macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-15
Speaker: STENY HOYER (democrat)
Chamber: H

and the Republican leader. JOHN BOEHNER. who played on the same teamtoday. There was civility. There was comity and respect because we stood together to honor these great Americans. these wounded warriors. and raise money for them today. Our whip. JIM CLYBURN. was on my team. We had a great day. CHET EDwARDs was the captain of the Democratic team. We do want to recognize a couple of scores from the golf tournament today. I know the trophy is over on the Republican side. and with the baseball game on Wednesday night. we thought we had better enjoy a trophy being over here while we can because the Democrats are favored in baseball this year. That is on Wednesday night. But. today. Republicans did win the trophy. The top 10 Republicans played the top 10 Democrats. I have to say that the low gross award went to STEVE BUYER of Indiana. The low net award went to CHRIS CARNEY. Second for low net. I have to say. was DON YOUNG. He got inched out by a stroke. Everybody was a winner. We had tremendous support from the PGA and all of our sponsors. Most importantly. we raised money for the Wounded Warrior Fund. These guys are unbelievable. these guys that come back without limbs. some of them with severe head trauma. and today they played golf with us. They are learning to live with their injuries. and we supported them today. I want to yield to the distinguished captain of the Democratic team. Mr. EDWARDS of Texas.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to provide housing assistance for very lowincome veterans.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 403.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I close by urging my colleagues to support this piece of legislation and to please consider the fact that our veterans have been there for us. this is an opportunity for us to be there for them.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speak-: er. 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: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge and compliment the Memberfrom Florida. Ms. RoSLEHTINEN. and commend her on what she has done to get this piece of legislation to the floor. She has worked with Senator KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON. who has had this piece of legislation pass the Senate. She had 75 cospbnsors. henc6.the legislation is now before us in the House. Mr. Speaker. there should be a compendium of knowledge. if you will. styled "The Greatest Stories Never Told." Perhaps therein would be the story of the Buffalo Soldiers. a story rarely told of how they had to fight their way into the military so they could fight for their country. Perhaps contained therein- there would be the story of the Filipino soldiers who died in the struggle at the Bataan March. Such a collection would not be complete. however. without the story of .the WASP. These are the first women to fly military aircraft. They are the women in the Air Force. the Women Airforce Service Pilots known as the WASP. Its a story of gender bias. Mr. Speaker. the notion that flying is a mans work. Its a story of culture bias. the belief that a womans place is in the home. Its a story of injustice. the notion that women could apply but never qualify. Its a story of inequalities and inequities. the notion that women could have rank but not always have their rank respected. Mr. Speaker. fts a story of never say never. a story of persistence pays off. a story of success because of some. and a story of success in spite of others. Its a story of how a famous pilot. Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran. became the first commander of the WFO in 1942. Thats the Womens Flying Training Detachment. Its a story of how a test pilot. Nancy Love. became the commander of the WAF. the Womens Auxiliary Flying Ferrying Squadron in 1942. Its a story of how the WFO and the WAF merged in 1943 to become the WASP.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to thank the gentlelady for the outstanding work that she has done on this piece of legislation. She has worked tirelessly to bring it to the floor. and I compliment the gentlelady. along with Senator KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON. for the outstanding job that she has done as well. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself as much time as I may consume for a very brief cloping. Mr. Speaker.. the story of the WASP is. without question. among the stories that are rarely. if ever. told. In fact. I have contended and continue to contend its among the greatest stories never told. But for this reason. we should accord this Congressional Gold Medal. I beg all of my. friends to support it if a vote is called for. I shall not call for one.
Date: 2009-06-16
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: .Texas

I would like to thank my colleague. who is a diligent and hardworking member of our Energy and Commerce Committee. for sponsoring H.R. 366. celebrating the Decade of Vision and the National Eye Alliances 40th anniversary. As coChair of the Congressional Vision Caucuswith a particular interest in vision. health. I strongly support the National Eye Institute. which serves as the lead NIH institute that manages our Nations commitment to save and restore vision. NEI research has contributed to the development of several critical therapies and interventions that are helping to slow the progressioh of vision impairment. In some cases. these therapies are helping to restoresight for individuals who may otherwise have lost their vision. Treatments for diabetic retinopathy that were developed by NEI researchers save our health care system more than $1.6 billion annually. Other NEIfunded research is resulting in treatments and therapies that are slowing the progression of vision impairment. in some cases. vision loss is even restored. Starting next year. the first wave of the 78 million baby. boomers will begin turning 65 years old. an age of elevated risk for aging eye disease. Coupled with the disproportionate incidences of eye disease in the African American and Hispanic populations and the increased incidence of diabetic eye disease. the NEI will be challenged more than ever to fund basic and clinical research that results in treatment and therapies. As demonstrated by its past history. I am confident that the NEI will rise to this challenge. and. of course. we in Congress must work to ensure that it is adequately funded so that it can continue its research that benefits the healthand vision healthof all Americans.
