macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-07
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

Madam Speaker. our Nation needs an energy renaissance. We must develop a wide range of energy sources with a shared goal of reducing emissions and leaving our planet cleanier. We must have clean coal..efficient renewable energy. clean nuclear energy. and responsible use of fossil fuels. It is time for an energy renaissance that uses American resources to create American jobs and stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars each year to OPEC. We know that building this bridge to Americas clean energy future will require the largest commitment this Nation has ever seen. It is expensive. it is necessary. and it is time. Over the past few months. I worked with my colleague. Representative ABERCROMBIE. and other Democrats and Republicans. with no members of leadership or special interefts involved with us. but wrote a plan for American energy independence focusing on exploration. conservation and innovation to build this bridge to Americas clean energy future. We introduced H.R. 2227. the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act. which uses American resources to cut our dependence on foreign oil. clean up our air. land and water. dramatically improve energy efficiency and conservation. create millions of new jobs. fuel our economy. and do all this without raising taxes. I urge my colleagues to sign on as cosponsors of this bill..
Date: 2009-05-07
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ticipated consequences. those conIda. Mr. Chairman. I have an amend- sequences will be quantified and rement at the desk. ported so that Congress can make. any
Date: 2009-05-07
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina. I enjoyed serving with him while I was on the Financial Services Committee. . At this point I would urge the adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of niy time.
Date: 2009-05-07
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Before anything else. I want to thank the chairman and also I want to thank Mr. WEXLER. Mr. WEXLER has been a leader on this issue from day one. and hes a leader also on this amendment. but its more than just this amendment. He has done an incredible job on this issue. And I want to explain the issue and the amendment. Mr. Chairman. we have all heard about this problem. Im sure. with the Chinese drywall. Recent reports are that about 100.000 homes could be affected. This imported drywall from China contains sulfuric gas. which actually has corroded copper electrical .wiring. Its corroded air conditioning units and copper pipes. including to the point where there have been fire hazards. Its also a health issue. It has created sinus problems. created bloody noses. headaches. It has created bronchitis and pneumonia in children. and now we hear that its also harmful to pregnant women. As a matter of fact. Mr. Chairman. on April 17. the Wall Street Jotirnal stated that the University of Southern Californias School of Medicine. a professor there. stated "that sulfur compound gasses. even at low levels. have been found to cause respiratory problems such as asthma." So heres the problem. There is this drywall that has been imported from China that has been installed in a number of homes. again maybe up to 100.000. Homeowners are stuck with these homes. Its more than just smell. Its potentially dangerous. and. again. it eats even wiring and copper. Individuals. homeowners. are stuck with these homes. They cant sell them. They cant live in them. and they are stuck with them. So what this amendment does. very simply. is the following. it authorizes a study by the Secretary of HUD. in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury. on the effects of Chinese drywall on residential mortgage loan foreclosures and the availability of property insurance. And. again. then. its to report to Congress within 120 days. Its critical that we have all the information. that we have the actual information in a timely fashion. I want to thank. again. the chairman for his consideration. And. as I said before. I want to thank Mr. WEXLER for his leadership. There are dozens and hundreds of homeowners who are desperately seeking relief. and this is one more way to try to do that. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-07
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Again. I do want to thank the chairman of the committee. Mr. FRANK. again. Mr. WEXLER in particular for his leadership. This is a critical issue not only for Florida. but for thousands and thousands of other homeowners. With that. I would urge a "yes" vote. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Madam Speaker. I would yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise today to support House Resolution 413. supporting the goals and ideals of IEEE Engineering the Future Day on May 13. 2009. IEEE. as the Chairman has said. is a nonprofit organization and the worlds leading professional association for the advancement of technology. Its a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems. computers. telecommunications. biomedical engineering. electrical power and consumer electronics. just among many. Today IEEE has more than 375.000 members. including nearly 80.000 student members in more than 160 countries around the world. These members rely on IEEE as a source of technical and professional information. They rely on them for resources and also for a number of different services. IEEE Engineering the Future Day will be held by IEEE fomorrow. May 13. 