macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-27
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. the reason I bring this amendment to the desk is because there are families. there are businesses. moms and dads in Lewis County on I5 that have experienced devastating flooding. In fact. at one of my meetings back there. I met a wonderful older woman who has lived in that county for decades. and she said to me. Honey. when it starts to rain outside. I get terrified. I dont know if I should put all my valuables in the attic and I should leave the house. Thats because in 2007. Madam Chairman. this county experienced devastating flooding. And every time it rains. the residents wonder if this is going to be the next catastrophic flood that they lose their businesses. lose their homes. and that devastates families. Our State legislature and locals in the community in Lewis County have been seeking a basinwide solution to flood protection. The Army Corps of Engineers has spent decades studying this issue. and the time of the study is over. We also need a solution that isnt going to wall off the twin cities in Lewis County by erecting an 11mile levee that basically turns those cities into a bathtub. With this amendment. I was seeking to prohibit that bathtub effect. so to speak. so as to protect the businesses and the families and the commerce that take place. We can come up with a better solution. However. Madam Chairman. because this is such an important issue. and I want to make sure that we do this right. Im going to withdraw my amendment at this time. Actually before I do so. Madam Chairman. would it be possible to ask a question of the subcommittee chairman?
Date: 2012-06-27
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Chair. With that. I withdraw my amendment. Madam Chairman. and yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection. the amendment is withdrawn.
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. weve just had a very important vote and some would ask what this second vote is about. This second vote is a simple authorization for the committee involved to be able to essentially hire counsel that would allow us to go into court to seek a declaratory judgment by the Federal court to enforce the subpoenas that have been presented by this committee to the Attorney General of the United States. Its a simple. straightforward resolution. Why is it important? One of our obligations under the Constitution is to provide oversight of the executive branch. There are those in this body who have been here and engaged in debate with respect to important items such as the PATRIOT Act and FISA. One of the things that weve attempted to assure our constituents was that we would ensure that the constitutional rights of Americans would not be trampled upon as we carry out the appropriate responsibility of protecting this country and our constituents against terrorist attack. That requires us to provide active oversight over the executive branch. Similarly. in this case. we have an obligation to stand in the shoes of those we represent. to oversee the operations of the executive branchin this case. the Department of Justiceto ensure that they are following the law. One manner in which that can be frustrated is by a departmentin this case. the Department of Justicethat refuses to respond to lawful subpoenas and give us the information so that we can do that oversight. That is what we were talking about. This Congress. this House of Representatives. was misled. I dont know whether it was intentional or not. I do know we were misled by a representation from the Justice Department in an official response to an inquiry by the Congress of the United States. That was not corrected for 10 months. You can look at it a couple of ways. One is that there was an attempt to slowwalk the Congress so that it could not carry out its constitutional responsibility. There is a lot of talk on this floor by both Democrats and Republicans as to how we have an obligation to oversee the executive branch. In fact. one of the genius points of our Founding Fathers Constitution is that conflict between or among the three branches of government. that natural tension. But that natural tension cannot exist and we cannot do that which we are called upon under the Constitution to do faithfully if we are denied information to oversee the operations of the Department of Justice.
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. So all we are doing simply is asking for the authorization so that this committee can have the representation of counsel to see that these subpoenas are carried out. Since we have been given every sense from the Justice Department that it would be folly. in a sense. to suggest that they would carry out the actions that we just voted upon against the Attorney General. this is the method by which we can achieve that which we are required to do. that is. to carry out oversight responsibility against the executive department. including the Department of Justice.
