macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1994-10-04
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. H.R. 5053. as amended. will provide the Secretary of Agriculture with special authority to extend for 1 year water bank agreements that are due to expire on. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 5053. as amended. will provide the Secretary of Agriculture with. specat authority to extend. for I year. Water Bank Act agreements that are due to expire. on December 31. 1994. The purpose of the 2*year old Water Bank Program is similar to- that of the Wetlands Reserve Program established under the 1990 farm bill. The Water Bank- program provides 10year agreemens for farmers -to. preserve and restore wetlands that are a vital part of our Nations surface water resources and. provide critical habitat for migratory wildlife. Given funding constraints on the agriculture budget. many believe the time has come for the Federal governmentto give funding priority to protecting wetlands on a longer term or permanent basis.. A 1year extension of the Water Bank agreements due to expire.-in December of this year will allow the Congress an opportunity to thoroughly review and set priorities for all USDA wetland protection and resource conservation programs in the context af the 1995 farm bill. This legislation. which was orignally introduced by Mr. POmEROY of North Dakota. will provide an opportunity" to continue protecting the approximately 60.000 acres enrolled in the Water Bank Program until this necessary review and debate occurs. The funding for the special. authority. provided by H.R. 5053. as amended. will- come through the -fiscal year 1995- appropriations provided for the Wetlands Reserve Program We anticipate that the 1year extersionofcurrent Water Bank agreements* will require approximately $900.000 out of the $932 million. In other words. for $900.000.:we will.be able to protect 60.000 acres of. criticar wetlands habitat. And we will still be able to. enroll nearly 120.000 acres of new wetland areas under the Wetlands Reserve Programs permanent easements. Mr.. Speaker. 1 urge passage. of the Water Bank Extension. Act.. Mr. Speaker. I am placing at this point in the RECORD correspondence between the Committee on Agricultureand the Committee. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. as follows: HOUsE OF REPRESENTATiVEs. CommrrTEE ON MERCHAN MARIME AND FIsHERIEs. Washington. DC. October 4. 1994.
Date: 1994-10-04
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 the three bills just considered and passed.
Date: 1994-10-04
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. yesterday I was unavoidably detained due to meetings with constituents in my districtand I was unable to register my votes on rollcall numbers 457. 458. 459. 460. 461 and 462. Had I been present I would have voted: "Yes" on rollcall No. 457. "No" on rollcall No. 458. "Yes" on rollcall No. 459. "Yes" on rollcall No. 460. "Yes" on rollcall No. 461. "Yes" on rollcall No. 462.
Date: 1994-10-04
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise tonight with many of my colleagues to pay tribute to the career and accomplishment of Chairman BILL FORD. During his 30 years in Washington. BILL FORD has championed the issue of education and has been one of the foremost leaders in the area of labor standards. Chairman FORD realized early in his career that the future of our Nation depends on our ability to educate our children. He was instrumental in the crafting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 and has been involved in every Federal education bill during his terms in Congress. He was involved in the creation of the Head Start Program. the Bilingual Education Act. and the Handicapped Childrens Education Act. As the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee. BILL FORD has set himself apart as a true leader and a distinguished negotiator. Most . recently. FORD triumphed in his negotiations with the Senate on H.R. 6 and was able to produce a bill that improved our current education laws while maintaining broad support for the chapter 1 program. Chairman FORD also realizes that our ability to compete as a nation is based on our ability to maintain a highly skilled work force. He has been a steadfast leader on issues relating to worker training and especially to the rights of the working people of this nation. He has fought constantly for bills such as the Family and Medical Leave Act. National Health Care. and the rights of workers to withhold their skills without-. fear of being replaced. Chairman FORD has also crafted one of the most comprehensive OHSA reform bills ever presented to Congress. Chairman FORD will be remembered as a gentleman. a statesman. and an staunch advocate for children and working people all across the nation. He will be sorely missed by this House and by those of us who have had the privilege of serving with him on the Education and Labor Committee. Mr. Speaker. as a new Member. I recognize the statesmanship that he provided. but also because coming from Texas. he had the honor this last week of receiving a dozen yellow roses from the original yellow rose. I guess. in our Governor of Texas. Ann Richards. because in Texas we recognize a statesman. even if they do come from Michigan. and the work that they do not only for people from Michigan but also for people from Texas. BILL FORD. I will miss you. the Congress of the United States will miss you. but I think the people. not only the children of the country but the workers in our country will miss you.
