macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1999-09-14
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. and I am glad to hear that the gentleman from Pennsylvania will withdraw the amendment after the debate. I think that this amendment is patently unfair to union members. It does deny them one of the benefits of organization. It does deny them the ability to collectively organize and decide for the purposes they are going to engage in the electoral process within this country. and. in fact. it does not treat them the same. It treats them very differently than corporations. It also recognizes that corporations all the time vote either by a majority or the boards of directors or the CEO and others make decisions about campaigns and political speech and issues that they are going to get involved in or they are not going to get involved in. And they do it without the consent of all of their members. all of their shareholders. all of their workers. and all of the rest of that. And yet somehow we are going to put that effectively on the backs of working men and women. I think what this really is. this has stuck in the craw of the other side of the aisle since a very effective campaign by organized labor to tell the truth about what Republicans were doing when they first took over the House. and as a result of that this is a payback not a paycheck protection. It has been rejected in the State of California by voters. It has been rejected in the State of Oregon by voters. and it should be rejected in the House of Rep.resentatives.
Date: 1999-09-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I have listened to the debate. and I am impressed with all of the words that I hear. But I am concerned about the Hutchinson. substitute because it does gut some of the reforms of ShaysMeehan. First. it indexes individual contribution limits. allowing them to automatically increase over time. Increasing individual contribution limits tells the American publicthat we think federal offices are for sale. Raising contribution limits marginalizes the participation of the poorest Americans and even minorities. If we raise the limits. we are telling the American people. and the American public that the richer we ar6. the better we are and we have to be rich to be heard. This substitute really is a vote in favor of continuing to let money run our political system. A vote for the Hutchinson substitute tells the world that federal offices really are for sale. And most glaringly. the Hutchinson substitute tells America that to be protected they must be rich. it will cost them. So I would ask that everyone support the ShaysMeehan and vote against the Hutchinson.
Date: 1999-09-22
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

and Messrs. KINGSTON. HEFLEY. and ROTHMAN changed their vote from "no" to "aye." So the amendment was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Date: 1999-09-24
Speaker: RON ARMSTEAD (democrat)
Chamber: S

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Boston. MA. DEAR MR. ARMSTEAD: Thank you for your help in putting together and executing the Center for Minority Veterans most successful training conference to date. Over 150 Minority Veterans Program Coordinators (MVPC) participated in this years conference. Initial feedback indicates that conference goals were overwhelmingly accomplished. Participants walked away better prepared to build effective minority veterans programs at their local facilities. They have a more comprehensive understanding of VA benefits and programs. as well as ways to promote the use of these services. This success was achieved through the collaborative efforts of everyone involved. Again. thanks for your role in making this a great event. Sincerely.
Date: 1999-09-28
Speaker: PATRICK KENNEDY (democrat)
Chamber: H

It is a binding resolution which would make it U.S. policy to end both military and financial assistance to Indonesia until the East Timors vote to be independent is honored and human rights are upheld in East Timor and certain conditions are met. If you support the restoration of human rights in East Timor. if you support the brave citizens of East Timor. then I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Date: 1999-10-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and appreciate his bringing this motion to the floor. Mr. Speaker. we should clearly adopt the House position as reflected in the July vote earlier this year on the RahallShaysInslee amendment to the bill. House Members voted 273 to 151 in support of the amendment. Mr. Speaker. those opposed would suggest somehow the solicitor in the Department of Interior simply woke up one day and tried to redefine an 1872 mining law -to limit the number of acres that mining operations can claim as waste disposal. Nothing can be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that the law and the record on the law is replete with example after example. dealing from 1872 to 1891 to 1903 to 1940 to 1955 to 1960 to 1970 to 1974. time and again. time and again. in the writings of both people from the mining industry. from the government. and from interested parties. time and again the law is very clear on its face that the solicitor in -his 1977 analysis is quite correct on millsite provisions. and. in fact. that they were not to be allowed to be given -additional land. The reason they should not is that is we should not sponsor without very careful consideration the expansion of mill waste. This country is spending hundreds of -millions of dollars. and is yet to spend additional hundreds of millions of dollars. cleaning up after the -waste product of mines that have been developed across the country. No longer is this some miner and his pick and- shovel and his mule going out across the country. These are some of the biggest earth movers on the face of the earth that move hundreds and hundreds of tons of earth to get a single ounce. a single ounce. of gold. The mining that is done with the cyanide heap leaching must be carefully controlled. and those leach piles are there for the foreseeable future. Before we make a decision that they can simply spread those across all of the claims. this law ought to be upheld and we ought to continue to support the RahallShaysInslee amendment. Mr. Speaker. .I thank the gentleman for bringing this proposal to the House and ask for strong support of it.
Date: 1999-10-05
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am so delighted to hear that the gentlewoman is paying tribute to our colleague. and I hope that the gentlewoman will allow me to mention that she has taken a leadership role in heading the task force on census for the Congressional Black Caucus and that she has been very diligent in her legislative duties here. I really compliment the gentlewoman for making a record of this because the gentleman from Florida
Date: 1999-10-20
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. and I want to thank him and the gentleman from Pennsylvania for all their .work on this legislation. The gentleman from Missouri and the gentleman from Pennsylvania put in a lot of hours as have the gentleman from Delaware and the gentleman from Michigan who have really carried the bulk of the work around this legislation. But I think we had an opportunity in the markup of this legislation for all members to participate. and I think it was one of our better hours in this committee. I also want to -thank the gentleman from Georgia
Date: 1999-10-20
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I rise in strong support of the MinkWoolseySanchezMorella amendment. Since 1974. the Womens Educational Equity Act ("WeUh") has provided resources to teachers. administrators. and parents to ensure equity in their schools and in their communities. The Act was created in response to widespread recognition that girls had specified educational needs and learning styles that were not being met. While was have made some progress in leveling the educational playing field for girls. we still have a long way to go. A study released last year by the American Association of University Women entitled "Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail Our Children" shows that girls. when compared to boys. are at a significant disadvantage as technology is increasingly incorporated into the classroom. Girls tend to come to the classroom with less exposure to computers and other technology. and girls believe that they are less adept at using technology than boys. Even though 65 percent of jobs in the year 2000 will require technology skills. only 17 percent of students who take computer science Advanced Placement tests are girls. And. compared with boys. girls receive lower scores on the AP test. Last year. on the highstakes college admissions testthe SATfemale students scored 496 on the math section. compared to an average of 531 for male students. Similarly. on other standardized tests in the subject areas of math and sciencesuch as the National Assessment of Educational Progressgirls continue to score lower than boys. Lets make sure that we provide resources to teachers. administrators. and parents to meet the need of girls and women. Lets make sure that we target dropout prevention programs for atrisk youth to pregnant and parenting teenagers. Lets make sure that we we provide training to teachers to encourage girls to pursue careers and higher education degrees in technology. mathematics. science. and engineering. Vote for the Mink/Woolsey/Sanchez/Morella amendment so that all students will be prepared to compete in the everchanging global economy of the 21 st century.
Date: 1999-10-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. just this past week I received lots of mail. especially from women in Texas. telling me how important Social Security really is to them. Social Seburity lifts. 366.000 Texas women out of poverty. and it lowers the poverty rate among elderly women in this State from 55 to 19 percent. It is distressing to me that while the elderly in my State are worried about the future of Social Security- the Republicanled Congressional Budget Office has revealed that the majority partys leadership has already used more than $1 billion from the Social Security surplus. Mr. Speaker. we have to stop it. Let us use honest budgeting and not gimmicks. and talking about a lockbox. when we know it is being ignored. We understand clearly that we cannot use $13 billion from Social Security and save it at the same time. Mr. Speaker. the people of: my State and the people of this Nation want us to save Social Security.
Date: 1999-10-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the Senate Democrats are saving the Republicans. Because if the lockbox that the gentleman from California talks about was enforced today. they would be under arrest for picking the lock and stealing the Social Security money out of it because them have already ppent $13 billion of Social Security money. and they keep saying they have a lockbox. That is no lockbox. This is an open and revolving door. They have dipped into Social Security time and again in their appropriations bills. The Congressional Budget Office tells us that already on the running account they have stolen $13 billion of peoples Social Security money. and in all likelihood it will be as high as $25 billion in peoples Social Security money. Mr. Speaker. Republicans should remember that. under the Constitution. only they can spend the peoples money. They have authorized. they have appropriated the expenditure of $13 billion. $13 billion of the peoples Social Security money that they say is in the lockbox. It is not in the lockbox. It is in the appropriations bills that they have been voting on day after day that exceed the request of the President of the United States. They are lucky that the police are not here arresting them today.
Date: 1999-10-27
Speaker: ALFRED C. NEAL (democrat)
Chamber: S

President. Committee for Economic Development. New York. NY. DEAR MR. NEAL: Thank you for your kind letter of November 25. I have enjoyed and profited from my contacts with the Committee for Economic Development. and I am pleased to know that this feeling is shared by you. Whenever the CED feels that it can be helpful to the country and the Administration. I hope that you will not hesitate to communicate your views. Sincerely.
Date: 1999-10-28
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. today the Republicancontrolled House considers the last of the appropriations bills a month late. no budget. no reconciliation. But what have they done? They have failed to extend the life of Social Security by even a single day. In fact. they have spent $17 billion out of the Social Security Trust Fund. They have failed to provide for a fix of the Medicare system to cover our elderly citizens. In fact. they failed to even consider a prescription drug benefit for our elderly citizens. Their budget. while failing to do this. hurts American families in every way. Their budget today will cut money from education. Mr. Speaker. think of the disappointment of parents who thought they were going to be able to send their children to a smaller class size so their children would have a better opportunity at learning to read. at learning to deal with mathematics. No. those parents will not have that opportunity. and yet all of the research tells us that if their children were able to have lower class sizes. they would have a better opportunity to learn. But the Republicans do not address that. they do not address Social Security. and they harm Medicare.
Date: 1999-11-02
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. think how disappointed the American public must be as they see the Congress coming to a close in the next couple of weeks and how it. has failed to address the problems of Social Security. to extend the solvency of Social Security. to deal with the fundamental reforms that are necessaty so that Social Security will be there for us. for our children and our grandchildren. and then to find out. not only have they failed to extend the solvency of Social Security. but the Republicans have made a conscience decision to dip into the trust funds. As we were told at the end of last week by the Congressional Budget Office. some $17 billion has been taken out of the Social Security Trust Funds to finance the gimmicks that the Republicans have put together to try and pass the budget. a budget that has yet to pass. Think of the disappointment of the American public when they learn this most fundamental program. this most important program to the retirees of our Nation has been given this kind of treatment during this session as the Republicans get ready to leave this town and to end this Congress. Not only have they spent the Social Security Trust Fund. but they have also failed to deal with prescription drug benefits and with the minimum wage.
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

.. - There is more..-The 7freasury -Depart- -led the Pledge of Allegiance as.follows: ment also stated that it expected tore-* I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the tire another- $12 billion ixr. the first: United States of America. -and. to the quarter of next year alone. We are be-� Republic for which it stands. one na- ginning to pay off that $5.5 trillion nation under God. indivisible. with lib. - tional debt.-and for the first time since erty and justice for all. Dwight D. Eisenhower- was President. the U.S. can boast of backtoback budget- surpluses. MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE How did we achieve those budget surA message from the Senate by Ms. pluses? Simple. a.Republican Congress.. McDevitt. one of its clerks. announced remained committed to reducing that the Senate has passed bills and wasteful government spending. concurrent resolutions of the following As we continue to debate the approtitles in which concurrence of the priation bills for next year. it is my House is requested: hope that we can continue -to build s upon our successes. Americans-. want S. 440. An act to provide support for cer- and deserve a Federal Government that tain institutes and schools. S. 1843. An act to designate certain Federal spends their tax dollars wisely. Let us. land in the Talladega National Forest. Ala- not disappoint them. bama. as the "Dugger Mountain Wilderness". Mr. Speaker. I yield back the -balance S. 1844. An act to amend part D of title IV of any remaining government waste of the Social Security Act to provide for an that continues to permeate this area.
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. for 9 months out of this year the Republicans fought for a $1 trillion tax cut at the expense of our balanced budget and at the expense of our .social security system. That was overwhelmingly rejected by the people of this country. Now the Republicans tell us that we cannot afford a prescription drug benefit for our seniors. that we cannot afford a Patients Bill of Rights to protect our families against managed care and HMOs that deny them care. that we cannot afford a minimum wage for our lowincome workers in this Nation. and that we cannot extend the fiscal security of social security by even one day. No. the Republicans still want to try to pass tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals. corporations. and special interests in this country. When in this session. in the last remaining 8 or 10 days of this session. when is it that Republicans are going to start thinking about our elderly. our children. and the working families of this Nation? LOCKBOX
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I will be brief on this amendment. Under this legislation. which many of my colleagues are supporting. and in their efforts to try and address a real problem about support for school finance in a number of rural areas and resource dependent areas. they have provided for a setaside of some 20 percent of the money to be used in local projects. And in the consideration of that. in the secretarial approval of those projects. they state that "the Secretary concerned shall carry out all projects in compliance with all Federal laws. rules. and Federal regulations." I would add to that including the law known as the DavisBacon Act.
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I would just say" following on to what the gentleman from Colorado has just said about his amendment. as you look through even in the cases of the counties that get more than $100.000 so the setaside kicks in. in a number of instances the setaside is $8.000. $15.000. $10.000. it is a very small amount of money. To believe that you are going to somehow initiate a big comprehensive planning operation on the forest for $8.000. while $8.000 would buy you a lot of textbooks or contribute to one of 100.000 teachers-
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

We have no problem with you doing this. The question is mandating it. We were out here a couple of weeks ago. we were all for Edflex. because in many instances you have small programs that cost you more to administer than the benefit. The gentleman from Colorados point is that the county can then make that option. If you have got $400.000 coming in out of $2 million in receipts. you can probably do something meaningful on the forest. If you have $8.000 coming in with all due respect. you may be better off helping the schools buy the textbooks or supplies where you can get a dollartodollar benefit instead of engaging in some kind of mythical planning process when you only have 8 to 10 to $12.000. That is the benefit of his amendment. It goes for the most efficient use in those counties where the setaside turns out to be relatively small. Obviously in some counties in Oregon and probably even in California where you have substantial receipts. this option may make some sense. But that is because you are playing with the critical mass of dollars where you can create some of those projects on the forest that might even benefit-
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Counties .that are over $100.000. when they opt out. the 20 percent amounts to 7. 8. $9.000. so it is a relatively small amount of money. They ought to have the option to use the money as they see fit. which may mean they go into this program but also-
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

But over $100.000. they get $100.000 and 20 percent is $20.000. The list of setasides is here. and some of it is as low as $8.000. So they could put that into their schools in a more efficient fashion. That is the argument here.
Date: 1999-11-03
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. it is about understanding the. need for communities to be able to make the full range of decisions that affect them. Because apparently from the debate and from the remarks of most of my colleagues in the affected areas. it becomes very clearthat the money for schools today is insufficient. The money for schools in 1984 was insufficient. So now. out of an insufficient amount of money. the Federal Government is going to mandate that one has got to set aside 20 percent. so the schools cannot have it. the county roads cannot have it. even if the community decides that is what is important. I suggest what we do is make a bad bill better. we vote for the Udall amendment. and we give these local communities the controls that they need and they desire and that are most beneficial for their local communities and for the school children in those areas.
Date: 1999-11-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

The issue before us. Mr. Speaker. is whether or not we are going to be given another 7 days to fail. They have failed. They have been given 5 weeks. and they have failed.
Date: 1999-11-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

That is the issue before us. Mr. Speaker. is the failure of the Republicans with the five continuing resolutions. and that is what I am speaking to.