macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-23
Speaker: JUDY CHU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the life of Sergeant Louis Van Iersel. a decorated veteran of both World Wars. by offering a bill to designate the U.S. Post Office in the city of Sierra Madre. California. the Louis Van Iersel Post Office. Sergeant Van Iersel was the true embodiment of an American hero. An immigrant from the Netherlands. his acts of heroism began even before he sat foot on American soil. On his voyage to the United States in 1917. he assisted in the rescue of 27 shipwrecked British soldiers torpedoed by a German vessel. On the very day he arrived in the United States. Mr. Van Iersel registered for the draft and enlisted in the Army. He didnt speak a word of English. but he learned while working in the Army kitchen. He was eventually assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division and was deployed to France at the end of World War I. It was in France that Mr. Van Iersel showed extraordinary heroism time and time again. He first gained notice when he and a comrade braved German gunfire to carry 17 soldiers to safety. He was then promoted to sergeant. when he led a small reconnaissance patrol and found enemy trenches. It was there that he was able to use his native language of German to infiltrate them and convince the officer in charge to surrender 60 German soldiers. From there. Mr. Van Iersel increased his efforts to gain information on German troop movements. In one particularly treacherous situation. Mr. Van Iersel braved heavy fire to swim across the icy Seine River. He overheard German soldiers discussing a heavy artillery barrage that would have wiped out the whole American battalion. With this critical information. he swam back across the river and reported his findings. enabling the American troops to take cover before the attack began. Because of his actions. he saved 1.000 American lives. For all his efforts. he was awarded dozen of medals. including two military medals. the French Croix de Guerre and the American Medal of Honor. These are the highest honors that both countries can bestow. At the end of the World War I. Mr. Van Iersel moved to the city of Sierra Madre. California. in my district. He became a citizen. got married. and started a family. But then World War II broke out. and Mr. Van Iersel knew he could not sit idly by. He and his three sons all reported to the Army to enlist and to serve their country. But Mr. Van Iersel was turned away. because the Army told him he was too old to serve. While he would not let this stop him. undeterred. Mr. Van Iersel talked his way into the Marine Corps. He served with the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific. and safely returned home in 1945. Mr. Van Iersel passed away at the age of 93. But as a longtime resident of Sierra Madre. Mr. Van Iersel exemplified the American Dream. raising his family after he left military service. volunteering with his local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. and remaining an active member of the community. I encourage you to honor his extraordinary legacy and vote "yes" on H.R.
Date: 2016-05-23
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I missed the following votes: 1. H.R. 4889. Kelsey Smith Act. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes" on this bill. 2. H.R. 3998. Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes" on this bill.
Date: 2016-05-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it is certainly time for Congress to do its job. Just last week we were briefed by the Centers for Disease Control regarding the Zika virus. Earlier today in my congressional district in Houston. one of the infectious disease specialists called Houston and the Gulf region the epicenter of the Zika virus. It is well known that treatment for any child that is infected will cost $10 million. Frankly. the brain is literally destroyed by the virus. So the deformity is the fact that there is no brain functioning in these children. This map indicates the whole Gulf region. That is clearly in the eye of the storm. This map indicates that Houston. among other big cities. is number one as it relates to the Zika virus. So my call today is for us to fully fund the Presidents emergency supplemental. This is a picture of the mosquito causing these impacts. We discussed today a task force. which I created in my district. Finally. just to leave this information. this is the mosquito. Use DEET. This is a serious matter. We need full funding to combat the Zika virus and save lives.