Date: 1994-10-05
Speaker: PETE GEREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman. I rise in opposition to the Rahall amendment. Threats to our constitutional rights never come in announcing their intentions. They never come in like a whirlwind. They usually come in. they nibble around the edges. They never take a constitutional right headon. They are like termites. Mr. Chairman. They chip away at the foundation of the principles on which our country was founded. This initiative is no different. It claims it is no threat to our constitutional rights. It only nibbles around the edges of the rights of private property owners. It chips away just a little bit at a time. Our Government has let loose too many of these termites on the rights of private property owners already. Mr. Chairman. I urge my colleagues to stand up for the rights of private citizens. private landowners in this country. and to vote "no" on the Rahall amendmeit.
Date: 1994-10-05
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the Senate bill to enable producers and feeders of sheep and importers of sheep and sheep products to develop. finance. and carry out a nationally coordinated program for sheep and sheep product promotion. research. and information. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 1994-10-05
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. S. 2500. the Sheep Promotion. Research and Information Act of 1994 will allow our Nations sheep producers and the sheep products industries to establish a single industryfunded market development and promotion program. The need for this legislation arises from action taken last year when Congress voted to phase out and eliminate the taxpayerfunded incentive payments made to wool producers under the National Wool Act. An unintended consequence of that policy change is the imminent loss of the mechanism by which the industry has long collected funds from wool producers for its current lamb and wool promotion or checkoff fund. The checkoff program that would be established by S. 2500 has been developed at the request and in consultation with our Nations sheep. lamb. and textile industries. The bill would allow for the temporary continued operation of a restructured lamb and wool checkoff program. subject to an industrywide referendum in 1996. This legislation is similar to the industry selffinanced research and promotion programs that now exist for a number of other commodity sectors. S. 2500 would operate at no cost to the Federal Government. The checkoff funds collected on domestic and imported slaughtered lambs and -on domestic wool and imported wool products will reimburse the Department of Agriculture for the costs of the referendum. program administration. and compliance. Mr. Speaker. I strongly support and commend our Nations sheep and wool industries for their effort to enhance their economic wellbeing through the marketplace rather than through direct Government assistance. I urge the House to support their effort and pass S.2005. Mr. Speaker. I would also like to thank my colleagues Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. STENnoLM. Mr. GUNDERSON. Mr. ROSE.
Date: 1994-10-06
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me. Mr. Chairman. I would- like to speak to my friends in this House on both sides of the aisle. I Would like to address them as both an American and as a Caribbean person. I was here at the time of the invasion of Grenada. I remember what it was like. I remember that on my side of the aisle there were many. many questions about that invasion. I supported it because I knew what was going on down there. And I remember that -the House sent a delegation there. and I remember that the present Speaker of the House was a member of that delega-. tion. Dick Cheney. who was a Member of the House at that time. was a member of that delegation. and I was also. We investigated it and we came back. and I remember that this House and particularly this side of the aisle did nothing to undermine our President or our troops. A We must support our President. I must admire the gentleman from Nebraska for his statement this morning. the courage that it took. We have to take politics out of these issues. Politics must end at the waters edge. Our young President showed tremendous courage when he called back those planes and accepted that agreement. That took political courage. and our troops Were able to enter Haiti without a shot being fired. We have to be very proud of our military. how much they have learned and now they are conducting themselves. Look at what is going on in Haiti and the way these young soldiers. men and women. are conducing themselves and making our. country look good. Just a little while ago all of us werehere in the House and we were applauding President Mandela. Did we hear what he was saying? How could we applaud Mandela sincerely and take some of the positions that are being espoused here on this floor today? And remember this. that President Aristide was elected democratically by the people of.Haiti. We. the United States. yes. we stand as a great chance for the people of Haiti. And they are good people. Mr. Chairman. they need this chance. Do we want this responsibility? No. we do not want it.but we are the only superpower in the world. and with that comes a lot of responsibility. Are the American people up to it? That is what we are going to find out. -Should we have a date certain?. Should we tell the American troops. "We want ou out now. start pulling out"? Everyone of you knows that that would be the worst possible thing that we could do for our troops. for our country. Let us stand behind our President and stand behind the troops.
