macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I love the discussion about school nutrition programs. I have spoken to many superintendents in my district who used to run programs in their cafeterias where kids would eat the school lunches. Now those once profitable programs are not profitable anymore. Some school districts are opting out because of the stringent rules and requirements to reduce calories and serve food that kids wont eat. Let me also. for the RECORD. Mr. Speaker. state that we are missing an important part of any equation in tackling childhood obesity. and that is exercise. Illinois. my home State. is the only State in the Nation that requires physical education in K12. Maybe we make that part of the debate. too. As I wrap up this Special Order. I want to thank everyone. all of my colleagues. for coming down and talking about the importance of this 5year farm bill. It cannot be said enough that farmers have decided on their own to help us save billions in your tax dollars. Twenty billion dollars is what the farmers of this country have given up in direct payments to really allow us to balance our budget and put a down payment on the national debt. There are some other crucial aspects of this bill. Mr. Speaker. that we dont talk a lot about in the ag sector. but it is about the rules and the regulatory process. I was happy to introduce an amendment that actually gives the Department of Agriculture a seat at the table when those at the EPA decide to come up with rules like maybe treating milk spills like oil spills from the Exxon Valdez. Mr. Speaker. I ask you one question: Which one of those spills could be cleaned up with cats? You know the answer and I know the answer. but when they come up with crazy ideas like this. we believe that the United States Department of Agriculture also deserves a seat at the table to sayin a good. commonsense. Midwestern way. Hang on a second here. Lets think about this. That is why an amendment like that is crucial to a farm bill like this. because it is crazy ideas like that that cost our farmers their livelihoods in some cases. Mr. Speaker. this is a bill that is going to save taxpayers billions. It is reforming crucial agricultural programs. It is putting us on a path to certainty for Americas agricultural future. There are some in this body. Mr. Speaker. that believe we shouldnt be involved in ag policy in this country. Well. my response to them is: Do you want America to be a food exporter. like we are now. or do you want to import our food supply? We know the answer to that. Mr. Speaker. The answerthe solution to make sure that doesnt happenis getting this bill through a quick conference committee. bringing it back to the floor of the House. and ensuring that all our family farmers and all those who rely upon the ag economy for their livelihood are put first. Mr. Speaker. with that. I thank everyone who has been involved in this processmy staff. many interns that have worked for me to put this Special Order in place. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-10-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. now that ObamaCare has had 23 days of what has been a disastrous rollout and hundreds of thousands of Americans are getting health insurance cancellation notices. I want to give you a couple of examples of what is happening in Georgia. In our State. the news is not good. One constituent tells me: Not only are premiums higher. but we have to pay more out of pocket. We will end up spending about $500 to $600 a year on durable medical supplies that have always been covered 100 percent. That does not help the middle class. Another shared the news that he recently learned from his employer: My premiums are going up over $1.200 a year. my deductible is going up by over $1.000 a year. and my outofpocket maximum will move from $3.500 to $6.500. That is more than a house payment for many Georgians. Mr. Speaker. These are hardworking. middle class families in my district who were promised by the President that if they like their insurance. they could keep their current health plans. Now these plans are more expensive and my constituents have less coverage. This is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker. Contrary to the Presidents promises. ObamaCare is driving up costs. threatening jobs. and kicking Georgians out of the plans they like and were promised they could keep.
Date: 2013-10-23
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I would like to offer my thanks to Chairman SHUSTER and also to Subcommittee Chairman BoB GIBBS. They have done a wonderful job with this bill. It is a bipartisan bill. I rise today as a cosponsor and a proud supporter of WRRDA. I like to actually call it WRRDA. since we have got the extra R. Reform matters. and in this bill it shows that we can move things forward and we can make a difference. But I have got to tell you. Mr. Chairman. it is good to be back here governing this week and focusing on commonsense policies like this one here today. Why is WRRDA critical? Because our waterways provide a costeffective. fuelefficient way to move our goods. and we must maintain and support U.S. infrastructure. I come from a district that borders the Mississippi and is blessed with productive farmland. 81 percent of our U.S. ag exports are waterborne. and with trade expected to double by 2021. we must rebuild our capacity. With a $60 billion water project backlog. I believe this program provides a solution to move projects forward. and. again. I am proud to support and cosponsor this bill. I look forward to helping this committee advance this important legislation through this process and have this bill signed into law by the President.