Date: 2009-06-17
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise today to commend my fellow Democratic colleagues for their commitment to reforming the health care system with the goal of reducing costs and improving access to quality health care for all Americans. Health care premiums are increasing at an alarming rate. in fact. in the last 10 years. they have doubled. Currently. over $1.000 of the average American familys annual health care premium goes to support uninsured Americans. and still we have over 46 million Americans who dont have access to health care. and 20 percent of them are children. I believe that we must work creatively to build on the best of what works in the current system while fostering competition among private plans and providing patients with quality choices. We can and we must ensure that all Americans have affordable and quality health care. And I urge all of my colleagues to work together towards this goal.
Date: 2009-06-17
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today for the purpose of introducing the most important and undoubtedly the greatest piece of work I have ever brought to the floor of this House. Mr. Speaker. before I take all of the credit. I want to thank especially the health care workers from coast to coast who helped me deliver a very healthy baby. And I want to especially - recognize the distinguished doctors and - nurses at Washington Hospital Medical Center and the talented doctors in Los Angeles. especially Dr. Aliabadi. Dr. Rotmench. and Dr. Iqbal. Mr. Speaker. it is with great joy that my husband. James Sullivan and I. introduce to you and to all of my colleagues the proudest achievement and newest member of.the California delegation. Joaquin Sanchez Sullivan.
Date: 2009-06-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. the amendment is to the section of the bill pertaining to the National Science Foundation. Education activities at the National Science Foundation are appropriated at more than $862 million. My amendment simply states that of the amounts appropriated for National Science Foundation education activities. $32 million shall be- used for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities undergraduate program. The Congressional Budget Office has advised that the amendment will not affect the overall spending in this bill. The funding amount is equal to a modest 1.6 percent increase from last years funding. It has been recommended by the administration and by the National Science Foundation. I. along with my colleagues on the Congressional Black Caucus Education Task Force. believe that. educational opportunities are a key for our national prosperity. "Give a man a fish. you feed him for today. Teach a man to fish. and you have fed him for a lifetime." Support for the Historically Black Colleges. and Universities undergraduate program is an investment in our human capital. This competitive grant program awards funds for curriculum enhancement. faculty development. undergraduate research. and institutional collaborations. Funds are used to encourage undergraduate students to pursue careers in science. technology. engineering and mathalso called STEM fields. Grants may also be used for initiatives to provide educational opportunities to develop welleducated math and science teachers. The funding level specified in my amendment will provide for an estimated two to four new teacher development projects. Highly qualified teachers have a firm grasp on the subject matter. They are able to capture their students imaginations and get them excited about science. They demonstrate to the student that creative inquiry and rigorous investigation are the true heart of science. They stimulate. invigorate and inform their students of the value and accessibility of a career in STEM. There is a shortage of math and science teacherexperts. especially in highneed school districts. Data by Dr. Michael Marder at the University of Texas has shown that African American students fall behind in math test performance. beginning in the fifth grade. Experts have testified before the CommerceScienceJustice Subcommittee on this issue. and I am pleased to see report language. in sup-
Date: 2009-06-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I oppose this amendment. At this funding level. the bill supports more than $585 million in increases for counterterrorism and intelligence programs. At the same time. the bill makes long overdue reinvestnfnents in traditional Department of Justice missions like drug and firearms enforcement. regulation of the marketplace. protection of civil rights and liberties. support of the judicial process and State and local assistance. Specific initiatives include: $63 million for new funding to address white collar crime. $24 million in new funds to reinvigorate and expand civil rights enforcement. $71 million to improve the safety and security of inmates and guards in Federal prisons. $345 million in new funds to safeguard the Southwest border. address the Mexican cartel violence. and support activities of the Department of Homeland Security. and $3.4 billion in grant funding for State and local enforcement assistance. including $298 million to put additional police on the beat. $100 million for prisoner reentry initiatives. and $94 million for tribal law enforcement. These investments are absolutely necessary. unlike what the gentleman has suggested that somehow theyre unnecessary. that somehow this is change that can be found. and these programs can be cut. In fact. what we are doing is reinvesting in the law enforcement infrastructure of this country on the border. in our cities. and in the issues of whitecollar crime. I would hope that he would understand that this is an essential part of this legislation and that this was carefully crafted as we consulted with people across the various jurisdictions within these -institutions to make sure that we could. in fact. provide them to be secure and to serve the needs of this Nation. I think this has been a goodfaith effort to do that. and I would hope that we would reject this amendment. I ask for a "no" vote. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

47 million. 47 million is an absolutely unacceptable number of Americans who go every single day without health insurance. who when they are sick cant afford to go to the doctor. which means that when they do have an ability to access the health care system. they have to wait until they are so sick that they use the emergency room as their primary access point. which makes health care astronomically more expensive. When a child in America is 5 years old. American families dont have to wring their hands every day wondering how they are going to pay for a childs education. because it is universal. You go to kindergarten starting on the first day that you are 5 years old. That doesnt happen in America when you turn 5 years old and it comes to health care. Parents all over America have to worry when their child gets sick whether they are going to be able to take their child to the doctor. is their problem going to get worse. Parents and families in America have to worry about whether they are going to continue to have their coverage if they dont have a job. They have to worry about being able to get coverage when they are sick. Those are worries that are unacceptable in the most prosperous. most democratic nation in the world. We must find a solution and create comprehensive health care reform for all Americans.