macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I might consume. In taking a look at section 203. the application of criminality is actually quite broad. If you are here in the United States holding a student visa. there are requirements. for example. that you take a certain number of units in order to maintain that status. If. for example. you fall below that. and I will say that there are many students who. for one reason or another. one quarter might fall below where they may need to be. you would be in violation of your student visa status. Under the amendment before us. you would fot just be disappointing your parents who paid full tuition. you would be committing a misdemeanor. If you are a businessman here and your return flight home is cancelled. causing your visitors visa. your B2 visa. to be expired. not only would you be in technical violation if you were 2 days late to the flight home. but you would also be committing a misdemeanor. I do not think that is a reasonable approach. I also do not think that it has anything to do with keeping our country safer. You know. this debate started yesterday on the floor of the House. But it has been ongoing in the media for quite some time. The John and Ken show in California every day is taking about illegal immigration. And we saw many Members. our friends on the other side of the aisle. -touting that they were going to have this tough bill. And then. of course. today. we see that the Republicans are trying to back off on that a little bit. .Hl1952 So it is easy to say one thing to the red meat talk shows. but here. of course. we need to make some adjustments. We think the adjustment is misguided. andit is not one that I can sup. port. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will support this amendment. and I was very sad to hear about the tragic situation that the Members have spoken of where a family was so devastated. I would just like to note that when you look at the current Immigration Nationality Act. that individual should have been deported anyhow. I do not mind changing law. even if it is redundant. I have never fallen prey to the argument that a redundancy is necessarily wrong. But I think it points out some of the discussions we had yesterday. We are -working on a law here. but the real issue is the failure of the Bush administration to enforce the current law. If we had the institutional removal program operating the way it used to. this person who killed people while driving drunk would not have been in this country. That person would have been deported. So as I say. I do not object to the amendment. I appreciate the clarification because I think that was an important clarification. but it does once again point out the real ineptitude of the Department. I remember watching just stunned after Hurricane Katrina came and devastated Louisiana and saying how inept is FEMA. I hate to admit it. but many of the elements of the Department of Homeland Security are just as inept as what we saw at that time. and the immigration functions are prime among them. I worry that there are some things in this measure that are completely wrongheaded - and there are some things in the bill that make some sense. The things that make sense will not be accomplished because the administration is so poor. they are so inept. they are so pathetic that they actually cannot administer the law. As I say. I commend the gentlewoman and my colleague for bringing this amendment. I will vote for it. But. again. this will not solve the problem. which is basically incompetence in the administration. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I think it is important to note that in the underlying bill. there are no caps at all. I would direct the attention of the Members to page 152. .153. and section 706 of the underlying bill. There are no caps. I would just like to note once again that we have a failure of administration. Last year. employers were sanctioned for hiring illegal immigrants only three times. So even if we were to change the law. the ineptitude of the administration does not mean that anything will change. I object to this amendment for another reason in addition to what my colleague. Mr. BERMAN. has indicated. In the underlying bill. there is at least an effort to make some fairness for little companies versus big companies in terms of making a reduction for small companies. But in this case. in this amendment. WalMart would have the same penalty structure as Joes Pizza. And it seems to me that WalMart and megacompanies. I would just like to note. in the paper WalMart appears to be one of the biggest offenders. going out and hiring large numbers of undocumented people and. by the way. not treating them very well. They would have their sanctions capped. and they would be treated just the same as Joes Pizza. So I think of this as the WalMart amendment. Let them go ahead and do their dirty deeds with impunity. They will not have to worry. And I will tell my colleagues for a company as big as WalMart. capping the fines at this level is just the cost of doing business. And I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. -
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. the amendment requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress on the problems caused by the automated employment verification system. However. I want to point out that this amendment will not fix the problems with the Employment Eligibility Verification System. even though this underlying bill will require all employers and employees to use the system. The GAO has already told us. at the request of Mr. SENSENBRENNER as a matter of fact. that the basic pilot program is not ready for widespread use. H11980 co that the DHS system is badly flawed. that it is unable to detect identity fraud. and this report. after the fact. is not going tochange that. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. I would just note that the GAO report identifies at tremendous length the problems with this system in the administration of the system. I would further draw the attention of all my colleagues to this report. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am listening carefully. I am trying to work in a bipartisan manner on this. but the underlying problem here with this bill and this amendment as well is the poor administration of our laws by the Department of Homeland Security. I mentioned earlier t6day the pathetic performance of DHS during the Katrina disaster. And one of the things just that is seared in my memory is the. "good job. Brownie." comment. And I think we have the same problem in the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. The chairman. I am sure. will recall that when we worked on reorganization. he insisted. I did not agree at the time but I now understand lyhy he did. that any applicant for the head job have a minimum of 10 years experience in managing.a.large and complex organization. What ended up in the law was a 5year minimum requirement in managing a large organization. Well. the Presidents favorite Democratic senator. Senator LIEBERMAN. in opposing the new ICE director. Julie Myers. noted that. with over 20.000 employees. ICE is not only a big agency. it is a vital one. And Ms. Myers has virtually no immigration experience and also does not meet the minimum requirements. We now have a crony in charge of the immigration service. She may be a lovely person. I do not know. but she worked for a Federal prosecutor for 2 years. She worked for Ken Starr when he was special assistant. Her husband is the chief of staff to Mr. Chertoff. And her dad is a general. General Myers. who we all know of and think is a very good guy. but these are not. the qualifications asked for in the statute nor expected by America. We need to move beyond cronyism into competence. And the fact that we have only had three enforcement actions in unlawful employment. that over 100.000 people have been cited and released and then failed to appear. and the department just continued to do that over and over again in the face of that failuretoappear rate. the fact that we have not actually followed through on the institutional removal program which requires the immigration function to go out to county jails and to State prisons and to take individuals who have been convicted of crimes and deport them. that has not happened either. Those individuals instead in many cases were simply released because the Federal Government dropped the ball. The Bush administration has dropped the ball.at the border. We have not put the staff forward. We have no technology to implement not only the bills and this amendment but the underlying law. And why? It is competence. I think it is a sad thing that this bill has been proposed. There. are some good things in it. There are a lot of bad things in it. But it is really just to cover the fact that there has been a massive failure of administering current law by the Bush administration. If current law were adequately administered. we would not be here today. Perhaps the amendment is good. Maybe the gentleman has convinced me to support it. But it will not solve the problem. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. just two points. I go to the swearing in of the new citizens all the time. and I will say tfiat when the oath. the part that comes "renounce absolutely any abjure absolutely foreign prince potentate." it is pretty clear that they do not know what a potentate is. and I will bet you a lot of Members of this body do not know. either. So to freeze this language. I think. is a mistake. Number two. there is -another issue. To report back to governments when they get citizenship is going to be a risky venture for some. If we have to tell the Cuban Government that one of their former citizens has become one of our citizens. we put their relatives at risk to the Castro regime. I would like to also note that there are some countries that permit dual citizenship. Among them. Israel. I really do not want to be part of an effort to tell Americans who also have Israeli citizenship that they have to renounce that. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Date: 2005-12-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I would like to express my strong opposition to H.R. 4437. the Border Protection. Antiterrorism. and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. While I believe that immigration reform is urgently needed and must include strong and effective enforcement provisions. this legislation will not solve our Nations immigration problems. It fails to address many of the most important elements of immigration reform. including backlogs in family visas. regulation of the future flow of immigrants. and the presence of a sizable undocumented community in the United States. Instead it harms American families. businesses. and communities. Its impact on the Latino and immigrant communities would also be devastating. Among the many antiimmigrant measures in H.R. 4437 are