macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1991-05-09
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this Nation has lost one of its most active aviation historians who touched the lives of millions of Americans and foreign visitors. Col. Lloyd P. Nolen was known -to many as a cropduster. businessman. writer. editor. and photographer. But it will be for his vision and dream come true that he will be forever rememberedthe Confederate Air Force. His deep rooted conviction that World War II was the most important era in American history since 1776. led him in 1957 to make his first move. Knowing that a journey of 1.000 miles begins with a single step. Nolen began it all with a P51 Mustang in the small south Texas town of Mercedes at a cropduster strip known as Rebel Field. Thirtyfour years later. the world has come to know the Confederate Air Force. as "The Flying Museum." Nolans dream was to educate future generations on the importance of the 193945
Date: 1991-05-23
Speaker: DI LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I support the fast track and oppose the resolution. for a multiplicity of reasons. . One. very seriously. you cannot move the Great Wall of China and place it around the United States of America. Secondly. you cannot bring down the Berlin Wall and place it between us and Mexico. The best interests of the United States of America. indeed. our very national security. demands a stable Mexico. economically. socially. and politically. This is what it is all about. As chairman of the Agricultural Committee. I was one of the negotiators when we worked out the agreement with Canada. and we will be major players when we work with Mexico and as we work with GATT. I can assure you of that. no matter who says what. We were major participants. We will be major participants. The needs of agriculture will be met. I can assure you of that. but the most important thing is. we cannot wall ourselves in. We cannot stop the world and jump off.
Date: 1991-05-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to the resolution of the gentleman from North Dakota disapproving the extension of the socalled fasttrack procedures for trade agreements.
Date: 1991-05-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Spea let me thank all of my colleag I solicited to vote and Who the fast track approval. T1 assure you of the commitmei by me under the jurisdictio and our committee will have. The concerns expressed wi dressed. and hopefully they v leviated to some extent or tots We are not going out to cha toms in the sky. We are not stop competition altogether. legitimate concerns will bq ad not see Let me assure you that what hap- trad r export pens today is not a victory for one side mult or another. It is just a procedure. The a Pr relation- work is yet ahead of us. and I hope the evitable. that we can continue working with cons with or good will and with the enthusiasm dow nt. It is necessary to see that we enhance our If th govern global position as a country and that can er than we bring two friends. Canada and N Mexico along with us. when we do so. bein ork. Mr. The concerns that you have ex- legis to the pressed to me will be addressed. and ame a [Mr. hopefully those concerns will be allevi- mile ated or met. I can assure you of that. type I rise in but now we need to work together to lar ndment. see that the final task is one that all And ip to the of us can be proud of and one that will cate nt. Ihad make us worthy to be remembered for stre as going having been a part of that final con- lomi asgngcluslon.gti r. I was got! hat the Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman to w of this and the gentlewoman for their time. F in that 0 1550 bee amend- Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker. I yield effe hat any such time as he may consume to the gres Agree- gentleman from California [Mr. forg alth and Do"Ai]. pler
Date: 1991-06-03
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill entitled the Taconic Mountains Protection Act of
Date: 1991-06-03
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consuie. Mr. Speaker. S. 483the Taconic Mountains Protection Act of 1991authorizes the expansion of the Green Mountain National Forest to include the 185.000 acres of the Taconic Mountain Range within Bennington County. VT. This proposed expansion of the Green Mountain National Forest has the support of the people of Bennington County. VT. and the States congressional delegation. S. 483 will protect and guarantee public access to an important natural resource that is now threatened with conversion to nonforest uses. particularly residential development. Most of the lands within the proposed expansion area are rugged. undeveloped forest and meadow areas. and it also includes the headwaters of two highly rated trout streams. The U.S. Forest Service has stated its intention to acquire these privately owned lands on a willingseller basis. Mr. Speaker. the Taconic Mountain Range is a logical additon to the Green Mountain National Forest and I urge the House to support this legislation.
Date: 1991-06-03
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the support of our colleagues on this legislation. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 1991-06-05
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. on behalf of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. I rise in strong support of this legislation and urge its passage.
