macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the ranking member and the chairman of the committee. I would also like to thank my counterpart. the chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. Mr. TURNER. because we have truly worked in a very bipartisan way. Our committee looks at the procurement of things both for land and air. We have a lot of help in doing that. I would like to especially thank our staffDoug Bush. John Wason. Jesse Tolleson. and John Sullivanfor their dedication and hard work in getting this done. I am very proud of the elements of our subcommittee we have in the bill today. Working in a bipartisan manner. we found hundreds of millions of dollars to cut from programs that are behind schedule. not performing. or some that just didnt make sense anymore. We took that money and diverted it into things that I believe our servicemembers need: UAVs. armored vehicles. fighter aircraft. tactical missiles. National Guard equipment. and a wide range of individual soldier items. I also want to highlight. for example. the Army National Guard needs to replace its aging helicopters. and we have focused on that. That was one of the things that I focused on. For example. in the California Army National Guard. they are deeply involved in fighting these forest fires. but they cant do it with aging equipment. It is a priority for me in this years bill to fund UH60 Black Hawk helicopters to ensure the implementation of modernized Black Hawks into the Army National Guard. I am also proud this years bill continues to eliminate unnecessary barriers that delay the services from expanding opportunities for women in the military. It is time for the U.S. Armed Forces to stop excluding servicemembers from serving in certain roles due only to their gender. Female servicemembers have the right to serve in all units and all specialties as long as they meet the standards. And finally. as a member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. I remain concerned about the bloated nuclear weapons budget. I hope that. in the future. we will support nonproliferation programs.
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security. I rise to speak on S. 1356. the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2016 Conference Agreement. I thank Armed Services Committee Chairman THORNBERRY and Ranking Member SMITH for their work and collaboration with the Senate conferees in making the revisions to the NDAA needed to address the substantial and legitimate concerns raised by in the Statement of Administration Policy regarding the original
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I had intended to vote "yes" on rollcall No. 662. The Acting CHAIR. There being no further amendments under the rule. the Committee rises. Accordingly. the Committee rose. and the Speaker pro tempore having assumed the chair. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. reported that that Committee. having had under consideration the Senate amendments to the bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt employees with health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans Administration from being taken into account for purposes of determining the employers to which the employer mandate applies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. and. pursuant to House Resolution 512. he reported the Senate amendment. as amended by House Resolution 507. back to the House with sundry further amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. thank you to President Obama for working with us to get a real defense authorization bill and for us to be able to fix the broken defense bill that was passed previously in this House. I was prepared to sustain the veto. but through a very instructive and positive budget resolution that we passed just last week. we have been able to plus up the defense. and we have been able to plus up nondiscretionary defense spending. Today. I voted for the defense authorization. Included were amendments that I offered that were sustained in the conference report which require the Department of Defense to conduct outreach programs to assist the concerns of small businesses that are owned and controlled by women. veterans. and socioeconomically disadvantaged minorities. In addition. my amendment. which provides guidance to the Secretary of Defense in identifying HBCUs and minorityserving institutions and to assist them in developing and enhancing science. technology. engineering. and math. was also kept in the bill. Finally. my amendment. which requires the Department of Defense to evaluate commercial. offtheshelf business systems for security. resilience. reliability. interoperability. and integration with existing interrelated systems. was also incorporated. So. in protecting the security of the defense mechanisms. in providing opportunities for small businesses. and in working with Historically Black Colleges and minorityserving colleges. this bill is a good bill. I. again. support the fact that we are moving the defense bill forward and that we are protecting not only our veterans. but we are protecting the men and women who serve us in the United States military.
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I was unavoidably detained on November 2. 2015. through November 3. 2015. Had I been present. I would have voted as follows: On rollcall vote No. 582. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 583. I would have voted "no." On rollcall vote No. 584. I would have voted "no." On rollcall vote No. 585. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 586. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 587. I would have voted "no." On rollcall vote No. 588. I would have voted "no." On rollcall vote No. 589. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 590. I could have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 591. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 592. I would have voted "aye." On rollcall vote No. 593. I would have voted "no."
Date: 2015-11-16
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of S. 599. the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act. This legislation. sponsored by Senator BEN CARDIN and championed in the House by Representative JOHN SARBANES. will extend and expand the Medicaid emergency psychiatric demonstration protect. Since the creation of Medicaid 50 years ago. the program has excluded payment for institutions for mental diseases. IMDs. a designation that includes most residential treatment facilities for mental health and substance use disorders with more than 16 beds. The original IMD exclusion is consistent with the goal of treating severe mental illness in the least restrictive setting possible. However. there have been some unintended consequences of this longstanding policy. States have an incentive to shift the cost of treating mental illness to other care settings where Medicaid matching funds are available. This contributed to a decrease in the number of publicly funded beds available for inpatient psychiatric emergency services. It also contributed to a rise in psychiatric boarding and recidivism in hospital emergency departments. To develop data on whether modifying an IMD exclusion can improve health care for mental illness. the Affordable Care Act authorized $75 million over 3 years for the Medicare emergency psychiatric demonstration project. Administered by the CMS Innovation Center. the initiative aims to test whether the Medicaid program could provide higher quality care at a lower total cost by reimbursing private psychiatric hospitals for emergency care otherwise prohibited by the Medicaid IMD exclusion. The demonstration project is currently operating in 11 States and the District of Columbia. This legislation extends the demonstration in a budgetneutral manner so that the Secretary of Health and Human Services can complete an evaluation and make an informed recommendation regarding its continuation and expansion. Medicaid plays a central and critical role in covering treatment for individuals with mental illness. S. 599 holds promise for improving access to quality psychiatric care for this underserved and vulnerable population and the overall success of our mental healthcare system. I urge my colleagues to support S. 599. and I thank the sponsors for their commitment to this important issue. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-16
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland . He is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and a member of our Health Subcommittee. I personally appreciate his commitment to mental health.
Date: 2015-11-16
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of S. 799. Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015. This legislation. sponsored by Senator MITCH MCCONNELL and championed in the House by Representative KATHERINE CLARK. would help combat prenatal opioid abuse epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC. has found drug overdose to be the leading cause of injury death in the United States and declared prescription drug abuse to be an epidemic. Prescription opioid use in pregnancy is strongly associated with neonatal complications. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. the incidence rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome. NAS. quadrupled from 2004 to 2013. a fourfold increase in less than a decade. NAS is a group of problems that occur in newborns who have been exposed to opioids while in the womb. The symptoms are often severe. Newborns with NAS require specialized care. typically in a neonatal intensive care unit. In February 2015. the Government Accountability Office. the GAO. released a report entitled "Prenatal Drug Use and Newborn Health: Federal Efforts Need Better Planning and Coordination." The report identified a number of different research gaps in the treatment of opioid use during pregnancy and in the treatment of infants with NAS. S. 799 will help combat prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Addressing these issues is a critical part of our effort to fight the ongoing prescription drug abuse epidemic. The legislation will facilitate the development and recommendations for the treatment of prenatal opioid abuse and NAS and coordinate a national strategy to close research program gaps. It will also require CDC to help States improve data collection and surveillance activities related to prenatal opioid abuse and NAS. I urge my colleagues to support S. 799. the Protecting Our Infants Act. and I thank the sponsors for their com mitment to this important issue. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this has been a challenging year for race relations in the United States. Between the recent events at college campuses across the country and several incidents involving law enforcement. it is clear that strong racial tensions still exist within our communities. Renewed efforts to disenfranchise select groups of voters by gutting the Voting Rights Act or segregating neighborhoods in violation of the Fair Housing Act have contributed to the divisive elements of our society. These efforts run counter to everything that we as a nation have tried to eliminate in bringing diverse individuals together under common valuesand there is still much work to be done. The fight for racial equality and inclusion has been a constant struggle for individuals of color throughout our long history. Despite important victories during the Civil Rights era. a new struggle has emerged in our time to tackle more subtle and implicit racial biases that exist within our society. Recognizing these challenges and maintaining open and civil dialogue is the only way that we can seek to end these senseless divisions once and for all. While it is also important to learn from the lessons of our past. how we decide to move forward will truly come to define the future of our nation. As we look to overcome our differences. we must reflect on our values and determine what kind of future we would like to see for our children. Do we want to leave behind a divided nation where individuals quarrel over race or socioeconomic status? Or do we want to live in a nation united under equal opportunity and justice for each and every American? I. for one. choose to support an equal and just America. Mr. Speaker. there will continue to be challenges ahead. However. the lessons that we carry with us into the future will help guide our decisions to build for a stronger and more prosperous America. I urge my colleagues to speak out against this blatant discrimination so that we can heal our country and move forward as a nation.
Date: 2015-11-17
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the memory of a young. bright student who was taken from this world far too soon. Nohemi Gonzalez. a 23yearold design student at California State University. Long Beach. was one of the many innocent victims who were tragically murdered in the Paris terrorist attacks on Friday. November 13. while she dined at a restaurant with three friends who were all students at California State University. Long Beach. She was in Paris for a semester abroad. studying at the Strate College of Design. Nohemi grew up in my district. in Whittier. and graduated from Whittier High School. She was a firstgeneration Mexican American student who was passionate about design and life. Nohemi was a talented student. a star in the design department. and she inspired and touched the lives of many. In her own words. she was highspirited. orderly. and selfdriven. She had a bright future ahead of her. I know it is not enough. and it will never be enough. but I hope that Nohemis family and friends can find some solace in the outpouring of love and support from our community. We grieve for and with you. At this time. I would like to ask my colleagues to take a moment today to honor Nohemi. the 131 other victims. and those who are in critical condition still fighting for their lives.
Date: 2015-11-17
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the ranking member of the Rules Committee. who began the discussion here by pointing out that here we go again. We say there is new leadership in town on the Republican side. but it is the same old closed process: closed rule. limit democracy. dont allow a full debate. and dont allow the peoples House to decide on important questions for the country. When you have a closed rule. you are starting to close down democracy. you are limiting the ability of this House to make decisions on behalf of all the American people. So we have. as part of the previous question. if you defeat the previous question. a proposal to also improve transparency and openness in the full political process. because this is the peoples House. and we would hope that it would do the peoples business. But we also know that there are a lot of special interests out there that are spending millions and millions and millions of dollars trying to get their way and substitute their special interests for the public interests. They are spending millions of dollars to try to elect candidates who will do their bidding. What this proposal does is just say we need to be transparent and open about who is spending all that money. People in those interests can continue to spend money to try and elect candidates. but dont do it secretly. Do it openly. So what we are asking is for this House to take up what is called the Disclose Act. The Disclose Act simply says that voters have a right to know which special interests around the country are spending millions and millions of dollars to try to influence their voting decision. because we believe that sunlight and transparency helps build accountability and that accountability helps build a stronger democracy.
Date: 2015-11-17
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman. So after the Citizens United decision. that terrible decision. what happened? Special interests were able to spend millions and millions of dollars at a time. They werent constrained by any limits on what kind of contributions they could make. So we got a lot more money. but we also got something else. We got essentially a political underground in spending. We had this system now where people try and channel their moneys in secret ways to hide themselves from the public. So if we get to vote on the Disclose Act. we will see where we stand on the simple question of whether this body supports transparency. because. honestly. if you have got nothing to hide. you have got nothing to fear. Right now we have these commercials out there. They say. "Paid for by Committee for a Better America." "Paid for by mom and apple pie." but the people who are paying for them dont want the voters to know who they are. They want it to be a closed process. We are asking that they disclose their identity. In fact. in the Citizens United case. eight of the nine Supreme Court Justices said they were for more disclosure. And. in fact. recently. Justice Kennedy. who was one of the five in the 54 majority. said that the disclosure that he thought would work is not working. But they said the legislature can always act on this issue and improve the transparency and disclosure of the political process. Even Justice Scalia said that would be good for the political process. We want to know who is spending all that money to try and influence decisions of the peoples House. What is wrong with a little sunshine? What is wrong with transparency? Doesnt that improve accountability. and doesnt that strengthen our democracy?
Date: 2015-11-17
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlewoman. I understand that we are going to continue to have these closed rules apparently that are not going to make this an open process here. but for goodness sake. Mr. Speaker. lets at least allow the American people to know who is spending all that money to try to influence voting decisions and. ultimately. influence the kind of legislation that comes to the floor of this House. because we need to be focused on the peoples business. not the business of secret special interests. Let the sunshine in. Lets allow transparency. Lets defeat the previous question so that we can vote on the Disclose Act and give the voters the right to know that they deserve.
Date: 2015-11-17
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act. which would clarify Federal law. restore parity for tribal governments. and protect tribal autonomy. As you have heard today. tribes have a right to govern themselves. manage their own land. and regulate tribal enterprises according to their own culture. traditions. and law. They have the right to regulate labor relations with their employees as a result. and I expect tribal governments to view this legislation. in fact. as an opportunity to strengthen their own worker protections. No worker. as you have also heard today. should be without a voice or an ability to petition their employer for stronger benefits or a better work environment. In fact. many tribes across the country and in New Mexico have developed labor ordinances that. in fact. protect these rights. During negotiations of the 1999 tribalState gaming compact. Indian tribes in California agreed to adopt the Model Tribal Labor Relations Ordinance in order to strengthen worker protections. Although this bill does not prevent similar tribal efforts to protect workers. I am disappointed that it doesnt do anything to promote stronger tribal labor practices. Congress should provide tribes the resources they need to develop and implement labor laws and regulations at Native American enterprises. Employee protections and tribal autonomy are not opposing values. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to work for protecting workers rights.
Date: 2015-11-18
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas . who is the ranking member on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
Date: 2015-11-18
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair man. I thank President Obama. I thank Mr. Cordray. who is the head of the CFPB. and I thank the ranking member for taking the position of protecting consumers. Mr. Chairman. we live in a world where it is not enough for things to be right. They must also look right. And here is what doesnt look right and. in fact. is not right. It doesnt look right and is not right for a person to go into an auto dealership. agree on a price. and then be sent to a finance department where this indirect lending takes place. It doesnt look right for that person to then be quoted an interest rate and agree to that interest rate. not knowing that the interest rate that the person has agreed to is higher than the one the person qualified for. This is what we are dealing with. consumers not knowing that they are paying more for their interest rates than they have qualified for. We dealt with this with the yield spread premium. same thing. slightly different. in that it dealt with home mortgages. but we outlawed that in DoddFrank. The CFPB is now trying its very best to make sure all people are treated fairly and equally when they apply for auto loans. It doesnt look right for this to happen. and studies consistently show that minorities. African Americans. Hispanics. Asians. are charged more for these loans than others are charged. The empirical evidence is there for those who wish to see it. It is not enough for things to be right. they must also look right. This bill just doesnt look right. and it doesnt smell right. and it is not right. and we ought not continue this kind of behavior in this country. In a righteous world. we would be debating the type of fraud that is being perpetrated on consumers. Mr. Chairman. I ask that people vote their conscience. But I will tell you that I am not going to support this kind of procedure that makes it entirely possible for invidious discrimination to continue. I came here to fight invidious discrimination. This is a part of that fight. We must not allow this kind of behavior to continue when we have got a CFPB that is willing to stand up for minorities. we have got a President who has appointed this man. and we have got a ranking member who is fighting hard to make sure minorities are treated fairly. To this end. I would say. consumers have no greater friend in the Congress of the United States of America than the Honorable MAXINE WATERS. who goes to bat every day to make sure that consumers. regardless of race. creed. color. national origin. or sexuality. are treated fairly.
Date: 2015-11-18
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. We must realize that what Mr. GARRETT just shared with us is certainly not what the CFPB has done. As a matter of fact. what the CFPB has done. it has said: Lender. you cannot say that I will take X amount of percentage of interest. I will take 5. 10 percent interest. and. dealer. you can mark it up another 3. 4. 5 percent. So he has not exactly shared with you what happens with the CFPB. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota . a member of the Financial Services Committee.