macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-15
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. on May 24. Laguna Niguel councilman and former mayor Jerry McCloskey passed away unexpectedly. Jerry. a United States Navy veteran. continued his service to the military and his community through his volunteer work with Laguna Niguel Military Support Foundation and the American Legion Post 281. He was also involved in the local Rotary Club. Lions Club and Historical Society. and served as the president of the Orange County Watershed and Environmental Center. I met Jerry when I ran for city council in 1996. and in all the years I knew Jerry. he truly exemplified what it means to serve. He will be sorely missed. Jerry leaves behind his beloved wife Marilyn. his two daughters. and his four grandchildren. We join them in their mourning and hope that they can find comfort in knowing that his impact on the Orange County community will live on for decades to come.
Date: 2016-06-16
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act. As we mourn the death of the 49 Americans and pray for a full recovery of the 53 who were injured in the terrorist attack in Orlando. we know we must do more to combat radical Islamic extremism. The Federal Governments primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the American people. This means strengthening our response to the threat ISIS and other terrorist organizations pose to our homeland. The House has passed several bills to combat radical Islamic terrorism. prevent attacks. stop radicalization on our soil. and keep terrorists from entering America. Each of the three bills included in this legislation has already passed the House with wide bipartisan support. but we must do everything we can to get them signed into law as soon as possible. I urge my colleagues to support the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act. We must send this bill to the Senate and on to the President for his signature. and this must be done immediately. This is essential to defeating ISIS and preventing radicalization here at home.
Date: 2016-06-21
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to prohibit universal service support of commercial mobile service and commercial mobile data service through the Lifeline program.
Date: 2016-06-21
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the RECORD on the bill.
Date: 2016-06-21
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I want to correct a couple of things that were said from the start. First of all. this piece of legislation does not eliminate the Lifeline program. It does move it back to land lines and away from the cellular services. I would also. respectfully. submit that multiple pieces of legislation have been introduced in an effort to address the waste. fraud. and abuse in this program. The number that I mentioned earlier4.291.647is cases where we believe there has been an abuse of the system. The phone companies get approximately $10 a month per phone that they hand out. That is a tremendous amount of waste. fraud. and abuse. It is almost $500 million. So when we see that much waste. fraud. and abuse in the system. we as a Congress have a responsibility to put the integrity back into that system. There have been a tremendous number of pieces of legislation that have been introduced. They have all not been able to come to the floor. I want to thank our leadership for putting a bill on the floor that does the one thing in attempting to eliminate that waste. fraud. and abuse of this system. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-06-21
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I. again. want to reiterate that this bill does not eliminate the Lifeline program. It takes it back to the original intent. I appreciate the newfound commitment to deal with the waste. fraud. and abuse. and I look forward to working with you on that legislation. if this one should not pass. We have a responsibility to make sure that. when we are creating access to any program. we have integrity in this program. This is not in any way. shape. or form intended to do anything but to bring that integrity back. Again. Mr. Speaker. this is about eliminating approximately $500 million a year worth of waste. fraud. and abuse. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-06-21
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. on behalf of Georgias Sixth Congressional District. I rise today to recognize the amazing works of Roswell. Georgias World Harvest Church and their 15th annual Honor Our Heroes event scheduled for July 3 of this year. The World Harvest Church has made a truly meaningful difference in peoples lives by going into communities and ministering to all. young and old. with messages of hope and demonstrating the true love of Jesus Christ. Mr. Speaker. part of this service is their annual Honor Our Heroes event. which is a wonderful opportunity for our local community to honor our veterans whose selfless acts of heroism have helped maintain our most fundamental freedoms: life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness. The World Harvest Church also serves as headquarters for missionary teams that travel internationally and administer help to those in dire need by building churches and centers of refuge. Mr. Speaker. I offer our deepest appreciation for the World Harvest Churchs pastor. Mirek Hufton. a faithful follower of God and a man of the highest compassion. Our Nation is made better by. and we are truly blessed by. World Harvest Church.