macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-23
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just note that the House will be considering at least two items hav-. ing to do with spamming and phishing and the like today. Certainly we hope to move this issue forward. I strongly believe that the approach that this bill takes. which is targeting behavior instead of technology. puts us on the soundest footing. and I hope that in the end as we sort through the various approaches that that will be our guide to protect technology innovation.
Date: 2005-05-23
Speaker: DORIS MATSUI (democrat)
Chamber: H

to carry on his wonderful legacy in. this body. In memory of Bob Matsui and Other great figures in the history of our nation. it is only fitting that this years theme for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is "Liberty and Freedom forAll." In my own district. we have our share of emerging leaders from the Asian community. including my friend ShingFu Hsueh. the mayor of West Windsor. who is a model public figure. Like Bob Matsui. ShingFu Hsueh is a believer in the American ideal. that anyoneregardless of religion. race. or gendercan realize their dreams for themselves and their children. Unfortunately. the faith of every member of New Jerseys Asian community in that American ideal has been sorely tested recently. You see. on the very eve of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. two talk show hostswhose program airs on one of the largest stations in New Jerseymade a most obnoxious. insulting. and despicable series of antiAsian statements. Last month. these shock jocks verbally demeaned Mr. Jun Choi. a KoreanAmerican running for mayor of Edison. New Jersey. mockingly asking their listeners "Would you really vote for someone named Jun Choi?" They then preceded to say that "Ainericans" should govern our towns. counties. and countryas if Jun Choi. ShingFu Hsueh. and the thousands of other hardworking. taxpaying. and participating people of Asian heritage are not real Americans. I could cite even more examples from this outrageous broadcast but I refuse to demean this House by repeating some of the other language that these two radio racists used. Im extremely disappointed that the management of the radio station in question. 101.5 FM. has not issued a written public apology to Jun Choi and the entire Asian community. In my judgment it is the absolute minimum they should do. and I also believe the station management should pledge never again to allow such racist rants to be aired on their station. -Mr. Speaker. as the Asian Pacific American community continues to contribute to our society and grow in influencepoltically. economically. and culturallyI am pleased to say that Americans like Jun Choi. ShingFu Hsueh. and DORIS MATSUI are indeed taking leading roles in our selfgoverning country.
Date: 2005-05-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding me this time. I want to urge strong support for the fiscal year 2006 energy and water bill. This legislation provides investment in water infrastructure essential not only toour country but to the Texas economy. I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio . the gentleman from Indiana and also the gentleman from Texas for their assistance on these projects. particularly two flood projects. Hunting and Greens Bayous in my district. Thousands of my constituents homes and businesses are at risk from catastrophic flooding in these areas. and the funding in this bill. $500.000 and $150.000 each. keeps these projects on track. SE Ma5..24 200t I would also like to express my strong support for the $26 million ineluded for the Houston ship channel deepening and widening project. This funding means we are on track to complete the deepening and widening this year and begin the barge lanes and environmental restoration. However. the tough operations and maintenance budget of the Corps could have counterproductive effects. The Houston ship channel budget is $5 million under capability for 2006. If we cannot maintain our chalnels to the right depth. then modern ships will not be able to take advantage of this new project. The project will also suffer as millions taken out through reprogramming are not returned as promised by. the Corps. The newpolicy to rein in reprogramming by requiring committee approval over $1 million is very sound. Reprogramming goes against the letter. number and intent of Congress. Financial stability is essential and large investments are made on. the basis of congressional appropriations. More market risk equals higher cost for all the projects. We should note a few brief points about projects that have been lost to reprogramming in the past and need to be made whole. It seems unjust that the solution to restore the letter and spirit of the law falls on the backs of the most recent victims of reprogramming such as our Houston ship channel who had reprogrammed dollars not returned. Mr. Chairman. I include for printing in the RECORD written commitments from the Corps under two administrations. The word and spirit of these commitments are to honor congressional appropriations law. Congressional and Corps promises deserve to be honored. That is the same principle behind the extremely wise reprogramming policy of the future in this bill. However. we should allow the Corps to fulfill its past commitments. Again. I would like to thank the Chair and the ranking member of the subcommittee and the full committee for making this bill possible.
Date: 2005-05-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr.Speaker. I rise today to support not only H.R. 2520. but also H.R. 810. the Castle/DeGette legislation to. expand Federal research for embryonic stem cells. Undoubtedly. each of us on this floor today has a friend. family member or neighbor who could benefit from increased embryonic stem cell research. whether they suffer from spinal cord injury. Alzheimers. MS or juvenile diabetes. As we consider both th Castle/ DeGette stem cell bill and the Smith legislation on umbilical cord stem cells. it is important we differentiate between the effects of these two. bills. I support both of them. But one is not a substitute for the other. The Castle/DeGette bill will expand research on embryonic stem cells. which would have the ability to reproduce indefinitely and to evolve into any cell type in the body. It is this element of embryonic cell research that offers the most hope for finding cures to the diverse set of diseases that plague too many Americans. We cannot take away that hope by shutting the door on Federal research on embryonic stem cells. The Presidents policy shut that door. and we have lost 4 years of robust reseatch that will be needed to cure the most complex diseases. Opponents of this bill will say that the embryonic cell research is unproven. but we will never know the true promise of embryonic stem cells if We hold back Federal dollars for the research. If embryonic stem cell research gets us even one step closer to curing Parkinsons. spinal cord injury and Alzheimers. it is worth every penny. Just ask Michael J. Fox. Dana Reeves or Nancy Reagan. These tremendous people. as well as countless more in each of our communities. know what it is like to live every day waiting for your cure. Slamming the door on stem cell research slams the door in their faces. We talk about using our values to pass legislation to help people. Both these bills are important to helping people with such terrible illnesses. This last Saturday I helped my wifes mom move into a nursing home. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers in the mid1990s. We have watched the progression of that terrible disease. Nothing can help my motherinlaw. But by voting today for both these bills. we can help maybe the next generation. instead of sticking our heads in the sand. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing for the millions of Americans suffering from incurable diseases. Pass both the Castle/DeGette bill and the Smith legislation and keep the hope for embryonic cell and cord blood research alive.
Date: 2005-05-24
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a cosponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. I believe that stem cell research holds the promise of scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of Americans. This bipartisan legislation would provide federal funding for a wider range of research while establishing ethical guidelines. The most compelling arguments for expanding federal funding for stem cell research can be heard in the heart wrenching stories of individuals suffering from debilitating diseases for which there are currently no cures or treatments. While it is too late for the countless Americans who have passed away from terrible diseases. it is not too late for the millions of other Americans hoping this House will support funding for this potentially lifesaving resource. For these patients and their families stem cell research is the last hope for a cure. This bill provides that embryos that are otherwise likely to be discarded can be used to help develop treatments for debilitating diseases and life saving cures. We should allow federally supported research to proceed to find such treatments and cures.
Date: 2005-05-25
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I rise today to speak about our Nations military space programs. But first I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the gentleman from California (Chairman HUNTER) and to the gentleman from Missouri . the ranking member. and particularly the gentleman from New York (Chairman McHugh) and the gentleman from Arkansas . ranking member of the HASC Military Personnel Sub-. committee. for their hard work and support on another issue. that of revising the sexual assault statute in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. the UCMJ. language included in this bill adopting a modern complete sexual assault statute that protects victims. empowers commanders and prosecutors. and improves the good order and the discipline of the Armed Fotces. It offers military prosecutors a clear definition of sexual assault and refined tools for effectively prosecuting sexual offenses. It also affords increased protection for victims by emphasizing acts of the perpetrator rather than the reaction of the victim during the assault. As I said several months ago. we are at a critical juncture in dealing with sexual assault in the military. And I am thrilled to see that Congress is taking a major step to help with these problems in the military. fl 1315 Mr. Chairman. I would like to discuss our Nations military space program. Last year. I offered an amendment in committee regarding the NearField Infrared Experiment. or what we know as NFIRE. NFIRE would have fired a kill vehicle from its host satellite at an incoming intercontinentalrange ballistic missile. The Missile Defense Agency would have tried to narrowly avoid a collision only through splitsecond timing. but admitted there was a nontrivial chance of intercept. I objected to the use of a kill vehicle flying from a host satellite because it basically would have been a de facto test of space interceptor technology. I felt strongly then. and I still do today. that we should have a coherent policy in place before we start conducting tests of weapons in space. Congress needs to be an active participant in the shaping of that policy. I am pleased that the Missile Defense Agency decided against including a kill vehicle on the NFIRE satellite. and I appreciate their reconsideration of the NFIRE test. I draw the NFIRE matter to the attention of this body because I think MDAs reconsideration was at least partly due to the recognition that this Nation needs to have a space policy in place prior to making decisions about testing or placing weapons in space.