Date: 2016-05-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I express my appreciation for being a member of the Victims Right Caucus because it is bipartisan. I should say it is multicommunities. All different people. Let me thank the gentleman for mentioning Mayor Turner. This is an exciting effort. If you dont take notice. you are not going to be able to solve the problem. And that is what the city is doing. It is taking notice and putting in infrastructure for being helpful. Let me close by simply saying that. as Judge POE knows. in the last couple of days of Houston we have been mourning the killing of an 11yearold child on his way home from school. We have not determined who it is. but all I can say to you is that even our children are vulnerable. whether by a heinous individual that maybe was trying to pick the child upwe dont knowbut the child is now deceased. My sympathies to his family. the Flores family in my congressional district. All I can say is that it is our responsibility to protect these children and not for little Josue to have died in vain in the tragic way that he lost his life. Again. I thank the gentleman for allowing me to offer sympathy to his family and his community and say that we are doing the right thing by trying to protect those who are most vulnerable.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank my Colorado colleague on the Rules Committee for allowing me to speak. I rise to oppose this rule but in support of the amendment to H.R. 2576. the TSCA Modernization Act. This bipartisan. bicameral legislation will reform our Nations broken chemical safety law for the first time since 1976 and directly addresses the Toxic Substance Chemical Acts fundamental flaws. Congress has worked on reforming TSCA for over a decade. and. as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I have personally been working on fixing the statute since 2008. Though not perfect. the proposal before the House today is. in the words of President Obamas administration. "a clear improvement over current TSCA and represents a historic advancement for chemical safety and environmental law." The most notable improvements in the bill are replacing the current TSCAs burdensome safety standard with a pure. healthbased standardthat makes senseexplicitly requiring the protection of vulnerable populations like children. pregnant women. and workers at chemical facilities like the district I represent. requiring a safety finding before new chemicals are allowed to go onto the market. giving EPA new authority to order testing and ensure chemicals are safe. with a focus on the most risky chemicals. This legislation responds to the concerns of industry to provide regulatory certainty for the job creators throughout our economy. This legislation is a win for our congressional district in Eastside Houston and Harris County. home to one of the largest collection of chemical facilities in our country. The reforms contained in this proposal have protections for the workers at our chemical plants. the fence line communities next to these plants. and benefit chemical manufacturers who will have certainty in a true. nationwide market. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this amendment and help pass the first major environmental legislation in a quarter of a century.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: PAUL TONKO (democrat)
Chamber: H

I also want to thank Leader PELOSI and our whip. Mr. HOYER. All three of them played an integral part in strengthening the package before us today. I am happy to support this bill to move forward with more protection for public health. for the environment. for vulnerable populations. and for vulnerable communities. While this is a compromise bill. it is a long overdue step forward in protecting families and communities from toxic chemicals. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the amendment to H.R. 2576. the TSCA Modernization Act. That is an abbreviation for the Toxic Substances Control Act. This bipartisan. bicameral legislation will reform our broken chemical safety law for the first time since 1976. and directly addresses TSCAs fundamental flaws. This legislation is a winwin for our district in East Houston and Harris County. Texas. home to one of the largest collection of chemical facilities in the country. The reforms contained in this proposal will enhance protections for the workers in our chemical plants. the fenceline communities next to these facilities. and will benefit chemical manufacturers who will have certainty in a true. nationwide market. Congress has worked on reforming TSCA for over a decade. and I personally have been working on fixing the statute since 2008. Though not perfect. the proposal before the House today is. in the words of the Obama administration. "a clear improvement over current TSCA and represents a historic advancement for both chemical safety and environmental law." Let me quote also from the United Steelworkers: "Overall. the amendments to H.R. 2576. the TSCA Modernization Act. do not result in a bill we would have written. However. there are significant improvements over current law. including a fix of the 1991 asbestos decision that crippled the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) ability to act. Now EPA must use a healthonly standard to evaluate chemicals and reserve costbenefit analysis for determining restrictions of harmful chemicals. Additionally. the bill includes increased EPA authority to review chemicals. a fee structure to fund the program. and protection of vulnerable populations. including workers." Again. that is from the United Steelworkers. The most notable improvements in the bill are replacing current TSCAs burdensome safety standard with a pure. healthbased standard. explicitly requiring the protection of vulnerable populations. like children. pregnant women. and workers at the plants. requiring a safety finding before new chemicals are allowed to go to market. and giving EPA new authority to order testing and ensure chemicals are safe. with a focus on the most risky chemicals.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

This legislation responds to the concerns of industry to provide regulatory certainty for job creators throughout our economy and has the support of the Environmental Defense Fund. the Humane Society. the March of Dimes. and the National Wildlife Federation. along with the machinists union and the building trades. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this amendment. and help pass the first major environmental legislation in a quarter century.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Chair. New Mexico is. frankly. very fortunate to have many natural resources. including vast amounts of minerals. oil. and natural gas. but water is. by far. New Mexicos most precious commodity. As a Representative from New Mexico. I have witnessed the devastating impact that longterm severe drought can have on businesses. communities. and the State. Drought conditions threaten the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers who depend on this natural resource to run their operations. In addition. there are many communities in New Mexico. both in urban and rural areas. that may not survive without an affordable and a sustainable water source. These conditions go beyond New Mexico and extend. in fact. to the entire Southwest. Based on the most recent available science. experts believe that this region of the country will continue to experience megadroughts in the future. It is critical that we make investments now not only to protect and conserve this scare resource but to also research and develop alternative. affordable. and sustainable water technologies to ensure that Southwest communities and businesses can continue to thrive in persistent drought conditions. My amendment would prioritize $25 million for an energy water desalination hub. as proposed by the Department of Energy. The hub will develop the technology to reduce the cost. energy input. and carbon emission levels of water desalination. Desalination technology has been around for many years. and I have visited several countries that are currently using desalination technology. New Mexico would greatly benefit from this technology. since the State has large brackish water reserves that could become viable water resources through desalination. Desalination can also help the States oil and gas industry to address water shortage and wastewater disposal challenges. Despite the number of benefits and industry advancements. unfortunately water desalination is still costprohibitive for small communities and companies. This is why I think it is crucial that we develop this technology to make it as affordable and energyefficient as possible. Making important investments in water technologies like water desalination will be critical in determining the future of Southwest communities and businesses. Now. I am disappointed. of course. that this is not something that is currently included in the bill. I am looking forward to working with the majority on this really important issue. At this time. Mr. Chairman. I am prepared to withdraw my amendment.
Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Chair. I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment. The Acting CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New Mexico?
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my concerns with the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. This bill passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. however this bill contains unnecessarily controversial language which will jeopardize its passage here in the House. Many of the bills included in todays House amendment have passed largely along party lines and have received veto threats from the White House. For example. the House Amendment contains The Western Water and American Food Security Act. a bill which aims to address Californias record drought. As we all know. California has been in a severe drought which has devastated its water supply. Although this bill includes language to address Californias current water crisis. I do not believe that it takes into account the concerns of all major stakeholders. Yes. we need to increase storage sites. reexamine infrastructure to move water to the south. and take immediate steps to provide water to the farmers who put food on our tables. We also cannot afford to ignore the environment as our kids and their kids will have to live in it. I believe we must put everything on the table. All community stakeholders should be involved as we address Californias shortterm and longterm water futureand this must be done immediately. Last week during National Infrastructure Week. I spoke about the importance of investing in Californias water infrastructure. We should utilize our resources to capture. reuse. and recycle our precious water for future generations. The House amendment also contains harmful language from the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015. This legislation would allow mining companies to set their own rules regarding environmental reviews. It would also cripple the permitting authority under the National Environmental Policy Act. or NEPA. Another bill added into this package. the North American Energy and Infrastructure Act. increases our reliance on fossil fuels and cripples the Department of Energys ability to enforce energy efficiency standards. Further provisions in this bill would curtail NEPA even further. threaten wildlife protections. and ban the results of Department of Energysupported research from being used to create assessments. Mr. Speaker. this legislation hurts our environment. our wildlife. our public health. and our energy independence.
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short title). insert the following: SEC. . In addition to the amounts otherwise provided under the heading "Department of the Army Corps of EngineersCivil Construction". there is appropriated $311.000.000 for fiscal year 2017. to remain available through fiscal year 2026. for an additional amount for flood control projects and storm damage reduction projects to save lives and protect property in areas affected by flooding on April 19th. 2016. that have received a major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act: Provided. That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. as a preamble to my amendment. please allow me to thank the chairman. Mr. SIMPSON. for his courtesies. I would also like to thank the ranking member. Ms. KAPTUR. for her courtesies. Mr. Chairman. if you live in Houston. Texas. you monitor the weather. You monitor the weather. Mr. Chairman. because. over the last year. Houston. Texas. has been declared a disaster area not once. but twice. If you live in Houston. Texas. you monitor the weather because. in the last year. we have spent billions in recovery damages. If you live in Houston. Texas. you monitor the weather because. in the last year. we have lost 17 lives to flooding. Houston has a problem. But there is a solution. This amendmentwhich is based upon H.R. 5025. an emergency supplemental billwould accord $311 million that will eventually be spent. This is not money that will not be spent in Houston. Texas. but money that will be spent on projects that are already authorized. The projects are authorized. The money is going to be spent. However. we can take a piecemeal approach and do some now. some later. and spend billions more in recovery efforts. which is what we are doing. We are spending billions after floods when we could spend millions before and save money. save lives. and give Houston. Texas. and the citizens therein some degree of comfort. Mr. Chairman. I believe that my friends in this House have a great deal of sympathy and a good deal of empathy for Houston. Texas. as is evidenced by the fact that over 70 Members have signed onto the bill. H.R. 5025. And we have bipartisan support. We have Republicans at the committee level who are doing what they can within the committee. We also have Democrats who are working to try to help Houston. Texas. So I am honored tonight to stand in the well of the House to make this request. that Houston. Texas. be made a priority and that the Corps of Engineers. when they do assess the needs of the Nation. that Houston be given some degree of preference because money is being spent that need not be spent. But. more importantly. Mr. Chairman and Madam Ranking Member. lives are being lost. Houston. Texas. has what are captioned as flash floods. You can find yourself in a circumstance from which you cannot extricate yourself. and you may lose your life when we have one of these inclement. adverse weather conditions. They happen more often than prognosticated some years ago. It can be debated as to whether we are having 100year floods or 500year floods. That is debatable. But what is not debatable is the fact that we are having billiondollar floodsbilliondollar floodsin Houston. Texas. a major American city declared a disaster area not once. but twice in the last year. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. on April 18th the City of Houston and Harris County. Texas were subjected to paralyzing flooding which claimed the lives of seven of our citizens and required the rescue of 1.200 more. Approximately 2.000 housing units were flooded and we are currently working to figure out where to house the folks who cannot return to their homes. This is the second major flooding disaster Houston has experienced in the last six months and the City is expecting additional rain and thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday of this week. Residents in our congressional district as well as other Members districts have been severely affected and we must do something to stop the needless loss of life. The President has recognized the significance of the catastrophe and a fulfilled a request for a disaster declaration. Now its the job of Congress to help our constituents. I have worked closely with my neighbor and friend. Rep. AL GREEN to offer this amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The amendment would provide $311 million dollars to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction. and in most cases. completion of our bayous and flood control projects. Flooding is not new in Houston but weve learned how to control it. Our bayou system has saved countless lives and millions of dollars of damage since creation. Unfortunately. due to consistent budget pressure. the Army Corps of Engineers cannot adequately fund these projects. This amendment would ensure that our federal. state. and local authorities have the resources necessary to expedite the flood control projects we know protect people and property. Mr. Chair. we can help the victims in our neighborhoods and we must help them. I urge this body to pass this emergency funding legislation and do so quickly.
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I would like to be heard. if I may. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized on the point of order.
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Would Chairman SIMPSON allow me to give my closing comments before we receive the ruling from the Chair. which will be just a few seconds more. I believe? How much time do I have remaining? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas has 1 minute remaining on the amendment. Does the gentleman wish to be heard on the point of order?
Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Well. yes. on the point of order. if so. in so doing. I may speak to the flooding in Houston. Texas. I want to be appropriate as I do this. and I will yield to the wisdom of the Chair. The Acting CHAIR. The Chair will rule. The Chair finds that this amendment includes an emergency designation. The amendment. therefore. constitutes legislation in violation of clause 2 of rule XXI. The point of order is sustained. and the amendment is not in order.