2009. to recognize the contributions and impact that that organization. its members. and engineering and technology professionals have made over the last 125 years. and to raise public awareness. Madam Speaker. of the diverse opportunities available in" many. many different te6hnological fields. Madam Speaker. I would then ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this - resolution. honoring this special day and anniversary. At this time I will reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Madam .Speaker. I- yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I rise today to support H.R. 2020. the Network and- Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2009. The NITRD program is the main Federal R&D investment portfolio in unclassified networking. computing. software. cybersecurity. and related information technology. Networking and information technology. that technology that is vital but obviously sometimes drives us all crazy. sometimes outright batty. but it plays a critical role in our everyday lives. often in ways we do not even realize. Federal R&D investment in NIT has produced such computer breakthroughs as ARPAnet. the forerunner of the modern Internet. communications protocols to transmit data over networks. supercbmputing. the Web browser. and the computer mouse. just to name a few. Multidisciplinary innovations include the decoding of the human genome. modeling. and simula- tion of complex physical systems for aircraft. automobiles. power grids and pharmaceuticals. near realtime weather forecasting and climate models. and unmanned aerial vehicles and search and rescue robots. Cybersecurity is one of the biggest security challenges facing our Nation today. It goes throughout- all of our Federal agencies and even onto our private computer systems. This is just one area that the NITRD program helps to coordinate our Federal R&D. but it indicates just how imperative it is that we continue to support critical and collaborative research efforts such as this. This bipartisan bill. and I again thank the chairman and also the ranking member for this. this bill authorIzes one of the few formal interagency R&D activities within the Federal Government and one that has been viewed as a model of interagency cooperation and coordination. It is a culmination of recommendations from the 2007 PCAST Report on the program. feedback from numerous organizations. and hearing witness testimony. Technology has changed since this program was initiated. in the early 1990s. This legislation ipdates the underlying statute to reflect those changes and helps prepare us for future innovative opportunities in NIT. I want to tWank the chairman for working on this important measure in such a bipartisan manner. Madam Speaker. he tends to do that. He is one of those Members that always tries to listen to all members of his committee. I encourage my colleagues to join me. along with Chairman GORDON. Ranking Member HALL. and other members of the Science and Tech.nology Committee in supporting H.R. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. in March. both Minnesota and North Dakota. as the gentleman just said. began experiencing severe storms and flooding. As a result. major disaster declarations were issued for a number of counties in those States pursuant to the Robert T. Staf_ ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide for Federal assistance. But the numbers are staggering. Fortyseven of.53 counties inNorth Dakota and 28 of 87 counties in Minnesota
Date: 2009-05-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I want to thank the gentleman for that great illustration of what the people are facing. I recall that after Hurricane Andrew. I ran into a number ofobviouslyvolunteers. And something that really struck me was. I ran into two people who were there on vacation. and they were actually helping in a day care center for children that had lost their homes. because the gentleman just talked about how we all peed to see that and how we all here need to come together as well. n 1600 But because of that experience. I did go to Missouri in the nineties after some floods. I had some days off. I was in the State legislature in those days. I volunteered. and I went down there. I spent a few days sandbagging. And you really see the best of the country when people are really hurting and the people are really struggling. Again. weve received the kindness of the American people in Florida multiple times. You also see how heroic the American people are. You .are seeing it now with these storms. I want to. again. thank the gentleman for bringing up this resolution. Its timely. Its so important to make sure that we recognize that tough times are to be had. but the American people do step up. In both of those States. theyre going to do better than they ever were. Theyre going to be stronger. and the people are going to survive and prosper. With that. Madam Speaker. I would yield back the remainder of my time.
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Mr

KIRK. I stand corrected. Florida. I was talking about the proc- I would just say that closed rules ess that does hot permit amendments generally end speakerships over time on theflo6r. Thats what were refer- because what happens is if you do not ring to when we talk about closed let democracy reign on the House floor. rules. what happens is big bills wipe out. And
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: closed

rules he misguided the rules on Florida. The fact that there were ear- the Chamber and then collapsed entire marks in the bill is a separate debate. huge pieces of legislation. by the way.
