macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me rise and support the legislation that has been offered by my friend and colleague from Texas. and a senior member of the House Science Committee. to celebrate African Americans who have overcome significant obstacles to enhance innovation and competitiveness in the field of science in the United States. Frankly. this debate is appropriate and timely. as we are discussing the status of NASA and the opportunity to inspire and to ensure that our scientists and physicians and those with inventiveness have the opportunity to show those talents and to produce on behalf of the American people. As a 12year member of the House Science Committee and the Subcommittee on Aeronautics. I know the value of research and the providing for a safe and secure place for the intelligence of America. I want to cite as part of this legacy of African Americans Dr. Lovell Jones. who heads the minority health center at M.D. Anderson. and has made great strides in the research dealing with cancer in minority populations. Dr. Bernard Harris. an astronaut. who has led in establishing new businesses around research and knowledge that he was able to expand on as an astronaut in the NASA human space program. The late Dr. Ron McNair. who was trained as a physicist. came from South Carolina. whose beginnings were enormously humble. and yet he was able to achieve greatness through his studies at MIT. and then ultimately he came to become an astronaut. and of course we lost him in the line of duty. But his research knowledge helped to expand horizons of the space exploration program. Dr. Mae Jemison. trained as a physician. the first African American woman in space.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I yield the gentlelady an additional 1 minute. Dr. Mae Jemison trained as a physician now is in the business of producing and training new astronauts by her summer programs and yearlong programs and camps emphasizing math and science. her work that she has of fered to do with the North Forest Independent School District on science. technology. engineering. and math. And Dr. Joshua Hill. my friend. the late Dr. Joshua Hill. of Texas Southern University. was the first person to begin to talk about solar energy. And of course Prairie View A&M where a host of agricultural scientists have looked at new ways to produce food. To the Speaker I will say that this legislation is timely. There are many scientists who are on the verge coming from the minority community and coming from the African American community. Look what they can do. and let us give them the further opportunity to be able to help America and to help the world. Let us continue our support for NASA as many of these first develop their scientific prowess utilizing their skills as astronauts in Americas human space program.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1027) recognizing the 50th anniversary of the historic dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. the deepest point in the worlds oceans. on January 23. 1960. and its importance to marine research. ocean science. a better understanding of the planet. and the future of human exploration.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on House Resolution 1027. the resolution now under consideration.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1027 recognizing the 50th anniversary of the historic dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. the deepest point in the worlds oceans. on January 23. 1960. and its importance to marine research. ocean science. a better understanding of the planet. and the future of human exploration. Today we recognize the achievements of Captain Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard. who piloted the U.S. Navys Trieste to reach the deepest point of the worlds oceans. They remain the only two humans to ever achieve this historic feat. Exploration of the ocean floor has led to and will continue to lead to important breakthroughs in marine science. However. shockingly. only 5 percent of the ocean floor has been explored. We must continue to encourage research and exploration of the worlds oceans and must make education of the next generation of ocean explorers a priority. The Mariana Trench is truly one of the worlds great ocean classrooms. and I hope that as we remember this remarkable achievement. we also remain committed to returning to the ocean floor in the future. I am once again pleased to recognize the achievements of Captain Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard. and I would like to thank Mr. SABLAN for his work on this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands. Congressman SABLAN.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me express my appreciation to all of the staff as well as the Members who brought this forth. I recommend that we support this resolution and pass it. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Break ing news. all America needs to listen: Health insurers break profit records as 2.7 million Americans lose their coverage. On Sunday. we will have an opportunity to correct this abominable announcement and. as well. to save the lives of 45.000 Americans who. in fact. die every year because they do not have insurance. Breaking news: Insurance companies with large profits. my friends on the other side of the aisle. celebrating and voting against the American people. The Congressional Budget Office shows that the health care bill we will vote on on Sunday will provide coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans. cut the deficit by $130 million. cut the deficit by $2 trillion in the second yearsecond decade. and eliminate the Medicare doughnut hole as well extends the sovereignty of Medicare for many years. Breaking news: We are standing alongside of the American people. saving the lives of 45.000 who die every year. And the other side? Standing with the insurance companies.
