macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1993-11-22
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. S. 1777 requires that. until March 15. 1994. retail food stores that are participating in the Food Stamp Program cannot be withdrawn from the program solely because they do not meet the current definition of retail food store in the Food Stamp Act. On November 10. the House passed H.R. 3436. a bill that redefines retail food store to permit a store to participate in the Food Stamp Program if it meets one or the other of two conditions:If the store has over 50 percent of its total sales volume in staple foods. or if the store offers. on a continuous basis. a variety of food in each of four categories of staple foods. and sells perishable foods in at least two of these categories of foods. S. 1777 will allow additional time for this important legislation to pass the Congress. S. 1777 also delays. until March 15. 1994. implementation of two amendments to the Food Stamp Act that would otherwise become effective on January 31. 1994. These amendments would affect food stamp households living on Indian reservations. This delay will give the Congress time to review these provisions which have generated considerable interest. I urge passage of this legislation.
Date: 1993-11-22
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speakers table the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 56) to authorize corrections in the enrollment of S. 1766. and ask for its immediate consideration in theHouse.
Date: 1993-11-22
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. this concurrent resolution simply corrects a technical drafting error in S. 1766. which was approved by the Senate on Saturday and the House on Sunday S. 1766 amends the research and promotion program for limes. This concurrent resolution instructs the Secretary of the Senate to change three words in the enrollment of the bill for presentation to the President. I urge passage of the concurrent resolution. This resolution corrects a technical drafting error in section 4(b)(1) of S. 1766. which would amend section 1955(b)(4) of the Lime Research. Promotion. and Consumer Information Act. The Senate passed S. 1766 on Saturday. and the House approved the measure yesterday. The words "The Secretary" and "shall-" do not appear in section 1955(b)(4) of the current law. The correct reference is to "Members" and to "appointed-".
Date: 1994-01-25
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. last Thursday. I told the people of the Virgin Islands that I would not be seeking any elective office in the coming election. I want to say goodbye to this House today. where I had the honor to serve as the first Delegate from the Virgin Islands ever in the history of our Republic. I came to this Capitol some 24 years ago. I was elected. as I am elected today. but I did not have a seat in the House. The Virgin Islands. the people of the Virgin Islands. did not have any representation in the House. I was a Washington Representative. and I served two terms in that position and was able. with the help of many of you who are here today. and particularly you. Mr. Speaker. and many of our friends who have gone. to get a seat for the people of the Virgin Islands. I have served some 20 years here. I have made wonderful friends on both sides of the aisle. I am a Democrat. I love the Democratic Party. but the truth is. as I have told the Members. some of my best friends are Republicans. They have been very helpful to me and to the people of the Islands. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank you not only the Members but also the staff here in the House that helps us so much. and so many have shown me kindnesses. I leave this House after almost 40 years in elective office. I look forward to going home. I am sure when the Members think about it. and I am from the Virgin Islands. they will realize that it makes a lot of sense for me to want to go home. I thank the Members very much. and I thank you. Mr. Speaker.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. last night President Clinton outlined his plans for this Congress. and in doing so he brought the demands of the American people to this body for action. During this past year. we cut the deficit grbwth and kept Interest rates low. It is time we. put that same emphasis on the problems of crime control and health care reform. The President should be congratulated for his proposal to put repeat criminal offenders away for good. This is a real first step toward taking our streets back. and I hope that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will work together to make this plan a reality. Aside from crime control we must also begin to look past the rhetoric and enact meaningful health care reform for all Americans. Health care reform will mean stability for American families as well as our economy. The rising cost of health care is crippling the ability of American companies to compete and inaction by this body can no longer be excused. Over the last several days we have been preoccupied with the retirement announcements that various Members have made. so I ask you to consider the retirement prospects of the typical American worker who faces a stagnant retirement income that is constantly eroded by the rising cost of prescription drugs and increasing Medicare premiums. The uncertainty this retiree faces is unnecessary and avoidable if we do right by our senior citizens during our deliberations on health care reform. The Presidents plans are ambitious and farreaching and this body has a chance to give the American people safe streets and sound health care by acting on them without delay.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speake unanimous consent that it be today for the Speaker to ent motion to suspend the rules H.R. 2144. the Guam Excess LE
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I suspend the rules and pass to provide for the ti excess land to the Govern Guam. and for other purp amended.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota . the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks. Forests. and Public Lands. one of the gentlemen that I am going to really miss around here.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa . one of my best friends in this House. a gentleman I greatly admire.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California . chairman -of the Committee on Natural Resources. a gentleman that I greatly admire. I remember when he came to this House. He was closely associated with a man that I considered my mentor. and I am going to miss our chairman. He is one of the real leaders in this House.
