macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: MICHAEL F. DOYLE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. First off. I want to thank my good friend. JOE BARTON. JOE. you know. you used the tools that are at your disposal. This was a great game. It was good. I think all the fans were treated to a very competitive game this year. We had almost 10.000 people attend the game this year. As we all know. the real winners here are our charities. This game helps raise money for the Washington Boys & Girls Clubs. the Washington Literacy Council. and the Nationals Dream Foundation. I am happy to report. after expenses. we were able to write checks in excess of $100.000 to each of the three charities. So those are the big winners of the game. This was a hardfought game. In the last 3 years that we have played this game. our team has made only one error. We made that this game. but I think the difference in the score was that we made the plays in the field. Both pitchers were outstanding. Your new pitcher. MARK. we werent used to that knuckle ball and some of those curves. He kept us off balance. and he pitched a brilliant game. I believe you guys actually had one more hit than we did. You had six and we had five. CEDRIC RICHMOND. coming off of shoulder surgery. pitched a gutsy game for seven innings. And I should also mention that. after striking out. he hit a double over the center fielders head. just to throw that in. I want to also note JOE DONNELLY. our first baseman. made some unbelievable plays at first base that. I think. saved the game for us. And then. as always. anytime I ask LINDA SANCHEZ to put a batting helmet on. she gets a hit. So those three individuals share our team MVPs. Also. there are lots of ways to contribute. and ERIC SWALWELL stole three bases for us and scored. He did it all on the base pads. and he deserves some notice for that. too. JOE. I just want to say it was a great game. I want to thank you for how hard your team fought. and we look forward to a competitive game next year. We know some day. you know. the shoe will be on the other foot. But for the past 7 years. we are kind of enjoying this. So God bless.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in opposition to H.R. 2042. the Ratepayer Protection Act of The EPAs clean power plan has raised a number of justifiable concerns. However. while I would like to find a solution to the issues raised by todays bill. I dont believe the present bill is the correct solution. For more than a decade. the focus of environmental debate has been on greenhouse gas emissions. In that time. we have passed two comprehensive bills. while the EPA has promulgated dozens of rules. Now. I am not raising Cain with the EPA. The Agency. backed by the Supreme Court. has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases. including carbon. The Agency. however. has a different approach to regulating than I think many Members of Congress on both sides would prefer. I acknowledge that global climate change issues are difficult. and the legislation would require a compromise. but this bill doesnt accomplish that. Congress should create a regulatory framework for the 21st century economy and environment. We should recognize that human activity has impacted the climate. but that does not mean regulating sectors of our economy out of existence. Regardless of the public outreach conducted by the Agency. regulatory overreach can occur. I dont think allowing each successive administration to prescribe policies that affect so much of our way of life is a correct course of action. We need to recognize our industries. and more importantly. our workers need time to adjust to the new environmental realities and implement changes. both technological and educational. Mr. Chairman. I know many of our colleagues agree that our job as legislators is to ensure each of our constituencies are equally represented. I prefer we sit down and craft a bill that addresses the many challenges we face not only domestically. but as a world leader. Unfortunately. the present bill doesnt address those issues I have laid out in a balanced and complete way. Allowing for endless legal challenges or partisan political decisions is not the proper way to handle an issue that affects the entire scope of the environment and the economy. Todays bill is only a part of the challenge. the part that is directly in front of us. and I dont agree with that approach. I would like the opportunity to sit down with my colleagues to draft a fair and comprehensive legislation that reasonably balances the interests of all parties rather than a sectorbysector approach that balances none. I want to make sure that the folks back home get what they need. and I think it is an opportunity to bring all sides together. I have heard certainly from many groups they all want the same thing. but they want certainty.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. we want to be certain that their companies will be profitable. that their livelihoods will be protected. and their grandchildren have a clean environment. We can accomplish these goals not with endless delay or agency decree. I want to thank my colleague. Chairman WHITFIELD. for addressing part of the problem. but lets work together to solve the whole problem. For this reason. I oppose the bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Messrs. CROWLEY. HUFFMAN. Mesdames LAWRENCE and TORRES changed their vote from "no" to "aye." So the amendment was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. Stated for:
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker and my colleagues. we are really so gratified to have been able to have spent the last 3 months practicing every morning at 7 a.m. Our teamI just keep repeating that over and over. and maybe it will come trueis bipartisan. It is an opportunity every year for us to come together and bridge the divide around a cause that is so meaningful and important for so many women all across America. I thank all of you every year for your support and for the turnout and for the love and affection that we have for one another in that we are able to put aside our differences. As a breast cancer survivor myselfdiagnosed at 41I just cant thank my colleagues enough for their time. I will close by saying that the Member team is the defending champion. and. tonight. we will keep the trophy. Go. Members. Beat the press. Beat cancer. Please join us at 420 12th Street Southeast. at the Watkins Recreation Center. The first pitch is at 7 p.m. It is a great game. Come by. Eat hot dogs. Cheer us on.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

As we do almost every week. my colleagues and I are here on the floor this evening to urge the peoples House to take up the issues that matter to the people. This week. we are still reeling from the tragedy in South Carolina. My colleagues and I are urging Members on both sides of the aisle to take a look at an issue we have consistently and painfully avoided for years. what we are doing to prevent gun violence. Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan .
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlewoman for taking the time to join us and sharing that important message. I join her in her sentiments. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois .
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks. and I associate myself with the concerns raised through them. Mr. Speaker. my heart is heavy right now. I never thought that I would be in Washington representing the people of the 12th District in the State of New Jersey. but never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would be on the floor of this body mourning the nine Americans murdered for the color of their skin in the midst of worship. at a church that was part of the fight for our civil rights. In what has become a disturbingly routine order of events. we watch. horrified. as the helicopter circles a church. a movie theater. a college campus. or a school. A breaking news headline parades across the screen. keeping track of the developing details. The next day. we debate the mental stability or motive of the shooter. We ask where they purchased the weapon. We ponder the merits of changing our Nations laws to keep more Americans safe. And then. inevitably. we do nothing. and the cycle repeats. The rate of mass shootings has steadily risen since 2000. President Barack Obama has himself addressed the Nation for at least a dozen of these incidents since the beginning of his first term. We are the only developed nation in the world that has this problem. and we need to wake up and ask ourselves why. We are told that more guns will keep us safe. We are told that requiring background checks for every purchase. with no exceptions. is too intrusive. We are told that our constitutional right to bear arms should cover every weapon. from a simple handgun to a machine gun. whose only purpose is to cause massive and irreparable harm. Mr. Speaker. we are here tonight because we know that these statements are. at the very least. misleading and. more likely. outright falsehoods. We stand together on behalf of the millions of Americans who agree that the shooting in Tucson. Arizona. that wounded one of our own should have been our last. that the lives lost in Aurora. Colorado. should have been the last. that the babies we lost in Newtown. Connecticut. should have moved us to change the ease with which we allow access to firearms. We are asking our colleagues on both sides of the aisle whether they are willing to make this newest addition to a painful list the very last. I hope when we close our remarks this evening that every one of us will see the need for change. Mr. Speaker. it is now my pleasure to yield to a fellow freshman. who has introduced legislation today that would keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. the gentleman from Virginia
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for those remarks. Mr. Speaker. last Wednesday. Dylann Roof walked into Emanuel AME and stole the lives of nine innocent Americans. In the days since. somehow we have lost track of the real problems. We keep talking about a flag. a flag that is a symbol of many our Nations most glaring problems. but it is only a symbol. I dont want to get too far off track. but I do want to make something perfectly clear. Symbols may matter. but they dont matter as much as the actions of police who consistently treat black men and women with clear and biased disregard. Symbols dont matter as much as the mandatory sentencing laws that have propped up a prison industry with hundreds of thousands of Black men. Symbols dont matter as much as the predatory loan structures that put Black homeowners underwater and decimated the Black middle class. practices that banks were never truly held accountable for. So. alongside those calls to take down the flag. I would appreciate calls to acknowledge that persistent racism is not the only problem here. Pervasive and unnecessary gun violence is also one of our Nations most pronounced flaws. Mr. Speaker. let me say this: I fully support the permanent removal of the Confederate flag. It represents one the darkest stains on our Nations history. It represents baseless hate. disrespect for the civil rights and freedoms this Nation was founded upon. and enduring mistreatment in communities of color. But if we are really about the business of ending discrimination once and for all. we need to enact policies that will counteract everything that that flag represents: job training that ensures all of our communities are qualified for the jobs of the future. education that lets our students succeed. regardless of where they live. and affordable housing that exists outside of the urban centers. in the communities that can offer folks the jobs they need to get on their feet and to climb to the middle class. Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas. She has always been a source of information and history. She has always tied our history into our current situation as she has always been someone who has motivated us to think sincerely about the issues of the day and how we can become part of the solution. Mr. Speaker. in closing. I just want to reiterate that I associate myself with every recommendation that this gentlewoman has put forth here. I do indeed believe that we need some sensible gun control legislation. I have even introduced legislation that makes it more difficult to secure ammunition. I do think that that is a very important component of creating a safer environment in this country for all citizens. I think also that we need to take a serious look at what this type of domestic terrorism is doing and whether or not we are devoting the type of resources that are necessary to ensure that our people are as safe as they can be. I think that we are very involved and very concerned and very proactive in looking at potential lone wolves. jihadists. ISIS recruitment activities. and things of that ilk. but I question whether or not we are sufficiently engaging in oversight. interventions. and creating tools in order to look at the sites that kind of generate the willingness of people such as Mir. Roof and his desire to do what he did. So I hope that in consort with what
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

and DELBENE. Messrs. HASTINGS. CLAWSON of Florida. SERRANO. and JOHNSON of Georgia changed their vote from "yea" to nay." Messrs. FLORES and BURGESS changed their vote from "nay" to yea." So the motion to refer was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Stated for:
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. let me thank Ranking Member LEVIN for always standing in the gap with a creative mind for trade but for workers. Let me acknowledge my colleague from Wisconsin and indicate that those of us who stand here today have several reasons for doing so. It was in 1997 that I traveled to the continent of Africa and looked at the rich resources of people and product and understood that that developing continent needed a bridge of opportunity. I am not against a bridge of opportunity. and therefore. I vote and support the African Growth and Opportunity Act and those African nations who have extended their hand of friendship to the United States to create jobs. At the same time. I have to represent some of the most impoverished and one of the largest groups of working people in the South in the State of Texas. Oh. I know that there is benefit. Texas is a State that fits appropriately for benefit in trade. but there are workers that I must be concerned about. I really stand here today to support the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act.
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. we have had a very rigorous and robust debate on trade. Trade is important to not only the entire country. but certainly it is important to the communities that I represent. Throughout this process. I have followed the dictates of organized labor. and I have followed the dictates of the people I represent. which means I voted "no." I listened to the logic of the Democratic leader just this moment. and I am going to vote with her. I am going to vote for this legislation today because it is necessary to help those individuals who are going to be displaced. and they need all the help we can provide. I will vote to help them.
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. let me thank the chair and the ranking member of this appropriations process for the Interior and Environment for their indulgence and their understanding of how much a part of the lives of Americans this legislation is from my amendment dealing with the culture and history of this Nation to that of clean water. clean air. our Federal parks. our forestry. This is a vital piece of the livelihood and the life of America. Among other agencies that the legislation funds is the Smithsonian Institution. which operates our national museums. including the Air and Space Museum. the Museum of African Art. the American Art Museum. and the National Portrait Gallery. It also operates the national treasure. the National Zoo. My amendment is simple. It sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States to infuse into the people cultural and appreciation for the respect and holding of wild animals. for the forests. for the number of assets that we should hold very dear. and it increases the Smithsonian Institution by $1.5 million. Mr. Chairman. the Smithsonians outreach programs bring scholars in art. history. and science out of the Nations attic and into their own backyard. Each year. millions of Americans visit the Smithsonian. In order to fill the Smithsonians mission. the increase and diffusion of knowledge. the Smithsonian seeks to serve on an even greater audience by bringing it to the communities. to the people who otherwise would be deprived. or the institutions that would otherwise be deprived of this kind of cultural exchange. This money is not a lot of money. but it is an important statement for those who seek to be connected to the cultural history of America. The Smithsonians outreach program serves millions of Americans. thousands of communities. and hundreds of institutions in all 50 States through loans of objects. traveling exhibitions. and sharing of educational resources. Smithsonian outreach programs work in close cooperation with Smithsonian museums and research centers. as well as with 144 affiliate institutions. and others across the Nation. Smithsonian outreach activities support communitybased cultural and educational organizations. It reaches out to African Americans. Asian Americans. Latino Americans. Native Americans. new Americans. and all Americans from kindergarten to college to our senior citizens. What can we do to help this outreach expand? We can provide this simple amendment of $1.5 million to create more mobile museums talking about the extensive history that we have. These mobile museums then connect with our museums that we have. The African American Museum in Houston is one of those that needs the bridge that the Smithsonian has. It is a museum that has reached prominence. but not the ability to reach a lot of people. This is an opportunity to boost the Smithsonian in order to ensure that we have that kind of outreach. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I think we have had an opportunity to be on the floor together over the years. Thank you so very much. I want to thank the ranking member and the leadership on the committee. My question would beobviously. this appropriations process is a bill here in the House and then there is conferencewhat would be the immediate strategy of working with you on this goal that we both would have? I yield to the gentleman.
Date: 2015-06-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentleman. Let me. first of all. thank the ranking member for all the hard work that has been done and the chairman. It is a passion for reaching out and touching museums like the Houston African American Museum that has. as its curator. an excellent leader in John Guess. I would say to museums like that to allow me to take up the chairman and the ranking members leadership and begin to look for what may be an extra opportunity to infuse dollars to get the culture of America to reach out to all over. With that. in the spirit of collaboration and collegiality. I am going to at this time withdraw in a friendly manner the Jackson Lee amendment with a very hopeful commitment to be able to help museums like the Houston African American Museum and many others that really benefit from this connection.
Date: 2015-07-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. let me conclude by simply saying what a great difference life will be in many urban areas with our commitment to reforestation of urban areas and creating more opportunities for trees to grow in those areas. I ask for support of the Jackson Lee amendment. and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2015-07-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2015-07-07
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. I thank Ms. MCCOLLUM for her work on this bill and to BOBBY SCO- and DON BEYER for joining me in this effort. I rise in opposition to this amendment. Just yesterday. the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld EPA authority to set Chesapeake Bay pollution limits. which have led to the best cleanup progress in over 25 years. For the Bay. as with so many other waters across the country. the Clean Water Act backstop is critical to ensure that states are meeting their commitments. In Maryland. we have cities working to manage stormwater and farmers implementing best management practices to stop runoff. But for all our efforts. we will never have a clean and healthy Bay if pollution runs downstream from Pennsylvania. New York. or West Virginia. With our enormous watershed. encompassing 64.000 square miles. six States. and D.C.. everyone must do their fair share. And to do that is through the Clean Water Acts Federal backstop. I strongly oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Virginia .
Date: 2015-07-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. many of us have not spoken on the floor of the House on the horrific tragedy that occurred in Mother Emanuel Baptist church. our respect for our colleague from South Carolina. our respect for our assistant leader. JIM CLYBURN. and our respect for the families that have buried their dead over the last week. Many of us joined the President in Charleston. South Carolina. for the funeral of Reverend Dr. Pinckney. Today. I rise to ask this body. reflecting on two amendments that were offered last night regarding the Confederate flag that were voted on by voice vote in the Interior bill. but I ask today the leadership to allow this House to look at three legislative initiatives that have been offered by Members based upon the Walker III v. Texas Division. Sons of Confederate Veterans case. I want my colleagues to know that the Supreme Court. including Justice Clarence Thomas. ruled that government speech did not warrant the utilization of the rebel flag. Finally. let me read to you the words about senator Pinckney. This is warranted. The President said: My liberty depends on you being free. too. History must be a manual for how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. how to break the cycle. a roadway toward a better world. He knew that the path of grace involves an open mind but. more importantly. an open heart. We need to debate on the floor of the House the symbols of hate in this Nation. and we need to do it now. I ask my colleagues. Republicans and Democrats. to join us in the legislative initiatives we have for this to be placed on the floor of the House for all of us to stand and debate what is positive about America.