macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-11-12
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 2871 but also ask that this body continue to work assiduously on the remaining budget matters so that the judicial branch has the funding to do its work that every American has a fair trialand that they do not have to drive so far that they need to camp out overnight. In 2012. the Judicial Conference of the United States recommended that certain federal court facilities be closed. This includes leased court space in Meridian. Mississippi. An ad hoc committee of judges. which included the Chief U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi. was convened to review the issues created by the closure and to recommend the best course of action. I am aware like most Members. that costsavings are extremely importantbut we should be mindful of any perceived inconveniences to plaintiffs and defendantsin a state that is regularly ranked one of the poorest. Moreover. with numerous nominees of President Obama being held up in the Senate via a nominations process that has in fact become an allegations process. I am also inclined to agree with the judgment of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Chief Justice of the United States that additional judgeships should be created in many parts of the country in order to ensure that the Constitutions promise of justice is fulfilled. But the need for Congress to create new judgeships aside. I believe the first step in resolving the crisis in our courts is to fill all the existing district and circuit court seats. As of today. there are 91 total vacancies74 in district courts and 17 in circuit courts. Astonishingly. there are more empty judgeships now than when President Obama took office. almost five years ago. So while it may be appropriate to eradicate duplicitylet this House institute other reforms in a bipartisan manner so that access to justice is not an abstract notion. Indeed thoughwe all know that the Senate holds nearly all the cards in this part of the discussion. We must ultimately consider the effect the proposed changes have on the courts efficiency and stability of the rule of law in the circuit. My experience is that a decrease in space might lead one to believe that justice might be negatively affected but considering that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle are in full supportwe must wait and see and hope that justice is not too deliberate in the affected areas of Mississippi. The chief argument for this legislation is costcutting and simplificationbut the Judicial Committee did this with an eye on the budget matters that we have dealt with in this body and Mr. Speaker. I must say that if the costsavings do not injure the provision of justice then this legislation is supportable in its present form. I urge my colleagues to Support this important legislation.
Date: 2013-11-12
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation which like others before us. demonstrates the Congressional power over the Supreme and federal courts in even the most mundane mattersin this casesecurity. It is critical to the daytoday functioning of the Supreme Court that Justices. Court employees. and visitors to the Court be provided with adequate and appropriate protection. The Supreme Court Police are charged with enforcing the law at the Supreme Court building and its grounds as well as protecting Justices and other court employees on and off the grounds. Congress has provided statutory authority for the Supreme Court Police to provide security beyond the Court building for Justices. Court employees and official visitors since 1982. Since 1986. Congress has extended this offgrounds authority seven times and recent events tend to demonstrate that this authority is as important as ever. The authority is due to sunset on December 31. 2013 and the current authority and jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Police is essential to the forces performance of its everyday duties. Supreme Court Police regularly provide security to Justices by transporting and accompanying them to official functions in the Washington. D.C.. metropolitan area. and on occasion. outside the area when they or official guests travel on Court business. Threats to personal safety may require Justices to be accompanied by police between their home and the Courtand although incidents have been fewwe must continue to be vigilant to any and all security matters. I close by harking back to our Founders. the men who forged the underpinnings of this great nation. They had the vision and forethought to craft what is the worlds most admired democracy. replete with the vaunted three branches of government. It is not perfect though. and in my role as a representative for the people of the 18th District of Texas. I humbly seek to make it better and the passage of this bipartisan legislation today moves us closer to working in harmony on other matters affecting the Judiciarymatters which the American people are asking us to do. I am certain that on that score we share the same values. I urge my colleagues to Support this important legislation.
Date: 2013-11-12
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise tonight because a sizable portion of my community is in mourning. In the aftermath of the typhoon that hit the Philippines on November 8. my community is in mourning and is looking for answers. As you know. we have had more than 1.700 persons pronounced dead. 10.000 are projected to die. 9.7 million people have been affected. more than 23.000 homes and infrastructure have been damaged. 2.5 million will need immediate food assistance. Mr. Speaker. while we are in mourning. I am grateful that the administration has sent the USS George Washington into the area. It will produce water. USAID has authorized $10 million. There are other agencies and organizations. as well as countries. that are being beneficial and helpful. I want to tonight announce that there is a lot more that will have to be done. and I want to do my part. I thank the administration for what is being done.