Date: 2010-03-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. and to Congressman GRIJALVA. let me thank you for your leadership on this very important issue. and to Congressman BISHOP as well for managing this legislation and acknowledging the concerns that may have been expressed. And I offer maybe this rebuttal to some of the points that have been made. and celebrate legislation that really recognizes that we are not here on the floor to only provide jobs and support the student conservation association. if that is what it is being interpreted as. but frankly to be part of fixing Americas crumbling infrastructure. and certainly our public lands need fixing. Years of inadequate funding have left our public land management agencies with huge backlogs of laborintensive work on national parklands. wildlife refuges. historic sites. and Indian lands. As we watch America take advantage of visiting their Capitol. for example. to see the many monuments and sites that are here. they dont want to come and see monuments that have chipped surfaces or that are dangerous to visit. And this opportunity to employ our young people and to teach them character and integrity is a very important part of this legislation. I for one have spoken to my State parks management entity asking them to look more carefully at the parks in inner cities. the opportunities for them to be designated national parks and to be able to put more parks in the inner cities that are under the jurisdiction of our Federal Government. Of course. that analysis takes long. But I want to applaud my own city of Houston that continuously looks to put public and open space for the many people that live in our community. Houston expects to be the thirdlargest city in the Nation. Green space. public opportunities to utilize parks is very important. So when I see a bill that is going to help fix the crumbling infrastructure. the physical crumbling infrastructure. the natural and cultural resources that have been neglectedand in many places the effects of climate change are magnifying earlier problems such as fire risks. damage from insects and invasive species. coastal erosion. and fragmented habitatI am in support of this legislation I also come from the Gulf Coast region and have seen what happens to the deterioration and erosion of the Gulf Coast. In particular after Hurricane Ike. we are now trying to restore Galveston and those coastal lands to be able to provide for an economic engine. So this is a good bill. With a high rate of unemployment among African American youth and youth around the country. the opportunity for them to work with their hands and minds is a positive step. This legislation will be part of the road map to help expand park service and ensure that our sites are maintained and kept at the level that they should. And I hope to be able to work with the chairman of this committee as I assess the needs of Houston to be able to provide more green space in our community. Along with this billtomorrow we will provide real health care for America by the vote I make tomorrow. I urge support for the legislation.
Date: 2010-03-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I want to thank the gentlelady from Guam for doing such an excellent job in honoring our veterans and honoring our soldiers by managing legislation that truly deserves our honor and respect to the Cold War veterans. many of whom are unsung heroes. I offer my greatest tribute as we honor the aviators and those marines who sacrificed their lives as well. It is interesting. when there is nothing good to say about something that is good. then my friends on the other side of the aisle begin to engage in misrepresentations and fairy tales and exaggeration. So Im reminded of the words of Thomas Edison that many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. And thats what they want us to doto give up. I appreciate the breadth and depth of the representation and the interest that is appearing on the east steps of the Capitol. This is what a democracy is about. But when I see words like "socialized medicine" and "ObamaCare. a lethal injection." it is important to realize that people have been so provoked because of misrepresentation and untruth. They dont understand that there will be $1.3 trillion in cutting the budget. that. in fact. small businesses will get tax incentives and subsidies to help insure those hardworking Americans who work for small businesses. the engine of our economy. that our young people who. in fact. have gone on without insurance. our college students. our graduate students. the best of Americas future suffer without health insurance. like a young woman that I know that is in between jobs and cannot get health insurance because she happens to be over the age of college and cannot be on her parents insurance. What are we doing if were not investing in our children? All of the chatter and confusion says nothing about the value of this bill. All of the misrepresentations about special interests. when many of that is not done. but much of that is helping Americans. Its helping the States whove been donor States. Its helping those States who are poor. Its helping those States who have suffered from a devastating disaster like Hurricane Katrina. What is wrong with America standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves. And so it is important to note they want us to give up. and as was recounted by one of our major leaders in the Congress comparing this to a basketball game when the clock has run out and people are continuously trying to foul the winning team. putting obstruction in the winning teams place. But you know what were going to do in this March month? Were going to keep on dunking that ball. as this great leader has said. Were going to put that ball in the basketball hoop and were going to win that game. because weve got to stand up for those who are not out there on those front steps. Weve got to stand up for the veterans who understand that TRICARE will be preserved. And what a miserable collapse the veterans health care system was just about 2 years ago when we had to come to this floor and fight-