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you to the gentleman from Florida. my good friend. Mr. HASTINGS. I appreciate that. It is important that we get back to the business at hand. and I simply wanted to address the gentleman from New Jerseys remark about the Office of Technology Assessment. which is an important agency of the legislative branch that remains authorized in the U.S. statutes. but that currently does not receive funding. Especially given the age of technology and the advent of scientific progress that we are in the 21st century. I think it is incredibly important that we begin to reestablish or explore reestablishing that legislative branch agency. and I look forward to working with the gentleman and with my colleague. Mr. ADERHOLT. the ranking member. and Mr. WAMP and a number of other bipartisan members that are interested in doing that over the course of the next year.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Reclaiming my time. just to point out for the Members. we do have $2.5 million that we have carried in the legislative branch bills for the last 2 fiscal years. It is there in the GAO for technology assessments. But we do recognize that the gentleman and many other Members on both sides of the aisle believe that it would be far better and more effective if we conduct those assessments with a staffed agency of experts and bring in the expertise that the Congress currently lacks.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. pursuant to House Resolution 559. I call up the bill (H.R. A) Ellsworth Adler (NJ) Bachmann Barrett (SC) Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Capuano Carter Crowley Deal (GA) 2918). making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30. 2010. and for other purposes. and ask for its immediate consideration.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSER MAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I would not only be happy to work with you. I could not agree with either of you more on.this very worthwhile endeavor. You are both to be commended for your effort to recognize that slave labor and their hands constructed the great building that we work in every single day. and subject to the authorization of the House Administration Committee. I look forward to working with you towards this goal.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Im very familiar with the outstanding human rights work undertaken by the gentleman from Florida and his colleagues on the commission. Last year. I had the opportunity to participate in a commission hearing on combating sexual exploitation of children and strengthening international law enforcement cooperation. The commission is providing important leadership on this and many other issues at home and abroad. including among parliamentarians. through engagement by
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I can appreciate the dilemma faced by my colleagues on the commission and the difficulty of securing suitable space for such events and meetings. I am committed to working with the gentleman from Florida in finding a durable solutioin to this persistent problem. My un.derstanding is that he has identified space in the CVC that might meet the commissions needs.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I yield myself 2 minutes just to agree wholeheartedly with the gentleman from Illinois. I am so glad that he raised the issue of staffled tours during debate on this legislation. It is incredibly important. and it was an incredible source of frustration for me as we moved towards opening the CVC to.note that it was possible that constituents of ours could come to the Capitol. take a tour. walk through this whole building. watch our proceedings in the gallery. and leave to go home. never having known or been able to identify who it is that represents them in the United States Congress. Preserving staffled tours is an incredibly important way for us to be able to do that. And quite frankly. just to promote staff- led tours to anyone who is interested in getting one. you can get a more unique and less homogenized tour. As good as the guideled tours are. you can get a more tailoredtoyourState oriented tour from your Member of Congress. And I would encourage people who are interested in doing that to go through their own Member of Congress to book their reservation and get a tour of the Capitol from the person that represents you in Washington. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. at tlils time I have no additional speakers. but I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. again. it Was a great privilege to work with the gentleman from Alabama and his staff. I look for-. ward to continuing to work as we move the legislative branch appropriations bill through the conference process. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlelady from New York for yielding and for her very appropriate amendment. It is really wonderful to see the progress that has been made on the Civil Rights Oral History Project. We did have language in our bill. preserving the possibility for providing the funding. Im glad that weve been able to fast forward that opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work with her. Im happy to accept the amendment.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise to claim the time in opposition to the motion to recommit. although I am not opposed to it.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I do first think it is important to point out that technically the language in the motion to recommit does not specifically reduce the funding for any program at all. It simply reduces funding by $100.000 in this section of the bill. So I do think it is important to point out that the Wheels for Wellness program has not been specifically named in the motion -to recommit for reduction. That having been said. it is also important to point out that included in the report that accompanies the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. we * did express our concern about the effectiveness of the program as it is currently constructed. There are very few bikes that have been checked out. and we do believe that there needs to be a more effective plan brought forward by the CAO to ensure that if the program is going to continue to exist into the future. that more bikes be checked out and that they have an effective plan for doing that. We are looking forward to getting that report language back and to working towards the possibility of reestablishing the funds in this section of the bill. which is all that has occurred. But with that understanding and in anticipation of receiving that report. and recognizing the good work of our colleague. the gentleman from Oregon
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. pursuant to the instructions of the House in the motion to recommit. I report the bill. H.R. 2918. back to the House with an amendment.
Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. -during rolicall vote Nos. 417 and 418 on H. Res. 520. I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present. I would have voted "aye."
Date: 2009-06-23
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I. thank the gentleman. the distinguished chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee. for yielding and for his kind words in support of the work of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1172. as amended. I would like to thank the. chairman. Mr. FILNER. Ranking Member BUYER. and the sponsor of the bill. subcommittee ranking member.