Date: 2013-11-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to H.R. 982. The F.A.C.T. Act. This intrusive legislation which misuses the word "transparency." would invade the privacy of asbestos victims by requiring the posting of personal exposure and medical information online and create new barriers to victims receiving compensation for their asbestos diseases. We have witnessed decades of uncontrolled use of asbestos. even after its hazards were known. have resulted in a legacy of disease and death. Hundreds of thousands of workers and family members have been exposed to. suffered or died of asbestosrelated cancers and lung disease. and the toll continues. It is estimated that each year 10.000 people in the United States are expected to die from asbestos related diseases. This is an outrageand to add to their miserythey have to deal with the onerous provisions of H.R. 982. Asbestos victims have faced huge barriers and obstacles to receiving compensation for their diseases. Major asbestos producers refused to accept responsibility and most declared bankruptcy in an attempt to limit their future liability. In 1994 Congress passed special legislation that allowed the asbestos companies to set up bankruptcy trusts to compensate asbestos victims and reorganize under the bankruptcy law. But these trusts dont have adequate funding to provide just compensation. and according to a 2010 RAND study. the median payment across the trusts is only 25 percent of the claims value. With compensation from these trusts so limited. asbestos victims have sought redress from the manufacturers of other asbestos products to which they were exposed. Although the proponents of this legislation assert that it is intended to protect asbestos victims. not a single asbestos victim has expressed support for H.R. 982. As the widow of our former colleague Representative Bruce Vento (DMN). who passed away from mesothelioma. stated H.R. 982 "does not do a single thing" to help asbestos victims and their families? H.R. 982 disturbs a reasonably wellfunctioning asbestos victim compensation process. Entities facing overwhelming mass tort liability for causing asbestos injuries may. under certain circumstances. shed these liabilities and financially regain their stability in exchange for funding trusts established under Chapter II of the Bankruptcy Code to pay the claims of their victims. under certain circumstances. 3 H.R. 982. however. interferes with this longstanding process in two ways. The FACT Act would require these trusts to: (1) file a publicly available quarterly report with the bankruptcy court that would include personally identifying information about such claimants. including their names. exposure history. and basis for any payment made to them. and (2) provide any information related to payment from and demands for payment from such trust to any party to any action in law or equity concerning liability for asbestos exposure. I urge my colleagues to vote against this utterly intrusive legislation. The material previously referred to by Mr. HASTINGS of Florida is as follows:
Date: 2013-11-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Chairman. with all of the protests. I think there is nothing more that we can say other than that it is a very cruel decision to move forward this particular legislation. It really implodes and violates the process of litigation between plaintiffs and defendants. petitioners and those who are in opposition. because we have an infrastructure of a court system that allows those who participate in that court system to guide the evidence that is being presented under the representation of their counsel. The Sixth Amendment provides for individuals to have a right to counsel. and what this legislation is trying to do is implode that relationship and ask for information that could be given in the regular order of a court process. This is intrusive legislation under the false guise of transparency and. in actuality. would invade the privacy of asbestos victims by requiring the posting of personal exposure and medical information online and erect new barriers to victims receiving compensation for their asbestos diseases. This cancerdriven disease. this asbestosdriven disease. is a silent killer. For a long time. the victims dont even know that they are being impacted by asbestos that is causing cancer. We have witnessed decades of uncontrolled use of asbestos. and even after its hazards became widely known. disease and death still persist because people work in it and they do not know. And so they have been forced to hire counsel merely to provide for their families or themselves in the waning hours and days of their life. Hundreds of thousands of workers and family members have been exposed. suffered. or died of asbestosrelated cancers and lung disease. and the toll continues. And yet we have legislation like this that wants to clearly undermine the legal system. the justice system. which means I go into a court. I have a lawyer. there is someone opposed to my position. they have a lawyer. and we submit information under the basis of that litigation or that settlement or that negotiation. Why do Americans have to be subjected to another abuse while they are suffering and dying? This is an abuse. H.R. 982 is asking for information that can already be gotten. As I indicated. these individuals have been exposed. suffered. or died from asbestosrelated cancer. It is estimated that. each year. 10.000 people in the United States are expected to die from asbestosrelated diseases. How much more of an outrage do we have to place on their familiesand burdensto ask them to give information about their sicknesses and other issues that are squarely within the realm of their counsel? Call up their lawyers and ask for it. This is an outrage that they have to deal with this onerous provision. Time and again. asbestos victims have faced huge obstacles. inconvenient barriers. and veiled but persistent resistance to receiving compensation for their diseases. That is why they organized in the manner that they did. It is because they were dying. dying. dying. and there was no response.
Date: 2013-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman. and thank you to the ranking member. Mr. Chairman. I rise to speak against H.R. 982. This legislation requires that asbestos trusts. which were set up to manage a companys asbestos liability exposure. disclose names and personal information of any individual who is seeking compensation from such trusts. The negative health effects associated with asbestos have been under investigation since the early 1990s. Premature death. lung cancer. and mesothelioma are known effects of asbestos exposure. While asbestos industry officials were aware of these negative health impacts since the 1930s. it wasnt until the 1970s that evidence emerged that the industry concealed these dangers from the public. Lawsuits resulted. and in 1973 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the first successful asbestos liability suit. Today. hundreds of thousands of claims have been filed. amounting to billions of dollars in damages. The key principle behind this legislation is to prevent duplicative and fraudulent claims from being filed against companies. However. there is zero evidence to support any allegation of endemic fraud in the filing of asbestos claims. In fact. in 2011. during an examination of asbestos trusts. the Government Accountability Office. the GAO. did not find any evidence of such fraud. Make no mistake. this bill does nothing to enhance transparency and simply increases the burden on the victims who are seeking compensation for asbestos exposure and the related side effects. Instead. the FACT Act simply makes it more difficult for asbestos victims to receive compensation for their injuries. The individuals who file asbestos disease claims do so in order to receive compensation to pay for medical bills or to make up for lost income when they are too sick to work. Many others were not as fortunate and ultimately died from the consequences of asbestos exposure. leaving family members and friends behind.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. over this last weekend. we celebrated the life of Leonel J. Castillo: educator. civil rights activist. and Houstons first Hispanic elected official. buta truelywonderful and deserving and outstanding American. I rise today to pay tribute to Leonel J. Castillo. a legendary pioneer figure in the history of Houston and. as I said. the first Hispanic elected to public office in Houston. He died on November 4. 2013. But this weekend. we had a chance to be with his family and to celebrate his life. to name a neighborhood center after him. to hear the testimonies regarding his passion and his love of bringing people together. and to hear about his love for his family. He was inspired by President John F. Kennedy and joined the Peace Corps. where he met his wonderful. beautiful wife. Evelyn. and had two children: a daughter. Avalyn. and a son. Efrem. He met his wife in the Philippines. And we know today that we are praying for all of them in the Philippines. Leonel. of course. in 1967. moved his family back to Houston. We are so delighted. He served as the director of SERJobs for Progress. In 1971. he was elected comptroller of the city of Houston. When nominated for INS Commissioner President Carter said: "He is a man who has the highest possible reputation. He is a public administrator. and I think I can tell you that he is going to take on one of the most difficult jobs in government." Mr. Castillo. a great American succeeded in that job and all that he did. We thank you. Leonel Castillo. as you served the United States Government and all of America well. May you rest in peace.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I am continuing the mission of mercy that started right after the typhoon hit the Philippines. Madam Speaker. I am here to express my gratitude to the President of the United States of America. I just heard him speak of how the United States would do all that it can to help the people of the Philippines. I am also grateful to the members of my community. We have approximately 40.000 persons of Filipino ancestry living in the Houston area. A good many of them are persons that I represent. I am honored to tell you that they are working tirelessly to do all that they can to help their brothers and sisters in the Philippines. These are difficult times. but I am honored to say it is my belief that. with our help. we will be able to help the people of the Philippines get through this tragic circumstance. There are two resolutions. H. Res. 404 is sponsored by Members ENGEL and ROYCE. ranking member and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. H. Res. 408 is sponsored by Members SPEIER and HONDA. I want to compliment them for what they have done.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. at this time. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from West Virginia . my friend. the distinguished ranking member of the committee.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