Date: 1994-01-26
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to one of the newer Members of the House. the gentleman from California . Let me say to the gentleman. he should not feel as a newer Member constrained to eulogize me. although he is a good friend just the same.
Date: 1994-02-02
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express some of the concerns that the people of the 29th Congressional District have on health care reform. Over the past several months. we have held a number of townhall meetings in my district to discusshealth care reform and nearly everyone agrees that something needs to be done to reform our current system. but not lose the quality we have. First. we must provide everyone coverage. second. we must include prescription drug coverage for senior citizens. third. we must allow individuals to choose their own doctor. Last week I received a call from a constituent who explained that city of Houston employees had recently been put in one health plan and lost their choice of doctors. Because of this. she will have to repeat an entire series of medical tests with her new doctor at great expense and waste of time. We cannot allow this to continue. If we pass a plan that does less than this the American people will not support It. We have an opportunity to address the largest social problem of our time because we have reached a state of crisis. During the townhall meetings in my district. I discovered that health care is a crisis if you do not have health care. yet health care is only a problem if your neighbor doesnt have health care. In Washington. It may be a problem. but in the real world it is a crisis. For the people of the 29th District. our health care system is in a crisis and these needed reforms must be passed without delay.
Date: 1994-02-02
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. yesterday Americas future suffered a significant setback. The Clinton administrations proposal to restructure the Chapter 1 funding formula was rejected in subcommittee by a number of my colleagues. The single largest Federal educational program. chapter 1 was originally designed as a supplemental resource for the poorest of this Nations poor children. The Clinton plan merely concentrated our very scarce resources to where the need is the greatest. In areas with the highest population concentrations of lowincome children. Who are these children? These are the children whose family incomes fall below $10.000 a year. these children are most likely to live with a single parent. rural or urban. these children are most likely to drop out of school. It was the intent of President Lyndon Baines Johnson that this program would target its resources to those who needed it most. In my district. 49 schools. with student populations from impoverished families in excess of 50 percent receive no chapter I funds. Nationwide 90 percent of all school districts receive Chapter 1 assistance regardless of how wealthy the district may be. I raise the concern about the defeat of the Clinton administration proposal because in a time when we are told to tighten our belts and pinch every penny. we can afford to spend $22 billion on a crime package that builds more prisons. Im not opposed to cracking down on crime and eliminating violence in this country but Ive always believed that education and job training are the best crime fighters around. Helping children to excel in school. teaching them that they have a value in society. and that society values them Is the best investment we can make. I hope my colleagues agree with me on this issue and urge them to reflect carefully as they continue their work in developing a new formula. I yield the balance of my time.
Date: 1994-02-04
Speaker: JEFF ORDS (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I also would like to join In commending the Senator from West Virginia for his tremendous recitation of history and the problems of this country. He Is so right. that we so often forget the teaching of history and the importance it is to this Nation. and that as we enter another crisis time. as we are now with education. It Is so important to reflect back upon what made this Nation so great. Nathan Hale and others I Just hope that the Senator and others will continue to alert this country to the importance of the bill that we have before us and to make sure that it becomes an important bill. Because it Is so easy to establish goals and then to drift back Into our malaise and then to watch things get worse again and then come forward again with another group of platitudes and goals and then back off again. That Is the case that we face here on this bill. because things have gotten worse. much worse. This Nation Is on the brink of a point where It either moves forward into new generations recognizing the crisis we have in education and improving it so that we can reach the goals that we seek or again to place them on file and to look at them again when we are in the depths of depression. I thank the Senator. I yield the floor.
Date: 1994-02-08
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. "Keep your speeches short and the audience will remember what you had to say." Madam Speaker. that was among the rules of politics of one of your great predecessors. the late former Speaker Tip ONeilL In risIng to remember him today. perhaps the highest honor anyone can do him Is to follow that dicturnalthough the desire to talk at length about such a wellliked and Influential man can. indeed. be great In his 34 years of serving in the House. Sp&ker ONeill became perhaps its most enduring figure since the death in 1961 of former Speaker Sam Raybum. of my home State of Texas. "A Man of the House." as Speaker ONeill liked to call himself. he never forget where he came from or why he was here. and he endeared himself to colleagues on both side of the aisle. His legacy %ill surety endure.
Date: 1994-02-09
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today I am introducing legislation that would enable the Virgin Islands Legislature. if it so decides. to recast the framework of the territorial government so it may better respond to circumstances that today are far different from those envisioned by Congress when it implemented the Revised Organic Act of The act sets forth the fundamental structure of the Virgin Islands territorial government. but now. 40 years later. conditions are much changed and the demands on the local government are far greater. Many Virgin Islanders. particularly on the island of St. Croix. believe the community has outgrown the boundaries that Congress proscribed in the Revised Organic Act almost two generations ago. In 1954. the Virgin Islands was a sparsely populated territory with fewer than 30.000 people living on the three. islands. Government revenues totaled about $7.5 million a year. The Revised Organic Act which Congress crafted sought to conserve scarce funding and eliminate duplicative bureaucratic costs by centralizing the existing municipal governments on St. Croix. St. Thomas. and St. John into a single territorywide entity. Today. the islands population has grown fourfold and government revenues have risen to more than $400 million a year. But while the demand for services is evergrowing. the delivery of those services has often fallen behind. Many Virgin Islanders. especially on St. Croix. are convinced that because departments and agencies are centralized on St. Thomas. which is 40 miles away by sea. local government. by its design. cannot be responsive to their needs. Should the Virgin Islands Legislature determine that the best remedy would be to again decentralize and restore some degree of municipal government. there are concerns that such a change might not withstand a challenge in the courts unless Congress grants them the authority to do so. During my 20 years as a Member of the House and with your support. Mr. Speaker and that of our colleagues. I have devoted much of my career to increasing selfgovernment in the Virgin Islands and our American territories. This great Nation has long recognized that its citizens. no matter where they reside under the American flag. should be allowed to determine the most effective and efficient form of government administration. The laws that govern us are only as good as their ability to respond to change. In my district. the U.S. Virgin Islands. change has been great and the need now to accommodate change is just as great. Therefore. in answer to a genuine need for structural reorganization. and in keeping with what is right and fair under our system of democratic government. I am introducing a bill that would amend the Revised Organic Act of 1954 to empower the Legislature of the Virgin Islands to create units of local selfgovernment in the Virgin Islands. I look forward to your support and that Qf my colleagues for this important piece of legislation.
Date: 1994-02-23
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today In support of H.R. 6. the Improving Americas Schools Act which the House will consider tomorrow. This bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and provides Federal education assistance to 90 percent of all school districts in our country. This bill is the product of 13 months of work by the House Education and Labor Committee during which we held over 30 hearings and had countless hours of meetings with community representatives. parents and education professionals. This bill will propel our Nations public schools into the next century with the momentum they need to succeed. While there are a great many positive aspects of this bill. many of you may have been approached with some concerns about this legislation. Specifically. there has been a misinterpretation of this bill which implies that it would cover home and private schools to certify their teachers. This is simply not true. However. In light of the controversy. it is my understanding that an amendment has been drafted to clarify that only public schools are affected by this section of the bill or the 2124(e) section will be deleted. As a State senator. I supported the rights of parents to home school their children. and I continue to support this right. It should be noted that it was never the intention of the committee to cover home schoolers under the certification provision and was even stated so in committee. It is our public schools that are in need of assistance. and this provision was designed to set them in the right direction. H.R. 6 is a good bill innovative ideas and new funding for programs that affect every part of this country. The bill will reach millions of children all over our country and will give them the opportunity for a quality education. I ask that Members support H.R. 6 and I encourage Members not to weaken this bill through amendments that serve to protect the status quo in our public schools.
