macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-02-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and a former chair of the Transportation Security Subcommittee. I rise in support of H.R. 719. the "TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2015." Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Chairman MCCAUL and Ranking Member THOMPSON for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. H.R. 719 will save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands dollars annually by requiring the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conform its personnel classification practices to existing Federal law and regulations regarding criminal investigator positions. According to a report by the Homeland Security Departments Inspector General (IG). about half of the employees in the Office of Inspection (OIl) are classified as criminal investigators even though their duties do not involve responsibilities that can be characterized as criminal investigation activities. Instead. the responsibilities of these employees primarily consist of administrative duties such as investigating cases of TSA employee misconduct and conducting internal reviews. Classifying these employees as "law enforcement" personnel. however. makes them eligible for premium pay and other significant economic benefits. If TSA fails to reclassify criminal investigator positions as noncriminal investigator positions or nonlawenforcement positions. this will cost taxpayers as much as $17.000.000 over 5 years. This money could be utilized to ensure that law enforcement agencies. which identify. apprehend. and prosecute criminals. have the tools. resources. and training necessary to do their job efficiently. effectively. and economically. Mr. Speaker. I have always strongly supported providing the resources needed by law enforcement and first responders and will continue to do so in future. But we have an obligation to the American people to be responsible stewards of the public trust and it is not responsible to provide premium pay and benefits intended for law enforcement personnel to employees who do not perform the dangerous duties of law enforcement officers. This bill will obligate the Assistant Secretary of TSA to reclassify criminal investigator positions in the Office of Inspection as noncriminal investigator positions or nonlaw enforcement positions if the individuals in those positions do not. or are not expected to. spend an average of at least 50 percent of their time performing criminal investigative duties. This is an important step to bring transparency to the office of inspector with regards to the work of TSA personnel and law enforcement investigative task. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 719. which directs the Office of Inspection to reclassify its current criminal investigator positions to conform to the requirements of applicable law and save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
Date: 2015-02-10
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for the time. Mr. Speaker. I rise to support H.R. 720. the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015. I would like to thank Congressman JOHN KATKO. the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the House Committee on Homeland Security. for reintroducing this bill. I was proud to join him as an original cosponsor. I would like to thank Homeland Security Chairman MICHAEL MCCAUL. Ranking Member BENNIE THOMPSON. and our Subcommittee Ranking Member KATHLEEN RICE for supporting this bill and bringing it to the floor for a vote. Mr. Speaker. this bipartisan bill was originally introduced last year in response to the horrific November 1. 2013. shooting incident at Los Angeles International Airport in my congressional district. This bill is named in honor of Gerardo Hernandez. the Transportation Security officer who was killed in the line of duty on that tragic day. As we debate this bill. we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Gerardo Hernandez. and we honor all of the TSOs. police officers. and other first responders who risked their lives to stabilize the situation and protect the public during that terrible incident. Following the LAX shooting incident. Congress conducted several hearings on the incident. including a field hearing in my district on March 28. 2014. These hearings revealed serious security lapses which interfered with response efforts. such as emergency phones and panic buttons that did not work properly. problems in coordination between various police and fire departments. and incompatible radio systems. These security failures are unacceptable. The Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct outreach to airports to verify that they have working plans to respond to security incidents. including active shooter incidents. acts of terrorism. and incidents that target passenger screening checkpoints like the one where Officer Hernandez was killed. It is imperative that major airports like LAX have stateoftheart emergency response systems. The safety and security of our Nations airports. and of all of the workers and travelers who pass through them. is of paramount importance. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and send it to the Presidents desk.
Date: 2015-02-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 710. the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act. and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my good friend from Georgia for his concern and for his commitment and thank him for his service on the Homeland Security Committee. I also want to acknowledge our chairman and our ranking member of the full committee and Mrs. MILLER who now serves as the chairwoman of the Border and Maritime Security. on which I served as the ranking member in the last Congress. The bill passed the House unanimously in the 113th Congress. and I am pleased it is being considered by the House again today. Mr. Speaker. might I add my appreciation to the House leadership. in particular the Speaker. majority leader. and. of course. our leader and minority whip.
