macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-12
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I thank my colleague. I appreciate her frustration. I hope she would advocate on behalf of not just me. but the entire House Agriculture Committee. that gets zero response. It is not just the House Ag Committee. it is our House T&I Committee. It is individual congressional offices that dont have that interaction. There is such a lack of action that I didnt take this amendment lightly. We came here to the floor tonight this late because there is a lack of respect and constitutional responsibility coming from this agency of the executive branch. Mr. Chairman. I include in the RECORD a letter to the EPA dated June 14. 2016.
Date: 2016-07-12
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I have got 11 people on this letter wondering why they havent appointed a single person to the Science Advisory Board Committee that is supposed to deal with agricultural issues that was written in the farm bill that passed in 2014. I hate to do this amendment. but it is the only way we can send a message to the EPA and to the specific office that Congress means business in actually implementing our oversight responsibilities that the Constitution gives us that our Forefathers gave us. Mr. Chairman. I urge a "yes" vote on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois .
Date: 2016-07-13
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the city of Dallas and all who call north Texas home. Last week our community experienced a horrific tragedy when five police officers were murdered in cold blood. and they were gunned down while safeguarding a peaceful rally. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families. friends. and fellow law enforcement officers of the five brave men we lost. I also pray for peace. comfort. and for hearts to be healed. The memorial service in Dallas yesterday reminds us of what many Texans already know: we are a family. While we may not always agree. all Americans should have mutual respect for one another. and we must have an ultimate. mutual respect for our constitutional rights. first and foremost being life and liberty. God bless Dallas. God bless America.
Date: 2016-07-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I thank the chairman for his hard work in getting us to where we are today. I want to give a special thanks to MIKE POMPEO. who helped craft this legislation that. over a year ago in the House. 275 Republicans and Democrats voted on a bill to establish a voluntary nationwide program that would give consumers access to the information that they have requested about the food that they are actually consuming. This bill would have protected advancements in food production and innovation and ended the patchwork of State laws threatening our interstate commerce. I was extremely disappointed to see that a small group of Members from the other body blocked this commonsense. bipartisan legislation to protect vital agricultural technology that has been proven time and time again by science to be safe. I want to ensure that Americans have access to affordable foodand this bill would have done thatand to help address our worlds hunger needs that biotechnology can only do in the future. Unfortunately. this process has stalled for months. Congress was not able to act before Vermonts law went into effect on July 1. Just having one State alter the lawtheir lawwould provide a drastic. drastic negative impact on producers in my district. Despite what you may hear today. Mr. Speaker. this is not. and never will be. a movement for people to know more about what is in their food. This is a movement by people who want you to pay more for food using practices that are elite. not readily available. and expensive to the hardworking families in this country. These activists have publicly acknowledged their objective is to stigmatize a safe and valuable tool for Americas farmers and ranchers. If leaders of this movement in Vermont were so pure in their motives. they would not have exempted processed dairy foods. which excludes GMO labeling of a little ice cream company that operates in Vermont. I say. if ice cream from Illinois ought to have a label in Vermont. the environmentally conscious ice cream company from Vermont ought to follow the same rule. While I still believe the voluntary approach is the correct course of action. I am supporting this legislation. The clock has run out. My producers need certainty. An interstate commerce nightmare will shortly pursue if we dont pass this bill.
Date: 2016-07-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the bill to reauthorize the sound recording and film preservation programs of the Library of Congress. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2016-07-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the bill to authorize the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to provide playback equipment in all formats. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2016-07-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today. it adjourn to meet at 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
Date: 2016-09-06
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. under current law. basic rights that protect survivors of sexual assault and allow them full access to justice vary greatly between each State and Federal statute. The uneven patchwork of laws across this country and the lack of substantive rights for sexual assault survivors prevent them from having full access to the justice system. Survivors of sexual assault have experienced unspeakable trauma. and they should not face unnecessary barriers to justice. These brave survivors deserve commonsense legal protections and clear procedures that ensure access to justice. This bipartisan legislation will ensure that sexual assault survivors in Federal criminal cases have a right to a sexual assault evidence collection kit. a right to be notified in writing before the kit is destroyed. a right to request preservation of the kit. and a right to be informed of important results from a forensic examination. This legislation is so important because it ensures these rights in the Federal criminal justice system and. furthermore. it will set an example for States to adopt similar procedures and practices. Additionally. this legislation will establish a joint working group formed by the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Human Services on best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence. It will also make the Victims of Crimes Act grant funding available for States to disseminate written notice of survivors rights. The Senate has unanimously passed these reforms. and now we must do our part to ensure that sexual assault survivors have a fair chance at justice. This legislation. which I have introduced with Ms. LOFGREN. has been endorsed by Rise. the Rape. Abuse & Incest National Network. more commonly known as RAINN. the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence. and the National Center for Victims of Crime. among other groups. I thank these groups. Chairman GOODLATTE.
Date: 2016-09-07
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk made in order under the rule. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Add at the end of the bill the following:
Date: 2016-09-07
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. let me first commend Chairman GOODLATTE for his work on the underlying bill. I want to thank him and the staff of the Judiciary Committee for their support and assistance on crafting this and the following amendment. I also want to thank the chairman. staff. and members of the Rules Committee for their help as well. This amendment. Mr. Chairman. requires the head of each Federal agency to provide an annual electronic report to the Congressional Budget Office of any settlement agreements entered into by an official or agency during the previous year. consistent with the limitations of the underlying bill. H.R. This annual submission to CBO is critical to ensure the transparency of these settlements and to provide Congress an opportunity to obtain the information on these from the agencies. Further. with this information. CBO can begin building a database of these settlements. which is essential for Congress to track and to monitor the size and number of these agreements made by the Federal Government. I should point out that it also includes language to ensure that no additional funds are appropriated for this administrative reporting requirement to make certain that the amendment has no budgetary impact. I want to also state. finally. that this amendment includes a 7year sunset provision to comply with the Houses CutGo provision. I want to once again thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Mr. Chair. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-09-07
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the chairman once again. I urge adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia .
Date: 2016-09-07
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. this is the sister or cousin amendment to the one just adopted by the House. and it requires the inspector general of each Federal agency to provide an annual report to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary. Appropriations. and the Budget concerning any settlement agreements that may violate section 2(a) of H.R. The previous amendment identified all those settlements made consistent with H.R. 5063. and this is a report that would be required that would identify those settlements outside the agreements under H.R. 5063. This information is vital to help ensure that the Federal agencies are not usurping Congress power of the purse by continuing past practices and to confirm Federal agencies are fulfilling the requirements of the underlying bill. It also includes. once again. language to ensure that no additional funds are appropriated for the administrative reporting requirement and makes sure that it is budgetneutral. I urge the adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chair. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-09-07
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. once again. I thank the Chairman for his support and for his assistance in this. and I urge adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia .
Date: 2016-09-08
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

It is just a great honor anytime to be able to speak on the FairTax. and I just want to say thank you for your incredible leadership in keeping this ball moving forward. But. yes. you are right. In fact. one of the first things I did when I took office here was to cosponsor the FairTax. If there is any one issue in the 10th District of Georgia that I hear more than anything else. it is support for the FairTax. I think it is because the people know. really. two key things. Number one. taxes are far too high. excessive. and burdensome. and the Tax Code is absolutely too complicated. I hear this over and over and over. Every year it gets more and more complicated and bigger and bigger and bigger. And so. you know. we are at a point that the Tax Code itself literally cries out for reform. and I dont know of any better way of dealing with this than the FairTax. We talk about having an economic boom. the likes of which we have never seen before. It is all wrapped up in reforming the Tax Code in a manner that can be done here with the FairTax. And. you know. this is something that absolutely we need to do. It is going to strengthen individual freedom. Just think of this. Individual freedom is wrapped up in economic freedom. and the more we confiscate through our current tax system. the less individual freedom we have. It is going to promote jobs. the likes of which we havent seen before. It is going to eliminate the IRS. Who among us doesnt want to see that happen? The IRS. as we watch it these days even targeting individuals. it is just insane to think of any government agency targeting citizens of this country. but particularly an agency like the IRS that literally has the power to destroy lives. It is just an incredibly important issue for us to address. and so I am a strong supporter of the FairTax. and thank you for your leadership on this. I think. as we come to the close of this 114th Congress. we need to do all we can to keep this on the forefronttax reform and. in particular. the FairTax. We need to move this needle forward. To you and your predecessor. John Linder. you have carried this weight on your shoulders a long time. and I am deeply appreciative of this and for your leadership in this Special Order. Thank you for letting me participate in it. I am deeply appreciative.
Date: 2016-09-08
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Well. thank you. because this only happens when people get out there and say this is the solution. These are the kind of positive solutions that we can put forward. and if we were to adopt them. then its "Katy. bar the door." Thanks so much for your great work.
Date: 2016-09-09
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate all of our Olympians and Paralympians who represented Team USA in Rio de Janeiro this year. The United States brought in 121 medals at the Olympic Games last month. and with the start of the Paralympics this week. I am confident that Team USAs staggering medal count will rise even higher. The Illinois 13th District sent some incredibly talented athletes to the Games this year. Nichole Millage. my friend Tatyana McFadden and her sister Hannah. Ryan Held. a gold medalist from Springfield. Illinois. Lauren Doyle and Kelsey Card. as well as wheelchair basketball coach Stephanie Wheeler were selected to represent their country on Team USA. for many. the dream of a lifetime. These individuals endured hours of rigorous training. overcame personal struggles. and sacrificed simple pleasures to represent our country on the global stage. They are the best and brightest our country has to offer. as well as some of the worlds most skilled athletes. They have certainly made their hometowns proud. and it is an honor to represent them in Congress.
Date: 2001-01-30
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Madam Speaker. I come to the floor today in support of H.R. 93. the Federal Firefighters Retirement Age Fairness Act. As my colleagues know. this bill raises the mandatory retirement age for Federal firefighters from 55 to age 57. allowing Federal firefighters the option of continuing their public careers for an additional 2 years. As a wife of a career firefighter. I understand this lifestyle well and know that there is no substitute for experience in their line of work. This bill has gained bipartisan support from both management and labor and has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as well as the American Federation of Government Employees. In my district. the First District of the great Commonwealth of Virginia. I am proud of -the hundreds of men and women who serve our local communities and our Nation on Virginias many military installations as firefighters. These dedicated individuals often put their lives and health in jeopardy so that property and people are protected. In addition to fighting fires. these men and women provide response to hazardous material incidents. provide emergency medical services. and inspect and protect our Federal facilities and bases. I thank the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Indiana for working to make this muchneeded change in our Federal code. and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 93.
Date: 2001-02-07
Speaker: THOMAS M. DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

and the former coc Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank Mr. tleman from Iowa (M Imam Bassam A. Estwani for joining us ofis hrd w o today as the guest chaplain and offer- of his hard work o ing this mornings prayer. He is the health care. His le chairman of the board of the Dar Al- missed. but I am st Hijrah Islamic Center. which is one of will join me in repr the Nations most active and influen- tleman from Kansas tial mosques. located in the llth Con- chairman of our Rur gressional District. which I represent. alition. He has participated in many inter- Just 2 days ago. national conferences that focus on tunity to visit Cape Islam and religious values in America. ical Center in Fa He has been instrumental in bringing Carolina. along with members of different faith commu- WARDS from North nities together to promote social jus- about the impact t tice. Budget Act of 1997 ha Mr. Estwani is a native of Syria. He ity of care. While I has a law degree from the University of those of us in Congre Damascus. He studied Islamic law in nificant steps over t Damascus and at the University of stop cuts in Medica Cairo. In Kuwait. Mr. Estwani partici- more to do to ensure pated in the publication of the Ency- no matter where the clopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence. In have access to qualit: Lebanon. he established an Islamic .The voice of rural publishing house that produced more be heard and to be than 200 titles in a number of different these halls of Congre languages. He also participated in and of my colleagues her sponsored relief and literacy programs to join our efforts t for orphans and the homeless in this as we talk about and country and overseas. health care. that we lim community is thern Virginia and numbering over 6 today. I am very one of the largest merican Muslims. rthern Virginia as tre just very. very offer the prayer
Date: 2001-02-13
Speaker: THOMAS M. DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2. the Social Security and Medicare Lock Box Act of 2001. I would also like to thank my colleague. Congressman WALLY HERGER. for taking the lead yet again in ensuring that commonsense measures are taken to preserve the Social Security and Medicare Part A programs for our senior citizens. Currently. both the Social Security and Medicare Part A programs take in more revenue through taxes and premiums than they pay out in benefits. This has resulted in large surpluses in both Trust Funds. estimated to be $157 billion for Social Security and $29 billion for Medicare. However. as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age. the situation changes significantly. Over the coming years we will see a decrease in the ratio of workers to beneficiaries from 5to1 to 2to1. causing a precipitous decline in the amounts held in both Trust Funds. By the year 2037. it is estimated that the combined Social Security Trust Funds will be depleted. with revenues only sufficient to pay about 72 percent of benefits. The situation for Medicare is even more dire. with the Part A Trust Fund projected to be depleted by 2025. We cannot simply put off the difficult decisions for a later day. It is clear that we can enact significant reforms now that are necessary to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent for the future. It is also evident that while this is a challenging task in and of itself. it will be even more difficult. if not impossible. if we allow the surpluses that we currently have to be raided for other government spending. To this end. H.R. 2 creates a lockbox by creating a point of order against any bill. joint resolution. amendment. motion. or conference report that would raid either the Social Security or Medicare Trust Fund. This lockbox ensures that the Trust Fund surpluses will only be used to further pay down our national debt or to strengthen these vital programs for our children and grandchildren. This is a modest. commonsense step to help preserve social security benefits for future retirees. We have an obligation to keep our promises to our senior citizens. They have paid into Social Security andMedicare over the course of their working lives in the expectation that these benefits would be there to help support them in their later years. We do them a severe injustice if financial mismanagement on our part robs them of the security they deserve. By approving H.R. 2. we will show the American people that we remain committed to saving these invaluable programs. It is for this reason that I urge my colleagues to lend it their full support.
Date: 2001-02-28
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. it is clear that the President of the United States has set out on a mission to return the power of government back to the people. Mr. Bush effectively made the case that was sound fiscal discipline. The Federal surplus provides us with the opportunity to strengthen Social Security. revitalize our armed forces and continue to pay down the debt while returning some of the money back to those who earned it. the American people. By providing tax relief for all Americans. the Presidents plan takes the extra money out of Washington. where it otherwise will be certainly spent on programs designed to enlarge Federal Government programs. President Bush recognizes that after the bills are paid. the leftover funds belong to the American taxpayers. Rejecting a plan to use a portion of the surplus for tax relief is the equivalent of paying for a gallon of milk at the grocery store with a $10 bill and having the cashier refuse to give you back the change. It is wrong. I feel that the Presidents plan puts America on the right track towards fiscal discipline as well as providing the American family with muchneeded tax relief.
Date: 2001-03-01
Speaker: GARY MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. today I will be introducing the IDEA Full Funding Act of 2001. I would like to thank my 27 colleagues who have already joined me in supporting this important measure. In 1975. the U.S. Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IDEA. mandating that local school districts provide appropriate education to students with special needs. Realizing that this could be a costly endeavor. Congress agreed to fund up to 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure. However. to date. Congress has only provided States with 14.9 percent of the funds promised. We need to do a better job of keeping the IDEA promise. and I am proposing that we strive to meet this goal. My bill will achieve the 40 percent level in 2011. By steadily increasing funds over the next 10 years. we would demonstrate our commitment to our local school districts and.practice fiscal prudence. Mr. Speaker. I invite my colleagues to join me in meeting the IDEA promise.