provisions that would: (1) strip citizenship opportunities that are currently available to legal immigrants. (2) curtail crucial due process rights in immigration proceedings. (3) make it a criminal offense toremain in the country illegally after entering legally. and (4) deputize local law enforcement officials to enforce Federal immigration laws over the objections of many such officials. who believe that this authority undercuts their ability to protect the public safety. This enforcementonly approach has not worked in the past and will not work in the future if it is not combined with measures that address the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country. That is why I support and have cosponsored H.R. 2330. the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill sponsored by Representatives JIM KOLBE. JEFF FLAKE. and Luis GUTIERREZ. This bill combines tough enforcement with realistic admission policies. *has bipartisan support. and is workable. All Americans want effective reforms of the Nations immigration laws. not shortsighted measures that appear tough on immigration but do not resolve the underlying problems. Only a comprehensive approach that provides a path to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants. creates new legal channels for future flows of needed immigrants. reduces family immigration backlogs. and protects worker rights will reduce undocumented immigration and bring order to our immigration. system. H.R. 4437 does not take us down the path of real immigration reform. I stand shouldtoshoulder with groups like the AFLCIO. ACLU. AntiDefamation League. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Human Rights Watch. Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. MALDEF. and National Council of La Raza. I ask that all my colleagues join me in my opposition to this flawed immigration bill.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 2520. the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. " Long before my days as the Ranking Member on the Research Subcommittee. I have been a strong advocate of all types of research. Stem cell research holds the potential to help paralyzed people walk. help blind people see. andregenerate organ tissue without immune rejection.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to be here today in support of this measure. Since its passage in 1994. VAWA has been a success. and this measure. as has been mentioned. does reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Earlier in this Congress. I introduced a comprehensive bill to reauthorize the act. It had over 120 cosponsors. and I would like to publicly express my thanks to all of the cosponsors and especially the women who came forward with their ideas. It really was not my bill so much as it was a compilation of all the creativity of primarily the women of the House of Representatives to put together a bill that really went pretty far in providing assistance to victims of domestic violence. And I want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for including most of that bill in this reauthorization. Along with the prevention programs and the housing grants for battered women. these measures will help ensure that victims have the means to escape the cycle of domestic violence and also to prevent that cycle from happening in the first place. There are a couple of provisions in the comprehensive bill that are not included. Most importantly. protections for workers and immigrants. And I am hopeful that. working together later in this Congress. we might be able to also address those issues. We know that domestic violence and sexual assault cause harm not only emotionally and physically but also financially and professionally. Victims of domestic violence lose 8 million paid Workdays each year. the equivalent of 32.000 jobs. and almost 50 percent of sexual assault survivors lose their jobs. So we need to provide emergency leave. emergency benefits. unemployment compensation and job protection to address this important issue. not just the physical harm but the financial burden that accompanies this violence. I hope that we can address these shortcomings in the future. But. of course. I do not want to detract from celebrating the reauthorization of what we are doing today. It is something that we can be proud of. And I want to especially thank HILDA SOLIS. who is the cochair. I believe. of the Womens Caucus. who put so much time and effort into this along with so many other Members of the House.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. M. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for his statement but. more importantly. his incredible advocacy on behalf of those suffering from mental health diseases. He is quite right: we can do better than simply renewing this law that is now 10 years old. The Senate did pass a meaningful update in this law in 2001 that would have prohibited all forms of discriminatory coverage of mental health services. including day and visit limitations and copays and deductibles. and would not allow a plan to opt out by citing increased costs. This bill simply does not do that. It is as the gentleman from Rhode Island has pointed out. it is absolutely insufficient in terms of treating the needs of millions and millions of Americans and their families who need parity in terms of the kinds of treatment and the coverages of the cost that are associated with this. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of S. 1281. the NASA reauthorization bill of 2005. This important legislation will authorize appropriations for NASA for the fiscal years 2006 to 2010. H12132 cc E 1800 It provides guidance for the agency and encourages research. exploration. and education. NASA is important to my State and to the Nation. It has been known for its leadership in space exploration. but I want to point out just a few of the numerous other benefits NASA research has brought to us. Satellites allow instant access to information around the globe. Cell phones. cordless appliances. VELCRO. and Teflon all were developed through our space program. NASA research has been an integral part of our Nations military efforts as well. Satellite imagery and global positioning systems have beep critical to helping our Armed Forces pinpoint the enemy in battle. Unmanned aerial vehicles allow us to see our enemies without putting our troops in harms way. Perhaps our greatest achievement has been in the field of medical science. In the late 1960s. the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed digital imaging processing to better view the Moon. Similar technology is now used by doctors to view organs inside the body. CAT scans and MRIs are revolutionizing our ability to detect tumors early and save lives. None of these technologies would be possible without NASA research. The NASA authorization bill is overdue. and I urge my colleagues to support it. I want to thank the leadership both in the House and the Senate for bringing us to this point.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. RYAN. I am the new kid on the block here. 9nd I do not sit on the Armed Services Committee. and I completely agree it is a privilege and honor to have Mr. SPRATT join us tonight. But. you know. Mr. SPRATT. my observation being of the shortest tenure among the four of us is. at least since I have been here. we should not be surprised that they would do this. because you start at the beginning of this year. and it was very clear that the leadership here has no regard for the process. no regard for the system of checks and balances. they have n1o regard for the judiciary. At the beginning of this year. 10 weeks into my tenure. they put the Terri Schiavo bill on the floor. even though you had months and years of court decisions that made it clear that it was not appropriate for Congress to insert itself into one familys tragedy. Yet to them it was seemingly the right thing to do. to insert the legislative branch of government into an area that was clearly the jurisdiction of the courts. Now you fast forward to the end of the year. and throughout this year they have had other examples of their lack of regard for the. governmental mechanics and the lack of regard for decency into what theAmerican people support. Adding campaign finance provisions or anything other than the protection and defense of this country to the Defense appropriations bill? I mean. really. If they were so concerned about campaign finance reform. why are they waiting until less than 24 hours before we are supposed to adjourn here? Really. we were supposed to adjourn weeks. ago. I mean. they have so little regard for process that they are not able to get the job done. I mean. we are here. and it is a week before Christmas and Chanukah and the beginning of the holiday season. and we are still here il the Chamber debating things that should have beensettled long ago. So it has just been obvious to me since I began my term that they have no regard for the process. no regard for the American peoples priorities. and they just keep setting example after example.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Before you change the subject. I just want to say. on veterans. because if we are going to talk about tails. there is the tail the size of a doberman and one the size ofa German shepherd. I want to do the length of a German shepherd on this. We are not talking about the fact that a chairman here who was wonderful for veterans was removed from the chairmanship and removed from the committee. We can go much further and lengthen the tail and talk about the commitment or severe lack thereof commitment to veterans and their health care and sustaining veterans who have given not just their lives but dedicated their lives to this country and put their lives on the line. Just 6 months ago. we finally had a culmination of a debate that we had begun where we. as Democrats. have been insisting that the Veterans Affairs had a significant shortfall in their budget. at least $1 billion. and there was denial after denial that that was the case. I was not here. In fact. I was not a Member of Congress at the beginning of that debate. Then I joined the Congress. and a few months later. we are on the floor passing a supplemental appropriation because the Republican leadership here had to finally acknowledge that there was a shortfall. We had to come in and pass an emergency appropriation so that our veterans could continue to get health care. As it is. the Republican administration here makes them wait at least 6 months to get any health care services. Now. in this budget. we are going to be cutting. under the Republicans plan. veterans health care by as much as $600 million. even as we have the number of our veterans growing with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it is not just what we are doing to veterans by throwing out the Members here on both sides who support them. but we are also totally shortchanging them. I just wanted to add that.