Date: 2015-02-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. just yesterday I joined my public school system. my director of the city health department. and a number of health professionals to again remind parents and others around the Nation. and really to remind now. as I speak. my colleagues. vaccines save. and to be able to emphasize in the backdrop of this outbreak of measles. starting first with 7 States and 114 cases coming out of the case in Disney. and then now 17 States with 121 cases. to recognize the importance of research and responding to infectious disease. We understand measles. We understand the science of it. We know that we can protect people against it. We know when they should get a booster and what age a child should begin their first shots. certainly after 1 year old. We understand that an 8monthold is in jeopardy if he or she is exposed. as is someone with low immunity. We also know that the measles vaccine has worked. and it has been effective. I want to thank the Centers for Disease Control. In a conference call. they indicated that they are going to make new efforts to work with various health facilities and health entities across the Nation to establish protocols to talk to parents about vaccines. We can save lives. and we must do so together.
Date: 2015-02-10
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Thank you so very much. JOHN GARAMENDI. I would like to thank you not only for allotting me this time this evening. but I would like to thank you for your commitment to educating on this issue and to helping our colleagues to understand that we must focus on this issue and that we must do more to support research. You are indeed a leader. This certainly is not the first time that you have organized one of these evening meetings on this. and I thank you for the work that you are doing.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the President has issued an AUMF. which is the authority to determine the questions of war and peace. particularly in light of the dangers we face with ISIS. In spite of that. we are holding hostage the funding of the armor of security for this Nation. the Department of Homeland Security. the committee upon which I have sat since the horrible. heinous act of 9111. We take our work very seriously. We know that we oversee the national security of this Nation. along with the very important aspect and leadership of our Defense Department. Every day. we are mindful of the roles that individuals play who are a part of the Department of Homeland Security. Rather than looking to be concerned about the dangers of unaccompanied children. as our Republican friends seem to be. challenging the Presidents thoughtful executive actions within the context of his constitutional authority. we are now using those reasons for holding hostage the very armor of domestic security. Mr. Speaker. let me tell you. the TSA officers that I see as I travel around this country are front liners. I speak to them all the time. They have protected this Nation from various attacksor potential attacks. might I saystopping threats that many of us are not even aware of. These very faithful workers. along with border security workers. will have to work without pay. There will have to be a reordering of the strategies of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Mr. Speaker. 40.000 Border Patrol agents. 50.000 TSA personnel. 13.000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement. or ICE. officers. 40.000 Coast Guard. and 4.000 Secret Service officers will be threatened by this. And so. Mr. Speaker. I demand that we do the right thing. with 8 legislative days left. Fund the Department of Homeland Security. Speak in a tone that is that of America. Defend our Nation. Protect our Nation. Stop this politicizing of the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. I ask the Republicans to join me in an important patriotic effort. Fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. as we celebrate African American History Month. I rise to acknowledge and pay tribute to one of the most outstanding athletes in the history of baseball but also one of the most congenial personalities in public life. Ernie Banks. also known as Mr. Cub. Mr. Chicago. and Mr. Ambassador for Baseball. Ernie Banks was indeed a superior athlete. playing 19 years for the Chicago Cubs. named MVP in 1958 and 1959. named to the AllStar team 12 times. hit .274 with 512 home runs. voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility. But it was actually his cheerful attitude and his love of the game that made him such a popular player. Ernie was always the absolute optimist. You could always count on him to express a most positive attitude: Everyday was a good day. lets play two. No matter what the Cubs record. this was the year that they could win the pennant and become World Series champions. After his playing days were over. Ernie became a coach and was active in the community. He founded a charitable organization. became the first Black Ford Motor Company dealer in the United States. and even ran unsuccessfully for the Chicago City Council. A few years ago. Ernie approached me about an effort he had underway to get young athletes who grew up in the inner city and depressed communities to pool some of their resources and reinvest in the rebuilding and redevelopment of these neighborhoods. He was an inspiration to stars like Magic Johnson. Isaiah Thomas. and others who are doing just that. In 1997. he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. in 1999. he was named to the Major League Baseball All Century Team. and in 2013. he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Ernie Banks. we salute you. Mr. Cub. Mr. Chicago. Mr. Ambassador for Baseball. but most importantly. Mr. Cheerleader for Life and Positive Living.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama. and I thank her particularly for her persistent leadership and for her generosity with inviting so many Members to her district. We have enjoyed meeting her local officials. and we have enjoyed meeting the leadership of that great city and its great history. We make a personal commitment to her that as we travel through Selmaand it captures the essence of a town of great historythat we recognize that there is a need to invest many dollars to preserve this great city and to preserve its history. We thank her for her leadership. To the manager. the gentleman from Michigan. let me thank you very much for your eloquent statements. Isnt it important. Mr. Speaker. to see the number of leaders of our leadershipthe majority leader. the minority leader. the whip. and the minority whiphere on the floor of the House joining us in this momentous occasion? Mr. Speaker. I had the privilege of working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. obviously at a very. very young age. It was in that atmosphere. out of their office on Auburn Avenue in Georgia. that I got the sense and the feeling of the moment of the history of Selma. In the fictional yet truthful movie "Selma." we are reminded of the song "Glory." Today is an example of "Glory." It is an example of the coming together of peoples around what is right. and it is a recognition that foot soldiers. though unknown even some 50 years later. are deserving of being pulled from the ashes of their last words to be able to say to them. "Thank you." That is what this Congressional Gold Medal means to me and means to so many who were among the 600plus that could be called the foot soldiers. Obviously. by working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I knew at that time Ambassador Andrew Young. Hosea Williams. James Orange. and a litany of others. Certainly. as our Congresswoman from Selma has done. we pay tribute to our leader JOHN LEWIS who. himself. was brutalized as he attempted to exercise a simple right protected by the Bill of Rights. and that is the right to freedom of speech. freedom of access. and freedom of movement. Today. Mr. Speaker. I join in the words of President Johnson on March 15. 1965. looking back over Bloody Sunday. He said: I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy . . . At times. history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in mans unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma. Alabama. Yes. it was simply just last week in the thinking of so many of us as we stand on the floor of the House.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for bringing us together around this important issue. It is my honor to be a cosponsor of this endeavor. to take this opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation and our respect for the sacrifices that were made by the foot soldiers who marched in the three marches. It is my honor always to be a part of this wonderful body that serves along with JOHN LEWIS. who happens to be one of my personal heroes. This Congressional Gold Medal is not just simply an award. It is emblematic of a selflessness that was demonstrated by people who stood up and did the right thing and put their lives in jeopardy to ensure that we. as a democracy. had an opportunity to participate at the very highest level. and that is the level of voting. As I stand here and thank each and every one of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this initiative. I rise also to remind us that we have work still to be done. that the battle that was before us that we thought we won is still there to be won. and that we need to correct the actions of the Supreme Court and follow through on the actions of giving people the right to vote.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. Members. last Friday and Saturday I visited and walked with United Steelworkers union members who are on strike for health and safety issues in our east Houston congressional district. Their jobs are very dangerous. They produce refined products and chemicals that our Nation needs. We have. sadly. lost lives recently in the industry. and to have men and women working 10plus straight days for shifts of 10 hours is not reasonable. These men and women work hard in a dangerous occupation. and they should not have to go on strike for safety. Safety is important to employees and companies. Lets settle the strike with new safety standards so that no family has to worry that their loved one will not come home from work.
Date: 2015-02-11
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. over the last 24 hours. we have heard that a wonderful young woman from Arizona. whose family is now mourning. lost her life somewhere in Syria at the hands of a violent and barbaric group by the name of ISIS. I hope that it brings all Americans together around the importance of eliminating this dastardly group. and to begin to look inwardly to make sure that we attack this cancer at its beginning and to be able to stop the radicalization that comes about through the Internet and many of the young people in this country. I introduced earlier this year the No Fly Foreign Soldiers Act to ensure that those who may leave this country and then attempt to fly back are. in fact. detected. There are many things we can do on the end of passing law. but we must also respond that we not attack any religion for just its beliefs and begin to educate people about the values of many different religions. That is what this young American sought to do. She went to save the vulnerable. And so we must isolate ISIS as it is and stand with those who recognize the greatness of America and the diversity of our religions and the diversity of the people. I sadly offer my sympathy for the Muslims that were killed at the University of North Carolina. Chapel Hill. We must fight those who are here attempting to do harm and must recognize that we have a goodness in our country and emphasize the fact that we live and can live in harmony. But ISIS must be our target. not those whose faith may be considered a faith that we do not understand or maybe even disagree with.
Date: 2015-02-12
Speaker: MICHAEL F. DOYLE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. Mr. Speaker. 16 daysHouse Republicans are playing a dangerous game of chicken with Americas security. threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security unless we give in to their extreme demands on immigration. threatening to force DHS employees on the front lines who keep us safepeople in the Border Patrol. TSA. the Coast Guardto go to work and risk their lives while they are not getting paid. threatening to furlough DHS workers who support the frontline folks by training new agents. purchasing new equipment. and collecting intelligence. Republicans are wasting our time on an unnecessary and dangerous showdown when they should be focusing on economic growth. creating new jobs. and increasing hardworking Americans paychecks. so that we can preserve and expand the middle class in this country. I call on my colleagues in the Republican Party to abandon these unacceptable tactics. pass a clean DHS funding bill for the remainder of 2015. and start focusing on creating new jobs and increasing Americans paychecks.
Date: 2015-02-12
Speaker: JUDY CHU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. national securityprotecting our Nations borders. airports. and computer networksshould be a priority. Making sure the Department of Homeland Security. created with bipartisan support in the wake of September 11. has what it needs to protect our Nation from terrorism and other threats is a nobrainer. but the Republicans are jeopardizing all of that just for the opportunity to tell millions of hardworking. aspiring Americans that they are not welcome here. This tactic of "my way or no way" is dangerous and serves the interests of a few at the expense of the many. Holding our top national security agenda hostage because the Republican majority is unhappy with the Presidents executive action on immigration is illogical and counterproductive. In fact. former DHS Secretaries from both parties have warned that this approach will actually weakennot strengthenour borders. The American people deserve better. They expect us to set partisan politics aside and ensure that government has the resources it needs. I urge my colleagues to listen to the needs of the American people and bring a clean DHS funding bill to the floor.
Date: 2015-02-12
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. last week. America got some great economic news. Businesses added over 267.000 jobs in January. extending the longest streak on record of consecutive private sector job growth to 59 months. We also set another record when the House. led by the Republicans. voted for the 56th time to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act. Our economy added 3 million private sector jobs in the last 12 months. including over a million jobs in the last 3 months alone. yet instead of capitalizing on this success in order to help grow the middle class and add more jobs. the majority just continues to vote to take away health care. Enough is enough. Thanks to President Obama and the Democrats. this economy has recovered from the worst recession on record. As you can see. the blue shows when President Obama took office. and then we grew out of the loss of jobs and have been gaining jobs.
Date: 2015-02-12
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I have long supported the tax incentive for businesses to deduct charitable contributions of food inventory. Indeed. I have a bill to expand the deduction for nonC corps. as does the bill under consideration. The food inventory deduction allows us to help stock Americas food banks and feed the hungry. Importantly. we need to address the food inventory deduction because. unlike other business tax extenders. the food deduction provision cannot be useful if extended retroactively. If it expires. our hunger relief organizations miss out on potential donations of food. In Chicago. where I live. one in six people. including children. do not know where their next meal is coming from. In addition to advancing charitable and S corps tax provisions. this committee should be prioritizing the permanent extension of the earned income tax credit to help the working poor afford food and other basic needs for their families. We should be prioritizing the new market tax credits to help distressed communities so that the hungry can have jobs so that they can purchase their own food and not rely on food banks. Although I strongly support incentivizing charitable donations of food inventory. I do not support passing unpaid for. permanent. and piecemeal tax breaks while the needs of other vulnerable citizens go unmet. We should be considering the EITC. AOTC. new market tax credit. work opportunity tax credit. tuition and fees deduction. teacher tax benefits. Promise Zones. and hundreds of other tax provisions that help our communities and our people. One of the things that I have learnedif I know nothing elseis something that Frederick Douglass was known for saying. that in this world. you may not get everything that you pay for. but you most certainly will pay for everything that you get. and if you dont pay one way. then you will definitely pay another way. The price of increasing the deficit. not providing a broad. comprehensive tax reform effort. is something that we ought not be paying for. The principles and concepts in many of the provisions. obviously. we agree. but we do not agree that you can go on paying for what it is that you need. Mr. Speaker. I will vote "no" on these provisions.