Date: 2005-05-25
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman YOUNG) and the gentleman from Wisconsin and the gentleman from Minnesota and the gentleman from Oregon for their leadership on this issue. This bill is almost 2 years overdue. and that is just not fair to the Nationtraveling public who deserve better from this Congress and this administration. If you have been watching the floor today. you will know that we are building the worlds largest embassy in Iraq. even though the Iraqi people. do not want us there. and even though this will be the biggest target for terrorists in the world. We are spending $1 billion a week to destroy and rebuild Iraqs infrastructure. while completely ignoring the infrastructure right here in America. the people who are paying the bills. Transportation projects are a natural economic development tool which this Nation sorely needs. The Department of Transportation statistics show that every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure creates 42.000 jobs. Let me repeat that: 42.000 jobs for every $1 billion we invest. and $2.1 billion in economic activities. It also saves 1.400 lives. We cannot argue with those statistics. Transportation funding is a winwin for everyone involved. States get an improved transportation infrastructure that creates economic development. puts people back to work. enhances safety. and improves local communities. Why the President is opposed to this bill that has the potential of creating millions of jobs is beyond me. The Presidents own Highway Administration has stated that we need a minimum of $375 billion just to maintain current infrastructure. By delaying the passage of this muchneeded legislation. we are doing a disservice to the driving public and the Nation as a whole. The States who are battling red ink want to see this bill passed. the construction companies who are laying off employees want to see this bill passed. and the citizens who are waiting in traffic jams want to see this bill passed. Let us get serious about putting people back to work. Let us pass a bill that truly meets the needs of the trayw eling public and not the need for the President to seem fiscally responsible while he runs up the national debt.
Date: 2005-05-25
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me express my appreciation to the committee leadership and the entire committee. We were faced with the Department of Transportation saying that we need $376 billion just to .take care of the areas of crisis for safety and for travel. yet. we are still trying at this bill. It is unfortunate that we have to extend one more time. but I hope this is the last time that we have to extend before we get a permanent bill. . I appreciate all of the support that the committee has given. As a matter of fact. the committee is trying to cooperate with the Department of Transportation by even mentioning $376 billion. and we did pass something that the President has agreed to. but now we go to conference. So to tide us over. because. yes. our communities are suffering. the persons who build are having to lay off people. things are becoming more expensive while we wait and debate the real bill of which we can start to work on the real problems in transportation in this country. Our environment is getting worse. the congestion in the cities is getting worse. as well as bridges falling. It is time for us to think of the American people. put them to work. and give us the needed infrastructure improvement that we need in this country. I urge everyone to vote for this extension and hope this is the last one.
Date: 2005-05-26
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. and to the Republic for which it stands. one nation under God. indivisible. with liberty and justice for all.
Date: 2005-05-26
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to salute a young girl who is truly in a league of her own. Kate Brownell. Katie is a shy 11yearold girl of few words. but when she gets on the baseball field she lets her pitching do the talking. and she rocks. Brownell is the only girl in the OakfieldAlabama Little League Baseball Program. Last week. she threw a perfect game for the Dodgers in an 110 victory for the Yankees. How dominant was she? She struck out all 18 batters she faced. yielding no more than two balls to any batter in a 6inning victory. Katie accomplished something that league officials bannot remember anyone. boy or girl. ever doing. Brownell is not just good at pitching. she is also great at the plate. and her batting average is .714. When I first read her story. I was excited and inspired by this young girls talent. I was so impressed that I wanted to be sure to come down to the floor and recognize her achievement. She exemplifies what you can achieve. regardless of gender. . That is why it is bewildering to me that in this day and age we are debating whether or not to allow women in combat. If anything. young women like Katie serve to remind us that we can pretty much do anything that men can. and sometimes even better.