Date: 1991-06-05
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. the debate on this civil rights legislation. from the halls of Congress to homes across America. from conferences to committees. from the White House to corporate offices. has engendered the most significant political and social controversy of 1991. In Congress. we have seen an original bill. the original amended. the amended bill substituted three times. and now we debate the final version which. in all likelihood. will be vetoed by the President. We have sought compromise but have seen efforts between labor and business leaders scuttled by the administration. We have altered this legislation to satisfy the majority of our Members. only to hear continuing threats of a Presidential veto. We have gone far indeed to achieve consensus on legislation whose goal is to insure harmony. equality. and fair play for all Americans. Today. we debate on a bill that seeks to allow every American the right to work. to be chosen fairly for that work. and to work under conditions that are equal for all. We have quibbled over quotas. quarreled over testing. and squabbled over semantics. some designed outright to frighten rather than inform. to divide rather than unite. The leadership of this House has worked sincerely and diligently to frame legislation to overturn 1989 Supreme Court decisions that severely reduce remedies for civil rights violations. This legislation explicitly prohibits that frightening word. quotas. This bill bans unfair employment testing. This legislation outlaws adjusting test results based on race. color. religion or national origin. This bill establishes but caps punitive damages. And this legislation meets business concerns about business necessity standards. Mr. Chairman. I make a final appeal to this House to pass this important legislation which restores the balance in the business place. returns the ability of minorities in America to obtain equality if it is denied them. and renews faith that in our Nation. all menand womenare created equal under the law. As the Representative of the people of the United States Virgin Islands. a territory where racial harmony is one of the hallmarks of our cultural heritage. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this civil rights legislation. and to vote so firmly that any threat of a veto will be resoundingly denied.
Date: 1991-06-18
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentleman from Kentucky. And. I would like to commend him for bringing this issue before the House. I believe that the farmworker is suffering as a result of the politics of deficit reduction. I would. hope that a way can be found to remove this additional burden from the back of the farmworker. For so long and for good reason the farmworker was exempted from the income tax withholding requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Wages of farmworkers are generally so low that few of them can be expected to incur a Federal tax liability. For this reason. requiring withholding from their wages imposes an unjustified hardship. Americas farmworkers are a crucial link in the US. agricultural production system and I believe that the whole issue of mandatory withholding of their wages is deserving of further consideration by the Ways and Means Committee. I would respectfully urge my colleagues on that committee to consider the effect that the provisions of the 1989 reconciliation legislation requirement has had on farm labor. I would respectfully urge my colleagues on that committee to consider the effect the provisions of the 1989 reconciliation legislation requirement has had on the farmworkers.
Date: 1991-06-20
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me this time. First. Mr. Speaker. let me say that I am very happy to see that this is the first piece of legislation that our distinguished colleague. the gentleman from California . the new chairman of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. will handle. We wish him well. When this legislation was before us last. Mr. Speaker. there was an amendment by our colleague. the gentleman from Connecticut . and we offered a compromise amendment that was basically agreed to. We had hoped that that would be the case this time. and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs did so vote. The gentleman from Connecticut feels now. though. that there may be need for a technical correction. and that possibly it may need further study. But at this time I would have no objection to working with the chairman of the committee and with the gentleman from Connecticut to allow that technical correction. In the meantime. we will continue working to see if we can enact what I term as legislation. which is the art of the possible. So within the art of the possible. I hope that we might work out something more permanent than merely a technical correction at this point. I am caught in a very difficult situation between extremes. and what I am trying to do within the art of the possible is to get us off center and get us something that is viable and workable and that satisfies the concerns of one side and the concerns of the other side. Mr. Speaker. I hope that this comes to pass. and anticipating the fact that I am not going to be here because I have to leave to return to my district for a very important meeting tonight. I do hope that the chairman of the committee. the gentleman from California . the Representatives of the Western States. and the Committee on Agriculture will handle that matter. With that. Mr. Speaker. I ask my colleagues respectfully to support the rule on our behalf as far as our interests are concerned and insofar as I think these matters can be handled properly.
Date: 1991-06-20
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I rise in supprt of this bill. H.R. 429. I want to commend our chairman. the gentleman from California on his strong and very sensitive leadership in our committee that brought about this compromise that we see here before Members today. Mr. Chairman. I am standing here in support of this bill. H.R. 429. Title XXI would require a study of the longterm water. sewer. and power needs of the insular areas. It wold also authorize funding to enable them to reduce their costly. almost total dependence on imported fuel. These prov.sions were contained in an omnibus insular areas bill that I sponsored that unanimously passed the House last year. It. unfortunately. did not become law because of late Senate action. Hence. with the support of Chairman GEORGE MILLER and other members of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. the language has been included in this bill. The insular areas have long endured horrendous problems stemming from inadequate water. sewer. and power. The health of their peoples has been imperiled and the economic growth of their communities has been stifled. but to date they have only been able to apply BandAid solutions to these problems. This bill would require a comprehensive study to permanently address the inadequacies. Correcting the deficiencies would considerably improve the quality of life of the nearly 4 million people of the insular areas. The authorization to encourage use of renewable local energy resources would expand an existing authorization for projects identified in a 1982 Energy Department report to cover any projects determined to be worthwhile by the Energy Secretary. Reducing insular areas dependency on imported fuel is critical to their economic health and makes sense in light of their abundant energy sources created by the wind. the Sun. and the ocean. In short. title XXI would provide a long. overdue response to critical needs. I commend Chairman MILLER for supporting it. our colleague ENI FALEOMAVAEGA for helping to develop it. and I urge my colleagues to approve it.
Date: 1991-06-25
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me this time. I rise in opposition to the Synar amendment for one simple reason. Mr. Chairman. Members can point out to the millionaire that got some money from the Government In housing. in transportation. in the airlines and everything. but here I am speaking for the consumer. Members will disrupt the line or the chain of supply to the consumer. We have been there before. We have to go begging to Australia. to New Zealand. to send beef. It is not only the beef. but it is the multiplicity of the other parts of the beef. the hides and everything else. Even as unimportant as this may sound. just to say that we will charge them a little more. that is not necessarily it. because some of them are at the breaking point. They are really taking care of the patrimony. and we will disrupt the chain of supply to the consumer. So as a consumer vote on this issue. vote "no."
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman. this was not like the S&L issue. We did not appropriate a bailout. The money was raised by bonds in the private sector. it came from the banks. The banks will pay it back. The only appropriated funds are some administrative funds. and also Mississippi is being served. and the matter is in court.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I do not have any disagreement to that. but it was not a bailout from taxpayers money. It was not a bailout from taxpayers money.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. there was no objection. A point of order was raised by the distinguished gentleman from Mississippi. He did not object to the amendments en bloc.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I take this time to just remind the House and my colleagues that the 1990 Farm Act. with all its deficiencies and all of the problems. we had to come up with a consensus piece of legislation. The result was still the most progressive. environmental legislation that we have had from the Committee on Agriculture in the history of the Committee on Agriculture. This is a modest attempt to try and bring some sense of balance to what we are doing. Many times American agriculture is blamed for contributing to poor water quality. for pollution. and all of the other matters related to the environment. We have been working and are continuing to work to address these concerns. But again. respectfully. our legislative mileh3ds thwarted. and this is a very modest attempt to try and bring some additional assistance. There is no need to study it. We know we have to have better quality of water. There is no need to study. We know we have to clean up the air. We know we have to protect the wetlands. We know all this. This is a very modest. very simple attempt by the gentleman from Indiana. who has dedicated much time to this effort. It is an environmentally sound amendment. It is a fiscally frugal amendment. It is a very meager attempt to continue our progressive attitude that has finally come to agriculture and to the Committee on Agriculture. I ask Members to support this amendment. because it is very frugal. and yet we try and continue the pace that we have set for ourselves to clean up the environment.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I do so to ask the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee. as far as I know there is only one more amendment pending. if the gentleman would in order to accommodate our colleagues and the membership be kind enough to move that the bill be considered as read in order that we might expedite the process. since there is only one more amendment to my knowledge left.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I do so again. if I might have the attention of my distinguished chairman. so that the bill be considered as read as printed in the RECORD.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. again I would like to address myself to our distinguished colleague. the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. I have an amendment that is on page 85. The next amendment is on page 86. Therefore. if it will be open to amendment at any point. we could facilitate the completion of this legislation. Mr. Chairman. in order to accommodate all our colleagues who have made plans otherwise.
Date: 1991-06-26
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman. I take this time only to show my appreciation to the distinguished gentleman from Mississippi. I appreciate his wisdom. his Solomontype wisdom. We will work with him. I will join with him in sending a letter that we implement this rural development agency because I agree with everything he said. We have had people who tried to thwart his wishes and our wishes. both of our committees. The gentleman quoted correctly former heads of the Farmers Home Administration. So this is to assure him that we will work with him and we will work together.
Date: 1991-07-10
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I have spoken before in this House of the dire problems the people of my district continue to face because of the failure of the administration to appoint judges to the bench of the Federal Courts. We in the Virgin Islands have seen visiting Judges come and go. we have seen our court system become suspect because of the absence of locally appointed judges. we have seen in some instances justice miscarried. and we have seen frustration in the legal community and in the community at large because of this problem. I have written many. many letters to the White House. I have exhorted the President to pay attention to this terrible situation. Judges have even written the Attorney General decrying the situation. The problem has again been highlighted. this time in an article that appeared in the Monday. July 1. 1991 edition of the Washington Posts magazine. Washington Business. titled "For Some Federal Judges. Long Days in Paradise." In it. Post Staff Writer Saundra Torry brings into good perspective the problems the people of the Virgin Islands have faced without permanent. sitting judges in our Federal Courts. Mr. Speaker. today I place this article into the record as further evidence of this embarrassing situation. But I also want to commend Acting Chief Judge Stanley Brotman and the other judges who have worked so hard to maintain the Federal Courts in the Virgin Islands under extremely trying circumstances. I would hope that the President and the Attorney General will take note of this intolerable problem. and move quickly to remedy It. and bring justice to the people I represent.
Date: 1991-07-16
Speaker: GREGORY J. AHART (democrat)
Chamber: S

Director. Human Resources Division. General Accounting Office. Washington. DC. DEAR MR. AHAnT: The Secretary asked that I respond to your request for our comments on your draft of a proposed report "Restrictions on Abortion and Lobbying Activities in Family Planning Programs Need Clarification." The enclosed comments represent the tentative position of the Department and are subject to reevaluation when the final version of this report is received. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on this draft report before its publication. Sincerely yours.
Date: 1991-07-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to extend to 1991 crops the disaster assistance provisions of the Food. Agriculture. Conservation and Trade Act of 1990. as amended.
Date: 1991-07-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. some people think that the only time we have fullfledged disasters is when Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw are walking through a droughtstunted cornfield in Iowa. The truth of the matter is that Mother Nature has dealt a cruel blow to many farmers and farmworkers around the country this year. Agricultural producers throughout much of California have had to deal with a devastating freeze this past winter on top of the continuing drought. The freeze put thousands of lowincome farmworkers out of work for months in some areas. Severe flooding delayed planting and destroyed crops for thousands of farmers from Louisiana and Mississippi up the Mississippi River Valley to Iowa and Minnesota. Disasters of smaller but equally devastating magnitude have fallen upon many other agricultural producers around the country. In my own district in South Texas we have it alldrought. flooding. and now even the Africanized honeybee. I will admit that this years lengthy list of disasters has not captured the national medias attention for longer than a 90second blurb. But that doesnt make the physical and financial losses for the affected farmers and farmworkers any less real. In fact. in 1990. nearly 1.400 counties out of the 3.000 rural counties in the United States were declared disaster areas. This year. 559 counties have already been declared disaster areas. Unfortunately. less than half of the Nations eligible producers carry crop Insurance. and for others crop insurance is not even available. Mr. Speaker. for all these reasons and until we are able to create a crop insurance program that will cover a large majority of agricultural produc-
Date: 1991-07-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I hope that the Members will support this legislation. The 1990 act authorized such appropriation. We have gotten no money. We do not know what happened in 1991. but at least this sends a message to our farmers. Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California
Date: 1991-07-23
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. and include therein extraneous material on H.R. 2893. the bill just considered.