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. in case there was some confusion. we have not alleged that this is a closed rule. This is a rule that is known as a "structured rule" that permits. authorizes. some amendments to be debated and made other amendments not in order. in other words. did not authorize other amendments. We heard Mr. KIRK. for example. of Illinois. who had an amendment. proposed an amendment before the Rules Committee. and he explained it in detail. It was a bipartisan amendmerit. And it was not authorized. It was not made in order for debate today. What we are pointing out is that on legislation like this. for example. that has passed the House before. that today will likely pass the House again with a bipartisan vote. it really does not seem logical. and Mr. KIRK was quite eloquent in describing it. that ideas brought forth by Members are not allowed to be considered by the House. And with regard to closed rules. I pointed out that the rules that allow any Member. to propose an amendment and have it debated. those are. as you know. Mr. Speaker. called "open" rules. And the majority. both in 2006 and 2008. promised an open process in their campaigns. In 2V2 years. they have allowed one open rule. So that is a major contrast with the promise. The reality contrasts quite dramatically with the promise. At this point. I Would yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished ranking member of the Rules Committee .
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my friends on the other side of the aisle for their participation as well. obviously. as my friends and colleagues from our side of the aisle. As I stated before. this is legislation that has passed before. It passed with some bipartisanship. There is some legitimate substantive debateon the underlying legislation. but I think more objection. certainly. on our part to the unfortunate nature in which the way the process. the debate in the House has been closed down unnecessarily by the majority. We had an example today. an amendment that was brought before the Rules Committee with bipartisan authorship. and yet it was not allowed for discussion and consideration by the full membership. and that is unnecessary and unfortunate. Having said that. we will consider without any doubt this legislation even though I think the rule that brings it to the floor should have been an open rule. and the majority would have thus had an opportunity to double its record of open rules. Since they took the majority about 21 .years ago. they have allowed one open rule. That is something I would have never expected. I would have never expected. Certainly it is very different from the promise made. to the American people of an open process. It is unfortunate. But we move forward. Thank you for listening. Mr. Speaker. and for your fairness in guiding this process as always. Having said that. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I yield to the gentlewoman from California. the distinguished Speaker of the House. Speaker PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for giving us this opportunity. he and Mr. HASTINGS. to express our appreciation to a great leader for our country. Here he Is. modestly sitting in the furthest corner of the Housewell. it is his regular spotbut a person we all seek out. wherever he sits or wherever he is standing for his advice and his guidance. Speaking from the standpoint.-of a member of the Appropriations Committee. when Mr. YOUNG was our distinguished chairman. I know everyone who served at that time on the committee agrees that he was a great chairman and that he listened to his members very carefully. that he moderated the debate. that the dignity he brought to that chairmanship was something that made us all proud on both sides of the aisle. And whatever the outcome. we knew that he would give everyone a chance to make his or her case. I wish to associate myself with allthe other remarks that were made about Mr. YOUNG. Oh. my goodness. Thousands and thousands of votes. But I also want to point out that all of us who care about our troops. our men and women in uniform. and particularly those who are harmed in the service of our country. not only of Mr. YOUNG but his wife Beverly. who has . been an angel in meeting the needs of our troops. Mr. YOUNG officially on duty here. Beverly on a daytoday basis. bringing comfort and refreshment to our troops. They are living examples of what we say in the military. that- on the battlefield. we will leave no sdldier behind. and when they come home. we will leave no veteran behind. My thanks to Mr. YOUNG for what you do to protect America. what you have done to advance the debate. and for your ongoing service to our country. I know I speak for everyone here when I say we"are proud. each and every one of us. to call you "colleague." Thank you. Mr. Chairman.
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: S
State: Pennsylvania

Madam Speaker. last Monday a tragic event occurred in Iraq when five servicemembers were killed at the Camp Liberty Combat Stress Control Center. It points out the importance that we need to pay attention to with posttraumatic stress disorder. acute stress disorder. and a wide range of other mental illnesses which can occur after prolonged combat or exposure to severe stress. We need to understand and communicate with our soldiers and their officers that these problems are real and they are treatable and you can get a soldier back in emotional shape. It is not a sign of weakness. It is not a sign of failure on the part of the soldier or the officer. but they need to get help. Over the centuries in our military. the uniforms have changed. the weapons have changed. the .ships have all changed. but the soldier remains the same. brave and strong and true. But Congress must. nonetheless. provide substantial funding to take care of our soldiers and their families and keep them in mental health shape and physical shape and to get them back on their feet strong and ready. Congress and our Nation must con-. tinue to support them. There is hope. there is treatment. and we need to continue and support our soldiers in that endeavor.
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the supplemental funding bill that will provide the men and women of our Armed Forces with the resources that they need to do the job. Unfortunately this bill will not just fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. It seems to me as if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle never miss an opportunity to use the military to pack a bill with pork. Under the pretext of funding operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. this bill is loaded with billions of dollars worth of spending that simply does not belong there. It is obvious to me that these programs do not directly impact the ability of our servicemembers to do their job. They are priorities of the majority that should be voted on separately based on their own merits. We have a lot of questions about the Guantanamo detainees. .Will they end
Date: 2009-05-18
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 448. I have the privilege of representing a part of the University of California at Davis. It is a privilege because U.C. Divis is truly one of the premier- institutions of higher learning in our Nation. Since the University first opened its doors to students in 1908 as an agricultural research institution it has played a critical role in the growth of California agriculture as one of our States major industries and a producer of food for the world. At a time when the delivery of health care services is an issue of such paramount importance to our Nation it should be acknowledged that the Medical Centerat U.C. Davis serves as the primary acutecare trauma center for millions of residents in our region. It should also be mentioned that the University is recognized for its work as a top tier research hospital. While the veterinary school at the U.C. Davis is recognized as one of the finest such schools in the Nation. I would be remiss not to point out that its law school has also attained the highest standards of excellence. U.C. Davis is the home of the California Biomass Collaborative- which is a statewide collaborative of govemment. industry. environmental groups. and educational institutions administered for the state by the University of California. Davis. The Cbllaborative is sponsored by the California Energy Commission as well as other agency and private industry partners. I worked with the Collaborative in putting together a Biomass Policy Forum last fall to discuss the use of woody biomass as a viable atemate energy source. as well as a means by which to reduce the threat 6f wildfires. The University has also done tremendous work in the field of sustainable transportation. and is the new hub of collaboration and research on plugIn hybrid electric vehicles in California. Such vehicles have zerotailpipe emissions and could well be the future of clean transportation. In my capacity as a member of the Committee on Homeland Security I am particularly interested in the work conducted by the University through the Westem Institute of Food Safety and Security. WIFSS. regarding the need to protect our Nations feedstock from the threat of bioterrorism. Furthermore. U.C. Davis is engaged in cuttingedge research regarding flame retardant materials which has both civilian as well as military applications. It is therefore an honor for me to commend the University of California at Davis to you and ask your support for House Resolution 448.
Date: 2009-05-18
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I rise because April 26 was Debt Day. Debt Day is the day that the Federal .Government runs out of revenue and starts paying for its reckless spending by borrowing more money. This means that all of the money spent by the Federal Government for the rest of the year will either be borrowed front other countries or. as the gentleman who preceded me here on this side of the aisle said. or borrowed from future generations. Deficits are nothing new in Washington. And it is not a oneparty disease. However. American families and small businesses across the country are tightening their belts. and certainly Congress needs to do the same. . Instead. the Obama administration offers a budget that doubles the national debt in 8 years. and by 2012. the American people will be paying $1 billion per day in net interest on that debt. The American people know thatwe cannot borrow and spend our way back to economic health. The path to economic recovery starts with fiscal responsibility. I believe that the Federal Government should follow the example set by our Nations families and eliminate unneeded and excessive spending.