freedom and individual liberty in your house.
Date: 2012-03-26
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

As I listen to you talk about the individual States out therethe 50 individual Statesand Im from Georgia. The Second Amendment is extremely important to us in Georgia: the right to keep and bear arms. We havent passed a law on the House floor and passed by the Senate and signed by the President that says every American must own a gun. or a firearm. if you want to be proper about it. Again. its those constitutional rights that we as Americans have. Its not for the government. Its for us as individuals. That Constitution guarantees me as a citizen that nobody in Washington can take those things from me. Our Forefathers understood. again. that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. They gave us the Constitution. They knew that with the House and the Senate being political bodies and with the President being a political body that eventually something like this would happen in this country. And so they gave us a Court. They gave us a Court with one dutyand that duty is to protect the constitutional rights of the United States citizens. And lets just hope and pray that the Court does its job and upholds our constitutional rights. With that. I will yield the remainder of any time I have left to my colleague from New York. Thank you so much for having us here tonight.
Date: 2012-04-19
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Last week. I met with more than 70 small businesses throughout southwest Washington. so I am here to support a bill today that would give every one of those businesses a muchneeded. positive injection of capital. What my friends on the other side of the aisle seem to have a hard time understanding is that 7 out of 10 jobs in this country over the last 20 years have come from small businesses. If we create an environment where they can grow and succeed. more people are going to find work. and thats what this is all about. They need it. My district has endured multiple years of doubledigit unemployment. and jobproviding small businesses havent seen much from their government to give them hope or to encourage them to grow their workforces. For example. many small businesses that Ive met with are really worried about hitting that 50employee threshold that is going to trigger the health care laws burdensome cost. Theyre staying under it. Imagine that: a government rule that is deterring small businesses from hiring. This is a terrible time to send that message. Another business owner talked to me about how he is exasperated by the government reaching out to him. saying he had 4 days to put together a mountain load of paperwork or face a fine.
Date: 2012-04-19
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

We need to remove those barriers. Today. the bill that we get a chance to pass is going to send a different signal that says. Government wants you to grow. We want you to hire. Youre not Uncle Sams piggy bank. We want you to succeed and prosper. These businesses are going to put moms. dads. and hardworking taxpayers to work. Lets allow them to do more of that. On behalf of small business owners in southwest Washington. I stand in strong support of this bill.
Date: 2012-04-25
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today to congratulate the recent victories of two Plano high school teams: the 2012 Plano West girls soccer State champions and the 2012 Plano Senior High School WorldQuest National Champions. Last weekend. the Plano West girls soccer team defeated Katy Seven Lakes. earning the school its fifth State title. Under firstyear Coach Carley Phillips. who won the school a state title in 2002. the soccer program has excelled and continued in its success. And last month. the Plano Senior High Schools WorldQuest team successfully defended its national championship title. For the second year in a row. this team placed first in the national academic competition that tests high school students knowledge of international affairs. geography. history. and culture. Congratulations to these two stellar teams. Thats the way to represent the great State of Texas. God bless you. and I salute you.
Date: 2012-04-25
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. I think Chairman MICA did a great job putting the language into the bill. because it says you have to know when you can do something based on the Federal process and it sets a deadline for the Federal bureaucrats to get their job done. Now. it seems like local governments and State governments are rapidly wanting to do things and the Federal Government drags its heels. requiring them to delay until they get final approval. Were saying. no. lets set a date for the Federal bureaucracy to approve a projectand I know you agree with this issue on your sideto let the construction projects go forward and make sure bureaucrats do their job. I approve what Chairman MICA is willing to do and wants to do here.
Date: 2012-04-26
Speaker: BONO MACK (republican)
Chamber: H