Date: 1994-10-06
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I -rise to commend one of the most skilled and hardworking Members of this body and one of my closest friends. the gentleman from the 2d District of New Jersey. BILL HUGHES. My wife. Sheila. and I count BILL and his charming. wife. Nancy. among our dearest friends. As families. we and our children have been together many times while BILL and Nancy and their children. Nancy Lynne. Barbara Ann. Tama Beth. and Bill. Jr.. visited their parttime home in my district of St. Thomas. So. in a sense. BILL and his family have been constituents of mine for more than 20 years. and Im very proud of that. So. it was somewhat of a coincidence that BILL and I each chose to retire from the House in the same year. Wed discussed our plans to retire. and perhaps taking that step at the end of this session. It wasan even greater coincidence when we each decided to announce our retirements before the House on the same day. and that we were both leaving this House after 10 terms in office. That is why I am privileged to make these remarks today. I mean it when I say there are few Members whom I admire more than BILL HUGHES. Before coming to Washington. BILL worked as a lawyer and served for a decade as first assistant prosecutor in Cape May County. where he.was never once reversed on appeal. an extraordinary accomplishment. In his 20 years in the House. BILL HUGHESS record of service is a remarkable and distinguished one. He has been among the most active members of the Judiciary Committee. He served 9 years. as chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime. where he wrote more than 40 anticrime bills. In 1991. he became chairman of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee where he played a key role in negotiations on GATT. As a senior member of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. BILL HUGHES was responsible. for legislation prohibiting ocean .dumping. controlling ocean pollution. and protecting wild and scenic rivers. At the end of this year. when BILL HUGHES retires from this House. this body will lose one of its hardest working and most talented Members. The men and women of the 2d District of New Jersey will lose the longest serving and most effective Representative in their history. and a man who has left an indelible mark on the laws of this Nation. Mr. Speaker. I commend BILL HUGHES for his long and distinguished service to this House and to this country. And I take -this opportunity to say a personal. Thank you. BILL. Good job. well done. and I look forward to seeing you and your family in years to come on St. Thomas and at Hawks Nest on St. John. where we will enjoy Nancys great shrimp salad. Thats Hawks Nest Beach. What a life.
Date: 1994-10-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker.I rise this evening- to pay honor to an outstanding American. Congressman DON EDwARDs of California. Throughout his long and distinguished career in the House of Representatives. Congressman EDWARDS has been one of the great leaders of civil and constitutional rights in America. Through his efforts as chairman of the Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights. Congressman EDWARDS has proved a true pioneer in the area of constitutional rights. His commitment to this most important facet of American life and Government has been without pomp and circumstance. He has remained resolute and undaunted in his leadership. and uncommonly candid about the issues thatr embrace the very heart of civil rights. He has been praised by organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. for his devotion to the civil rights movement He has been heralded for having the courage and the fortitude to speak up for those issues that so many others refer to as "too liberal." For Congressman EDWARDS. a great American. "liberal" is still a moniker that indicates the commitment to do what is right by our felL low man: a word that suggests freedom and justice. not for a particular group or class. but for all people. everywhere. I am therefore proud to have served with this courageous American. and I will always consider the day that I met Congressman DON EDWARDS one of theshining moments of my career in the U.S. Congress.
Date: 1994-10-07
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I would say to my friends on both sides of the aisle I hope that all of them have the opportunity I had to see the President visiting our young men and women yesterday. It was shown on television. the President. this young President visiting men and women on board the aircraft carrier. the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. and to see the response of our servicemen and women to our President as he thanked them and was thanking the battle group for the splendid performance of our military in Haiti. I had to feel proud both of our military and our President. There has been so much said on this floor. I wish we could step back and look at what really is going on there. The mission is being carried out by the military in a manner such as we have never seen before with great restraint. We can be very. very proud of our country. Let us all hope that all goes well. and let us back. our President and our service personnel.
Date: 1994-10-07
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture. the Committee on Armed Services. and the Committee on Energy and Commerce be discharged from further consideration of the bill to establish the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in the State of Illinois. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 1994-10-07
Speaker: DR LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment in the nature of .a substitute be considered as read and printed in the RECORD.
Date: 1994-10-07
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this bill deals with the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant facility in Illinois. and it is to be used for environmental and civic and health use in this area.
Date: 1994-10-08
Speaker: CHARLIE MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S

Senator Grassles Office. CHARLIE. Attached our response to your question on the Relabeling. I should have answers to your other questions next week. Call if you need more information.
Date: 1994-11-29
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. when we were home recently. the U.S. Virgin Islands lost a very special person. He. passed away. His name was Lito Valls. Rafael "Lito" Valls. He was a historian and a teacher by trade. By title he was an interpreter for the National Park Service at the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John. But perhaps most of all Lito. as he was known to his friends. was a master storyteller. a guide to the past who deftly combined his broad knowledge of history. culture. and folkways with his gift for words in ways that enthralled his audience from all over the world and made Virgin Islands history seem to come alive. Lito Valls. his work. and his obvious genuine love of it. will live on in his books and in the memories of those of us who were fortunate enough to have known this very special human being. He was in very special- ways my brother. He was the best friend that I. have ever had in this life. and I will miss him greatly as will all of those who ever knew him. Mr. Speaker.- I include for the RECORD a recent guest editorial in the Virgin Islands Daily News by Virgin Islands National Park Ranger -Chuck Weikert that well described Lito Valls and the exceptional human being that he was. as follows:
Date: 1994-11-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of H.R. 5110. the GATTimplementing legislation. Through all the political smoke and mirrors that have dominated the last few days in the national media. the facts about the benefits GATT will bring to this Nation remain visible. For my home State of Texas. GATT will create more opportunity through a level playing field in many industries. The aerospace industry. for example. will benefit from tariff reductions that average 72 percent in major foreign markets. With a current $28 billion surplus in this industry that will expand under GATT.- we can see real economic gain. For the computer equipment industry. GATT means more trade. The European Union. which is the largest market for U.S. computer exports. will reduce tariffs by nearly 80 percent. For medical equipment. GATT means the virtual elimination of tariffs. including those in the largest U.S. export markets such as Japan. Canada. the European community and Hong Kong. Examples such as these for industries across my State and across the Nation. The reality is that GATT is an agreement that will benefit this Nation. Three Presidents have participated in the negotiating process for the agreement. and Congress has been kept informed of the developments. The time has come to take action and pass GATT.
Date: 1994-11-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to a great Texan and a great statesman. Congressman JACK BROOKS. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee. he lent his powerful leadership in such a way that his shoes will not soon be filed. It was in this capacity that he sponsored the historic Civil Rights Act of 1991. legislation which has perhaps done more to restore peace and honor to this nation than any other law. As the dean of the Texas delegation. Chairman BROOKS inspired confidence in his fellow Members. and was consistent in bringing integrity to the U.S. Congress. Chairman BROOKS has been the epitome of statesmanship. having served his district. and his country. for more than 40 years. Chairman BROOKS will be missed for his powerful wisdom. extraordinary insight into critical issues. and his profound leadership. Chairman BROOKS will also be missed for his keen wit and timely humor. It is difficult. at best. to perceive the Congress without Chairman BROOKS. As a fellow Texan and the beneficiary of his superb leadership. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served with such -a distinguished Americar.
Date: 1997-01-07
Speaker: RALPH HALL (democrat)
Chamber: H

So we have three Democrats and two Republicans. While -some pundits out there may like to argue that the era of bipartisanship is over. they are wrong. because on the opening day we have begun in a bipartisan way to deal with this very important question of reducing that top rate on capital gains to help middleincome wage earners and all Americans. and those at the bottom end of the spectrum. as we try to get capital into the inner city and other spots which are desperately in need. as Speaker GINGRICH mentioned in his acceptance speech today. Mr. Speaker. I wish everyone a very happy. prosperous. and healthy 1997.
Date: 1997-01-22
Speaker: BOB SMITH (democrat)
Chamber: S

I thank the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee very much and also thank you. Madam President. It isnt often you get the opportunity to preside over your predecessors new job. So it is a great honor. You will learn when Senator BYRD gives out compliments. he means them. So I think you should take it in that vein. I am very honored and pleased and proud to support the nomination of Bill Cohen. with whom I have worked on the Armed Services Committee for the past 6 years on a number of issues. I compliment the President of the United States for having the courage to make a bipartisan selection. I dont think he could have picked a better one. If you want to bridge the gap. if you will. that sometimes occurs between those of us on the Republican side on defense matters and the administration. I think if anybody can do it. Bill Cohen can do it. He is very knowledgeable. and I think one of the things that adds a different. perhaps a unique. dimension to Bill Cohen as Secretary of Defense is his experience in foreign policy. I have been on some trips with him around the world. as many of my colleagues have. and he is very knowledgeable on Europe and NATO. His knowledge of the world is pretty well unequaled. I am proud to support his nomination.