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his work on this and his interest and passion for healthcare issues and the work that we do in this House. I also want to thank the gentleman from Vermont for his kind words and the work he has done on this. and the gentleman from Iowa as well. who has been instrumental in moving this legislation forward. Mr. Speaker. many Medicare beneficiaries rely on a set of healthcare products and services that are classified as durable medical equipment. or DME. DME is often lifeimproving or lifesaving. things like blood sugar monitors. canes. crutches. hospital beds. power wheelchairs. and even things like oxygen supplies and tanks. Without access to these items. many Medicare beneficiaries would not be able to survive or would see their quality of life greatly diminished. In January 2016. Medicare started to slash reimbursement rates for these products and services as part of a nationwide rollout of their Competitive Bidding Program. Mr. Speaker. I would suggest that this program is neither competitive nor is it a real bidding process. CMS now wants to extend these substandard rates and this substandard program to other areas. as you have heard. including rural regions of our Nation. where these new rates will oftentimes not even cover the cost of the delivery of the item or the service. which means they just wont happen. In addition. this CMS program has failed to hold bidders to account. It has failed to produce rates that are financially sustainable for those who are trying to provide these service and items to patients. The National Minority Quality Forum has data that demonstrates this program is driving up costs through avoidable hospital bills and inpatient admissions. increasing outofpocket payments by patients. and has led to increased mortality rates. Mr. Speaker. that is more people dying in our Nation because of this program. In just my home State of Georgia. there has been a 20 percent decrease in the number of DME suppliers between 2013 and 2016. The number of medical equipment supply stores in our State has similarly decreased by nearly 40 percent. The legislation we have before us today. H.R. 5210. would provide a 3month delay in the cuts. hopefully allowing for work to be done to come up with a real solution. This legislation represents a bipartisan commitment to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue receiving critical care provided through durable medical equipment. particularly those living in the rural areas of our Nation who would be disproportionately harmed by cuts in reimbursements. Again. this delay will. hopefully. provide policymakers additional time to come up with a consensus on a longterm solution. Every effort must be made to protect access to quality health care for seniors. I want to thank. again. my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their work on this issue. I want to. once again. commend Chairman PITTS for his work on this issue. I urge adoption of the bill.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to take certain Federal lands located in Tulare County. California. into trust for the benefit of the Tule River Indian Tribe. and for other purposes.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California . the majority leader. [ 1945
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I would just like to commend my colleague. Majority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY. for his work on this important piece of legislation. and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4685. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to establish the Energy and Minerals Reclamation Foundation to encourage. obtain. and use gifts. devises. and bequests for projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands and orphan oil and gas well sites. and for other purposes. as amended.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I am proud to be the author of H.R. 3844. the Bureau of Land Management Foundation Act. This legislation is one part of the Natural Resources Committees response to the complex. technical. legal. educational. and fundingrelated challenges for abandoned mine lands. also referred to as AML. as well as orphan oil and gas sites across the country. These issues were highlighted last year with the EPAs Gold King and Standard Mine spills in Colorados Animas River. I am happy to present this piece of legislation as part of a comprehensive response to the Gold King spill and am glad that it comes less than 1 year from the anniversary of that disaster. I hope the other bills. H.R. 3734. authored by the gentleman from Nevada
Date: 2016-07-05
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. again. I just want to say a huge thank you to the ranking member for his willingness to work with us. It has been an honor. indeed. to work with him. I am pleased with this end product. and I urge the support of our colleagues and the passage of H.R. 3844. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-07-06
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Calhoun High School Lady Warriors on winning backtoback Illinois class 1A State softball championships. The team. which finished the season with a 402 record. defeated Princeville by a score of 30 on June 4 to secure its second consecutive championship. In addition to their State title. the Lady Warriors set team and individual softball records for the entire State of Illinois. They were the first softball team since 2010 to win a State championship after earning 40 wins. and the first class 1A team to do so. During the teams championship run. junior pitcher Grace Baalman broke two Illinois High School Association softball records. She now holds the record for the most strikeouts in a game. with 39 strikeouts in the 17inning semifinal game and most strikeouts in a season. with 589. The Lady Warriors are setting a standard for athletic excellence in Calhoun County. In addition to the consecutive State softball titles. Calhoun High Schools girls basketball team also won a class 1A State championship this spring. Congratulations to this group of student athletes on another championship season. and I hope to have the opportunity to congratulate them on a softball championship threepeat next year.
Date: 2016-07-06
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Across this country. our mental health system is broken. Nearly 10 million Americans suffer from serious mental illness. and for far too many of those individuals the Federal Government stands between them and the care that they so desperately need. The laws on the books are complicated and outdated. but with this legislation. we have the opportunity to reform our national mental health system. This bipartisan bill will refocus programs. reform grants. and remove the Federal Government as a barrier to lifesaving health care. I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation to improve the quality and access to mental health care treatment.
Date: 2016-07-06
Speaker: JODY B. HICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I commend my colleague from Alabama for introducing this legislation. which contains a number of bills from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Mr. Chair. H.R. 4361 contains several excellent provisions to increase transparency. to enhance oversight. and to restore good governance. One of the areas of particular importance to me is the language that requires the Office of Personnel Management to submit to Congress reports on the use of "official time" by Federal employees. For those who are unfamiliar with official time. it is the practice by which Federal employees are paid by taxpayers to conduct union business. while on the clock. instead of performing the normal activities and duties of the agencies for which they work. Official time allows Federal employees who are with the unions to collectively bargain with their agencies. to arbitrate grievances. and to even organize or carry out internal union activities. all while being paid by the taxpayer. It is staggering to me how much official time is used. Over 3 million manhours each year are spent on activities that have nothing to do with government business. From 1998 to 2012. which is the last period of time that we have of reliable data. the use of official time has grown by over a million manhours per year while the number of Federal employees who are represented by unions has actually decreased during that period of time. In fact. there are several Federal agencies that have many employees who do nothing but union activity business in spite of the fact that they were hired for something else. For example. the VA and the IRS have over 200 employees each who operate exclusively on official time. Many of these employees are extremely well paid. The Department of Transportation. for example. has 35 employees with an average salary of $138.000 who give 100 percent of their time to union activity rather than to that for which they were hired. For a point of reference. Mr. Chair. the mean household income in my district is. approximately. $62.000 a year. Official time. essentially. means that American taxpayers are being forced to subsidize the union activities of Federal employees. Federal employee union members pay union dues. and the taxpayers should not be required to foot the bill. There is an unfortunate lack of reporting on this issue. and it is. ultimately. unclear exactly how much official time is being used by Federal employees. Here in Congress. we are sometimes forced to rely upon yearold GAO reports and existing FOIA requests. That is why the OPM reporting that is required under this legislation is critical. Personally. I am opposed to official time altogether. but at least we can agree that reporting is necessary for all of us. I urge the support of H.R. 4361.
Date: 2016-07-07
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. less than a month ago. an American of Afghan descent shot and killed 49 people in Orlando. He did so while pledging allegiance to ISIS. In the words of the actual gunman. this was a terrorist attack. What is worse is that many of my colleagues across the aisle have attempted to hijack facts and muddy the conversation. Why? Because this attack further disproves the Presidents narrative that ISIS is contained. Dont even get me started on the fact that the President wont say the words "radical Islamic terrorist." The administration even attempted to remove mention of ISIS in the 9111 transcription. Folks. ISIS has declared war against our American way of life. and we need to work together to protect all Americans from future attacks. and our Commander in Chief finally needs to come up with a strategy to defeat ISIS.
Date: 2016-07-08
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. across the United States. we are faced with a substance abuse epidemic that results in overdose. addiction. and far too many deaths. From opioids to heroin. no communitynot even Orange County. the place that I have called home for over 50 yearsis immune. Last year. the number of deaths in Orange County caused by drug overdose rose to 400. the highest level in at least a decade. More than twothirds of these untimely deaths involved opioids. Nationwide. nearly 130 people die every single day from drug abuse. Though this is a nationwide epidemic. there is not a one -size -fitsall cure to addiction. That is why this legislation is so important. I thank all of my colleagues who have worked so intently on these lifesaving policies. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure so that we can send it to the Presidents desk. As soon as this law is implemented. it will save lives and help Americans suffering from addiction reclaim their lives.
Date: 2016-07-11
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. last Wednesday. Marian Bergeson passed away at the age of 90. Marian was a true pioneer. She was the first woman to serve in both the California State Assembly and State Senate. and she paved the way for so many women in California to pursue public service. Marian herself was a tireless public servant who advocated for education. small business. and transportation. My friend State Senator Pat Bates summed it up when she said: "Few people have influenced Orange County and California politics more effectively than Marian did." Marian also had a real zest for life. She celebrated her 90th birthday by jumping out of an airplane for the sixth time. The entire Orange County community joins her husband. Garth. and their three children in mourning. but I hope they will find comfort in knowing her legacy will live on for years to come.
Date: 2016-07-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to designate the United States Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at 1400 Lower Island Road in Tornillo. Texas. as the "Marcelino Serna Port of Entry."
Date: 2016-07-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5252. currently under consideration.
Date: 2016-07-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 5252. to designate the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at 1400 Lower Island Road in Tornillo. Texas. as the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry. Private Serna was a brave veteran who selflessly honored his country. He demonstrated courage. bravery. and heroism in battle. risking his life to save his fellow soldiers. and became the most decorated World War I veteran from the State of Texas. I am honored to stand here today. as a veteran and a fellow Texan. to pay tribute to this brave American. I congratulate my colleague. Mr. HURD of Texas. for his leadership in introducing this legislation. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-07-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor this great American. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-07-12
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short title). insert the following: SEC. . (a) None of the funds made available by this Act under the heading "Environmental Programs and Management" may be used for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations of the Environmental Protection Agency. (b) The amount otherwise provided by this Act for "Environmental Programs and Management" is hereby reduced by $4.235.000. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 820. the gentleman from Illinois and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
Date: 2016-07-12
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. it is truly unfortunate that I actually have to offer this amendment. You would think an Office of Congressional Affairs that was set up to specifically deal with Members of Congress. our staff. and the different committees that all of us populate would be able to respond to simple questions. I had a very eloquent speech put together. but it is getting very late out here in Washington. D.C.. so I am going to condense it. The bottom line is. Mr. Chairman. over 2 years ago. I offered language in the farm bill to create a specific committee on the Science Advisory Board to deal with agriculture to make sure that somebody in a concrete building out here in Washington. D.C.. was able to actually be at the table when the EPA came up with a rule to regulate milk spills like oil spills. I wish somebody would have raised their hands and said. Which one can you clean up with cats? Mr. Chairman. since the public comment deadline ended on September 8. 2015. the EPA has failed to appoint one single person. Also. over 30 questions were submitted by Republicans and Democrats from the House Agriculture Committee in February after Gina McCarthy. the Administrator of the EPA. came to testify at a hearing. and we have yet to get a single response. Time and time again. Mr. Chairman. I have asked the same questions over and over to many people at the EPA in numerous committees that I serve on. and time and time again. we get nothing. We get crickets. It is an unfortunate situation that we have to go to this extreme. but it is the only way that we can send a message to an office in an agency that is completely unresponsive to this institution and our constitutional responsibilities of oversight. It is wrong. Their lack of responsiveness is not only disrespectful. it is unconstitutional. I reserve the balance of my time.