Madam Chair. I rise today in strong support of this bill. This critically needed legislation will help to safeguard America in the future from cyberattacks by unscrupulous and rogue nations. terrorists and cybercriminals. We need to act before a disaster takes place. not after it. and this is our chance. As chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce. Manufacturing and Trade. I have spent the past 16 months holding hearings and thoroughly examining the issue of online privacy. So as a cosponsor of this legislation. I have very carefully reviewed its privacy provisions. and Im satisfied that it will not negatively impact American consumers. Frankly. the privacy concerns are exaggerated. There is no bogeyman hiding in the closet. and Big Brother is not tapping into your hard drive. This bill provides absolutely no authority to the Federal Government to monitor private networksnone. Additionally. all informationsharing with the government would be completely voluntary. The bill also encourages the private sector to "anonymize" the information it shares with the government or other entities. includingand this is very important to rememberthe removal of personally identifiable information prior to sharing it. Finally. the bill also requires the intelligence community inspector general to review informationsharing between the private sector and the government and to provide an annual report to the Congress on its findings. These are very strong privacy protection features. and I applaud Chairman ROGERS and Ranking Member RUPPERSBERGER for working so hard to protect the American consumer and to make this a truly bipartisan effort. Unfortunately. some people and some groups will say anything to try and scuttle this billsounding false alarms and raising imaginary red flagsdespite the very real and dangerous threat posed by terrorists and our enemies if we do nothing. Madam Chair. I strongly urge the adoption of H.R. 3523.
Date: 2012-04-26
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I think the amendment is quite simple. As written. the bill allows for information to be shared with the private sector and utilities. but there are those that do not fall within that that I think we would all agree should be able to have this relationship. Our amendment would have the simple effect of including those elements such as airport authorities. mass transit authorities. or municipal hospitals. which are neither private sector nor utilities. to be able to participate in this voluntary informationsharing regime. I find it odd to find out that the committee is worried about the definition of "critical infrastructure." That has been defined in the U.S. Code for over a decade. It is in the language in 42 U.S.C. 5195c. the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2001. which defines critical infrastructure as: Systems or assets. whether physical or virtual. so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security. national economic security. national public health or safety. or any combination of those matters. That has been the definition that we have supported. Thats been the definition that weve worked on. Your committee. our committee. all committees have. I find this a very simple amendment that tries to reach what we are all trying to reach. It does not grant any more authority to the Federal Government. It allows for the sharing of information to vital entities. as the gentleman has suggested. that we would all agree ought to be there. I would hope that pride of authorship is not the problem here. Were trying to do something that we think makes common sense. And if folks have trouble with the definition of critical infrastructure. you would have thought it would have been raised in the last decade. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Date: 2012-04-26
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I would hope that we could have support for this bipartisan amendment brought forward by the gentleman who serves on the Intelligence Committee. I serve on the Homeland Security Committee. Im chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. It seems to me to make imminent sense. I do not understand why there is some opposition to this amendment. I thank the gentleman.
Date: 2012-05-07
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.
Date: 2012-05-07
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 106.
Date: 2012-05-07
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. H. Con. Res. 106 would authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 16. 2012. This event occurs annually on the Capitol Grounds. The Soap Box Derby allows children to show off their dedication. hard work. and creativity as they compete for trophies. And as someone who has participated in derbies myself. Mr. Speaker. this is a good bill. The winners of each division are then qualified to compete in the National Soap Box Derby. I am excited to urge my colleagues to support passage of this resolution. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-05-07
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

I thought that was compelling. Mr. Speaker. and I am very excited that we are going to hear next from a gentleman who has been a big champion of the Soap Box Derby for many moons now. With that. I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-05-07
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support passage of this resolution. And with that. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-05-08
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. I rise today to strike $328 million in funding for the Legal Services Corporation. Now. at no point in the past 32 years has any party in Congress felt that this agency was important enough to reauthorize it. Thats just the fact. Now let me put it another way. Since 1980. Congress has been appropriating the Legal Services Corporation an average of over $400 million a year while at the same time. again. deeming it unworthy of reauthorization. Why has Congress not felt compelled to reauthorize the Legal Services Corporation? Perhaps its because the Legal Services Corporation has become so far removed from its original intended purpose which was. yes. to provide attorneys for the poor. In 1975. Congress created the Legal Services Corporation to provide free legal assistance to the poor in civil matters. Currently. they provide less than 6 percent of the needbased legal services in this country. Today. the States. bar associations. and private organizations provide the majority of the pro bono legal services to the poor. The Legal Services Corporation has. in effect. become bounty hunters who attack farmers and other employers. Instead of representing the needy. they have chosen to focus their attention on another activityactively lobbying. even though it is against the rules. for the advancement of their chosen Big Government priorities. Fifteen years ago. Senator Phil Gramm explained his opposition to the program by saying. "Theyre being advocates for the existing welfare bureaucracy. and while they may have a right to do it. they dont have a right to do it with taxpayers money." Now every phone book in America has plenty of attorneys in it that will be happy to take any good case on a contingency fee. A recent analysis by The Washington Times found that the Legal Services Corporationinstead of spending your taxpayer dollars on what they were appropriated to dopurchased "a decorative natural stone wall. more than 100 casino hotel rooms that were never occupied. limousines. and firstclass airfare." rather than providing the needbased legal services that the funds were actually appropriated for. The Legal Services Corporation has clearly been poor stewards of taxpayer dollars. and the constituency they were originally intended to serve simply does not need them. Mr. Chairman. Tough decisions need to be made. This is not one of them. Certainly there is an attorney that will take any legitimate case that any citizen of this country has. whether they be poor or not. The Legal Services Corporation is duplicative. its nonessential. its unauthorized. I encourage my colleagues to defund it completely. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-05-08
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

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 gentleman from Georgia will be postponed. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to reauthorize the ExportImport Bank of the United States. and for other purposes. as amended.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material to the bill.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois . a staunch advocate for textile exports in this country.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague for her inquiry. The bill requires a Federal Register notice to include the identities of the obligor. principal supplier. and guarantor. The initial notice is to include a description of the item being financed. However. the description must be constructed in a way as to not disclose proprietary confidential information or information that would violate the otherwise required disclosure of trade secrets as defined by the Trade Secrets Act. or information that would jeopardize jobs in the U.S. by supplying information which competitors could use to compete with other countries in the U.S. When determining what description to use in describing an item being financed. the bank must take into account the totality of the Federal Register notice. For example. the description of the item should be done in a way that when combined with the name of the principal supplier. information is not disclosed which foreign competitors could use to compete against U.S. suppliers. thereby jeopardizing jobs in the U.S.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague for her inquiry. The bill requires that the public be given not less than 25 days for the submission of comments prior to the boards consideration of the proposed transaction. Upon the conclusion of those 25 days. the bank should expeditiously prepare materials submitted to public comments for consideration by the board. Transactions in excess of $100 million are currently subject to review by the Congress for 25 days a session. which can be longer than 25 calendar days. as our intent is that the board proceed with consideration of a pending application as soon as legally and practically possible.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois. the vice chair of the subcommittee. Mr. DOLD.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend. a forceful conservative voice in Congress. the gentleman from California .
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself the remaining time. There are a lot of people on our staffs that have done a great job. Youve mentioned Lesli McCollum Gooch. Shes been the senior policy director of the subcommittee. Shes done a great job. Also. Randy Ross and Aaron Ranck. On the majority side here. Susan Blavin. Alex Teel. and Neil Bradley have all worked very. very hard. On the minority side. I would like to just thank Georgette Sierra. Shes been incredible in this whole process. working with our side. Also. Daniel McGlinchey. Kirk Schwarzbach. Kelly Larkin. John Hughes. and legislative counsel. Jim Grossman. Theres been a lot said about this bill here. Let me make it very clear: ExIm Banks default rate is less than 1.5 percent. Theres no lender out there that has that stellar of a record. Weve put additional funds in here for green technology because ExIm underwrites all their own loans. Thats why theyre performing so well. So weve created additional funds for them so they can increase their underwriting ability to make sure theyre making good. safe loans. ExIm Bank makes money for the taxpayers. And theyve done a great job. We have an opportunity in this country to create jobs. We can yield those jobs to China. we can yield those jobs to Germany. to France. to other countries who want to take jobs from this country. or we can make sure that American companies. large and small. have an opportunity to compete. When they compete. they create jobs. And. guess what? They make money for the taxpayers because they give it back to the Treasury. Thats a winwin for everybody. The oversight we placed in this billand I want to thank Majority Leader ERIC CANTOR for working with me on thiswhen it came out of subcommittee and an addendum added to that have created a very. very safe institution. With that. I ask for an "aye" vote. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-05-09
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.