Date: 2005-05-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding me this time. I rise in support of this bill because. as a member of the Military Personnel Subc6mmittee of the House Committee on Armed Services. I can tell the Members that people are the most precious resource we have in our Armed Forces. As we get closer to Memorial Day. many of us here in Congress will go home and talk about how important it is to support our troops and our veterans. and that is a fine sentiment. and I agree 100 percent. But what does Congress actually do to follow through? Our obligation to support our troops by no means ends when they separate from their branch of service. Yet in the age of spiraling deficits. some folks in Washington seem all too willing to forget the promises that we have made to our veterans. The Veterans Administration is chronically underfunded every year. and it is struggling to provide the basic services and benefits that veterans have been promised. The Presidents proposed VA budget. for example. would have significantly raised outofpocket health care expenses for many veterans. That was his socalled increase. by increasing fees to our veterans. And I am glad that this Committee on Appropriations saw to it that we would not raise the outofpocket costs for veterans. That is not the acceptable answer for the VA funding problems. The answer to the funding problem is to adequately fund the VA in the budget so that the veterans will receive the kind of care that they were promised when they signed up to defend our country. While I am pleased that the Committee on Appropriations saw fit to increase VA funding from the wholly inadequate amount requested by the President. I am very disappointed that the efforts of the gentleman from Wisconsin . our ranking member. to provide significant additional funding. $2.6 billion. for our Nations veterans. financed by reducing the tax cut for the very richest Americans. that all of this was blocked by the Republican majority. As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. I readily advocate the importance of fiscal responsibility in government. but let us not do that on the backs of our veterans.
Date: 2005-05-26
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. and I want to thank Chairman YOONG and Chairman PETRI. and particularly I want to thank Ranking Member OBERSTAR for his leadership on this issue. This bill is over 2 years overdue. and that is just not fair to the Nations traveling public who deserve better from this Congress and. of course. from this administration. We spend $1 billion a week in Iraq. yet there is a question as to the level of spending in this transportation bill. Clearly. the committee voted $318 billion for transportation. The Department of Transportation itself said that we needed $375 billion. They said $375 billion. The Department of Transportation statistics show that for every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure. it creates 42.000 jobs. It also saves the lives of 1.400 people. and you cannot argue with those figures. Transportation funding is a winwin for everyone involved. The States get to improve their transportation and infrastructure. That creates economic development and puts people back to work. it enhances safety and improves local communities. By delaying the passage of this muchneeded legislation. we are doing a disservice to the driving public and to the Nation as a whole. The States are battling red ink and want to see this bill passed. The construction companies. who are laying off employees. want to see this bill passed. And the citizens waiting in traffic jams in Orlando. Florida. and central Florida want to see this bill pass. Let us get serious about putting people back to work and let us pass a bill that truly meets the needs of the traveling public and not the needs of this President who is trying to look fiscally responsible while he runs up the national debt. I encourage everyone to contact their Members and ask them to support transportation funding that truly meets the needs of this growing Nation. We need to stop sppnding money everywhere but here in the United States. Transportation infrastructure spending is an investment in America. and it is time we spent money on something that benefits the people that are actually paying the bills.
Date: 2005-05-26
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on May 26. 2005. I unfortunately missed 5 recorded votes and regret missing them. Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 223. On Ordering the Previous Question (House Resolution 298). had I been present. I would have voted "no." I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the RECORD.. Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 224. On Agreeing to the Melancon of Louisiana Amendment (House Resolution 2528). had I been present. I would have voted "aye." I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the RECORD. Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 225. On Agreeing to the Blumenauer of Oregon Amendment (House Resolution 2528). had I been present. I would have voted "aye." I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the RECORD. Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 226. Final Passage of H.R. 2528. the Military Quality of Life & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. had I been present. I would have voted "aye." I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the RECORD. Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 227. On Motion toInstruct Conferees to the Transportation Equity Act. had I been -present. I would have voted "aye." I ask unanimous consent that my statement appear in the RECORD. Ryan (KS) Saxton Schwarz (MI) Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shaw Shays Sherwood Shimkus Shuster Simmons Simpson Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Sodrel Souder Stearns Sullivan Sweeney Tancredo Taylor (NC) Terry Thomas Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Walden (OR) Walsh Wamp Weldon (FL) Weller Westmoreland Whitfield Wicker Wilson (NM) Wilson (SC) Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL)