macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-18
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 5909. the Catching Operational Vulnerabilities by Ensuring Random Testing Act of 2008. otherwise known as the COVERT Act. This act simply would prohibit the disclosure of information concerning a covert test conducted by TSA. the Inspector General of DHS. or GAO to any individual prior to the completion of -the test. The bill also requires any TSA covert testing team to be accompanied by a cover team to monitor the covert test and to confirm the identity of the covert testing team to any appropriate individual. if an individual or security -screener not aware of the covert test identifies the covert testing team as a threat to security. This bill is substantially modified from the bill as originally introduced because there was some real giveandtake and compromise produced on the part of both sides of the aisle at the subcommittee level and with the full committee staff. And for that I am thankful and believe that we have a better product as a result of that consultation and that give and take. One of the things we wanted to make sure we did not do in attempting to prevent people spilling the beans. so to speak. on these kinds of covert tests was to have such a heavyhanded approach that it might tip off people by the presence of additional folks. Weve worked that out here. and I thank the gentleman and the gentlelady for being able to do that. I would just have one small point. perhaps disagreement with the chairman. There are reports that there was a tipping off in one particular instance that was intentional. seemingly meant to give people notice that there was going to be a test or it was about to take place. In another case. at least from my review of the files. it appears to be inadvertent. and I believe something on the order of within 30 seconds the notice that was contained in an email was retrieved by the responsible party when he realized someone else had put that out. And then theres a third one thats somewhat in dispute between TSA and some Members of the House. and others. And all I would say is. irrespective of how many there were. if there was just one. thats one too many. This bill I think helps us move in the direction of improving the circumstances so the likelihood of that occurring is much less in the future than it would have been without this legislation. And so for those reasons. I would enthusiastically support H.R. 5909 and ask my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-18
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 1150 and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. as the chairman has said. we have worked. and the executive branch has worked. to enhance the security of this Nation since the terrible episode of 9 11. However. I think it would not surprise people to understand that we put primary focus on aviation safety since that was the means. that is aviation. that was utilized by the terrorists on 911. We have done a good job with it. A couple of years ago. we passed the SAFE Port Act. which I think gave tremendous enhancement to the security measures that are utilized in our ports. This resolution recognizes that we need to do more in the area of rail and mass transit. I do not view that at as a criticism of anybody. Rather. I view that as a call to arms. so to speak. an urgency imprinted on the concern that we have in this area of potential vulnerability. I would particularly point to the part of the resolution that states that TSA should continue to develop the National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program and to utilize it with respect to our Nations rail and mass transit line. One of the things that I think we have realized. on both sides of the aisle. is the tremendous capabilities of canines and the application of canine teams in a number of different areas of security in a number of different transportation modes. I would say that I would hope that at some point in time. we might also be able to bring to the floor legislation dealing with the trucking industry. There is bipartisan commitment to do that. The gentleman from Mississippi has had a bill that a number of us have worked on. along with the gentlelady from Texas and others. that would enhance the security nature of our trucking system and would. at the same time. make careful distinctions between securitysensitive materials and otherwise hazardous materials. And that distinction would therefore not disadvantage certain drivers in the United States that otherwise might be prohibited from being able to drive hazardous material that is not security sensitive. I know the gentleman from Mississippi and the gentlelady from Texas are committed to that. I hope that we might be able to see some progress on that in the future as well. Again. I think this resolution is worthy of support by all in this Chamber. With that. Mr. Speaker. I would reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-18
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. before I begin I would ask that the RECORD include a letter from the National Tactical Officers Association to Congressman KING and Congressman ROGERS in supportof this bill.
