macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. I rise today in strong support of S. 1963. the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. I want to thank our full committee chairman. Mr. FILNER. our ranking member. Mr. BUYER. and Health Subcommittee Chairman MICHAUD and Ranking Member BROWN for their leadership. for their strong support of this legislation. which contains many important provisions related to caregiver support and rural health care for veterans. It also includes legislation I introduced. the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act. This act will provide significant enhancements to the health care available for women veterans. Today women make up approximately 8 percent of veterans in the United States. and that percentage will continue to rise as more and more women answer the call to serve their country. With an increasing number of women seeking access to care within the VA. the challenge of providing adequate health care services for women veterans is one the VA must master. and I am confident that it can. This legislation addresses this challenge by taking several important steps to ensure adequate attention is given to women veterans and their health care programs so that women can access the quality primary health care and the specialized services they deserve and have earned. Among its provisions. this bill improves the VAs sexual trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder programs for women by requiring the Secretary of the VA to ensure that all mental health professionals have been properly and consistently trained in the best methods and practices so women veterans feel secure in seeking treatment. Childcare is another crucial issue for women veteransand for male veterans as welland the bill before us today tackles current barriers to care by authorizing a childcare pilot program and requiring the VA to carry out this program in at least three veteran service networks. We anticipate that this is going to help veterans keep their appointments. The legislation also requires the VA to provide 7 days of medical care for newborn children of women veterans. representing an important policy update in the VA. Currently. the VA has no provision to provide care for these infants. yet 86 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom women veterans are under the age of 40. Accordingly. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important legislation.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I am particularly grateful for your leadership and that of the ranking member. Thank you for guiding me on this legislation. I rise to support S. 1963. the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. for the work it is doing on caregivers and dealing with suicide and unfortunate tragedies that occur among our military. This morning I was with the United States Air Force and their Air Force Cares program. I am pleased that this legislation included H.R. 228. the Blind Veterans of America. an organization chartered by Congress in 1958. which has been for nearly 50 years the only veterans service organization exclusively dedicated to serving Americas blind and visually impaired veterans. There are approximately 160.000 legally blind veterans in the United States. but only approximately 35.000 are currently enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration services. It is estimated that there are 1 million lowvision veterans in the United States. and incidences of blindness among the approximate total veteran population of 26 million are expected to increase by about 40 percent over the next few years. This is because the most prevalent cause of blindness and low vision are agerelated. This bill provides scholarships for training individuals. and I ask my colleagues to support it. And thank you for including H.R. 228. I rise in support of S. 1963to provide needed support to caregivers of our nations veterans. to improve the full spectrum of healthcare and access provided to those we honor and recognize as our countrys present and past warriors and defenders. There are few if any higher obligations of the Congress. the President. and the American people than keeping faith with the men and women who have worn the uniform in service to our country. I applaud the work of the all those who have worked on this bill and who are charged with legislative. oversight and investigative jurisdiction over education of veterans. employment and training of veterans. vocational rehabilitation. veterans housing programs. and readjustment of servicemembers to civilian life. S. 1963 addresses many of the important needs of our veterans relating to services for womens health care. rural health care. homelessness. employment. health. and education.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the chairman and the ranking member for this bill. and I rise in strong support of the bill. the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. It is our duty to ensure that our veterans who so courageously serve our country receive the medical support they deserve. My professional career as a nurse was spent in the veterans system. I visited at a hospital after they had four suicides from the psychiatric unit. and one of the problems they had was noncompetitiveness with nurses salaries. so I have introduced a bill to attempt to correct that. This bill has been incorporated. and I am pleased that it has been. The Senate companion bill is also included. It increases the pay limitations for VA nurses from level V to level IV of the executive schedule to address pay disparities. and also to increase special pay for nurse executives. It is my pleasure to present this because I know firsthand what it is like to try to recruit good nurses. I rise in strong support of S. 1963. the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. I would like to thank Chairman FILNER and the Committee on Veterans Affairs for their work on this legislation. It is our duty to ensure that our veterans. who have so courageously served our country. receive the medical support they deserve. The VA system must be able to successfully compete for the best health care providers in the United States. I am also pleased that provisions in my bill. H.R. 919 and its Senate companion bill. are included in this legislation. This bill will increase the pay limitations for VA nurses from Level V to Level IV of the Executive Schedule to address pay disparity. and also increase Special Pay for Nurse Executives. As a result. the VA will be able to recruit and retain highly qualified Nurse Executives and raise their standing to be on par with other executive personnel. Parttime nurses will now also be eligible for Title 38 status and additional nurse pay. As a nonpracticing Registered Nurse. I am pleased with these improvements for nurses who are on the front lines of care. Overall. this legislation will recognize and treat our VA nurses. physicians. dentists. and pharmacist executives as the true professionals they are. I am pleased to support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: JIM CLYBURN (democrat)
Chamber: H

our whip. and so many others called Americas attention to the fact that it was not living out the reality of its promise. not just to African Americans but to all Americans. Dorothy Height showed extraordinary courage and conviction in the face of bigotry and discrimination. Like so many in this body who faced bigotry and discrimination. they did not allow that to poison their souls. They did not allow that to diminish their relationships even with those whom they saw as oppressors. To that extent. they rose above the conduct directed at them in order to change that conduct through love and positive engagement. Dorothy Height is a perfect example to all of us. young and old. who are participating in this society which. unfortunately. too often we see today falls into anger and confrontation rather than civility and discussion. I am worried about the anger that I see in the society today. In some respects I think not justified at the level that we find it. Yes. there is room for disagreement. but Dorothy Height shows us that notwithstanding the fact that there may be disagreement. notwithstanding the fact that there may be people who do not treat us as we would want to be treated. that the way to solve that is to do so constructively and civilly with debate that states the facts and the truth but does not devolve into hate and division. So I am pleased to join my friend JOHN CONYERS. I came to Congress some 30 years ago. and we were talking about making Martin Luther King. Jr.s birthday a national holiday. not a holiday to play but a holiday to recognize the contribution that was made then and the work that still remains to be done. JOHN CONYERS had me out in front of the Capitol on January 15 or close to that time every year. and I was so proud to stand with him and say to America let us recognize those who. as Taylor Branch has said. are the modern founders of democracy. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. for your leadership. Thank you for bringing this resolution to the floor to recognize an extraordinary. wonderful. lovely person whose spirit enriched us all and enriched our country.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I am deeply saddened by the passing of legendary civil rights pioneer Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Height as our Nation mourns the loss of a true visionary. champion. and leader in the fight for civil rights and justice for all Americans. Dr. Height began her career as a civil rights activist when she joined the National Council of Negro Women. She would later serve as president of the organization from 19571998. In her position with the Council. which connected nearly 4 million women worldwide. she tackled issues that affected women. including child care for working mothers. health and nutrition and providing adequate housing for families in need. She also served as National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Incorporated from 19461957. She remained active with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority throughout her life. While there she developed leadership training programs and interracial and ecumenical education programs. Widely recognized as one of the founding members of the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Height was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. In 2004. she also received the Congressional Gold Medal. In 1998. she told People magazine. "I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom. . . . I want to be remembered as one who tried." There is no doubt that Dr. Height will be remembered as someone who not only tried. but went a step beyond to secure liberty and justice for all Americans. Dr. Dorothy Heights leadership in the struggle for equality and justice for all people will continue to serve as an inspiration to our Nation.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise today as a cosponsor of this resolution to honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. Widely recognized as the godmother of the civil rights movement. Dr. Height devoted her life to the cause of equality and justice for all people. A social worker by training. Dr. Height served on the staff of the Young Womens Christian Association for thirty three years and as president of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades. With uncommon dignity and her trademark hats. Dr. Height advised Presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama. In the 1960s. she organized the "Wednesdays in Mississippi" initiative to further understanding between white women and black women in the north and the south. She penned a regular column called "A Womans Word" in the venerable AfricanAmerican weekly the New York Amsterdam News. And she chronicled her unique experience in the leadership of the civil rights movement in her 2005 memoir "Open Wide The Freedom Gates". For her service to our nation. Dr. Height was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Reagan in 1989. the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Clinton in 1994 and the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2004. Today. I add my voice to those celebrating her lifes work and achievements. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I was saddened to hear of the loss of one of the foremost leaders of the civil rights movement and a true national treasure. Dr. Dorothy Height. I always say. when youre born you get a birth certificate. and when you die you get a death certificatebut its what you do with the dash in between that really matters. And that saying really encapsulates the essence of Dorothy Heights life. As an AfricanAmerican woman and longtime Member of the Congressional Black Caucus. I am particularly grateful for the courage. wisdom and determination she employed to create opportunities for women and for African Americans in our country. Dorothy Height began her career in 1937 by serving those in dire need as a welfare caseworker and had the ear of every President since Eisenhower. Most recently. she was an honored guest and seated dignitaries at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Along the way. Dr. Height was behind every major civil rights movement and progressive effort for social change throughout the century. As president of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades. she tackled issues that affected all women. including child care for working mothers. health and nutrition. as well as providing housing for families in need. As a civil rights activist. Dr. Height participated in protests in Harlem during the 1930s. and went on to be instrumental in lobbying first lady Eleanor Roosevelt on behalf of civil rights causes a few years later. Dr. Height was also a key player in advocating for President Dwight D. Eisenhower to move more aggressively on school desegregation issues. Dr. Height is one of two people to earn all three of our nations highest civilian honors: the Presidential Citizens Award (1989). the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004). My thoughts and prayers are with the family. friends. and loved ones of Dr. Dorothy Height. The nation will never forget her. the mother of the civil rights movement. especially those of us who have followed her lead in working for social justice.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 255 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to honor its founder. the late Senator Gaylord Nelson. Every year we celebrate Earth Day to raise awareness about environmental issues and recognize the importance of protecting our planet. As we become a more modern and developed society. it is becoming increasingly necessary to take steps to ensure a green future. In truth. we have come a long way in the last 40 years with regard to protecting our environment. but we still have a long way to go to make sustainable development a priority. Of particular importance is the need to protect two of our most precious resourcesclean water and clean airwhich every person on this planet has an interest in protecting. In the United States. protections over waters and wetlands are essential to ensuring a longterm. sustainable water supply for the American people. When rivers and streams are placed at risk of pollution. many cities and communities which depend on these water bodies for sources of drinking water are equally placed at risk. Additionally. clean air is one of the most basic necessities of life. and pollutants in our air can have devastating effects on both our health and our environment. Numerous studies that have shown that air pollution an cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems as well as result in asthma and other longterm and chronic health conditions. We must work to ensure that our air is clean and not polluted for the betterment of all people. Madam Speaker. truly. the coming generations deserve to inherit a healthy planet with clean drinking water and clean air. and it is up to us to ensure that they do. I encourage all of our citizens to take a moment on this holiday to reflect on what they can do as individuals to help the environment. not just for us. but for people around the world as well. I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today in supporting this resolution that recognizes Earth Day and will help raise awareness for the need to protect our environment.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and. in particular. to honor Earth Days Founder. the late Senator Gaylord Nelson (DWI). whom I am proud to say chose to spend the latter part of his career in my hometown of Kensington. MD. Senator Nelsons public service spanned more than three decades. including two terms as Governor and three terms as Senator from the state of Wisconsin. Although active on issues ranging from civil rights to consumer protection to the Vietnam War. Senator Nelson was perhaps best known for his pioneering advocacy on behalf of the environment. He cosponsored the 1964 Wilderness Act. and successfully fought for legislation protecting the Appalachian Trail. banning DDT and curbing phosphate detergent. In 1970. Senator Nelsons call for a day of education and action on behalf of the environment drew 20 million people from across the United States to participate in the very first Earth Day. Since then. Earth Day has grown to become an international event involving 500 million people from 175 countries around the world. After leaving the Senate in 1981. Senator Nelson joined the Wilderness Society as its first Chairman and continued to serve the organization until shortly before his passing in 2005. Senator Nelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton in 1995 and was recognized along with President Teddy Roosevelt as one of the two most important political figures of the 20th Century by the Audubon Society. He was an extraordinary public servant. who was famously well liked by colleagues from across the political spectrum. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day tomorrow. it is fitting that we pause to remember the vision of its remarkable founder Gaylord Nelson and recommit ourselves to the necessity of a healthy and sustainable environment that was his lifes work.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1270 to express support for Mathematics Awareness Month. This year. Mathematics Awareness Month will take place in April with the theme of "Mathematics and Sports." Events and demonstrations will take place across the country and include a variety of workshops. exhibits. competitions. and lectures to both educate people and encourage the study of mathematics. As our society becomes increasingly dependent on technology. professionals who have a deep understanding of math and science are going to be in high demand. For this reason it is imperative that we educate the coming generation to truly understand mathematics and how it can be applied to everyday life. Simply put. our economy is going to demand an understanding of mathematics. and it is imperative that we rise to the challenge and teach our young people the mathematics skills they need. Mr. Speaker. throughout my years in Congress. I have been an avid supporter of mathematics. engineering. and other related fields. I fully believe that we have to hold mathematics education in higher regard as innovation is a direct byproduct of a deep understanding of this field. For this reason. Mathematics Awareness Month is incredibly important. and I encourage my fellow colleagues to join me today in supporting this resolution for both our students and the future of our country.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

resentatives. and I am so pleased that Mr. Speaker. on rollcall Nos. 214 and 215. we are all going to unanimously suphad I been present. I would have voted "yea." port the resolution honoring his 10 years of service here and recognizing his 50 years as a priest. HONORING HOUSE CHAPLAIN Thank you. Father Coughlin. for DANIEL P. COUGHLIN serving us so well.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize and honor our military forces who have fought valiantly to strengthen our counterterrorism strategy. My top priority as chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism. Unconventional Threats. and Capabilities is to provide all the necessary resources to our military in order to protect our country from terrorist threats. I would like to especially recognize our U.S. Special Operations Forces. who have been an integral part of our counterterrorism strategy. The U.S. Special Operation Forces have been successful in developing valuable relationships with the governments in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ultimately leading to the capture of hundreds of al Qaeda fighters and affiliates. However. terrorism is not limited to Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently. our forces are also in regions such as Yemen to root out terrorists and send a loud message to those who seek to do us harm that we will not let them operate freely like that. Congress must be proactive about addressing all terrorist threats to our country through intelligence. diplomacy and with our Armed Forces.
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on a number of occasions many Members have had to rise to speak of a very sad and tragic incident that has occurred in their congressional district. Today. sadly. I rise as well to speak to the terrible loss of Joshua McMackle. a young freshman student at Texas Southern University in Houston. Texas. Meeting his parents and sister. Tracy. Moriah. and Bruce McMackle. his grandmother and aunt. many of whom were in the service of this country being Federal employees and law enforcement employees. it was so sad to be able to speak about this senseless and untimely death. I would say to you that this was a fine young man. a freshman who had come to Texas Southern University because of its special and exclusive music program. He was a high school graduate of the RandolphMacon Military Academy. and he had traveled around the world with his mom and his parents. His tragic death occurred as any student might have it happen to them. Unfortunately. when parents send their children away to learn. some person. some unfortunate tragic individual would take a life by gunfire. And so it was for Joshua a week ago Saturday when he was with his friends at an event that should have been joyous. a fun time. a party. which is perfectly all right for college students. and along came outsiders who attempted. if you will. to turn this into the devastating tragedy that it was. In tribute to Joshuawe memorialize him this coming Saturdaybut more importantly. in tribute to him we will say "Never on our watch again." I join with his family and the memorial funding that they will have to say to young people across America. enough is enough. and to be able to enforce the laws that are necessary. along with the freedom that we have. that gets rid of those who think it is okay to take a senseless life. to beat up a fellow student. or to cause the death of someone they do not know. May this fine young man rest in peace. Joshua McMackle. we honor you for your contributions to America.