macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1994-09-19
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 4571. a bill to designate the U.S. Post Office in Estate Richmond. St. Croix. the "Wilbert Armstrong United States Post Office." In 40 years of service with the Federal Government. Wilbert R. Armstrong rose through the ranks from postal clerk to the position of Postmaster of the Christiansted Post Office. Born on November 11. 1908. Wilbert Armstrongs family moved to Frederiksted when he was 3 years old. He secured his first position in the postal service in 1924 at Christiansted while he continued to work part time at other jobs. In 1937. 3 years before the Christiansted Post Office was included in Civil Service rules and regulations. he sat and passed the Postal Civil Service exam. As a result. in 1940 he was able to assume the position of regular clerk when Civil Service rules were extended to Christiansted. Eight years later. in February 1948. President Harry S. Truman appointed H9168 COl. Wilbert Armstrong Acting Postmaster of the Christiansted Post Office. The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment the following August. Wilbert Armstrong served the *next 16 years as Christiansteds Postmaster until his retirement in October. 1964. Afterward. he continued his involvement in his community with work In the private sector. in community service. and by service on local boards and commissions. Mr. Speaker. I urge passage of this legislation. H.R. 4571. honoring Wilbert Armstrong for his years of service to the Postal Service and his community.
Date: 1994-09-19
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her support of this legislation. and also my friend. the gentleman .from New York. who -is representing the Republican Members on the floor this day. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support for H.R. 4193. a bill to designate the U.S.. Post Office in Cruz Bay. St. John. the "Ubaldina Simmons United States Post Office." Ubaldina Simmons holds the distinction of having served as the first postmistress for the island of St. John. St. Thomas was part of the Danish West Indies when she was born on March 31. 1910. She attended school and grew up there. On October 19. 1949. Ubaldina Simmons was appointed St. John postmistress and was given full responsibility for all postal services on the island. In those days 35 years ago. the islands population totaled 800 people. As St. Johns only postal employee. her duties were many: she not only oversaw all operations. she performed them. acting as clerk and mail handler. Ubaldina Simmons was known to work regular 12hour days as well as on weekends to insure that the U.S. mail was delivered. As postmistress. her leadership enabled the St. John Post Office to be upgraded from a fourth class facility to a second class facility. In 1971. Ubaldina Simmons was bonored for her years of dedication and hard work at ceremonies dedicating the new Cruz Bay Post Office. Ubaldina Simmons retired on December 31. 1974. after 25 years of service to the Postal Service and to the people of St. John. Mr. Speaker. it is entirely fitting that the Cruz Bay. St. John Post Office be named in honor of this hardworking and dedicated public servant. and I urge the House pass the bill. H.R. 4193.
Date: 1994-09-19
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman again for her courtesies. Again. I thank my friend. the gentleman from New York. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support for H.R. 4192. a bill to designate the U.S. post office at 100 Veterans Drive on St. Thomas. VI the "Arturo R. Watlington. Sr. United States Post Office." * Arturo Romano Watlington. Sr. served the postal service in a variety of capacities during his 45year career. By the time he chose to retire in 1983. he had risen to the position of Charlotte Amalie postmaster. An electrician and a teacher by trade. Arturo Watlington began working with the post office in 1938 as a mail handler. In years to come. he would hold nearly every position at the facility. In 1957. he was appointed superintendent of Mails. a post that placed him in charge of the post office on St. Thomas in the absence of the postmaster. Arturo Watlington served under two successive postmasters. and in 1960. he was given the Superior Accomplishment Award in recognition of his excellent performance. Arturo Watlington later advanced to the position of assistant postmaster for Charlotte Amalie and he became acting postmaster during the illness of Postmaster Aubrey Ottley. Arturo Watlington was appointed Charlotte Amalie postmaster in 1981. a position he held until his retirement from the Postal Service in 1983. Mr. Speaker. Arturo Watlington served his community and our Postal Service with ability and pride for 45 years. Today. we pay recognition to his accomplishments by naming the Veterans Drive. St. Thomas post office in his honor. I urge the House pass the bill. H.R. 4192.
Date: 1994-09-19
Speaker: JAMIE WHITTEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

who will be retiring at the end of this legislative term. I have known JAMIE WHITEN for a number of years and have observed his admirable service in Washington. both as the dean of the Mississippi delegation and as the honorable chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He has given his district. as well as our country. more than a halfcentury of service. JAMIE is a caring. loyal. and an effective leader. The House of Representatives and the State of Mississippi have been very fortunate to have the service of a man with such integrity and determination. JAMIE. I wish you many more years of happiness. which you well deserve. We will miss. you. and I hope that you will continue to contribute your outstanding qualities to public service. or whatever endeavors you may pursue.
Date: 1994-09-19
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank my colleague. I would like to join with all of the Members that have had the praise and kind words for Chairman WHRITTEN. I assure you that I wholeheartedly agree with all of them. He is not only a great American. but he has been a great Member of this House as dean of the House. When I first came to Congress. the gentleman from Texas. George Mahon.. had just become chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. but already JAMES WHITTEN was chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee. We both progressed until Mr. Mahon left and Chairman WHITTEN assumed the responsibilities as chairman. Eventually I assumed the responsibilities as chairman of the Committee on Agiculture. and all of us know the responsibilities. Sometimes there is a little thin line where I felt probably the authorizing committee had not been properly deferred to from the- appropriations part. But in the end. everything always worked right. because the chairman would listen to. work with. and cooperate with us in our mutual endeavors. So. very briefly. let me just say if you mention agriculture. you cannot separate the name of JAMIE WHITrEN. We wish him well in his retirement. Hopefully somehow. somewhere. some day. the full recognition that he deserves will come t6 the forefront. Mr. Chairman. we congratulate and commend the gentleman. But most of all. on behalf of the American people and all of agriculture. we thank you for your contribution.
Date: 1994-09-20
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. yesterday morning I was watching television as our troops began going ashore in Haiti. and as a person from the Caribbean. an island person from that area. I said thank God to see our young soldiers. men and women. entering without firing a shot. A lot of people did a lot of things right this past Sunday. particularly ourPresident. Regardless of which side of the aisle you sit on in this House. he is our President. It took a lot of courage to do what he did. and it is time to support our President. A lot of people did a lot of things right: Our President. our former President Jimmy Carter. the members of the Carter team that President Clinton sent to Haiti. former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell. whose parents are from Jamaica. and whose sensitivity played a key role in resolving the matter. and Senator NUNN. It is time to stop carping. It is time to support our President and our troops.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 21/2 minutes. Mr. Chairman. I take this time to address an issue that is so exaggerated. one that we are going to keep hearing throughout the afternoon. that this bill costs $1.5 billion. The odds are that it will not. Even the CBO says that it may. but there will be an exchange of lands. It will not be apprbpriated funds. There will be an amendment to limit that. I do not know how that will go. But the dissertation we just heard about protecting rights and acquiring rights. where I come from. I agree with that. But I am not talking about adding to major corporate owners. What we were talking about was an individual with 40 acres. 100 acres. 400 acres. So the preservation - of property rights for the individuals. I agree. I submit to you. But protecting major corporate endeavors. that was not what was intended by the Founders of the Constitution or any of the amendments to the Constitution that have been mentioned here earlier. We are talking about an individual having the ability. not major corporate enterprises. But the main thing is that this bill is here today because the owners of the property want it to be here today. The negotiations will come later. The owners of the property are agreeable to us being here today. So property rights and all of the other things are not at issue here. We would not be here unless the prospective. and I might not even call them sellers. because it is going to be an exchange. if it takes place. wanted it.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE IA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman. in open debate. any statement that ismade by. one person can be refuted by another person. and that is where we find ourselves with a billion and a half and 1 billion. bringing in the RTC and all of the. other areas of concern. I submit to you that we have an answer. a logical. appropriate answer. to every one of those statements made. What I would like to finally say is that. and as I said in the beginning. I dissociated myself from any provincial. -from any partisan. from any personal. I want to deal solely with the legislation that we have here before us and to state that these proposed acres to be acquired by whatever manner will belong to us. to all of us. I have youngsters in my congressional district that have never seen a redwood. -Iowa has youngsters that may not ever have seen a national seashore which we acquired. the Federal Government. some in my -area. some in -the Carolinas. some on the Pacific coast. We are talking about the future of this country. We are talking about youngsters that may never have seen a redwood or a salmon in the river or a trout in the river or a deer in the wild. This is what this bill is all about. It is not about acquiring more property for the Government of the United States of America. It is so that we preserve for the future generations some of that which could be lost and never be again. Time rolls on. The weather. the climate change. I have seen clearcutting and do not approve of it. and we have tried to temper that. these two committees that are here sponsoring. handling this bill. We do not want the clearcutting. We do not want to clear the countryside. We want every Americanyoungster to be able to see a pine tree. a redwood tree. the ocean. to wet his feet in the ocean waters. The only pearls many of the youngsters in my district would be able to see would be seashells. Finally. I want to quote the gentleman from South Carolina . one of our colleagues. who mentioned that his son. when he -saw the spread of trees and the light shining through. he asked him. "What is this?" And he said. "a church." Oddity of all oddities. I was at Mount Hood under some gigantic trees. old growth. and I told the forester who was my guide. when only a little bit of sun would shine through the trees. I says. "You know. I feel as if.I were in a national cathedral -somewhere in Europe." How odd that the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. the Congressman -from Texas. would say that at Mount Hood. and a little boy would say that in South Carolina. That is what this bill is all about. Everything else can be compromised. Everything else can be adjusted. But the .availability of the resources and the bounty of this country to future generations should be protected. and that is what this bill is all about.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. the amendments en bloc include one offered by the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Missouri [Mr.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman. this amendment was offered by us to accommodate legitimate. valid concerns of many Members. Madam Chairman. I urge an "aye" vote. Madam Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. . Madam Chairman. I wanted to clarify something. My understanding is that the gentlemans socalled cap includes only prospective appropriated funds. Am I correct? It does not include donated or exchange properties?
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman and my colleagues. the scenario presented by our distinguished colleague who immediately preceded me explains the reason why the concern. If there are 7.000some projects and this goes to the bottom of the line. if it would take 23 years. when the bill already has a limitation of 10 years. So what is the problem? So it seems to me that there is something beyond the legislation. because if there are only $63 million per year appropriated. it may be years before there is a penny appropriated. and maybe never. It will be done by the land exchanges. by donations from California. or other interested groups. So I think the excellent presentation made by my colleague just before me negates any major concern that we will be appropriating money. unless the Forest Service would negate all of its prior work and put this at the top of the list. which I am sure that all of the other prospective recipients would object to strenuously. So I do not see any need at all for this amendment because the explanation by the author of the amendment dictates that itis not needed. Mr. Chairman I urge a "no" vote.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to make a motion at this point if it is permissible. or if the gentleman would withdraw his request for a recorded vote.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I would ask unanimous consent to vacate the proceedings up to- this point if the gentleman is in agreement. The purpose for doing this is that the author of the legislation feels that he would be agreeable to accepting the amendment.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that. in the engrossment of the bill. H.R. 2866. the Clerk be authorized to correct the table of contents. section numbers. punctuation. citations. and cross references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect to reflect the actions of the House in amending the bill.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days -in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2866. the bill just passed.
Date: 1994-09-21
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture may be permitted to file a supplemental report to the bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to reorganize the Department of Agriculture. and for other purposes.
Date: 1994-09-22
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank the distinguished chairman and commend him. the ranking member. my colleague from Texas. and all the members of the committee. for the excellent work they have done under very difficult circumstances. I rise also to pay tribute to all of the Members of the Coast Guard. from the commandant down to the field. Let me say that my concern is that we keep extending or expanding the mission of the Coast Guard without the appropriate resources. I wish more could have been done in this legislation. But I sympathize with the problem. and I commend the chairman and the members of the committee. But I think that in the future. we should insist that the Coast Guard. for the excellent job they do. they do not have the adequate resources. and that should be addressed down the line. Again. I commend the chairman and the members of the committee. and all of the members of the Coast Guard. for the excellent work that they do.
Date: 1994-09-22
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4422. the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1994. First of all I want to thank and commend the sponsor of the bill. Mr. TAUZIN and the chairman for the committee for their hard work on this very much needed legislation. I support H.R. 4422 because it authorizes funds needed for the Coast Guard to successfully carry out its mission. We must recognize and appreciate the performance of the Coast Guard during the Haitian and Cuban interdiction and address issues such as adequate funding for its operating expenses. This bill addresses this by authorizing $2.7 billion for search and rescue. marine safety. aids to navigation. defense readinesS. enforcement of laws and treaties. and drug interdiction. H.R. 4422 will create more jobs in our American shipyards by prohibiting the Coast Guard from having any repair or maintenance work done on its vessel in foreign shipyards. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1994 goes beyond authorizing funds for operating expenses. acquisition and construction. and environmental compliance. H.R. 4422 includes provisions that will increase the penalty for violations of U.S. vessel documentation requirements. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1994 includes a provision which grants the Coast Guard special authority to recruit women and minorities for entrance to the Coast Guard Academy. This goal will be met by conducting studies and analyses on Coast Guard personnel resource and training needs. and employing special programs for recruiting women and minorities. I want to thank Mr. TAUZIN and his staff for working with my staff and I when we included a study of implications for vessel safety in navigable waters near Houston. This study is important to Houston because it will study ways to improve the overall safety of the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel and the ramifications for SepItember 22. 1994 vessel safety in these areas due to the Increase shipping traffic resulting from NAFTA and GATif passed. I congratulate Mr. TAUZiN and thi chairman of our full committee. Mr. STUDDS. for their efforts in putting together a very meaningful and much needed bill that I believe will allow the Coast Guard to productively carry out its programs and operations in the upcoming fiscal year.
Date: 1994-09-26
Speaker: GEORGE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H

chairman of the Committee on Science. Space. and Technology. Mr. WALKER. the ranking minority member of the committee. and Mr. SENSENBRENNER. the ranking minority member on the Subcommittee on Space. for their hard work and cooperation in bringing this bill to the floor today. Mr. Chairman. H.R. 4008 authorizes appropriations for the ocean and coastal programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal years 1995 and 1996. It is the companion bill to H.R. 2811. the NOAA Atmospheric and Satellite Program Authorization Act that was approved by the House of Representatives lastyear and S. 2432 which may be considered by the Senate in the near future. Mr. Chairman. the Science Committee shares jurisdiction with the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee on a few NOAA programs contained in H.R. 4008. including: Global Climate Change Research.. the National Undersea Research Program [NURP]. and NOAAs program support and administrative activities. We have reached agreements on" all of these important programs and support the compromise language. I would particularly like to acknowledge the hard work of Chairman ORTIZ and his staff in crafting a solid compromise on the National Undersea Research Program [NURP]. The NURP Program can make a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the ocean environment. and I would like to express my support for Mr. ORTIZ efforts in this regard. I believe this bill is bipartisan and noncontroversial. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
Date: 1994-09-27
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. yesterday on the Senate side Majority Leader IrrcHEL held a press conference telling America what most 178.000 families and 148.000 working families in my district did not want to hear: the death of health care reform. This passing should not go quietly into the night. For the senior citizens in my district who must decide between pay for prescription drugs. turning on their electricity. or buying groceries. or for the 55.000 children in my district who are not covered. Congress let them down. The lack of health care reform will not help the millions of Americans who are without health care. More importantly it will not help Americans who are barred from obtaining health care coverage for much reasons as preexisting conditions. cost. or family history. Congress should take the lead in health care reform to provide all Americans with health care coverage. In the 104th Congress. we must all work together to make the best health care system in the world open to all Americans and not just the wealthy or well insured. Partisanship should not dictate how health care reform should be framed. Congress should learn from the past 2 years that without working together. it is not Congress who is the worse off but the American people. We are elected to represent not only our districts but all Americans. and we have left millions without hope for the future.
Date: 1994-09-28
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his contribution. I can assure him and all of our colleagues that we on the -committee certainly will continue working on this issue. We are satisfied that the Department has worked diligently on this issue and I commend Secretary Espy for his leadership in this area. We are appreciative of everything that he has done. This is to assure our colleagues that in this and several other areas of concern that do not rightly belong in this legislation. our commitment is to continue to work with our colleagues as we move into 1995 and draft the farm bill legislation. Madam Chairman. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota .
Date: 1994-09-28
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his contribution. Let me add that the gentleman of his own volition and accord has decided not to remain a member.of this body. Let me at this point in time pay tribute to his great contribution. his dedication in everything worthwhile for agriculture. Now and then we may not have agreed on an item. but his seriousness and his work and the efforts which he thought were correct and proper needs to be applauded. I do that at this point in time. I wish him well.
Date: 1994-09-28
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman from Kansas and echo his sentiments. We wish well to the gentleman from Minnesota in his further endeavors.