macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. this past week. I had an opportunity to tour the newly opened 9111 Memorial Museum. It stands as a moving tribute to all those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center. in Pennsylvania. and at the Pentagon. The experience is a powerful one. The sights and sounds bring back memories. and tears. as well. But not just tears for the terrible losses. but also tears of pride for the numberless acts of courage. tears of gratitude for the acts of human compassion. and tears of pride for the way this country stoodthis body stoodunited and determined to rebuild. We in this body do not say thank you to each other as often as we should. So I rise to say thank you to all of the Members of this body on both sides of the aisle and across this country for all you did to support my incredible city during its darkest hour. Thanks to each and every one of you most humbly from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I was unavoidably detained today and missed roll No. 223. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea." Stated against:
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. the issue here before us on this billand first let me say I am a proud cosponsor of this bill to replace and be able to fire people. The problem is the first person we need to fire is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Shinseki himself. Now. we respect him. we respect his sacrifice for this country and everything else. but the buck stops at the top. Here are the facts: 5.600 veterans are committing suicide every year. That is almost 20 every day under his watchunder his watch. In my own hospital in Atlanta. four of our soldiers committed suicide in the hospital. and the inspector general of the VA laid the blame directly at the foot of the VA administration for the lack of management of the death of these soldiers. When Chairman MILLER and I went down and visited them. we asked: Is there one more. are there any more that have committed suicide? No. there have been no more. And they told a damn lie. because the very next day it was exposed there was another soldier that committed suicide and they covered it up. This has been a pattern that has been going on ever since General Shinseki has been the chairman there. I respect a sacrifice. I respect what he did. but it is under his watch that we are in this situation in the hospital out in the western part of this country where The Washington Post has accurately reported that 40 of our soldiers lost their lives. died because they couldnt get service. Our veterans are the heart and soul of this country. they are precious. and we must not turn our back on them. I listened to the President today. and I was very disappointed with President Obama today. There was no urgency. Mr. President. we need urgency. We need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals. We need you to set a pattern that if the VA hospitals cant handle it. lets give partnerships to some of the Republicans and the other public hospitals.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

God bless you. because there are things I want to say. Reports are out that the taxpayers are going to have to pay or have paid $1 billion for medical malpractice. A reputable news organization. Cox Medias WSB Television down in Atlanta. it went all over this country: $1 billion the taxpayer paying because the VA cut off the wrong arm. cut off the wrong leg. the wrong testicle. the wrong kidney. Let me tell you all something. folks. Timethat is what I was just so disturbed aboutwe dont have time for any more investigations. The reports are in. Jesus Christ himself said: There is no more greater sacrifice than to give your life for your friend. Our soldiers have given their lives on the battlefield for them. We need to give our lives up here and give our veterans the respect that they deserve.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it is an honor to stand on this floor in the midst of Military Appreciation Month and be from a State that had the highest numbers of young men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. comparing to States like California and certainly some others. We are grateful for all. in all States. who have gone and put on the uniform unselfishly and stood in the line of danger for us. Let me thank the Veterans Affairs Committee of this Congress. I have never seen a more bipartisan and dedicated group of men and women. If the committee was opened up to all of us. we would all stand up and serve. Today. as a family in the United States Congress. we have a problem. We have a disease problem. whether it is a heart attack or stroke or cancer. or whether or not it is the terrible injuries of war. posttraumatic stress disorder. or those who have lost limbs. who have suffered traumatic brain injury. We have men and women who have worked. and our veterans have now come in their later years who suffer the illnesses of age. All of us will take our fist and bang on this podium to be able to say that they are first and our priority. No one counters or accepts the death of those that may have died in Texas. died in Arizona. or places elsewhere. If this is a measure to begin that healing. to give the Secretary the ability to be able to focus in on those beyond the surgeons that are in the operating rooms. the nurses that I visit with along the hallways when I go to the veterans hospital in my area. then we should go forward. I stand with this legislation working toward making the system work. I want to make it work by curing the systemic and the problematic way that we have veterans wait on services. Lets cut it out. cut the red tape out. Embrace them this weekend. one of the most emotional days we serve with our veterans. and tell them we will not rest until we answer the concerns of families. until we pray over those who have lost their lives. until we cure this. not by one person or another. They may have to go. but lets fix the system that they will have no waiting time when they come with lung cancer or last stage. with their life to be extended if they just get in the door. I want all of them to be able to get in the door and to use those resources that we have expended. those large numbers that my colleague and friend from Florida. both from Florida. and from Maine. have spoken about. and we use those resources to break the barrier of confusion and red tape. and when they walk through those doors someone says: Come in. we are ready to serve.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so very much. Mr. Speaker. let me indicate that there are many reasons to be concerned about the rule. I am certainly concerned that we are not able to debate a very important issue dealing with Afghanistan. Having spent almost a decadeplus in dealing with provision 215 under the PATRIOT Act and in helping to construct the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping. Dragnet Collection. and Online Monitoring Act. it is imperative that we move the USA FREEDOM Act forward. For example. I introduced H.R. 2440. the FISA Court in the Sunshine Act of 2013. Specifically. my bill would require the Attorney General to expose the FISA Court. allowing Americans to know the broad. illegal authority it had. even having an advocate for the American people in sections 402 and 604. This is in the bill. In addition. I strongly support this act because section 301 of the bill continues the prohibition against reverse targeting. which is an amendment that I had in the RESTORE Act. then. of course. it goes forward with ensuring that this megadatathis bulk collectiondoes not occur. I am grateful that the Jackson LeeWilsonLee amendment that deals with Boko Haram is in this national defense bill because we have to stop the tragedy that is going on. but more importantly. the devastation of Boko Haram. Finally. I would have wanted the amendment that deals with the contracting out of our intelligence services. I believe it is too extensive. I believe that my amendment would have been effective in determining how much we use outside contractors. This is a rule that is. unfortunately. without a lot of point to it. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 590. the rule governing debate on H.R. 3361. the "USA Freedom Act." and amendment to H.R. 4435. the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. Regarding H.R. 3361. 1 support the rule and am a cosponsor of the the underlying bill. the USA Freedom Act. which stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping. Dragnetcollection. and Online Monitoring Act." The USA Freedom Act is the Houses unified response to the unauthorized disclosures and subsequent publication in the media in June 2013 regarding the National Security Agencys collection from Verizon of the phone records of all of its American customers. which was authorized by the FISA Court pursuant to Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Public reaction to the news of this massive and secret data gathering operation was swift and negative. There was justifiable concern on the part of the public and a large percentage of the Members of this body that the extent and scale of this NSA data collection operation. which exceeded by orders of magnitude anything previously authorized or contemplated. may constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy and threat to the civil liberties of American citizens. In response. many Members of Congress. including the Ranking Member CONYERS. and
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank both the distinguished ranking member and the distinguished chairman for their courtesies and as well my fellow cosponsors of this amendment. Congresswoman BARBARA LEE from California and Congresswoman FREDERICA WILSON from Florida. This is a crisis. A couple of weeks ago. as you well know. across America we were stating these words. to find the girls. bring the girls back. #bringthegirlsback. Now we come some weeks later and we recognize that Boko Haram has to be a priority for the world. This amendment causes this issue to be a priority listed in the Defense Department to determine the extent of the crimes against humanity committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria. But as you can see. this is a larger issue. and now we face the idea of where these girls might be. So. in essence. this amendment expands the opportunity for the United States to work with clean battalions and Rangers that we know are established in Nigeria but also other resources around to rescue the girls but to also deal with the emerging terrorism of Boko Haram. This is a crucial issue. And if anyone knows many of the stories. one that I know of is where a little girl was placed between two dead bodies. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

A little girl that I met today tells her story all the way from Nigeria. where her father was killed refusing to deny his faith. the brother was killed because they thought he might become a pastor. and the little girl was placed between the two bodies. The killing is going on. 300. 118this amendment will focus our Nation and allow and continue the resources to collaborate with Nigeria and these other nations to bring the girls back to their families. It is a crisis. It is a crisis for the United States as it is for this entire region because Boko Haram is a terrorist group. and they must be brought to justice. The girls must be found. My amendment establishes that priority today. and I ask my colleagues to support it. I thank Chairman MCKEON and Ranking Member SMITH for their work on this bill and their devotion to the men and women of the Armed Forces. I also thank them for including in En Bloc Amendment No. 1 the Jackson LeeWilsonLee Amendment. which makes three important contributions to the bill: 1. First. it strongly condemns the ongoing violence and the systematic gross human rights violations against the people of Nigeria carried out by the militant organization Boko Haram. especially the kidnapping of the more than 200 young schoolgirls kidnapped from the Chibok School by Boko Haram. 2. Second. it expresses support for the people of Nigeria who wish to live in a peaceful. economically prosperous. and democratic Nigeria. and 3. Third. it requires that not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment. the Secretary of Defense shall report to Congress on the nature and extent of the crimes against humanity committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria. This is about religious oppression and killing innocent women. men and children. Since 2013. more than 4.400 men. women. and children have been slaughtered by Boko Haram. Boko Haram kills because of religion and holds little girls as slaves. The victims include Christians. Muslims. journalists. health care providers. relief workers. And schoolchildren. I am confident that the international community working with the African Union will assist the Government of Nigeria in bringing and end to Boko Harams reign of terror and ensuring that its crimes against humanity are documented so its leaders can be held accountable. The Jackson LeeWilsonLee Amendment affirms that the United States stands with the civilized world in solidarity with the people of Nigeria. The Jackson LeeWilsonLee Amendment affirms that the United States is fully committed to the fundamental principle that women everywhere have a right to be free. to live without fear. and should not be forced to risk their lives to get the education they want and deserve. The violent modern day slavery and killing must end. I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for including this amendment in En Bloc Amendment #1 and all Members to support it.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Chairman. I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 4435. the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. It facilitates the transfer of a portion of the U.S. Air Force Norwalk Defense Fuel Supply Point. also known as the Norwalk Tank Farm. to the city of Norwalk. If enacted. it would allow 15 acres of the 51acre area to be designated for public purposes and transferred to city hands. City officials have worked tirelessly for over a decade. and this amendment is a reflection of the compromise reached by the U.S. Air Force and the city of Norwalk. My amendment is of significant importance for my district. Once this land is transferred. this currently blighted property will mean real opportunity for the city of Norwalk and the surrounding communities. This property is currently located next to an elementary school and a child care learning center. Once the land has been completely cleaned and remediated and the park is built. children will have somewhere safe to go after school and on weekends. I urge my colleagues to vote "yes" on my amendment.
Date: 2014-05-21
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Madam Chairman. the ability of our national labs to meet their mission relies on the strength of their foundational capabilities. I submitted an amendment that would give the Directors of our national laboratories the authority to accept grant funding from nonprofits and foundations for scientific research that supports the core missions of these labs. After discussion with the committee staff. rather than offering this amendment tonight. I look forward to working with Chairman ROGERS of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee and Chairman MCKEON and Ranking Member SMITH of the Armed Services Committee to find an acceptable solution on this issue. I also want to thank Mr. MCKEON for his service and his time. It has really been an honor to get to know him. and I continue to look forward to working with him for many years to come.
Date: 2014-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. and I thank the ranking member and the chairman for this work. I also thank Mr. SENSENBRENNER. who we have worked with from the first stages of the PATRIOT Act. when the Judiciary Committee passed it out on a bipartisan basis after that terrible and heinous act of terror. Unfortunately. it was changed. Today. I want to announce that megadata collection as we know it has ended. That is a major tribute to the American people. and the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee heard them. More importantly. the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee stand united. Can we do more? Should there have been an open rule or a number of other amendments that Members wanted? Yes. I believe in participatory democracy. Today. we end bulk collection under the PATRIOT Act section 215. We can always do better. Today. we prevent the bulk collection under FISA pen register and National Security Letter authorities and vow to the American people that we increase the transparency. Let me make it very clear. when we first discussed and debated the PATRIOT Act. reverse targeting. to me. was heinous. It means that it captured an innocent American person as we were looking for someone who happened to be a terrorist. Today. in this bill. we have any communications as to which the sender and all intended recipients are determined to be located in the United States and prohibit the use of any discrete. nontarget communication that is determined to be to or from a United States person or a person who appears to be located in the United States. except to protect against an immediate threat to harm. It is eliminated. Reverse targeting is no longer. In addition. I introduced a bill some time ago called the FISA Court and Sunshine Act of 2013. In that bill. it required the Attorney General to disclose each decision. order. or opinion of the FISA Court. allowing Americans to know how broad of a legal authority the government is claiming under the PATRIOT Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to conduct surveillance needed to keep Americans safe. I am pleased that. in section 402 and 604 of the USA FREEDOM Act. it requires the Attorney General to conduct a declassification review of each decision. order. or opinion. It opens it up to the American people. That includes a significant construction of interpretation of the law and to submit to Congress within 45 days.
Date: 2014-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman. As indicated. the bill specifically contains an explicit prohibition on bulk collection of tangible things pursuant to section 215. The FREEDOM Act provides that section 215 may be used only where specific selection term is provided as the basis for the production of tangible things. Clearly. we worked very hard to contain what was an amoeba that would not end. Finally. I believe section 301 of the bill. as I indicated. was included. as it was in my amendment in H.R. 3773. Let me conclude by simply saying that the Bill of Rights lives. The Bill of Rights is for the American people. both the right to freedom. both the right in essence to privacy. and our respect for the gathering of intelligence to protect us from terrorists. This bill. the USA FREEDOM Act. is indeed an enormous step forward. Let us work together to move us even more. but today. we end megadata collecting as we know it. Mr. Speaker. I believe we have made a giant step forward for civil liberties. respect for the integrity of the American people. and their right to freedom. as well as for the protecting of all of us from terror. Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and a cosponsor. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3361. the "USA Freedom Act." which is short for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping. Dragnetcollection. and Online Monitoring Act." The USA Freedom Act is the Houses unified response to the unauthorized disclosures and subsequent publication in the media in June 2013 regarding the National Security Agencys collection from Verizon of the phone records of all of its American customers. which was authorized by the FISA Court pursuant to Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Public reaction to the news of this massive and secret data gathering operation was swift and negative. There was justifiable concern on the part of the public and a large percentage of the Members of this body that the extent and scale of this NSA data collection operation. which exceeded by orders of magnitude anything previously authorized or contemplated. may constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy and threat to the civil liberties of American citizens. To quell the growing controversy. the Director of National Intelligence declassified and released limited information about this program. According to the DNI. the information acquired under this program did not include the content of any communications or the identity of any subscriber. The DNI stated that "the only type of information acquired under the Courts order is telephony metadata. such as telephone numbers dialed and length of calls." The assurance given by the DNI. to put it mildly. was not very reassuring. In response. many Members of Congress. including the Ranking Member CONYERS. and
Date: 2014-05-22
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. last week. I had the opportunity to meet with a bright young boy who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and is working to bring attention to this disorder. His passion is an inspiration. and I want to share his own words about the importance of raising awareness. Dear Congressman Lujan. My name is Alexander Dennis. I live in Rio Rancho. New Mexico. and am 14 years old. I grew up with a neurological disorder called Tourette syndrome. It causes me and about 200.000 others in the United States to make sudden movements and uncontrollable sounds. This disorder affects me daily and is a lifelong condition. There is no cure for Tourette syndrome. I have to live daily with painful neck and fullbody jerks. Others with this disorder have different severity levels and different types of movement. It is noticeable to others. but I do not know I am doing the movements sometimes. There are not many doctors that are experienced with Tourette syndrome. and it took me 4 years to be properly diagnosed. May 15 through June 15 is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month. and I am writing to you because I am working to raise awareness to the challenges people face that have this syndrome. Any help that you can give will be greatly appreciated to me and all that suffer from this disorder. Thank you. Alexander. for your voice and your efforts. I look forward to working with you on this issue.
Date: 2014-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. all that we do and all that America does is owed to the greatness of our Constitution and to men and women whom we will honor this coming Monday. Memorial Day. I call today upon Americans. wherever they may be. to stop for a moment to honor them. A few years ago. I passed unanimous legislation on this floor to honor all of those who had ever served in combat. But we honor those who fell in the line of duty. This coming week. we will remember them. as we should every year. As I go home. I will be visiting one of my veterans hospitals to be reminded of those who still stand. and to commit that we will fix every problem that denies or undermines the health care system of our veterans. I have introduced the Heroes Act to ensure that veterans who have gained many good skills in service can equate those skills to civilian work. that they are treated with respect and dignity as managers and leaders. because that is what they were when they served in the United States military. And so we honor our fallen soldiers and their families. We will gather today as Americans this weekend. We will stand united under the flag. saying thank you. for you have told all of us that freedom is not free.