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me the time. I want to commend him and the chairman and the chairman of the subcommittee for the work they have done on this legislation. As I look through all of the areas that impact upon my district in a very positive way. there is some concern. and I understand that the issue of home schools and private schools will be addressed adequately. And I am glad that they have arrived at some degree of compromise in this area. But the main thing is that this enhances the education of our children. It gives us the tools that they need to secure employment. to secure jobs. An educated citizenry is the best citizenry that any nation can have. I commend them. one. for working on the issue that has become somewhat controversial. but mainly in the thrust that this legislation takes in behalf of the children of the United States of America.
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I missed the vote on the FordKildee amendment earlier In the day as I was chairing a meeting on the nuclear problem in the Marshall Islands and got here a few seconds late. Had I been here I would have voted in support of the FordKildee amendment.
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman. I have been listening to the debate. My understanding. and if the gentleman would verify that. is that the issue of the personal education of the home schools. that is settled. is that correct?
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the gentleman will continue to yield. now what we have left in the discussion. technical as it may be. is on the private or parochial schools. is that correct?
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

So the parochial schools. if the gentleman will continue to yield. is that identified solely as Catholic or Lutheran. Episcopal. and the other ones?
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Christian schools. So the area that was concerned on home education or home schools. that has been corrected? That is satisfied. under the amendment adopted?
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the gentleman will yield further. this one could. in some way. endanger the assistance to the socalled parochial or private schools?
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank my colleague for yielding. to express my concerns. I understand the home school has been taken care of.
Date: 1994-02-24
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the gentleman will yield further. that Is the question I was getting to. The gentleman keeps insisting that he will correct -in conference. that something will be done In conference. that he will be there fighting for everyone in conference. We have got to vote now. here. How can I be satisfied that the issue is settled by the gentlemans amendment. besides him telling me that it is?
Date: 1994-03-02
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on Thursday. February 24 I was unable to cast my vote on rollcall vote Nos. 31 and 32. Had I been present. I would have voted "aye" on both of these amendments.
Date: 1994-03-02
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. first I would like to ask the Members to join with me and the Texas delegation today to celebrate Texas Independence Day. March 2. 1836. was the day Texas declared its independence. It took us a few weeks to win it. though. But today is Texas Independence Day at home. Mr. Speaker. I would like to call my colleagues attention to the upcoming debate on the Rohrabacher amendment to H.R. 6 and state my opposition to this misguided approach to immigration policy. The Rohrabacher amendment would require local school districts to compile statistics each year on the number of students who are not lawfully in the United States. While this may seem like a good policy to some it really only amounts to a massive unfunded mandate and an impossible administrative burden to our school districts. The courts have ruled that we must educate a child that shows up at our schools and treating any child differently due to their race or parents background would seriously undermine that childs right to an education. I agree that something must be done to stop illegal immigration but our schools are not the place to fight that battle. Our teachers are not immigration agents and it is the job of the Immigration and. Naturalization Service to enforce our countries immigration laws not our public schools. This amendment will not solve the problem of illegal immigration. nor will it ease the number of children crowdilng our schools. It will only shift the financial burden. I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment because this education bill is not the appropriate forum to debate immigration policy and furthermore. we should not punish children for the status of their parents. The Immigration and Naturalization Service opposes this amendment as does the National Conference of State Legislatures. Mr. Speaker. I urge a no vote on the Rohrabacher amendment. Mr. Speaker. I include the following letter for the RECORD: