macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: NEGRETE MCLEOD (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as budget negotiations move forward. Congress must remain committed to work in a bipartisan manner to find reasonable solutions to create jobs. expand the economy. and strengthen the middle class. while continuing to reduce the deficit in a responsible way. To do so. Congress must lift the acrosstheboard sequester cuts that are inflicting damage to communities across the Nation. There is no question that we need to cut the deficit. but we should do so without cutting programs that seniors. veterans. small business owners. students. and our children rely on. In California. it is estimated that. with sequestration. more than 15.000 children will not receive vaccinations for diseases such as measles. whooping cough. and influenza. and 8.200 children will be eliminated from federally funded early childhood education programs such as Head Start. This is unacceptable. and Congress must fix it. After the extensive damage done by the government shutdown that cost the economy $24 billion. according to an assessment by Standard & Poors. we must avoid another shutdown and another crisis by passing a budget that does away with sequestration. Americans cannot afford budget policies that weaken our economy. squeeze the middle class. and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Congress needs to come to a compromise on a real spending plan that will increase revenue rather than just slashing critical programs. Congress needs to make sure that Medicare and Medicaid are protected and strengthened. Mr. Speaker. I stand ready to support a commonsense. jobcreating budget.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1095. the TSA Loose Change Act. I support the goals of the bill that would allow the Transportation Security Administration. TSA. to transfer monies left by travelers at airport security check points to USOtype organizations. The bill is intended to provide support to organizations that exist for the sole purpose of lifting the spirits of Americas troops and their families. Travelers often see young men and women of the armed services in airports who often travel for hours and sometimes days to reach their destinations. It is important that while they or their families are traveling they are provided with access to rest areas and a warm welcome. The TSA Loose Change Act modifies existing law by requiring TSA to transfer unclaimed loose change found at passenger screening checkpoints to organizations that provide places of rest and recuperation at airports to service members and their families. such as the USO. Last year. TSA collected over $500.000 in unclaimed money at passenger screening checkpoints. Under H.R. 1095. this money will go to the noble cause of providing support for service members and their families. During Committee consideration of this bill in October. during Full Homeland Security Committee markup. I offered an amendment to the bill that will require TSA to publish in the Federal Register the name of the organization that successfully applies for the funds via the Request for Proposals process called for in the bill. I was pleased that my amendment was met with the unanimous support of the Committee and is now a part of the legislation before the House today. With my amendment included. we can have confidence that we will have knowledge of the organizations or organization that receives the money and can ensure its proper use. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our troops and their families by voting in favor of this amendment.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1204. "Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2013." Ranking Member THOMPSONs steady and long term work on improving airport security is recognized and respected by members on both sides of the aisle. The Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act. introduced by Ranking Member THOMPSON. establishes in law the critical Aviation Security Advisory Committee. The bill states that the Security Advisory Committee shall be consulted by and advise the Assistant Security on aviation security matters. including the development and implementation of policies. programs. rulemaking. and security directives pertaining to aviation security. Since just after 9/11. the Aviation Security Advisory Committee has played the critical role of being industrys voice before TSA. helping to develop policies that make sense operationally. and more importantly. work for the American people. When Congress established TSA in the wake of the tragic terrorist attack on 9/11. we granted TSA broad latitude to implement policies stakeholders are required to comply with and. in some cases. implement. The Aviation Security Advisory Committee ensures that the security directives TSA develops are not created in a vacuum. Establishing the Aviation Security Advisory Committee in law will ensure that the Committee never again becomes inactive. as was the case during the previous Administration.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a Senior Member of the Judiciary Committee and the sponsor of numerous legislative proposals to reduce gun violence. I rise in strong support of extending H.R. 3626. the "Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988". which bans guns that can pass unnoticed through a metal detector. I support this legislation because it will help reduce gun violence and keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of terrorists. Gun violence has affected many of our districts and continues to be a pernicious problem on the national stage to which we have to address. Every day 45 people are shot or killed because of an accident with a gun. When firearms are in the home they are 22 times more likely to be used in homicides. suicides. and accidents than in instances of selfdefense. Even though 34 percent of American children live in a home with a gun. fewer than half of those homes store firearms in a way that denies access to children. meaning that guns are locked. unloaded. and separated from ammunition. Mr. Speaker. the "Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988" was originally passed in 1988 and signed into law by President Reagan. It was reauthorized in 1998 and 2003. Unless reauthorized. the ban on undetectable firearms expires this week. on December 9. 2013. It is therefore imperative that we act now to extend the ban so we can reduce gun violence and enhance the safety of our first responders. While we cannot stop every instance of gun violence. we can help reduce their prevalence. By acting now with this legislation. we can institute commonsense standards that are focused on protecting our nation from violence by those who would do us harm. without infringing on Americans Second Amendment rights. H.R. 2665 and H.R. 3626 can go a long way towards making our homes. schools. and streets safer for families across this country. We may not be able to prevent every gunrelated tragedy from occurring in the future. but we have a responsibility to implement reasonable. commonsense standards so that innocent lives will not continue to be lost.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. let me thank the gentleman for yielding. and let me rise to indicate my recognition of the importance of this legislation and to support it. I want to make a point simply on this bill dealing with the Secretary of the Interior. that it is to study the issue of large parks. urban parks in our respective urban areas as being in the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior. the Interior Department. because we are losing that park land because of the inability to collaborate with the Federal Government on the resources that are so necessary. I recognize that we are in sequestration. but I believe that it is important that we collaborate. I wanted to make sure that I put that on the record. Let me also put on the record. as a member of the Homeland Security Committee. my support for the TSA Loose Change Act. H.R. 1095. my support for H.R. 2719. the Transportation Acquisition Security Reform Act. and my special support for H.R. 1204. the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2013 because. in fact. that stakeholder committee is going to help provide more security for our TSA officers and have stakeholders dealing with issues like phones on airplanes and knives on airplanes. Certainly. guns are only held by the pilots in the pilot program. But it is going to be able to allow stakeholders to be able to have a real say in aviation security. and I think that is crucially important. Let me also acknowledge my support for the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 and its extension. I would hope that that bipartisan support. along with Mr. COBLE. whom we have so much great respect for. will lead us to universal background checks and the passage of Federal legislation that would require all of us to store our guns. It is not difficult to provide or buy a simple safe to store your guns and to protect those from undue harm. I thank my colleague for yielding to me. My understanding is that we are here on the floor of the House to do work. Some people find it humorous when Members rise to the floor and add additional commentary dealing with their constituency and their work. And since I believe in working and I believe in working on behalf of my constituents. I am very grateful to the gentleman from Arizona recognizing the seriousness of which I make these points and allowing me to have this time on this legislation. I think all of us can recognize that when the floor is open. it is open for Members to come and make serious commentary about the work that they would hope this Congress would be able to do. I close by thanking the gentleman. He has many capacities. such as the cochair of the Progressive Caucus. I want to thank him for his leadership on immigration reform. And for those of us who were down with the Fast for Families. I again say that we pray for them. We pray that the hearts of this Congress will be touched. that we will be able to finish and complete comprehensive immigration reform. something my constituency is also now praying for on the steps of the city hall.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this legislation and so many other important areas before our country. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this bill. H.R. 1846. the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site Amendments Act. which was authored and introduced by my good friend and colleague. NYDIA VELAZQUEZ from New York. This legislation will expand the boundaries of the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site to include 103 Orchard Street. which is located just two doors down from the original museum location. Because of this. it will be able to expand its educational programs and allow more people to learn about our Nations immigrant history. I had the privilege of representing the Tenement Museum in Congress prior to this year. when new congressional boundaries were implemented. and I still serve as an honorary trustee of this important institution. I can say without hesitation that the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is one of our Nations most important historic and cultural institutions. In recognition of the important work that they do. the National Endowment for the Humanities just recently awarded them a $500.000 matching grant. Founded 25 years ago. the museum brings to life the experiences of those immigrant families who settled in one of our Nations most iconic and important neighborhoodsthe Lower East Side. Through these stories. the museum tells the story of our great country. a