macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I thank Mr. HECK for his leadership on this bill. As a former veteran. he has a deep understanding of these issues. I also thank Mr. LUETKEMEYER. who is the chair of our Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance and one of our most active members on the committee. having served not only as a community banker. but as a community regulator. I am very pleased to rise in strong bipartisan support of H.R. 1816. the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015. This bill will bring a measure of fairness to our governments treatment of severely disabled veterans. The bill excludes the payments that disabled veterans receive for inhome aid and attendance from being considered as income when determining their eligibility for HUD housing assistance. Under current law. these inhome aid and attendance payments are wrongly counted as disposable income. which makes it harder for disabled veterans who receive these payments to qualify for the Federal housing assistance which they deserve. These payments are absolutely not disposable income. rather. they are payments that are medically necessary to enable disabled veterans to perform everyday functions. functions that. if not for their extraordinary sacrifice. would not require inhome aid payments in the first place. Thousands of veterans across our country are unable to qualify for Federal housing assistance. such as Section 8 rental assistance. because these payments are improperly counted as income. Lets be clear. These are veterans who have suffered lifechanging injuries and who are now severely disabled as a result of their service to our country. It is their service and their sacrifice made in the name of peace and freedom that have made this the great Nation that it is today. For our great Nation to turn around and make it harder for these veterans because of their servicerelated disabilities to qualify for housing assistance is grossly unfair and something that should be swiftly rectified. That is what this bill does. It rights a wrong in our Federal housing policy and gives the veterans the respect and support that they deserve. I applaud my colleague. Mr. HECK. who has served this country as a veteran. For three times. he has brought this bill to this floor. It has passed on suspension three times. I really applaud his persistence in pursuing this commonsense fix that will help thousands of veterans that deserve the aid and the assistance from HUD to rightfully get it. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. I have no further requests for time. and I yield myself the balance of my time. I want to underscore a point that Congressman HECK made that so many of our veterans become homeless. and it is a huge problem across this country. By passing this bill. we will enable more veterans to stay in their homes and to have the respect and dignity that they deserve. This is a commonsense bill. It has passed this body two times before. almost unanimously. I hope that. as Mr. HECK said. the third time is the charm and that we will finally get this through the Senate. It is well deserved and long overdue. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this fair and commonsense proposal that will help our veterans. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it gives me great privilege to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York . whom I have worked with over the years on issues dealing with womens rights and the abuse and misuse of children and certainly her work on the issues of sexual abuse and sex trafficking of children and women. Congresswoman MALONEY is a member of the Financial Services Committee and an original cosponsor. along with Congressman POE. of this legislation in the House.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

This bill is so critically important. Of all the bills that we have passedand this body. in a bipartisan way. has passed a whole series of billsthis particular one has enforcement. it has prevention. and it has help for the survivors. I applaud everyone who worked on this important piece of legislation. and we cant pass it fast enough.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the Members who have spoken and highlighted a number of points that I want to reinforce. I want to reinforce what my good friend from New York and the gentleman from Texas have said: that we are now looking the pimps and the johns straight in the eye and really focusing on demand. But connected to demand are those lives. those lives that we want to restore and give them a new opportunity in life. We want them to not be bruised. We want them to have the ability to restore their lives as young as under 10. 11. or 12. teenagers or young women. This particular legislation. which I want to highlight. promotes rehabilitation by encouraging the development of specialized court programs for victims of child human trafficking. As the chair of the Childrens Caucus. I realize how vulnerable our children are all over the world. And what I am most interested in is the outpatient treatment. life skills training. housing placement. vocational training. education. family support services. and job placement. When you find a homeless teen or one who has been victimized. they are empty. They are without any substance to know that they have something of quality to save and to mold and to build. The rehabilitation part of this particular legislationand I do want to acknowledge the gentleman from Texas. Senator CORNYNis a very. very important part of this legislation. With that. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I have the privilege of now yielding 4 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio . the author of H.R. 246 that protects children from being criminalized. which is included in this bill. and I thank her for her work.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. today I missed the following votes: H.R. 91. the Veterans I.D. Card Act. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes" on this bill. H.R. 1313. the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Relief Act. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes" on this bill. H.R. 1382. the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes" on this bill.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. what about those Houston Rockets. In the 18th Congressional District. in the Toyota Center last night. we reclaimed the name Clutch City. Let me thank the young men of the Houston Rockets. the Rockets organization. For the first time in 18 years. the Rockets are in the Western Championship. Oh. I know that it is not the championship of the National Basketball Association. but it is really good for Houstonians. We had a rockin good time. For those who were able just to be on the streets. those who were inside the arena. those who were at various sites around the city. I watched my constituents have just a great amount of joy. It is my privilege to thank the owners. the coach. and. yes. all of the team. We know there are great stars on the team. We know that they work as a team. and that is what makes the Houston Rockets great. I am here today saying. what about those Rockets. with a red coat on to salute the Houston Rockets and push them on tomorrow night to be champions again. I thank them for being the right kind of role models for our young people and letting them know that academics and sports go together. The National Basketball Association realizes the importance of young people having role models but young people staying in school. and they are staying focused on that. So I am rooting for the Houston Rockets. What about those Houston Rockets. Clutch City.
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: ROBIN KELLY (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Congresswoman KELLY. for joining me in coanchoring this Special Order hour tonight. Thank you also to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and to all those watching from home. Madam Speaker. last month. Freddie Gray. a 25yearold man Baltimore man. died in police custody from a spinal cord injury. His death. ruled a homicide. has drawn ongoing national attention to the increasingly frayed relations between police and communities throughout the United States. Tonight we come together as a caucus to address the urgent need to reform our criminal justice system and promote police accountability and also to talk about many different issues of diversity in our Nation. Our Nation is at a crossroads. Failure to make meaningful reforms to our criminal justice system risks damaging relations between communities and police beyond repair. But real commonsense reforms that enhance transparency. advance public safety. eradicate discrimination. and instill trust can create a system that works for all Americans. Currently. our law enforcement system and criminal justice system arent working for African Americans and other minorities. As a result. a meaningful dialogue between law enforcement and the communities they are charged with protecting remains illusive. Tonight we will speak to the urgent need to reform our criminal justice and police systems so that we can breathe new life into the American promise of full equality and justice for all. With that. Madam Speaker. I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois .
Date: 2015-05-18
Speaker: JOHN CONYERS (democrat)
Chamber: H

on the Judiciary Committee that wants to join together with me to embrace the legislative initiatives of our Members to get the right kind of omnibus bill going forward for the American public to see criminal justice reform. I want to thank my colleagues for allowing me these comments and. as well. the bipartisan approach that you have taken. Madam Speaker. yesterday marked the 61st anniversary of the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. the decision that overruled the "separate but equal doctrine" of Plessey v. Ferguson and gave needed momentum to the fight for reform. equality. and diversity in our nations schools and society at large. Although much progress has been made in narrowing the gap between the nations founding ideals and the objective reality. recent events demonstrate that we still have a ways to go before the dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. is realized in the areas of criminal justice reform. economic opportunity. and workplace diversity.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. ladies and gentlemen. B.B. King. a musical genius. has passed away. When B.B. King was just a little boy down in Indianola. Mississippi. he stood up in the middle of a cotton field. and he said: One day. somebody is going to stand up and sing about me and play the guitar about me. Then he said: You know. I reckon it will be myself. Yeah. I reckon it will be me. B.B. King went on to become a worldwide icon of music. and people all over the world. regardless of race. creed. or color. appreciated and loved B.B. King. B.B. King influenced all the great ones. from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley. and Elvis Presley loved B.B. King. Aretha Franklin. Sam Cook. Eric Clapton. Mick Jagger. even the Beatles and Muddy Waters. Bo Diddley. all of these musical legends were influenced by B.B. King. B.B. King sung about the deep things of life. He sung about lovelove lost and love gained. B.B. King sang. and he played the blues. A unique American cultural. musical genre. B.B. King. Ladies and gentlemen. you know. B.B. King would say: Trouble in mind. Im blue But I wont be blue always Cause I know the suns gonna shine in my back door someday I am all alone at midnight. and the lights are burning low But the suns gonna shine in my back door someday. Mr. Speaker. the great classic of so many classics that he wrote and he sang was "The Thrill is Gone." As he would say. "The thrill is gone away." But. Mr. Speaker. the thrill of B.B. King and his life and his music and his great contributions as a genuine American hero will live on and on for generations to come. B.B. Kings music will live on. and Lucille. his guitar. will live on. Ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Speaker. we thank God. Jehovah God Almighty. for sending B.B. King our way. IRAN
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I want to thank the gentleman from the great State of Colorado for yielding and for his leadership on the Rules Committee and on so many other important issues before this Congress. Mr. Speaker. the highway trust fund. which finances highway and transportation projects all across this country. is set to expire at the end of this month. It is coming right up. Passing a shortterm fix is necessary because the Republicans have ignored our Nations transportation needs for the past 10 months. since the last shortterm extension was passed. We dont need a shortterm extension. We need longterm planning and investment in our infrastructure. The sad reality is that the United States is not investing nearly enough in its infrastructure. As a share of gross domestic product. we invest about onehalf of what Europe does. We invest only onequarter of what China does. As you look at this chart. it shows the amount of road traffic volume is up 297 percent. yet the public spending on road maintenance is so much lower. 125 percent. It is nearly 2.5 times faster that we are spendingand having volume go upbut we are not investing in our infrastructure to keep up with this volume. One out of every four bridges is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete in the United States. We have had two bridges with cars on them that literally collapsed in recent history. The question of whether to fix our infrastructure is not about the money. We are already spending the money. fixing our cars when they hit yet another pothole or wasting our time sitting in traffic. Why dont we have highspeed rail like the rest of the world? Lets save ourselves some time and money by investing wisely to support our transportation infrastructure through the highway trust fund.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak on H.R. 1806. the America COMPETES Act of 2015. a bill that was originally written to provide much needed support for our nations res arch and development activities in science and engineering. I thank Chairman SESSIONS and Ranking Member SLAUGHTER for the opportunity to speak on the Rules for H.R. 1806. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 as written raises serious concerns among the representatives from the scientific. academic. and business communities. The groups that oppose the bill include the American Physical Society. the American Geophysical Union. the American Anthropological Association the Association of American Universities. and the Consortium of Social Science Associations. Congresswoman EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON. Ranking Member on the House Science Committee. the committee that authored the bill. will be offering a Managers Amendment to this bill. The Administration has also signaled that it will not support the bill in its current form. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists. the bill: reduces funding for several scientific disciplines. curtails the ability of federal agencies to pursue climate science. and adds burdensome new requirements to the way the National Science Foundation operates. Perhaps most worrisome. the legislation would prevent the federal government from using Department of Energysponsored research to make policy. My amendments offered for inclusion in the Rule to H.R. 1806 were simple and would have improved the bill by addressing the STEM education and training gap. These Jackson Lee amendments focus on reducing the STEM gap that currently exists between people of different geographic regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Bureau of Labor Statistics. reports that as many as 1.4 million new computer science jobs could soon be available in the United States. but only 400.000 students will be enrolled in programs at colleges and universities that would prepare them to take these jobs. This disparity is often referred to as the STEM gap. Only 1 out of 10 high schools in the U.S. offer computer science programs. It is estimated that the education systems in 25 states do not count computer science classes toward high school graduation. Both economists and business leaders have identified that the future of the American economy will 130 in STEM fields. which the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates win create more than 9 million jobs between 2012 and 2022.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me thank the leadership of this committee for getting to this point. I am very. very sorry that this is another kicking the can down the road. but we dont have much choice but to support the bill before us today. We have missed a major construction season already. Bridges are falling. accidents are happening. traffic jams increase because of the crumbling infrastructure. This is all very costly. and it is more costly when we have a winter like we just had that hits already crumbling infrastructure. We must address this costly neglect of our infrastructure around the country. It is not partisan. There are no Democrat and Republican bridges or streets. We must address our responsibility to this Nation. Sensible. large projects must have time to plan for those longterm projects. They cannot do that. No city or State can do that kind of planning without knowing whether we have a longterm source of funding that will keep it going. It is unwise for us to continue just to put this off. We have got to pay for it no matter when we do it. The time is now. We have extended this time too long. The Nation has suffered too long. Traffic is jamming. accidents are happening. and it will not get better until we take on our responsibility. I would urge all of us today to support this shortterm bill for the last time. It is time for us to have a longterm infrastructure bill for this Nation.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the bill. H.R. 2353. the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015 but with reservations. I support Chairman SHUSTERs efforts to ensure the Highway Bill does not expire and cost the economy jobs and cause important projects to stop progress. I am. however. disappointed we once again face this issue. We need to pass a longterm highway bill so that our communities and businesses have the certainty they need to invest in our future. I understand the fiscal challenges we face but I believe that we must do more to improve our nations transportation system. Transportation funding. particularly for highways and transit. is particularly important for my constituents and the entirety of the Greater Houston area. We have a congestion problem in Houston. We have done a lot to reduce this congestion. but more must be done. We also have the largest port for foreign tonnage and largest petrochemical complex in our country along the banks of the Port of Houston. In the years ahead. we will face a much higher traffic volume due to population growth and the expansion of the Panama Canal. which will bring more truck traffic and economic development to the area. In order for Houston and our Port to continue to be a hub for commerce. we must strengthen our rail and road infrastructure. Both a successful port and a growing local economy rely on well maintained roads and bridges. Communities around our country must improve its transportation infrastructure in order to encourage businesses and economic development. While I understand the strain the Highway Trust Fund is experiencing. it is important that we fund important highway projects throughout the country. We are at a critical time for our nation in terms of transportation funding. We must fix bridges. expand highways. and increase the capacity of our infrastructure. Highway and transit projects are important to our constituents. so they can get to work and school and they are important to our businesses so they can move commerce. Everyone wins when we increase our investments in our transportation infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2353 but I also urge my colleagues to fix the problem and craft a longterm highway bill for the benefit of all our citizens.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2353. This bill will mark the thirtythird time weve passed a shortterm extension to the Highway bill in eight years. Enough is enough. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. We owe it to the American people to pass a robust longterm surface transportation bill and make real investments in our transportation infrastructure. These shorttern extensions not only diminish our economic competitiveness as a nation but they erode the safety of all of the folks we were sent here to represent. I will not support any more shortterm gimmicks and implore my colleagues to join me in rejecting this proposal and instead pass a longterm bill and once again invest in our national infrastructure.
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. at this time. I yield such time as she may consume to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York
Date: 2015-05-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. let me just point out that the chairman is right: we do have to lead by example. Leading by example. as we have in the past. like last fiscal yearafter the President submitted his budget. we certainly could have and should have. as a Congress. sat down with the President and negotiated an adjustment to the sequester. which we were able to successfully do last year. and that was to the betterment of making sure that people who are simply trying to succeed have the opportunity to do so in this country instead of living under the severe cuts and caps that sequestration forced us into. That is Congress job. which we abdicated. That was not the choice of the minority. it was the choice of the majority. With that. Mr. Chairman. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina . the ranking member of the Transportation. Housing and Urban Development. and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.