Date: 2013-10-29
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. it is my honor to have my good friend and my pastor. Jack Hibbs. here with us today to give the opening prayer. He is a senior pastor with Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. He has an incredible mission going on in California. Plus. he has a global ministry going on the radio. He does an amazing job in preaching Gods word. and I am glad to have him here with us today.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. folks back home are frustrated. confused and. quite frankly. scared about this disastrous health care law. Last week. Stephen from Plano sent me an email sharing his firsthand experience with the marketplace exchange. In short. operators on the 1800 line had no answers to his questions. They simply reiterated he should wait until later that evening or the next day to apply since the systems were having technical issues. Unfortunately. the problems go far beyond an unworkable Web site. Even with 3 years of preparation and spending more than 1 billion taxpayer dollars. ObamaCare has failed to give the American people what they were promised. Mr. Speaker. the American people were promised affordable health care. not for a select few. but for all. Now more than ever. we must work together to delay this law. Americans want. need. and deserve better.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to my colleagues for standing here on this floor today to talk about this very important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 992. It has been introduced by my friends RICHARD HUDSON from North Carolina and RANDY HULTGREN from the great State of Illinois. I cannot respond to my colleagues who ask about what happened here in the last term. because I wasnt here. but I can tell you from my seat here in the U.S. House that this bill is a good bill and needs to be passed. It seeks to fix yet another unintended consequence of DoddFrank while still protecting against risky derivatives activities. This bill amends section 716. also known as the DoddFrank pushout provision. If implemented. section 716 would actually force banks to push out certain derivatives like agbased swaps and equity swaps. which are very important to my agriculturalbased district. and it would effectively drive up transaction costs. According to Ben Bernanke. this would actually make the U.S. financial system riskier. This bipartisan legislation passed the Ag Committee 3114 and the Financial Services Committee 536. Let me repeat that. This bipartisan legislation passed 3114 out of the House Ag Committee. and it passed 536 out of Financial Services. This is commonsense legislation that will help all Americans.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 568 I was unavoidably detained and would have voted "no" on Motion to Recommit. Had I been present. I would have voted "no."
Date: 2013-11-13
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of the FACT Act. This bill aims to address a fraud problem and ensure that true asbestos victims obtain maximum recoveries for their injuries. My district is home to many asbestos lawsuits. Currently. a lack of transparency has led to fraud in the asbestos bankruptcy trust system and diverted millions of dollars away from those who should have the ability to receive these recoveries. This lack of transparency discourages a free flow of information resulting in fraudulent claims that deplete funds that are intended for legitimate victims. This bill requires these trusts to file quarterly reports. which include the claimants name. basis for the claim. payments made. and the basis behind those payments. It protects privacy by prohibiting disclosure of sensitive medical records and Social Security numbers. In order to help ensure future victims will have access to the money they deserve. these problems cannot be allowed to continue. This is why I stand today in support of the FACT Act.
Date: 2013-11-13
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize the spirit of the American farmer. A 31yearold farmer from Hammond. Illinois. tragically succumbed to cancer in September of this year. Kyle Hendrix was an avid golfer. farmer. and family man who left behind a wife and two young children. His untimely passing brought out the best in his rural Piatt County community. In the middle of the harvest season. his friends and family organized a tribute of over 60 tractors and other pieces of farming equipment that lined up along Bement Road to honor Kyles life. And all of the equipment. worth millions of dollars. had the keys left in the ignition overnight without a single worry. Thanks to the photographer. Matt Rubel. who captured the moment. the story has now gone viral. Matt said: It seems to me that farming communities all over the country may still hold the key to what makes this country a shining beacon in a world of trouble. Matt. I agree. This rural community story is a tribute to rural American values. My thoughts and prayers go out to Kyles family and friends. and may God grant him favor.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today because the American public was sold a false bill of goods. Rachel. my constituent from Decatur. Illinois. recently contacted my office to let me know that the health care plan she had for her and her daughter is being canceled due to ObamaCare. She was provided with a list of options to replace that plan. but the cheapest would double her monthly premium and increase her deductible to $6.000 per person. Mr. Speaker. Rachel and her daughter had a plan. and they liked it. Now. she cannot afford any of the alternatives given to her. In her note to me. Rachel summed it up best: We were told we could keep our plan if we liked our plan . . . we are at a loss for how we will continue our health care coverage. Mr. Speaker. the last 45 days proved what many of us have been saying all along: this law is simply unacceptable. unworkable. and unaffordable. Period.