nation of immigrants. and how our national identity is constantly evolving and changing thanks to immigration. Over 200.000 people visit the museum each year to learn about these storiesand thats not by accident. The Tenement Museum has found a unique way to personalize and bring to life history through the stories of individual families who actually lived in these buildings. They take rooms. and they make one for the Irish. one for the Greek. one for the Jews. They have all these stories. and you learn not only the history. but the stories of the particular families who lived there. The original museum building at 97 Orchard Street tells the progression of our country through the stories of immigrant families from Italy. Ireland. Poland. Greece. Austria. Russia. Germany. and Lithuania through 1935. The bill before us will allow the museum to expand to a new site so it can tell the stories of Jewish Holocaust survivors. post1965 Chinese families. and Puerto Rican families in the 1950sbringing immigrant history to the present day. I commend the Natural Resources Committee for reporting out this legislation. the House leadership for bringing it to the floor. and my colleague and friend NYDIA for authoring it. and I urge my colleagues to support H.R.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. my colleagues. tonight on Forest Lane in Cold Spring. my friend Jim Lovell wont be coming home. His children. Brooke and Jack and Finn and Hudson. the youngest who goes to school with my little girls in Cold Spring and who has played in my house. will be missing the father they love and a beloved member of the community because he was one of the four victims on the MetroNorth train that derailed on Sunday. We all are saddened and heartbroken by this tragic event. I stand here with my colleagues from New York to honor the four victims and the dozens of injured. New York lost a devoted father in Jim Lovell. but. of course. we also lost a loving sister in Donna Smith from Newburgh. a caring nurse from Queens named Kisook Ahn. and James Ferrari. a hardworking husband from Montrose. I know my colleagues. NITA LOWEY who represents Montrose and JIM CROWLEY who represents Queens and ELIOT ENGEL who represents the district where the accident occurred. and I who represent two of the victims join with all of you in standing to offer a moment of silence in honor of those killed and of those injured. I ask that we do so now.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I hold in my hand simple. onepage legislation. H.R. 3626. that passed on the floor of the House today by voice vote. Mr. Speaker. it was a gun bill. It was to extend and to ensure that undetectable firearms would be regulated so that plastic guns cannot pose a danger to law enforcement or the police. Mr. Speaker. I wonder why we cannot come together to stop the kinds of killings at Sandy Hook and Aurora by passing universal background checks. or the bill that I introduced. which is a gun safety and storage bill. For the likes of a young man by the name of Braveon who died in the hands of strangers in my district 2 weeks ago. or the young man. 16 years old. who just was shot this past weekend in a local park. or two teenagers that died 3 or 4 weeks ago while 19 were shot at a house party. all using guns got on the underbelly of life. Not stopping stash houses. or keeping guns from going from one hand to another without a background check. A simple bill was passed. Mr. Speaker. I ask: Is there any heart in this Congress to pass reasonable gun safety legislation to save the lives of our children and to stand against violence. gun violence? Enough is enough.
Date: 2013-12-04
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. during this holiday season. it appears that all our fellow Americans are hearing is a sense of pessimism. but I rise to talk about the optimism of this Nation and the great strides that we have made. particularly as it relates to our seniors. The Affordable Care Act has taken the brunt of everybodys criticism. My friends on the other side of the aisle are singing a broken record. not a Christmas carol. It is important to note that seniors have benefited. The Affordable Care Act recognizes the financial burdens that seniors face. No group has been hit harder by soaring health care costs. But now. under the Affordable Care Act. seniors can have preventative care services without any copay. coinsurance. or deductible. Services like wellness visits. cholesterol testing. and others. sing a good song. yet we sing a negative song to those who are lining the streets for comprehensive immigration reform. The families who have been fasting have been suffering. Lets sing a good song for health care and do comprehensive immigration reform.
Date: 2013-12-04
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to highlight how the Affordable Care Act is already helping thousands of breast cancer survivors and those with preexisting conditions. In late 2007. I heard those terrible words. "You have breast cancer." I underwent seven surgeries. but in some ways. I was one of the fortunate ones because I had health insurance coverage. I have spoken to women who have foregone mammograms and even cancer treatments because the cost was simply too great to bear. Now. the Affordable Care Act emphasizes prevention by making it possible for Americans to get screenings. like mammograms. without a copay. It also finally ends the egregious practice of denying coverage to patients with preexisting conditions. like my south Florida constituent Carolyn Newman. a survivor who will save $7.000 a year with an affordable plan. thanks to the Affordable Care Act. She can save even more by shopping on the exchange. With the Affordable Care Act making it possible for more women to access preventive services and not be denied coverage. we can work to eradicate breast cancer once and for all.
Date: 2013-12-04
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. I would like to remind my colleagues that we are still recovering from a massive financial crisis that cost this country $16 trillion. and I would venture to say that we should be more focused on protecting investors. not removing investor protections. And I would say that all investors deserve to be protectedsophisticated investors. retail investors. pension investors. All investors should be protected. which is why the Obama administration has come out so strongly in opposition to the underlying bill and why the Securities and Exchange Commission. whose mission is to protect investors. is so adamantly. strongly opposed to this bill. Now. I am sympathetic to the point that my colleagues have raised on the other side of the aisle and on this side of the aisle that some of the reporting and registration requirements are onerous. So lets address that. Lets direct the SEC to come forward with simplified forms. to do it quickly. within 6 months. Lets save money. Lets simplify the process. But lets not remove important investors protections. such as the fiduciary duty to act in the clients best interest. What is wrong with that? I think that is a moral responsibility. such as the obligation to disclose conflicts of interest. Now. that is not onerous. How difficult is it to say. yes or no. I have not had any conflict of interest? Or if you are advising your client to invest in your business. then disclose your conflict of interest. What is so onerous about that? That is not onerous. That is easy. And what is wrong with the obligation to disclose fees? Everyone talks about transparency. That is why we are opposing this bill. We want it to be transparent. and we want to protect investors.
Date: 2013-12-04
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I feel that there are many ways that we could address this that would come forward with a strong piece of legislation that President Obama could sign into law. Instead. he has got a lot of ink in his veto pen. and he has said right out front that he would veto this bill. Now. if they want to simplify disclosure and registration requirements. then lets do that. Lets require the SEC to come forward with it. Lets simplify the process and save the cost for small businesses. We want to save that cost. Honest private equity firms have grown jobs in this country. and it is important to grow jobs. It is important to support them in every single way. But removing all investor protections. according to the Obama administration. would literally assault the safety and soundness and the strong financial security that we are trying to build in this country. What is wrong with protecting investors? That is what we are saying. I have an amendment which would do just that. protect the investors but simplify the forms and maintain the cost. If their goal is to save money for the small firms. then lets do that. but lets not erase very important investor protections in the process.
Date: 2013-12-04
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. todays legislation would amend the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 to generally exempt private equity fund investment advisors from its registration and reporting requirements. subject to certain conditions. Proponents of this legislation argue that private equity funds were not the source of systemic risk during the most recent financial crisis and therefore that their investment advisors should not be subject to registration and reporting requirements under current law. While private equity funds can play an important role in capital formation. and I would agree that private equity funds were not the principal source of systemic risk during the last financial crisis. that does not mean it would be impossible for private equity firms to become a source of systemic risk at some point in the future. Moreover. as Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White has pointed out. registration and reporting requirements are not used solely for systemic risk prevention. Just as importantly. they are also used for investor protection. In that regard. it is worth noting that the SEC has brought enforcement actions against unscrupulous private equity funds involving unlawful pay to play schemes. insider trading. conflicts of interest. valuation issues and misappropriation of assets. This investor protection function will become even more important once the SEC finalizes implementation of a provision in the recently enacted Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act permitting the general solicitation and advertising of private equity funds and private securities. For these reasons. I will be opposing this bill.
Date: 2013-12-05
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I want to thank Congressman CHRISTOPHER SMITH of New Jersey for leading a codel to the Philippines. I. along with Congressman TRENT FRANKS. were members of the codel. And I want people to know that there is still great work to be done for our friends in the Philippines. This picture depicts some of the damage that we were able to see while we were there in Tacloban. which is a province in the Philippines. This is another picture that shows actual homes. This is a USAID sign. And these are places where people are actually dwelling at this time. The number one problem that they have right now is shelter. I will also add that our military has done an outstanding job. I had an opportunity to meet with many of our military people who were there with heavy equipment. and I commend them for what they have done. Finally. I would like to say this. We have a bill. H.R. 3602. which would accord people from the Philippines in the United States a temporary protective status. This would allow them to stay here. as opposed to going home where the income is less than $2 a day for more than 40 percent of the people. My hope is that we can pass H.R. 3602. It does not give any pathway to citizenship. It will only allow them to send money back home while they are here working in the United States.