macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. there is no question about any provision in this bill. except that provision that allows for the payment of teachers for private schools. There is a real difference between a $7.500 award and paying the full salary of a teacher for a private school. That remains a problem in this bill. Clearly. this bill needed to move. We have been holding it up for over 2 years. trying to hear everyone all over the country. many educators. and we know the urgency of theprovisions of this bill. But we do not want to risk the outcome of this bill because of this provision. That is where my concern is. and that is what I would like. If the gentleman from Michigan could assure us that this provision would not jeopardize this bill and it could be corrected before it is signed into law or vetoed or whatever. then I have no problem with the bill. We need the other provisions of this bill to be in law so that we can get the benefit as quickly as possible.
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Reclaiming my time. Mr. Speaker. let me just say that we want the provisions of this bill to go forward. We do not want public dollars to flow to private schools when we have such need in public schools. I need that assurance. This bill is on suspension. I need to assure a number of people in this body that this will happen if this bill is to pass today.
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I would like to join my colleagues in support of this legislation. and thank them for bringing it to the floor. the gentleman from New York for his support and Senator SCHUMER for drafting this legislation. I urge Members to support the bill. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation. The gentleman from Utah has quite properly explained the legislation. and I am pleased that the legislation will finally establish a National Marine Sanctuary System to elevate the stature and importance of the Sanctuary Program both inside and outside of NOAA. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. we support this legislation. and the gentleman from Utah
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield nyself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. S. 700 completes an important designation. We join the administration in supporting the passage of this measure introduced by Senator AKAXA and the Hawaii delegation. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume.. Madam Speaker. S. 938 is supported by the administration. the Hawaii congressional delegation. and I support the measure as well. and I urge its adoption. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-25
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the decline of estuary habitatsespecially in the San Francisco Bay estuaryhas been welldocumented in the scientific and resource management literature for over 30 years. Tragically. San Francisco Bay has lost over 95% of its tidal wetlands and continues to be besieged by invasive and aquatic nuisance species. Fortunately. S. 835. the Estuaries and Clean Water Act. will provide a reasonable. balanced approach to both preserve remaining estuarine habitats and to facilitate effective. locallydriven estuary restoration in estuaries like San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay in my district. I am particularly pleased that nongovemmental organizations (NGOs) will be eligible to participate in this new program. NGOs. such as Save the Bay and The Bay Institute in the Bay Area. embody the locally driven focus of this legislation and provide local expertise and support. Amendments agreed to in conference also enhance the role of the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council in the selection of projects and the delegation of oversight responsibilities for project implementation. This will bring additional expertise and provide direct ties to other successful FederalState partnership programs for protecting the estuaries. such as the National Estuary Program. the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program. and the National Marine Fisheries Services Fishery Habitat Restoration program. This conference report is good environmental legislation and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support its passage.
Date: 2000-10-26
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the House of Representatives. and particularly the Nations environmental community. joined the family and constituents of Bruce Vento in mourning the loss of this dedicated and talented legislator earlier this month. In his 24 years in Congress. Bruce served with great distinction and achievement on the House Committee on Resources. No other Member of this House could match his achievement on behalf of our parks and public lands and no one spoke with greater eloquence or worked with greater accomplishment to preserve these resources for future generations of Americans. Because of his great contributions and the painfulness of his untimely death. it is especially discouraging to me to read the scorecard of the League of Conservation Voters for the 106th Congress. Although numerous Members have joined me in complaining about the League of Conservation Voters practice of counting legitimately missed votes as "no" votes. LCV continues this unfair method of scoring. As a result. LCV rated Bruce Vento at just 53 percent for this Congress and just 7 percent for this year. Although LCV notes Bruces death. they failed to note that his absences were due to his terminal illness and treatments. LCVs obstinate refusal to modify its rating system is very disappointing to friends in the environmental community. The ratings system is absurdly rigid and selfcentered when dedicated environmentalists are marked down for illnesses or personal tragedies. LCV says it is looking for another way for the scoring system. but it will come too late to honor the memory and the achievements of Bruce Vento.
Date: 2000-10-26
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am here this morning just to address education. I hear. the rhetoric about one size fits all and what have you. Let me just say that we are here because we are trying to get the body to address the educational needs. Yes. one size does fit all when we are talking about more teachers. where there is such a shortage. One size does fit all when we are talking about smaller classes so students can get more attention. about afterschool programs. and then the bonds that they need. How do we know? Because the people have told us so. Mr. Speaker. we represent the real people who stand for these goals. We are listening to the people. We are responding to their stated needs. This is not just one size fits all. this is addressing needs that most of them have. because we have got to do this for the children of this Nation. We have got to preserve our future. and the only way to do it is to address these needs with the surplus that we have. instead of giving it all in tax breaks to the rich.
Date: 2000-10-26
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. the gentleman from Pennsylvania has explained the legislation quite accurately. As he has pointed out. most of these pieces of legislation have passed out of the House or the Senate. We have worked out a compromise with the majority as well as with the Senate. and I urge my colleagues to support this package. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to pay tribute to a genuine American hero. a tireless fighter for inclusion in one of the Nations most influential and prolific legislators in the history. my friend. the gentleman from Missouri . The gentleman from Missouri was a hero for justice before he came to Congress. and the gentlemans record in Congress is nothing short of amazing. Virtually every piece of legislation he touches has a direct and decisive impact on all Americans. For his entire career. the gentleman from Missouri has been one of the Nations preeminent fighters for families and for students. His impact has been universally felt. whether through his critical support for the Family and Medical Leave Act. or his work as Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. For decades. the gentleman from Missouri has fought to give every American an opportunity to succeed. As the gentleman from Missouri
Date: 2000-10-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall Nos: 574 and 575 I missed votes due to an airline delay. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea" on both.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. S. 2485 is a noncontroversial bill that authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to assist in the construction of a Regional Heritage Center on St. Croix Island. St. Croix Island is located in the middle of the St. Croix River. which forms the boundary between the United States and Canada. The proposed heritage center will be built as part of the upcoming 400th anniversary of the settlement of St. Croix Island. The National Park Service administers the St. Croix Island international historic site on the island. The proposed heritage center is consistent with Park Service plans for interpretation of the historic site and the island. The Secretary is authorized to contribute $2 million toward the construction of the heritage center. provided that each Federal dollar is matched by funds from nonFederal sources. A House companion measure was introduced by the gentleman from Maine
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this* legislation. although I must tell the gentleman that I am going to ask for a vote on this legislation because I am concerned about how these bills are being presented at this time. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this package of ocean and fishery related bills. This package includes the coral reef conservation legislation passed by the other body. The environmental health and condition of our Nations coral reef resources are in a state of serious decline due to a combination of factors including polluted runoff and marine debris. Consequently. it is critical for the Congress to establish a comprehensive program at the Federal level to support scientific research. mapping. monitoring and restoration activities on theState and local level. I note that this package also includes a provision to direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to initiate a new scientific study conceming the eastern population of Pacific gray whales. For reasons that are poorly understood. hundreds of Pacific gray whales have washed up on the California coast over the past two years--either in an emaciated condition. or dead. The increased frequency and number of strandings- has generated great concem among marine mammal biologists in. California. and up and down the Pacific coast. We -need to better .understand why these strandings are happening. and I urge NOAA to initiate this important study as quickly as possible. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 434. This fire season. nearly 7 million acres of land burned throughout the West in over 85.000 wildfires. Nearly 1.000 homes were destroyed. Yet. through the valiant efforts of over 30.000 wildland firefighters. both professional and volunteer. property damage and loss of life were minimized. These brave and dedicated men and women work far from home for long periods of time. under grueling conditions. and with few rewards to protect our land. our homes and our lives. I join my colleaguesin commending those extraordinary workers who literally put their lives on the line every day. Sadly. during the course of this fire season. 16 firefighters died in the line of duty. I join my colleagues in recognizing their sacrifice and mourn-
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. this is a package of 16 bills that was originally put together on a bipartisan basis. It now appears that this package is starting to spin apart a number of items in. this package of bills that have already been sent to the President. The Upper Housatonic. the Saint Croix Island. which we just passed. Salano was passed on to the President yesterday or today. and now we are kind of left with a couple of bills here that I think are losing the ability to be taken up in the Senate. The Natchez portion of this legislation will be passed in a separate bill today. and at that point what we are left with is essentially the BoxerRadanovich bill where we are taking the Senate language and sending it back in this package. which is going to make it very difficult to get that language passed. and I am concerned that what we should be doing is taking that Senate language which is in this bill. we should be taking that Senate language and passing it as a separate bill and sending it down to the President so we can properly protect the Sequoias. There is no controversy around that legislation. and for that reason I am concerned that this package is starting to appear to be a dead end. but it is "For purposes of subparagraph (P) there is a going to be a dead end. -I think. with rebuttable presumption that any shark fins some unfortunate results if we do not landed from a fishing vessel or found on pass the Sequoia protection legisla- board a fishing vessel were taken. held. or landed in violation of subparagraph (P) if the tion. which we could do immediately total weight of shark fins landed or found on since. again. there is no controversy. board exceeds 5 percent of the total weight of But to do it in this fashion as part of shark carcasses landed or found on board.". this package with the other measures SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. taken out of this package. I think No later than 180 days after the date of enthere is a strong likelihood that that actment of this Act. the Secretary of Coinwill fail to get Senate consideration in merce shall promulgate regulations implea timely fashion. menting the provisions of section 3076(1)(P) Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. of my time. 1857(1)(P)). as added by section 403 of this
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

(A) collecting information on the nature Mr. Speaker. I object to the vote on the and extent of sharkfinning by such persons ground that a quorum is not present and the landing or transshipment of shark and make the point of order that a fins through foreign ports. and quorum is not present. (B) entering into bilateral and multilateral quorum Streaties with such countries to protect such
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. S. 2020 is a noncontroversial bill which the National Park Service supports. It provides for the acquisition of 230 acres of the Natchez Trace National Parkway. and we support this legislation. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Guam . who has worked very long and hard on this legislation and has worked with all of us on the committee to resolve concerns that have been raised.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands . and I thank her for her help on this legislation.
Date: 2000-10-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just want to commend the gentleman from Guam who has spent a considerable amount of time working out all of the difficulties with this legislation in bringing the parties together. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-10-31
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this legislation. The gentleman from Alaska has accurately described the contents of this legislation and we urge the Members of the House to support it. This package- includes several bills that have passed the House already this year. These include measures to conserve striped bass and other Atlantic coastal fisheries. as well as provisions to improve our understanding of marine mammal strandings around the United States. including the strandings of gray whales -which has been a significant problem on the California coast. Finally it includes a few technical measures and a vessel conveyance to American Samoa that is supported by the Administration. I am aware of no opposition to this package. and I urge Members to support it.
Date: 2000-10-31
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of S. 1670 by Senator GRAMM and the gentlewoman from Florida . I urge the House to support this measure. S. 1670 is an Administration proposed. introduced by Senator GRAHAM. to expand the boundary of Ft. Matanzas National Monument in Florida by fncluding three tracts of land totaling approximately 70 acres. Two of the tracts of land. which are located adjacent to the National Monument. were donated to the United States in the mid1960s. However. no legislative authority existed at the time to include these properties in the Monument boundary. nor was any effort made since then to do so. The third tract of 1.6 acres has been administered as part of the National Monument but is not technically within the boundary. This noncontroversial bill passed the Senate on October 5. 2000. It is supported in the House by Representative FOWLER. who has introduced a House companion measure . Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-11-01
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.
Date: 2000-12-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of S. 1761. a bill that provides for water conservation and water supply improvements in the Lower Rio Grande River Basin. Projects such as canal lining. improvements to pipelines. installation of water meters will be eligible for financial assistance under this legislation. As we have seen in all the western States. projects like these can substantially improve the efficiency of existing water supplies and may even eliminate the need for additional new water supply projects. Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate my colleagues. the gentleman from Texas . the gentleman from Texas . for all their work and effort on this legislation. Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas .
Date: 2000-12-04
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank. again. the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from Texas for all of their work. I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman YOUNG) and the gentleman from California (Mr. DooLITTLE). subcommittee chairman. for their efforts to bring this to the floor. I thank the gentleman from Nevada
Date: 2000-12-05
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker.-let me rise and thank the gentleman from Texas for providing for this hour. As long as I can remember attempting to be a good citizen. from the days of not being quite old enough to vote. I remember the name of Henry B. Gonzalez. Henry B. Gonzalez came along in Texas before he was considered a minority. He attended the University of Texas before the university integrated or desegregated. And even during those times. he was committed to equality for all. He often had long statements concerning the poor. the disenfranchised being seen as equal partners. At the same time. he did not ignore his committed thinking and planning for those who were even more powerful as long as they were right and as long as he felt it was right. He truly believed. as we have heard. in liberty and justice for all. He was a family man. a community man. a man who gave personal attention to his constituents. He sat on sidewalks with a card table and visited with people and opened his office door and made all welcome. I identify him as the single person on this floor that educated Members and the public on the banking industry. When all banks were failing and the S&Ls were going under. he frequently talked about rescuing them with public dollars and with the same dollars from people that never got service from them which led to CRA. Although some may have disagreed with him. all respected him no matter what party. He will always be a hero of mine. a hero of the people. a hero of the common man. because he never left out those persons who were least able to speak for themselves. And so Henry B. Gonzalez made his mark not only in Texas but in this Nation. standing tall long before it was even thought about that Mexican Americans or the Hispanic population in this country as it has grown has now been considered a minority. but he did that. Speaking for all minorities prior to that time speaks to how committed he was to what was right and speaks to the issue of all being equal. And so I will thank him and tell my grandchildren to thank him for his service.
Date: 2000-12-08
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to join my colleagues in expressing my deepest sympathy to JULIAN DIXONs wife and family. I met JULIAN DIXON the year that he was elected to Congress through mutual friends. I had a lot of relatives in his district who told me that he was going to be the best. I considered him and Bettye my dear friends. He was quiet. dignified. professional. dependable. thorough. hard working. and. as we hear. respected by all. JULIAN was fair and knowledgeable of his work. I will miss him. We will all miss him. but I will miss him as a role model. I will miss him as a friend. and Bettye and family will have my deepest sympathy.