macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-02-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

in his proposal. made some cuts. Im not saying you should have supported it. Im saying you should have allowed the American people to have that alternative on the floor to consider. You say it wasnt germane. You and I both knowyou know the Rules Committee process as well as I dowe could have waived that because the issue in front of us immediatelywere talking about the long termimmediately. is in 22 days. or 23 days. were going to have a sequester. Almost everybody agrees that the sequester will have an adverse impact on the economy. and on our national security. and on discretionary programs because it would be irrationally done. across the board. without recognition of priority status. So that I tell my friend. I regret that were not dealing with the sequester. I would hope the gentleman would put legislation on the floor next week to deal with the sequester. deal with an alternative to the sequester. not talk about what we did last Congress. We didnt agree with that. Youre right. We voted against it. But put something on the floor that deals with the sequester. And I will tell my friend. I liked his speech. And he said again today he wants to work in a bipartisan fashion. The fact of the matter is. we had an election. and in the election the American people said they thought the Presidents view had merit. which was a balanced approach. Yes. revenue. but also cuts in spending. And the Senate expanded its numbers. notwithstanding the fact that they agreed with the Presidents position and not with yours. And. in fact. more people voted for Democrats in the House of Representatives than voted for Republicans. but the redistricting resulted in your continuing to have the majority. So we have a joint responsibility to get there. And I would urge the gentleman to please consider putting something on the floor. not these message bills. but putting something on the floor that will substantively deal with avoiding the sequester. Now let me go on to another issue that I know that the gentlemans been working on. and thats the Violence Against Women Act. I know hes been working. he said. with Vice President BIDEN. who was very involved in this. Can the gentleman tell me the status of that piece of legislation?
Date: 2013-02-06
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding to me. I rise to pay tribute to the predecessor of my office. who served for 23 years as a Member of the House. the Honorable Cardiss Collins. who passed away on Saturday evening here in the District area. I followed Ms. Collins into Congress when she retired. She followed her husband. who was killed in an airplane accident. The amazing thing about her was that she basically had no political involvement and experience from that vantage point. She was an accountant. who also was a housewife and involved a bit in local politics. But she got involved and was a quick study. immediately grasped what takes place here. ultimately became chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. became chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. had an outstanding career. and I simply wanted to acknowledge her work. People of her community will remember the legacy that she created as a fighter for womens rights. as a defender of childrens rights. and a real defender of health care. Again. I thank the gentleman from Texas.
Date: 2013-02-12
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 267 is a bipartisan bill that will facilitate the development of new. environmentally responsible hydropower projects. The bill was introduced by
Date: 2013-02-12
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Chairman WHITFIELD and all of the members of the majority as well for working with the minority on this important piece of legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support the Collinsville hydropower legislation introduced by Congresswoman ESTY of Connecticut. The bill would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Conmission to reinstate licenses for two hydroelectric power plants on the Farmington River and to transfer these licenses to the Town of Canton. Connecticut. This noncontroversial legislation has passed the House by voice vote in both the 111th and 112th Congresses. Mr. Speaker. I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut . the sponsor of the bill.
Date: 2013-02-12
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I would just urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-02-12
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 235. the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013. This bill authorizes a demonstration grant program for States that are experiencing emergency medical technician shortages so that States. in turn. can better assist returning veterans and their transition to civilian employment. States receiving grant funding under this program would develop and implement plans to streamline training and educational requirements for returning vets. Specifically. States would determine the extent to which civilian education and training requirements are equivalent to those for previous military EMT work. And States would identify ways for qualified military EMTs to forego duplicative requirements. H.R. 235 was reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee with broad bipartisan support. And. Mr. Speaker. I think its also worth noting that H.R. 235 is essentially the same as legislation that passed the House on a voice vote in the last Congress. I commend the sponsors of the bill. Congressman KINZINGER and Congresswoman CAPPS. for their leadership on this important issue. H.R. 235 is a commonsense bipartisan measure. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker. I thank the chairman and the majority for working with us on this bill. would urge my colleagues to support this bill. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to the huge education cuts that are in the sequester. Massive sequestration is an inefficient way to make spending decisions that affect millions of Americans. However. this is what we agreed to. and the House majority has not had an open and frank debate on how this Chamber can reduce our national deficit while helping our students and hardworking educational professionals succeed. On education alone. sequestration will reduce funding for the Department of Education and Head Start by an estimated $4.8 billion. Department of Education funding will return to pre2003 levels. impacting between 8.9 million and 9.4 million students. Potential job losses in the education field are projected to be between 74.600 and 80.500. These cuts will come as schools and colleges enroll more students and the cost of services increases. I call on Members on both sides of the aisle to join me in finding a better way to reduce our deficit while protecting our children. students. and educational professionals.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I join with my colleagues to say that sequester is not the answer. When I begin to look at my district and I see high school students and middle school students and elementary school students. I say sequester is not the answer. Yes. we can look reasonably at how we improve reducing the debt. but not on the backs of seniors. not eliminating the social network. And then. with respect to our children. do we tell them we close the doors on summer jobs. we close the doors on the best teachers. innovative teaching. science labs? Absolutely not. So I join with the President to say that its an inflicted wound we gave. Lets be better. Lets be adults. And. finally. Madam Speaker. lets do our job on gun safety. Lets ensure universal background checks. Lets have registration of those guns that are owned by gun owners like we register a car. And lets make sure that. as my legislation introduced. that we secure the guns in our homes so that children or those who are disturbed cannot access your guns because you left them around. I am not interested in coming into your home and taking your guns. but you have a responsibility to be able to secure them. That law was passed in the State of Texas. a State that prizes its guns. Lets be a group. a Congress that can work together. We can do this.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I absolutely agree with my colleagues of the necessity of an absolute firewall around the protection of the First Amendment. And I do believe that Members understand the sacred aspect of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. But I rise today to support H.R. 592. and I support it so that it can be considered by the Senate and that we can reinforce the distinctive separation between church and state. But coming from Hurricane. if you will. Valley. coming from the gulf. living through Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina. the pain I saw that places of worship. of any kind. were devastated. the members are taxpayers. And for all that we could do. we could never get those places to be restored. The small business loan program does not work because many of our churches are just that. they give their money to the poor. They are not rich institutions. That is the bulk of places of worship no matter what your faith may happen to be. And as the Federal Emergency Management Agency does. in fact. support nonprofits. I would argue to the authors of this bill whether or not they would be open to ensure that the funding is specifically for the devastation that occurred on that specific natural disaster. that there was a time limit. that there were specific items of which the churchor the place of worship. let me be generalcould utilize it for. I come to the floor because I have lived the pain of pastors. I have lived the pain of rabbis. imams and priests who have suffered the devastation of their faith. It is not a fault of their own.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the distinguished gentleman for his kindness. Let me thank the ranking member very much. I think we can make this work. And I also want to just mention an anecdotal story: when we had Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. the places of worship opened their doors to the surviving members out of Louisiana or survivors out of Louisiana and just opened their doors. They had leaking roofs. They were damaged. But in Texas. they opened their doors. We took a quarter of a million. and they opened their doors. They put cots up. and they fed them. All of those items could not be reimbursed. We saw places of worshipno matter what their faithliterally shut down. They just could not survive because they had given their all with their leaking roof. their nonresources to give food in a place that these people could stay. So in this instance. having walked through a number of disasters. from the tragedy of 9/11. a heinous manmade disaster. to every hurricane that weve had. including the tsunami way across the ocean. to see what a natural disaster can do and to preclude these places who can legitimately documentI would even suggest that it be on a reimbursement form. But we can work together so that we can document that what these dollars are used for will be used for the restoration of the physical plant that houses or allows those who are Americans. who pay taxes. and are contributing to this Nation. I ask my colleagues to consider H.R. 592 and how we can make it better so that it can go forward and help the places of worship.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Id like to yield to my inspiration in so many wayswe share the same nameCAROLYN MCCARTHY. And on this issue. from New York. she is our spokesperson.
Date: 2013-02-13
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to honor an American hero. Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle. Eleven days ago. Chief Kyle was taken away from all of us while doing what he did besthelping others. especially fellow veterans. During his four tours in Iraq. Chief Kyle served in every major battle of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His skill as a sniper became legendary among Americans and insurgents alike. He was given the nickname "the devil of Ramadi" by the insurgents and a $20.000 bounty was placed on his head. By the time Chief Kyle left the Navy in 2009. he had made 160 confirmed kills. more than any other U.S. military sniper in history. Chief Kyle returned home to Midlothian. Texas in 2009 to be with his wife. Taya Kyle. and their two young children. Chief Kyle continued protecting his fellow warriors through the creation of the Fitco Cares Foundation. which raised awareness and money to help veterans overcome posttraumatic stress disorder. In 2012. Chief Kyles. American Sniper. was published. Though his book became a best seller. he never received money from it. Instead. he used the proceeds for the families of two friends and fellow SEALs. Most notable of all. Chief Kyle was a man who loved his family deeply. watched over his friends. and did all he could to protect and help those close to him. I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Chris Kyle and offer the thanks of a grateful nation.
Date: 2013-02-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this month the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Shelby v. Holder. a case that challenges the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It is imperative that the Voting Rights Act be upheld in its entirety. for without it. a fundamental piece of our democracy will be out of reach for millions in this country. Mr. Speaker. I stand here after two decades. and Im supposed to be standing here representing a district that has been altered twice. But. Mr. Speaker. I stand here representing a district that has been altered three timesthat many timesin this last two decades. As we saw in the recent election. discrimination on the basis of race is a persistent reality throughout many localities in States protected by section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Without these protections. voters are at risk of losing their fundamental right to vote and to have that vote counted. The Voting Rights Act provides a remedy to protect voters. either by addressing actual instances of discrimination or by preventing discrimination from happening in the first place. Section 5 provides localities the opportunity to prove that they are fully committed to ensuring everyone has the right to vote. and sets out clear criteria for doing so. In this way. section 5 of the Voting Rights Act encourages localities to establish fair voting practices. but demands real proof of the progress. I cannot tell you how many cases that come to the attention of the Justice Department. almost on a monthly basis. of discrimination in this area. The Constitution is unequivocally clear that the Congress has the authority to protect voters. That is why Congress spent so much time in 2006 reviewing all the data and hearing from all sides. The 2006 reauthorization was recognition that discrimination still exists but that Congress has a responsibility to ensure that every voter must continue to exercise their right. If every State would prove to the voters that they are willing not to discriminate. there would not be the need. but that has not happened. Even States not covered have had difficulty of allowing minorities to express themselves. Now. I have been a victim of discrimination through redistricting and cracking and packing and every other technique that can happen in redistricting. Mr. Speaker. until we. in this country. can guarantee that voters will be handled fairly. there is no way that we should be talking about doing away
Date: 2013-02-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. more and more. the voices are being raised about the devastating impact of a sequester. a selfinflicted wound of this Congress because we could not come together as the American people have directed us to do. The security of the United States will be in jeopardy if we have the sequester. Men and women who stand on the front lines in protecting this Nation will be in jeopardy. All of those who depend upon Head Start funding. early education funding. title I funds and housing funds. and opportunities for young people to go to college will be in jeopardy. And so I think it is unfortunate that we are discussing and debating on the floor today H.R. 273. to eliminate the 2013 statutory pay adjustment for federal employees. All of those people who put themselves on the line for us and have already had a pay freeze. all were talking about is 0.5 percent. None of that will bring down the debt or help the deficit. Were just making noise. What we should be doing is focusing on coming together around a growth and innovation budget and bringing the deficit down. What we should be doing is honoring the Sandy Hook and other victims and passing real gun violence prevention like universal background checks and storing guns. Madam Speaker. let us do the job the American people sent us to do.
Date: 2013-02-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank my dear friend from Florida for the leadership on the issue. the number of Members who have already spoken. and my good friend on the Rules Committee who is the manager of this particular rule and. in essence. bringing this bill to the floor of the House. and that is what you hear the discourse about. Many times this discourse. this debate becomes confusing because we are trying to compare apples and oranges. And so let me first own up to the fact that a congressional pay freeze is already in place. Our salaries have been frozen. When it expires. well rise to the occasion and freeze it again. Were elected by the people. and those decisions can be made on behalf of the people. Were not talking about congressional salaries today. Theyre in place. They exist. What were talking about is the ICE officer that Im meeting with in the Rayburn Room who works everyday to protect this country and has seen that. because of the $103 billion that Federal employees have already given to reduce the deficit. necessities of work are being challenged. Customs and Border Protection. DEA officers. FBI. Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control physicians. research at NIH and those scientists. all of those persons are working for the greater goodthose who had to address the West Nile virus. FEMA employees who are right now on the ground with Hurricane Sandy. I have no question that there are private sector employees that are addressing this question. but theyve gotten a 4.7 percent raise. Let me tell you what the issue is. Lets stop fooling around and address the question of sequester. Protect those who need a social safety net and Social Security and Medicare. Realize that if you dice and cut and slash under the sequester. that will be the issue. None of these amendments were allowed in.
Date: 2013-02-15
Speaker: NEGRETE MCLEOD (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today I rise in support of a resolution authored by Mr. LIPINSKI of Illinois honoring National Engineers Week. In his State of the Union address. the President emphasized the importance of educating students in the sciences. technology. engineering. and math fields so that they are prepared for the hightech and highpaying jobs of the future. STEM education is vital for the economic growth of my district and for the Nation. Just last month. a new report found that in the past 11 years hightech jobs in my district and in the surrounding areas have grown by 18.6 percent. Many of these jobs are requiring engineers and students who pursue STEM education. Yet while most parents of schoolaged students believe that STEM education should be a priority in the United States. only half agree that it is actually a top priority. That is why I ask my colleagues to support the celebration of National Engineers Week in order to raise awareness of STEM education and its importance to our countrys economic future.
Date: 2013-02-15
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 273. a bill that would extend the pay freeze on federal employees salaries for the third consecutive year. By bringing H.R. 273 to the floor for a vote. House Republicans have once again singled out federal employees and their families as they look to place the burden of reducing the deficit squarely on the backs of middle class families. Like their privatesector counterparts. federal employees are subject to the same economic trends as any other worker in America. Federal employees have families just as their counterparts in the private sector. and have the same responsibilities to provide for them. With federal employees currently under a pay freeze for the past two years. it would be unfair to ask for continued sacrifice from only this select group of middleincome workers. Federal employees have already contributed $103 billion toward reducing our deficit through a series of pay freezes and reductions in benefits. The critical role of federal employees is often overlooked. and demanding further cuts to pay and benefits will diminish our ability to deliver on this governments promise to protect the American people. Mr. Speaker. I am not opposed to reining in wasteful government spending. However. I am opposed to continually placing an undue burden on federal workers to make up for wasteful spending in other areas of the federal budget. If we are serious about addressing our budget deficits. this Congress should focus more on passing a comprehensive budget that reflects shared sacrifices by all Americans.
Date: 2013-02-15
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Reva Britan for her brilliant 25 years of service to the people of south Florida. Reva began her career in 1988. after successfully raising five sons. and became a congressional staffer for former Congressman Larry Smith. then worked for former Congressman Peter Deutch. my predecessor. and for the last 8 years. she has been working with me in my district office. Her continuity of service and her depth of experience has benefited thousands of my constituents. She is a muchloved staffer who brings her joy. her light. and her smile to the Pembroke Pines office every single day. Whether shes helping someone set up a tour or greeting constituents on the phone. she does it all with ease and elegant grace. On behalf of the constituents of Floridas 23rd Congressional District. we thank Reva for her service and her dedication to our community. our office. and our country.
Date: 2013-02-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Because they have no voting rights. a group that we dont hear a lot about is children. On Friday. March 1. our children will be in the eye of the storm. The sequester that will occur will impact children. particularly Head Start. So many of my Head Start organizations have cried out for relief and Title I funding. so I want to say to them that we are going to come together. It may not be on Friday. but we know that were going to look forward to overturn what has been a process that was put in place because President Obama and the Democrats were ready to make sure the government was going to run and others were not. Now we have a crisis. but that crisis will not last long because we Democrats will put children first and find a solution to ensure that the American people have the resources that are necessary to provide services to ensure the quality of life that their tax dollars pay for. We must have revenue and. yes. we must have spending responsibility. but we cannot undermine the American people.