Date: 2013-11-14
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. for more than 31/2 years. President Obama repeatedly promised Tom. who is in this picture. that if he liked his health care plan. he could keep it. Period. In spite of the Presidents assurances. Tom. along with 3.5 million other Americans. has recently received a cancelation letter from his insurance provider. You see. Tom. who is a constituent from Allen. Texas. has dwarfism. which makes access to the doctors he likes. trusts. and knows critical to his wellbeing. Not only has ObamaCare affected his health care. but Tom has said it has taken time. energy and focus away from growing his small business. That even makes the new Pope mad. As Toms dad often said. If youre not going to be part of the solution. at least dont be part of the problem. Thus far. ObamaCare is the problem. It is time for President Obama to join our efforts and provide a real solution to this flawed and unworkable law.
Date: 2013-11-15
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. today I rise and stand here on behalf of my colleague and friend. JOHN SHIMKUS. to congratulate the Edwardsville High School boys soccer team for winning the IHSA State Championship for the second time in school history. The team. led by Coach Mark Heiderscheid. had a rough stretch in its season. going 022. but the team persevered and ended the season on a 15game winning streak to become State champions. Last week. in the semifinals. the Tigers came back to stun tournament favorite Naperville Central by scoring three goals in a 12minute span to win 31. In the finals against Wheeling. Edwardsville was led by its tough defense and held on for a thrilling 21 win to be crowned State champions. So congratulations to the players. coaches. and families of Edwardsville High School boys soccer team. and best of luck for a repeat next year. Go Tigers.
Date: 2013-11-19
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano on their latest accoladethe 2013 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. which is the Nations highest Presidential honor for performance excellence through innovative practices and visionary leadership. For nearly a decade. Baylor Plano has provided north Texas with highquality and compassionate care. Their superior patient satisfaction rate and dedication to training the best and the brightest go unmatched. Baylor Planos success and patientcentered care is a testament to the endless possibilities when you have choice and freedom on your side. It is an honor to congratulate Baylor Planos employees. medical staff. and volunteers for doing their part to keep Texas bigger and better reputation intact. I wish them continued success. God bless you. and I salute you.
Date: 2013-11-19
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 590 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present. I would have voted. "yes.. Stated against:
Date: 2013-11-21
Speaker: VANCE M. MCALLISTER (republican)
Chamber: H

appeared at the bar of the House and took the oath of office. as follows: Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. foreign and domestic. that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. that you take this obligation freely. without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter. so help you God.
Date: 2013-11-21
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to remind all Americans that we should pay our debts. I stand here today to pay a debt for a friendly wager I made with my colleague JOE KENNEDY. and I rise to offer my congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series. The Red Sox overcame a 21 series lead and rattled off three straight victories to capture the 2013 championship. I certainly think that the Boston Red Sox showed the St. Louis Cardinals and the rest of the world why they are deserving of the slogan "Boston Strong." However. I hope that this series win will forever erase the curse of the Bambino. Yes. Red Sox fans. no more excuses for losing.
Date: 2013-12-03
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. at a time when Americans continue to see their health care options diminished by the Presidents disastrous health care law. its critical that we work to return choice and freedom to the American people. Thats why I introduced H.R. 3498. a commonsense bill that gives seniors the freedom to make their own health care decisions and opt out of Medicare. If folks like Warren Buffett or Ross Perot want to opt out of Medicare part A but they dont want or need a government entitlement paying for their care. we should let them. This bill truly tells seniors "if you like your current coverage. you can keep it" without the risk of losing other benefits like Social Security. Seniors want. need. and deserve the right to choose a health care plan that fits their needs. I urge my colleagues to join my efforts in returning freedom and choice to American seniors.
Date: 2013-12-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Steve Burgess from Urbana. Illinois. who passed away on Friday. November 22 of this year. He was committed to seeing the postal facility at 302 East Green Street in Champaign. Illinois. renamed after his father. James R. Burgess. Jr. James Burgess was the first African American elected to a countywide office in Champaign County and was appointed the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Illinois. Most importantly. though. Steve Burgess wanted to honor his father as a leader of the 761st Tank Battalion. the first African American armored unit to enter battle in World War II. In April. I introduced H.R. 1707 to rename this post office after James Burgess. It is devastating to me that Steve Burgess was not able to fulfill his lifes effort. I want to see a post office naming bill through completion. not only in James Burgess honor. but in Steve Burgess and his familys. I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to Steve Burgess and his father for their lifetime of commitment to the ChampaignUrbana community.
Date: 2014-01-08
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this week the House will consider a bill offered by Representative PITTS that would require the Obama administration to notify Americans who had their personal information stolen after signing up for health insurance through ObamaCare. As someone who has made protecting Social Security numbers a priority. I am deeply concerned about an increase of identity theft through the flawed ObamaCare Web site. Social Security numbers are the key to identity theft. Yet CMS. which is the same agency that runs health care. has failed to protect seniors identity by refusing to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards. That is why Mr. PITTS bill. along with H.R. 781. the Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act. which I introduced with my Democrat colleague. LLOYD DOGGETT. are two simple yet effective ways we can protect Americans and keep their private information just thatprivate. I urge my colleagues to join our efforts. We must do what is right for Americans.
Date: 2014-01-09
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. this country has 10.9 million people out of work. many of whom have been out of work for over 6 months. We cant wait any longer. Families want to work. They want a job that will allow them to put food on the table. take family vacations. and save for their childrens education. And $300 a week just wont cut it. As we speak. the President has a permit on his desk. one that has been ready to sign for almost his entire tenure in office. The Keystone XL pipeline is a rare project supported by labor. business. and the hardworking taxpayers of this country. and one that has been studied and dissected more than most. This project is ready to go. and. with the stroke of a pen. Mr. President. you can create 40.000 goodpaying. stable jobs across this country that American families want and deserve. All they need is your signature. Lets finally create the jobs that politicians love to talk about. Get families back to work. where they want to be. and off unemployment.
Date: 2014-01-14
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this past summer. we learned of the largest disability fraud in the history of Social Security taking place in Puerto Rico. Now. less than 6 months later. we hear of an even more shocking scandal in New York. where 106 people have been arrested. including former policemen. FBI employees. and firemen. Worse. about half of the defendants falsely claimed that their "disability" was caused as a result of the 9111 terrorist attacks. even though many had never even worked at Ground Zero. These individuals are stealing from a program that serves those who can no longer work due to a disability. This is unacceptable. The American people are outraged and fast losing confidence in Social Security. and rightfully so. That is why this Thursday I will be holding a hearing to ensure Social Security makes fighting fraud and protecting hardworking taxpayer dollars its number one priority. The time for excuses is over.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor Pastor Gary Grogan. Pastor Grogan has served as lead pastor of Stone Creek Church in Urbana. Illinois. for over 25 years. and today he is our pastor. Thank you for leading the prayer. Pastor Grogan and his lovely wife. Bonnie. have two children and five grandchildren. Both of his children also serve in local church ministry. Under Pastor Grogans leadership. Stone Creek has grown into a thriving. multiethnic congregation. leading many community outreach programs focused on justice and compassion. Some of the many projects Pastor Grogan has led include fundraising to build educational community facilities. assisting those trapped in sex trafficking. support for returning war veterans from Afghanistan. and providing medical supplies and other necessities to victims of natural disasters. The Bible says. in Proverbs 11:25: "Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." Pastor Grogan has spent a lifetime refreshing and encouraging those around him. I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to Pastor Grogan and his entire congregation in Urbana. Illinois. for allowing him the opportunity to be here today.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: HERRERA BEUTLER (republican)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I thank the chairman for his work. and Ranking Member LOWEY for your work on this bill. There are two reasons I rise in support of this bill. First. it will protect and promote things that residents of southwest Washington care about. Second. it helps us do something that no Congress has done since the Korean war. which is it reduces appropriated spending for the fourth year in a rowdollar over dollar. Many people have been understandably discouraged with the partisan bickering in Washington. D.C. I believe if we focus on finding common ground and fixing problems. we can find solutions we can be proud of. With this bill. I believe we do just that. The ports of Ilwaco and Chinook will have critical dredging funds that are made available. We are improving veterans programs and support for our Nations bravest heroes. something we can all agree on. We are protecting access and saving dollars by not decommissioning roads in the Gifford Pinchot. And we are keeping our commitment to cleaning up nuclear waste at Hanford. There is much for folks in southwest Washington to like in this bill. and while we still have more to do in terms of reducing spending and getting results. I believe if we work together. there is no limit to what we can accomplish.