Date: 2008-06-18
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I support this National Bombing Prevention Act for As the gentleman who just spoke from the State of Texas has said. this is a rather inclusive bill. It has a component of operations and training in it. also a component of awareness. And together. they combine to make an excellent bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-19
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. today Pastor Tom Rhodes visits our Chamber from Folsom. California. where he is the pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. He makes this journey with his son. Matt. less than a week after Fathers Day as a reward for Matts graduation from high school in Folsom. Part of the purpose of their trip is to expose Matt to the history and tradition of American civic dedication. since Matt is interested in public service. One thing they will see as they visit the lgalls of Congress and the battlefields of the Civil War is that there is no shortage of ways and opportunities to serve ones country. And that is what we find in Matts father. Pastor Tom. He told us that the opportunity to stand here today as our guest chaplain would show his son that "service to our country takes on a variety of forms." But Pastor Toms prayer for us this morning. like the prayers his congregation in Folsom regularly offer. isnt the only place we see this evidence. it is in his lifetime of service to God and country. Besides serving as the Pastor of Mount Olive. Pastor Tom has held a variety of ministry positions in church. including pastor. elder. librarian. Sunday school teacher and committee chair. Outside of church. he has been a member of the local PTAs. on the Board of Directors for the Twin Lakes Food Bank. a narrator for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. and a part of the Civil Air Patrol for 3 years. We are glad to have you here with us today. Pastor Tom. Thank you for your continued prayers and service to your community and country. And Matt. congratulations on your recent graduation and good luck in your future endeavors.
Date: 2008-06-19
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the emergency supplemental appropriations rule and bill that is currently before the House. I would like to thank my colleague.
Date: 2008-06-20
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. back on April 24 of 2006. just over 2 years ago. Speaker NANCY PELOSI issued the following statement. which I quote: "With skyrocketing gas prices it is clear that the American people can no longer afford the Republican Rubber stamp Congress and its failure to stand up to Republican big oil and gas company cronies. Americans this week are paying $2.91 a gallon on average for regular gasoline. 33 cents higher than last month. and double the price when President Bush first came into office." Madam Speaker. most Americans would be happy if they were paying $2.91 today for a gallon of gasoline. When Americans are paying over $4 for gasoline. we should be working on legislation to lower the cost of gasoline. increasing domestic energy exploration. reducing our reliance on unstable foreign sources of oil. So today. I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that this House can immediately consider solutions to rising energy costs. By defeating the previous question. I will move to amend the rule to allow for consideration of H.R. 2279. Expanding Amer.ican Refinery Capacity on Closed Military Installations. introduced by Representative Prrrs. This legislation would significantly reduce the cost of gasoline by streamlining the refinery application process. It will also require the President to open at least three closed military installations for the purpose of siting new and reliable American refineries. Madam. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment and extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
Date: 2008-06-20
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

By voting "no" on .the previous question. Members can take a stand against high fuel prices and in favor of taking action to confront that problem. I encourage a "no" vote on the previous question. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-20
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for the time* Madam Speaker. as some say on radio. "Now lets hear the rest of the story." After the arguments just made on this floor. this is actually a great day. We and the American people have been waiting for this since 12=01 a.m. on February 6 when the Protect America Act expired. During the intervening time we have actually been unnqcessarily vulnerable to those who would do us harm in this era of worldwide terrorism. In fact. Madam Speaker. I would say that this is the single most important bill we will vote on this year. not that I say supporting our troops is not important. but the intelligence that we gather as the result of the authority granted by this bill may actually create conditions under which we do not have to send troops anywhere in the world and may be more protective of our rights than any other single thing. Having come before this body on five different occasions since that initial expiration of the Protect America Act. I am greatly relieved that we can finally send the intelligence community and the American people a bill which will enable the intelligence community to continue to protect those American people. Although the compromise agreement embodied in the proposal before us is not necessarily the one I would have written. it does. in my estimation. meet our responsibilities for protecting the American people. In other words. Madam Speaker. it is not the Mona Lisa but it is not a bad paint job. First and foremost. the proposal before us ensures that we will continue to have the ability to monitor the conversations of al Qaeda overseas. And although there are requirements that the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence adopt procedures which will be submitted to the FISA Court. the bill retains sufficient flexibility for our overseas intelligence mission. In other words. the intelligence community leadership has assured us that this bill will allow them the operational authority to do what needs to be done within the parameters of the Constitution. Both the safety of the American people as well as their civil liberties are protected in" this proposal. This proposal embodies compromise language .which responds to the legitimate concerns of telecommunication providers who themselves responded to the call of their government in the wake of 9/11. The language -of the bill not only satisfies the interest of justice. but communicates loudly to all Americans that if they are ever confronted with such requests. lawful requests. their government will not hang them out to dry afterwards. Specifically. a Good Samaritan safe harbor will exist with respect to any civil action where there is substantial evidence to support the certification provided by the Attorney General. The quantum of evidence required is merely a showing of more than a scintilla but less than a preponderance of evidence. And although these provisions in the proposal will contribute to securing the safety of our citizens. this is not to suggest that I support every provision in the compromise.
Date: 2008-06-20
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. For example. the socalled "exclusive means" language in the bill is seen by some as an assertion .of maximal congressional authority. Let me just remind my colleagues that the FISA Court of review has said all of the other courts to have decided the issue held the President did have inherent authority te conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information. The court stated that "we take for granted that the President does have that authority." So regardless of whether we have a President McCain or a President Obama. this language will likely be interpreted in the context of facts in individual cases in light of the constitutional jurisprudence which has arisen with regard to the collection of foreign intelligence. In -other words. .it does not either trample upon the constitutional prerogatives of the Congress nor those constitutional prerogatives of the President of the United States. This is a good compromise. It protects the American people. We have been waiting for it. It ought to be voted on with dispatch.
Date: 2008-06-20
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 6304. a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillanee Act and to protect America from foreign threats. For the past several months. I have heard from hundreds of constituents on the issue of FISA. Each one of them expressed their alarm and disbelief that the House Majority would repeatedly refuse to call a vote on. bipartisan legislation to extend FISA and address our grave vulnerability to terrorist attacks. Today I am pleased that the Majority leadership has finally reached across the aisle to put together a compromise bill. and fulfill one of its fundamental tasksto ensure the security of this great Nation. This compromise is also a reminder of what I have always believed. that no one side can do it alone. both parties must work together to ensure our safety. In such uncertain times. when it is essential that our government utilize every available tool to protect American citizens. having the ability to collect intelligence responsibly is essential. While there is no excuse for the delay in bringing this critical bill to the floor. we must now move forward together to pass H.R. 6304 and restore our Nations intelligence capabilities.
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. soon we will be breaking for the July 4 district work period. July 4. Independence Day. But what are we doing about making us. the American people. independent of foreign oil and foreign energy? If you look at the record in this House. absolutely nothing. The first response we had from the majority was denial. They say this supply will do nothing. Well. of course it will do nothing unless you explore it and produce it. Then they say energy will be produced by lawsuit. We have got a bill coming out of the Judiciary Committee. Sue. sue. sue. and somehow that is going to give you more energy. The American people are smart. They understand that if we have a precious resource granted to us. we ought to use it. Independence Day. July 4. Why cant we bring at least one bill to the floor that would begin to give us energy independence?
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4044. the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008. I am happy that the House is considering today this bipartisan legislation. As the gentleman from Michigan. the chairman of the committee mentioned. several years ago we passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. The purpose was to ensure that bankruptcy procedures were still allowed for those who needed them. and yet the abuses that we had seen in the years leading up to the bill would be reduced if not eliminated. It received bipartisan support. Todays bill deals with a part of that scene that needs to be addressed and addressed immediately. Republicans strongly support the mission and appreciate the sacrifice of our dedicated reservists and guardsmen. As many people know. we rely far more on our National Guard and Reservists in the conflict that we have ongoing in the Middle East today than we have in previous conflicts. That was a conscious decision by the Congress of the United States over the last Gouple of decades. As a result. many. many more dedicated reservists and guardsmen are assuming responsibility in areas of conflict. We agree that reservists and guardsmen who are plunged into bankruptcy by the demands of their service .should be given a helping hand under the bankruptcy code. In committee. Republicans labored long and hard to achieve a workable compromise that would help these serving men and women. The major issue for committee Republicans was simplethat the bill respond to bankruptcies attributable to a reservists or guardsmans service. This bill does not perfectly meet that concern. However. it is part of the art of compromise and it meets it sufficiently for committee Republicans to support passage. It does this first by requiring an important study by the GAO. The study will examine the degree to which bankruptcies benefiting from the bill are indeed attributable to service. as we hope they will be. The study thus will help us to be sare of whether reservists and guardsmen are using the relief granted by the bill when it is their service that leads to bankruptcy. And the study must be completed promptly within 2 years of enactment. Secondly. the bill includes a 3year sunset. When we are asked to reauthorize the bill. we will have the GAO study and report. And we will know for sure how the bill is working. and if it needs to be modified. how it should be modified. It is not my expectation that it would be abused. but if it is. we would be able to address that at the time the reauthorization is considered. With these requirements added. I am pleased to support passage of the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California. one of the major sponsors of this bill. active sponsor of this bill. Mr. DANA
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. of course I cannot address the gentleman directly under the rules. So through the Chair. I would just say that yes. shale oil and tar sands are important. We happen to be the Saudi Arabia of those certain resources of God. placed here for us to use. and yet for one reason or another. were almost afraid to use the world "drill." So I appreciate the chairman using the word "drill" three different times. That doesnt mean going to the dentist. That means drill for oil. drill for natural gas. That will be something which will help the American people. So I would just say that I dont need my leadership to tell me about it. All.I need to do is go home and see the prices of gasoline. All I need to do is listen to people. Seventysome percent of the American people now. by the latest Fox poll. say they want more drilling. they want more production in America. The only group that doesnt have a 70some percent support of it is this group. the House of Representatives. Either were behihd the times or were ahead of the times. And I suspect were behind the times. - And all Im doing is asking my good friend. the chairman from Michigan. to understand that the people of Michigan suffer as much as the people of California when we fail to understand that we have resources that we could use. We ought to use American technology to develop American energy rather than having it developed all around the world. Oh. and by the way. oil spills. They come from tankers. They come from tankers. not from offshore rigs. We ought to understand the more were dependent upon. foreign oil. the more tankers that supply the oceans and a greater possibility of a problem which would cause difficulty on our beaches and those beautiful waves that my friend from California enjoys surfing on in California.
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 3546. a bill to authorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program at fiscal year 2006 levels through the year 2012. This bill continues to fund the Department of Justice ByrneJAG Grant Program that. as the gentleman from Georgia said. provides assistance to State and local law officials. These grants support a broad range of activities to prevent and control cpimes and -to improve the criminal justice system. The department allocates funds using a f6rmula based on State population and the annual Unified Crime Report statistics. The program does have a minimum allocation to ensure that each State and territory receive an appropriate share of the Federal funds. ByrneJAG funds can be used to pay for personnel overtime and equipment.
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. once again. I rise in support of H.R. 3546. and I yield myself such time as I may consume. and suggest that of all the costs that are involved with law enforcement across the country. one of the greatest is the cost of gassing up their cars. As the gentleman understands. law enforcement. yes. travels on its feet. but more than often travels on its wheels. The increased costs of energy affect us all across this Nation. Every home is affected by it. without regard to economic status. But think about this. our law enforcement agencies are very laborintensive. They depend on people. yes. applying technology. but we depend on people. When we have concern about crime in a particular area. it doesnt do to say. well. weve got new computers downtown. thats going to take care of it. What do people want to see? They want to see law enforcement in their areas. And for most areas of America. that means seeing patrol cars coming through their neighborhoods at an appropriate time. seeing them respond whenever there is a cry for help as a result of crime or an attempt at crime. The costs that are implicit in this tremendous increase in energy costs in this country. the gasoline pump prices. affect each and every one of our law enforcement agencies. And so I would hope as we support unanimously this Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program for fiscal years 2006 through 2012. we also think at some point in time of bringing up a bill that might help us get some relief in that area. If you add it all up. it might add up to the total cost of the Byrne grant program.
Date: 2008-06-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I would be happy to yield to the gentleman from the place where I think they still build more automobiles than any other place in .the country.