At this time. Madam Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas . my friend.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. in my opening remarks. I also should have mentioned the chair of the subcommittee. Mr. GIEES. I would like to thank him in addition to the chairman and my ranking member of the subcommittee. Mr. BISHOP. for the excellent work they have done on this. With that. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota . my colleague.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. I would like to forgive the gentleman from Minnesota for his vulgarity on the House floor. It is hard not to curse when mentioning the title of this motion. It is also hard not to curse when you realize that only 60 percent of the high hazard dams have an emergency action plan. That is one of the reasons why this bill is so important. I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. I would like to thank. again. the chairman. Mr. SHUSTER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing. as frustrating as Washington can be for many of us who are new to the Congress. we can actually get results and make a difference by conferencing the Water Resources Reform and Development Act. We have the opportunity for the Congress to set aside petty politics and partisanship to actually get something done for the American people. WRRDA is a critical and strategic investment in our Nations aging infrastructure and creates jobs. strengthens our local economies. and keeps families all across the country safe. We can make it even better by ensuring that every State and community has the resources to conduct safety inspections and to create emergency action plans. Again. there are 14.000 high hazard dams in this country. 60 percent of whichonly 60 percent of whichhave an emergency action plan. This program makes sense. Dont take it from me. You can take it from the folks in Warwick. New York. where one of these high hazard dams exists. After experiencing nearly a foot of rain in 24 hours. many families were forced to evacuate for fear of a potential series of dam failures and catastrophic flooding. Warwick had a plan in place. though. and conducted a safe evacuation. Dams like those in Warwick rely on the National Dam Safety Program to enhance the safety of their dams by hiring staff to conduct inspections. to purchase equipment. and to develop emergency action plans for dam safety. These plans save lives and prevent catastrophe. Investing in the National Dam Safety Program provides our communities with the resources they need to protect our families and our economy by conducting safety inspections and creating plans. Simply put. a stitch in time saves nine. Nowhere is that more true than here. I hope we can join together in a bipartisan way to support communities all across America by passing this motion to make the final version of this bill even better. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

The gentleman is very kind to yield. Very briefly. let me say it is about policy and process. The gentleman knows that most of America is very happy about the changes in the Affordable Care Act to get them out of the junk insurance policies that they have had.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman very much. Madam Speaker. let me be very clear. I want to say to the gentleman from Virginia that I would venture to say that those attacks on frivolous lawsuits are the big guys against the little guys. who had very legitimate and good intentions. It may be their resources were limited. and so they have to be subjected to a rule 11 on a perfectly legitimate litigation to be called frivolous. The other point that I was making is that there is something between process and policy. I will stand again to say that the policy of making better health plans and better and healthier Americans is supported by all. The process that I challenge is that the big insurance companies decided to use the process of cancelation letters. not letters that said modify. They decided to use their big authority to be able to undermine a policy of lifting the boats of all Americans for good health. That is what I see rule 11 as. I see that as undermining the basic scales of justice. It says to get back money for frivolous lawsuits. Well. the frivolous lawsuits may be on one individual or a group of small individuals who feel that they have been harmed. They may have lost. They may be in the midst of pleadings. but they dont have the resources to file a rule 11. So what happens is those who want to be punitive will use a rule 11. I think a judge can make determinations under the present system. and so the spiking that we are talking about is a spiking of rule 11 filings. That is more litigation. That is more litigation. That is what we are suggesting that we dont want. And this response and respect that the President and others are giving. all of us want to give respect to the mishap that has been created by the insurance companies. And so. fine. The President is giving respect to the constituents because his bottom line is to make sure all uninsured Americans. like the 6 million in the State of Texas. get the opportunity to be insured. Let me thank the gentleman for the time. I believe that we are going down the wrong path for rule 11. I thank the gentleman for yielding.