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: BONO MACK (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to join my colleague and friend. Congressman KEN CALVERT. to honor and pay tribute to a dear friend. Richard Coleman Kelley. Richard passed away on Thursday. June 14. 2012. A devoted husband. brother. father. and grandfather. he will be deeply missed. Richard was born March 19. 1930 in Corona. California to David and Margaret Kelley. who were beginning to develop their property in Hemet into a citrus grove. He attended schools in Corona. and after graduating from the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad. California. he served honorably in the United States Air Force from 1950 to 1954. He spent a semester at the University of California at Davis before returning to work for his father on their familys ranch. only to later develop a citrus ranch of his own. In 1957. Richard married Jeanne Vig and continued to farm in Hemet while raising their three children. where he was partner of Kelley Citrus and owned Circle K Five Citrus. It is hard to imagine that Richard had any free time on his hands. and yet he always found time for his community and family. Richard was active in his church. was vice president of the Riverside County Farm Bureau. president of the Hemet Optimist Club. was active in parentteacher organizations. and supported every team and club in which his children participated. He also served on the board of Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) beginning in September of 1981. serving on the Legal Committee and as Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee. Richard also enjoyed inventing. skiing. jogging. and farming. In fact. many of Richard and Jeannes "vacations" were spent helping work on their daughters and sons farms in Idaho. In response to the high water costs that could have forced small farmers out of business in the early 1980s. Richard once said. "Agricultural water is my main interest . . . something has to be done." And as an EMWD board member and concerned citizen. he worked tirelessly to address this threat to an American way of life. That is just one testament to his cando spirit and willingness to help solve problems in his home town that made him such a treasure to the Riverside County area for so long. and is what we will remember about him most. On Wednesday. June 27. 2012. a memorial service celebrating Richards extraordinary life was held. Richard will always be remembered for his legendary work ethic. generosity. contributions to the community. and love of family. His dedication to his work. family. and community are a testament to a life welllived and a legacy that will continue. I extend my deepest condolences to Richards family and friends. Although Richard may be gone. the light and goodness he brought to our great State will never be diminished and will never be forgotten. Richard is survived by his children. Janice of Hemet. Kathy of Weiser. Idaho and Ron of Weiser. Idaho. five grandchildren. and his brother. former California State Assemblyman and Senator. David Kelley. Our thoughts and prayers are with Richards family and the many others he touched.
Date: 2012-06-29
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Chairman MICA. And Id like to thank you and your staff for working tirelessly on this issue. For the past several months. both House and Senate Members and staff have been working around the clock. and through tough negotiations we were able to work in a bipartisan. bicameral way to produce something that has direct impact on the lives of the folks I serve in southwest Washington. Im well aware the perception that this Congress is having difficulty getting things done. and I fought for us to stay at the table to keep working to push through for solutions to demonstrate our ability to put Americas needs ahead of politics. and today. Madam Speaker. we were successful. Particularly folks in my home district in southwest Washington State are excited that the House fought for vital reforms that are going to allow us to cut project delivery times down. even by half in some instances. That means dollars are going to go further. more projects are going to get done. and more money will be available for additional projects. That sets us up for more jobs. Were also giving rural communities the necessary support to fund schools. emergency services. and roads while we come up with a more permanent solution that allows for increased and better forest management. My thanks to Chairman HASTINGS and his committee for their tireless work on this issue. We also have projects of national and regional significance: the Recreational Trails Program that benefits trail riders. hikers. outdoor enthusiasts. all in my beautiful district down in southwest Washington. Weve supported using the Harbor and Maintenance Trust Fund for its intended purposes: improving our waterways that are economic arteries for places like Washington State and around the country. Mr. Chairman. this bill is not perfect. no bill ever is. However. this is a symbol of how Congress is supposed to operate and why were here. With that. I urge its passage.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

You know. last month. the Supreme Court made its regrettable ruling to uphold the Presidents jobkilling tax program known as ObamaCare. While the High Court may have deemed it constitutional as a tax. Americans deem it burdensome and unaffordable. ObamaCare boasts $500 billion in tax hikes. 150 new Federal bureaucracies. and $1.76 trillion added to the growing national debt. not to mention the massive amounts of red tape and legalese that get in the way of patients and their doctors. Before we know it. going to the doctor will feel more like a trip to the DMV. the Department of Motor Vehicles. Our TaxandSpenderinChief needs to stop throwing more hardearned tax dollars at a broken health care system and start working with Congress to implement commonsense reforms. We can make coverage more accessible. more affordable. and give Americans the freedom to choose their health care plan. Our first step is to repeal ObamaCare this week.
Date: 2012-07-11
Speaker: TOM ROONEY (republican)
Chamber: H

REID RIBBLE. and STEVE SOUTHERLAND. I want to thank them for their dedication. their hard work. and. most of all. for just showing up. The big winner. Madam Speaker. is an organization called the First Tee. Over the last 11 years that weve had this competition. over $1.5 million has been raised for the First Tee. This is an organization that works with young people to try to touch their lives through educational programs that deal with character. honesty. integrity. They work in all 50 States. Theyve touched the lives of 4.5 million people over the years. and they do a lot of work in the inner cities and for the less fortunate. So it was a great day. and I want to thank everybody for their involvement. Certainly. I want to yield time to my Democratic counterpart. to the captain of the Democratic team. Mr. YARMUTH.
Date: 2012-07-18
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Just when I thought the administrations economic policies couldnt get worse. the President is now calling for a tax increase that will hit 53 percent of small business income. At a time when small businesses arent able to hire because of the constant threat of higher taxes. that just doesnt make sense. The Presidents tax plan does nothing to reduce the everincreasing national debt. Instead of threatening job creators with more jobdestroying taxes. we need to cut spending. get our fiscal house in order. and ensure that American families and businesses will not have to fork over more of their hardearned money to Uncle Sam. The President should recognize that job creators put their own blood. sweat. and tears into building their own businesses and that the government shouldnt be destroying small business owners with any tax hike.
Date: 2012-07-19
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Let me begin again by thanking Chairman YOUNG and Ranking Member DICKS for their continued leadership on this bill and this very important piece of legislation. Mr. Chairman. yesterday. Representative BACA and I offered an amendment that directs $10 million from the DefenseWide Operations and Management account and moves it to the Strategic Environmental Research Program and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. These funds would provide the Research and Development Programs additional resources for competitive grants that allow our communities to provide clean water. It is critical that Congress support DOD efforts to develop innovative solutions that use the best technology available to us for problems like the perchlorate contamination that areas in my district in California deal with. Perchlorate is a chemical used to produce explosives that. when found in groundwater. can be harmful to women. children. and the elderly. In fact. onequarter of Inland Empire aquifers. including basins from surrounding counties. contains high concentrations of perchlorate. Just this week. the U.S. Geological Survey released findings from a statewide assessment of groundwater quality that high levels of perchlorate were discovered in 11 percent of wells and moderate concentrations in 53 percent of wells. That is statewide. Mr. Chairmal. Groundwater contamination and other contamination from former defense sites are becoming increasingly problematic throughout the Nation. Based on those facts. I would like to yield to the chairman for the purpose of entering into a colloquy. with hopes that we can work on this issue in the future. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.
Date: 2012-07-19
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the chairman for agreeing and committing to work with me on this issue. Id like to thank Representative BACA for his leadership in support of this issue. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-07-19
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the United States Capitol for an event to present the Congressional Gold Medal to Arnold Palmer. in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship in golf. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2012-07-25
Speaker: BONO MACK (republican)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment offered relating to privacy regulations. midnight privacy rules. and consent decrees. At a time when many of us are fighting attempts by the United Nations to regulate the Internet. lo and behold. some in Congress would have us do the exact opposite. The Conyers amendment would open the door for new. burdensome. and potentially jobkilling regulations on the Internet. We dont need the United States stifling Internet freedom any more than Russia. China. or India. As chairman of the subcommittee with primary jurisdiction over this issue. Ive convened multiple hearings on online privacy and had countless conversations with stakeholders. And there is one thing that absolutely everyone agrees on: dont mess up a great thing. Ecommerce continues to flourish. creating jobs for millions of Americans and providing a tremendous boost to an otherwise stagnant economy. This amendment could put all of that success in jeopardy. stifling future innovation and growth. Id like to remind my colleagues that an agency could still promulgate rules on privacy so long as they are not considered "significant" as defined in the bill. But what we dont need is a system where dueling bureaucrats. the FTC and the FCC. impose conflicting and confusing rules for consumers. While the amendment sounds as if it is narrowly tailored to exempt privacy regulations from the interim prohibitions on new regulations and midnight rules. the term "privacy" is nonetheless undefined. Thats the very definition of "loophole" and opens the back door to government intervention and regulation. Soon. the House will consider my legislation telling the United Nations. Russia. China and others to keep their hands off the Internet. Today. lets tell the United States that very same thing.
Date: 2012-08-01
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. let the countdown begin. Come January 1. the President and the Democrats plan to raise taxes on hardworking families and small business. Thats right. Instead of reining in their outofcontrol spending. the President wants all Americans to hand over even more of their hardearned money to the Federal Government. Its not smart to raise taxes ever. and certainly not in a struggling economy. With 3 years of skyhigh unemployment across the country. recordbreaking deficits. and countless new rules and mandates coming from the White House. the solution is simple: Stop these jobkilling tax hikes. Its time to rewrite the Tax Code. work on progrowth tax reform. and get this economy working again. Stop the Democrats massive tax hikes to pay for their Big Government agenda. The American people want. need. and deserve better.
Date: 2012-08-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. in recognition of her leadership and perseverance in the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2012-08-01
Speaker: BONO MACK (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my dear colleague for yielding me the time. Today. if you browse the Internet and enter the search words "Russia. China. human rights violations." youll get back nearly 300 million hits. Think about it. Five simple words. 300 million hits. In the future. how many of these stories will you actually be able to read if Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinas Communist Party are allowed to exert unprecedented control over Internet governance? Here are two words you should Google: "Good luck." As the United States prepares to take part in the World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai. we need to provide the delegation with a clear and unmistakable mandate: Keep the Internet free of any and all government control. At the WCIT discussions. a new treaty on Internet governance will be debated. Most worrisome to me are efforts by some countries to provide the U.N. with extraordinary new authority over the management of the Internet. Thats bad enough. But unlike the U.N. Security Council. the U.S. will not have veto power to prevent censorship or despotic actions which could threaten freedom everywhere. To prevent this from happening. I introduced House Concurrent Resolution 127. I want to thank my cosponsors. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman UPTON. Ranking Member WAXMAN. Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman WALDEN. and my good friend and the Ranking Subcommittee Member ESHOO for their strong bipartisan support in this effort. I also want to commend Senator RUBIO for championing this critically important cause in the Senate. In many ways. this is a firstofitskind referendum on the future of the Internet. For nearly a decade. the United Nations has been angling quietly to become the epicenter of Internet governance. A vote for our resolution is a vote to keep the Internet free from government control. and to prevent Russia. China. India. and other nations from succeeding in giving the U.N. unprecedented control over Web content and infrastructure. Last year. ecommerce topped $200 billion in the U.S. for the first time and is up 15 percent so far this year. We also continue to lead the world in online innovation. creating millions of jobs and bolstering our economy at a time when we really need it. These proposed treaty changes. which have been going on in secret. could have a devastating impact worldwide on both freedom and economic prosperity. If this power grab is successful. Im concerned that the next Arab Spring will instead become a Russian Winter where free speech is chilled. not encouraged. and the Internet becomes a wasteland of unfulfilled hopes. dreams. and opportunities. We cannot let this happen. I urge my colleagues to vote "yes" for this resolution. and say "no" to online censorship by foreign governments.
Date: 2012-08-02
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the bill to authorize the Architect of the Capitol to establish battery recharging stations for privately owned vehicles in parking areas under the jurisdiction of the Senate at no net cost to the Federal Government. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2012-08-02
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the bill to authorize the Architect of the Capitol to establish battery recharging stations for privately owned vehicles in parking areas under the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives at no net cost to the Federal Government. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2012-08-02
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the bill to prevent harm to the national security or endangering the military officers and civilian employees to whom internet publication of certain information applies. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2012-08-02
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today. it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Date: 2012-09-10
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to revise the authority of the Librarian of Congress to accept gifts and bequests on behalf of the Library. and for other purposes.