Date: 2010-03-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

When we had to come to this floor and provide extra money for those veterans to shore up this health care system. or the many veterans that I work for in my office that come and ask about helping them get their benefits because its a logjammed system that were continuing to try to work on. So dont use this argument about the TRICARE. Were protecting the TRICARE system. as well as the veterans hospitalization system. But those veteran families and their extended family members who are uninsured or the 45.000 who die every year because they have no insurance. this is the toughest health insurance reform that weve ever been able to do. And I can tell you. my friend. health insurance companies. you need to be tough with them. because all they can see is the dollar and the up and up and up of the premiums. And I want to say enough is enough. So this is not a lethal injection. This is a lifeline. This is a rope being thrown into the water to drag those out who are drowning because they cant get any health insurance. And this is not socialized medicine. nor was it with Medicaid or Medicare or the veterans system. It is helping Americans using their tax dollars in a wise way. We need to move forward on health care reform and dunk the ball and win the game.
Date: 2010-03-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank both the distinguished gentleman from California for the background that he brings to the United States Congress as an insurance commissioner of a State and the distinguished gentleman from New York who made some very valid points. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee. in fact. we have lived with this for now almost 10 years. I remember trying to reform the bankruptcy code to protect people from things like alimony payments or women being denied the ability to receive alimony payments because credit card companies wanted to stand in front of the alimony payments and take first in line. So we have seen people being destroyed in a number of ways. and we do know that by catastrophic illnesses they are destroyed. I just want to focus on two or three points. One. the big sign. about 45.000 Americans dying every year. I dont know why that doesnt send out a clarion call. We should not be so insensitive to life that 45.000 people dying does not impact our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Weve been saying this over and over again. 45.000 people. That means somebody is dying as we speak because they did not have health insurance or that they were denied. I want to remind our colleagues of some horrible stories. I remember one of a young girl who had leukemia. and it was on national television. I think the company was CIGNA where the family actually went to the insurance company and begged for this young girl to be able to have this very special blood procedure. They were turned away. and they were turned away. and they were turned away until finally public embarrassmentthe news media. And the family went again. The tragedy is that when the company finally approved the right of this young girl. 11 years old. it was too late. The doctors could not perform the procedure. And so we have seen any number of incidences where because of lack of insurance. we have not been able to save a life. What about the recommendation of Goldman Sachs that said just a couple of weeks ago. If you want to make a buck. the best place to put your money is the Nations health insurers. the Nations insurers. Youll never have to worry about them going out of business. You will never have to worry about them trying to save you any dollars. and youll always know and count on them raising the premiums over and over again. What did you say. 94 percent of the premiums are raised. A family of four will see their premiums go up $2.000 to $3.000 a year.
Date: 2010-03-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me just make one final point so I can close. The final point is. and what this bill will do as well. is provide competition. I mentioned that a good friend came on the floor and talked about a State where there is only one company. My Statea big State and is soon to gain in population through the Census. Texashas three. So this bill. once it passes. will open up the doors of choice for those who have insurance or those with employerbased insurance. because were not taking away employerbased insurance. I think that were moving in the right direction. and I hope that this story will be told tomorrow in the right way.
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. over the last 2 days. human beings who happened to be Members of Congress have been called the N word. have been spat on. Just recently. someone asked me why my braids were so tight. But I know there is a better way. and I know that because members of the Congressional Black Caucus worshipped this morning at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. and Pastor Smith said to us to call upon healing the land. Well be able to heal the land by voting this evening on a health care bill that will help those who cannot help themselves. those single mothers. those people with preexisting disease. I have the dishonor of being a Member of Congress representing the State of Texas that has the highest number of uninsured. And so today. there will be no shame in my vote. because I will vote for those Texans who are not here and cannot speak for themselves and are suffering with no health care. And seniors will have a stronger Medicare. and 95 percent of Americans will be able to be insured. This is a day that courage will be the call of the day.
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. due to previous district commitments in Houston yesterday. I was not able to vote on rollcall votes taken during the evening of March 19 and March 20. I rise today to notify the House and the public on how I would have voted on those missed rollcall votes. On House rollcall vote 144. "yes". On House rollcall vote 145. "yes". On House rollcall vote 146. "yes". On House rollcall vote 147. "yes". On House rollcall vote 148. "no". On House rollcall vote 149. "yes". On House rollcall vote 150. "yes". On House rollcall vote 151. "yes". On House rollcall vote 152. "yes". On House rollcall vote 153. "yes". On House rollcall vote 154. "yes." Mr. Speaker. I do not take my voting responsibilities lightly. My voting percentage in the 111th Congress is over 96 percent. I rarely miss votes. but with the long week in Washington like all of us have had. I had previous commitments I could not miss in the district. Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Tierney Titus Tonko Tsongas Turner Upton Van Hollen Velazquez Visclosky Walden Walz Wamp Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (OH) Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Woolsey Wu Yarmuth Young (FL) Young (AK) Sires Speier Towns NAYS 3 Broun (GA) Paul
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me remind us of a man who does not live today. Senator Edward Kennedy told us that he had a vision and a resolve that the health care of Americans would no longer count on whether or not they were wealthy Americans. And we are reminded as well of the words of President John F. Kennedy that said: Ask not what your country can do for you. but what you can do for your country. This is not an unfunded mandate because we know full well that the CBO has said that this bill will pay for itself. that the deficit will be reduced by $130 billion in the first 10 years. and that the deficit will be cut by $1.2 trillion in the second 10 years. It eliminates the Medicare doughnut hole. and it insures some 32 million more people. But I am standing here today because 45.000 Americans die every year like Eric. a 32yearold lawyer who went to the emergency room not once but three times. They sent him away with antibiotics and aspirin. but he died. I cannot tolerate that. Today we will heal this land. and we will vote for this health care bill. It is not an unfunded mandate. This health care reform is fair and must succeed.
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. they called it "a dangerous device invented in Nazi Germany" and a "method of imposing Stalinism." Those were the statements made by the opponents of Medicare. Medicare that now provides health coverage to 45 million Americans. This legislation will ensure that 32 million more Americans have access to affordable health care and that no American is held hostage to the abusive practices of the insurance industry. As in 1965. we have the rhetoric of mass distortions. This morning. Republican Leader BOEHNER even said this bill means Armageddon. The day after this legislation is signed by President Obama. Americans will see the world is not coming to an end. that there are no death panels. They will begin to see a system that works for them. not the insurance industry who is spending millions of dollars to kill the bill.
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to cast my vote to end abusive insurance company practices that put doctors and patients in control of their health care. And when I do. I will cast it for the small business owner in my district whose health insurance premiums shot up more than 100 percent last year simply because one employee got sick. I will cast it for the 135.000 people in my district who dont have health care coverage. On a personal note. I will cast it for the 2.5 million breast cancer survivors like me. who have a preexisting condition that make it next to impossible to obtain health insurance. Finally. Ill cast it for all of the moms in America with beautiful children like mine. but who dont have the security of health insurance and who die inside every time their child gets sick. Our current system is broken. Its unAmerican. The nightmare ends tonight.
Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield for the purposes of a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia .