macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Yom HaAtzmaut. the 62nd anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. and to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our two democratic nations. Sixtytwo years ago. on May 14. 1948. the State of Israel declared sovereignty and independence as a homeland for the Jewish people. With little resources and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Israel has become a thriving and prosperous democracy. and has made worldwide contributions in technology. medicine. agriculture. and environmental innovation. Despite this progress. Israel continues to face threats from hostile actors such as Iran. Hamas. and Hezbollah. This was strikingly clear when I led a congressional delegation to Israel this past January. Meeting after meeting we heard from strong and resilient Israelis who have lived their lives under the constant showering of rockets and continued suicide bombing attacks. Put simply. we would not allow our government to stand idly by as hundreds of rockets and mortars came crashing down on the heads of our citizens. and we cannot expect Israel to sit idly by either. I believe the Government of Israel has not only a right. but also an obligation to protect its citizens. And I firmly stand by this right and obligation. Israels commitment to democracy. freedom of religion. and human rights is a testament to the world view it shares with the United States. We face the same threats in an unstable region. But above all. we share a deep commitment to stand by each other and face the challenges ahead. One of those challenges that we faced together was the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I commend the efforts and generosity of the Israeli people who worked on the ground in Haiti. the State of Israel. the Israel Defense Forces. and the Israeli people for their outstanding contributions to earthquake relief in Haiti. In a world of great uncertainty. Israel has been a key partner. ally. and friend of the United States. and I look forward to our continued work together based on these shared values. Before I close. I would like to take a moment to recognize the Jewish community of South Florida. where I call my home. These inspiring men and women continue to work tirelessly with me so that we can be sure the Jewish State of Israel is secure and prosperous. And it is with them in mind that I say these next three words with gratitude. passion. and resolve: Am Yisrael Chai! The Nation of Israel lives!
Date: 2010-04-22
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. we meet today to consider a motion to appoint conferees to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Iran Sanctions Act. Though both versions would impose sanctions against companies that support Irans petroleum sector. especially in the area of gasoline and other refined petroleum products. the Senate version includes additional provisions that would direct the president to freeze the assets of Iranian officials and prohibit the U.S. Government from providing contracts to companies that supply Iran with communications monitoring technology. These provisions must be reconciled before the final version can be presented to the President. Stopping Irans illegal nuclear enrichment program is an urgent matter. requiring a comprehensive strategy that targets Irans important energy sector. and its access to the global financial system. These bills can help to achieve these goals. Last year. Iran admitted the existence of a secret enrichment facility in the holy city of Qom that set in motion a renewed international effort to pursue more aggressive penalties against Iran for its nuclear activities. Using a variety of measures. including the United States led sanctions efforts in the United Nations. penalties currently under consideration by the European Union and the sustained campaign by the U.S. Treasury Department and others to persuade banks and other businesses to curtail their activities with Iranian businesses. we must significantly increase pressure on Iran to persuade it to end its nuclear program. The United States and the international community must send a very clear signal that Iran faces a stark choiceIran must end its illegal nuclear enrichment program or it will face increasingly severe consequences. All options for ending that program should remain on the table.
Date: 2010-04-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I agree with my friends on the other side of the aisle. we must create jobs. And we are working intensely to do that. My recollection is that during the Clinton administration. we created some 22 millionplus jobs. In the Obama administration we are increasing our hold on not losing jobs and increasing jobs. I hope my colleagues will join me in arguing two points: one. we must invest in the private sector. but our banking industry must invest in small businesses to allow them to hire individuals. and two. we must not lose Americas teachers. That is the public sector. But who can afford to lose 300.000 teachers? We must call that an emergency and begin to work on the idea of saving the Nations teachers. To the Nations teachers. stand up for your job because you are standing up for the education of our children. Who can afford to lose the best and the brightest? We lose that when we begin to lay off teachers. We should end any thought about laying off Americas teachers.
Date: 2010-04-26
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4543. a bill to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 4285 Payne Avenue in San Jose. California. as the Anthony J. Cortese Post Office. For over four decades. Mr. Cortese was a proud and dedicated employee of the United States Postal Service. He was also a loving family man. respected community leader. and a friend to many of us in local government. Mr. Cortese was born in the East Bay and moved to Santa Clara County with his family after his father went to work at the Ford Plant in Milpitas. A few years after graduating from James Lick High School in San Jose. Mr. Cortese started working as a letter carrier in the downtown San Jose post office. Mr. Cortese was a tireless advocate for letter carriers in the region and made a significant impact on his community. In addition to his fortytwo years with the Postal Service. Mr. Cortese served twentyseven years as the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Local 193. Under his leadership. Local 193 procured a building for its members. secured expanded health benefits. and provided an open forum for discussion with union members. community advocates. Postal Service supervisors. and local elected officials. Throughout his tenure. Mr. Cortese developed strong relationships with postal workers and management. Mr. Corteses service was not limited to advocacy of union members. but extended into the San Jose community and beyond. In 1990. Mr. Cortese started a food drive program through the Second Harvest Food Bank to help needy families in the San Jose area. Under Mr. Corteses guidance. this program served as a pilot for what would become a national food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. I urge all of my colleagues to join Congressman MIKE HONDA and me to vote in favor of this bill to honor our good friend. Anthony J. Cortese.
Date: 2010-04-26
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1103Celebrating the life of Sam Houston on the 217th anniversary of his birth. Sam Houston was born March 2. 1793. in Tiber Ridge. Virginia. General Houston was an American statesman. politician. and soldier. He is a key figure in the history of Texas. including periods as the 1st and 3rd president of the Republic of Texas. as Senator after annexation. and finally as governor. In his early life. he moved to Tennessee. where he served in the military during the War of 1812 and later had a successful career in Tennessee politics. A fight with a Congressman led to his move to Texas. where he soon became a leader of the Texas Revolution. Houston attended the Convention of 1833. representing Nacogdoches. and supported independence from Mexico. He was made a Major General of the Texas Army in November 1835. then CommanderinChief in March 1836. at the convention where he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. At the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21. 1836. General Houston surprised General Santa Ana and the Mexican forces. and in less than 18 minutes. the battle was over. General Santa Ana was forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco. granting Texas independence. During the battle General Houston was shot. shattering his ankle. The settlement of Houston was founded in August 1836 by the Allen brothers. It was named in Houstons honor and served as capital. Houston was twice elected president of the Republic of Texas. He served from October 1836 to December 1838. and again from December 1841 to December 1844. While he initially sought annexation by the U.S.. he dropped that hope during his first term. After the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Houston was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served from February 1846 until March 1859. He twice ran for governor of Texas. unsuccessfully in 1857 and successfully in 1859. Despite Houstons being a slave owner and against abolition. he opposed the secession of Texas from the Union. Despite Houstons wishes. Texas seceded from the United States in February 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America in March 1861. This act was soon branded illegal by Houston. but the Texas legislature nevertheless upheld the legitimacy of secession. The political forces that brought about Texass secession also were powerful enough to replace the states Unionist governor. To avoid bloodshed. Governor Houston chose not to resist. and instead retired to Huntsville. Texas. where he died before the end of the Civil War. Today. Governor Houston has a memorial museum. a U.S. Army base. a national forest. a historical park. a university. and the largest freestanding statue of an American figure. in his honor.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

The Republicans always want to dwell on distractions. but I believe that the American people are waiting for the health care reform bill to be implementedand that it will. And it will save lives. But why are the Republicans standing on the side of big business and big companies too big to fail? Now we need the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to be able to respond to Americas cry for honesty and integrity on Wall Street. Right now. one of the biggest Wall Street casinos. Goldman Sachs. is testifying. And I dont know whether they can find the facts to be able to defend atrocious acts causing millions of Americans to lose money. I personally know of a small business that they literally destroyed because they were unwilling to look at ways of allowing that business to survive. And so the $14 million of net worth loss. $22 million decline in net worth. and 2.2 million in homes lost is because of the lack of integrity on Wall Street. Pass the legislation that will end bailouts. protect families retirement funds. college savings. homes and businesses. protect consumers. and. yes. inject transparency. Goldman Sachs. what is your answer to the question?
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. for far too long. the executives on Wall Street reaped rewards by bending the rules and dodging financial regulation. Then they turned to the American taxpayer to dig them out. With Wall Street reform. average Americans will never again be on the hook for Wall Streets mistakes. We. quite simply. put an end to the taxpayerfunded bailouts. Our legislation will make big banks accountable for their own failures and give regulators the tools they need to put the interest of working- and middleclass Americans first. Wall Street reform stands up for working- and middleclass families by putting a stop to the unregulated greed of Wall Street executives who took big bonuses while gambling with our homes. our jobs. and our economy. Additionally. Democrats are continuing to make investments in small businesses and rebuilding Americas infrastructure. Small businesses are the engine of job creation in this country and will be the birthplace of our economic recovery. Thats why we are working to partner with small businesses to help them grow and to expand so they can hire more workers. I encourage the American people to stand strong with Democrats to stop Wall Street from gambling with our economic security.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I have some excellent news to share. Just last week. the CMS independent actuary released an analysis of the health care reform legislation that we passed last month here in this Chamber. Their report shows that we are strengthening Medicare. Indeed. according to the Office of the Actuary. the Affordable Care Act will help extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by an additional 12 years to 2029. compared to 2017 today. It closes the prescription drug doughnut hole by 2020. with an immediate rebate this year of $250 and a 50percent discount on brandname drugs next year. It lowers annual premiums by nearly $200 per beneficiary. It lowers annual average coinsurance by over $200 per beneficiary. and it provides preventive wellness care visits for free. When we passed health care reform. Democrats stood up for seniors by strengthening Medicare and closing the prescription drug doughnut hole that was wide open and would be left wide open under the Republicans plan. Under their radical plan to repeal health care. we will move in the wrong direction.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I was there when the President signed the health care bill into law. I saw him sign it in ink. but my heart was heavy because I knew that while he was signing in ink. it was written in prayers. the prayers of some 46 million people who did not have insurance. Signed in ink. written in prayers. but also written in tears. the tears of parents who have children with preexisting conditions who could not get insurance for their children. Signed in ink. written in prayers. tears. as well as blood. because in this country 45.000 people die annually because they do not have insurance. Thats one person every 12 minutes. So I do not stand for and will not stand for reinstating tears. for reinstating those prayers. and I will not have the blood of the 45.000 on my hands. I stand with the bill.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. which raises awareness of child abuse and the services available to victims. Child abuse is a tragic. destructive. and a largely silent epidemic that affects millions of Americansboth children and adults. And it is never more tragic than when it is sexual in nature. Unfortunately one in six children in our country experiences this type of abuse in their lifetime. In my district. I can think of one young woman in particular who was abused by a teacher she knew and respected over a decade ago. I am proud to say that she has recovered and is leading a happy life. She is also one of the officers in a group headquarted in Santa Ana called The Innocence Mission. which is working to help prevent abuse. The Innocence Mission is putting forward a message of empowerment. one that tells parents they can prevent child sexual abuse. A message that speaks directly to children and adult survivors and says to them.-"you are not alone." Victims have the support of their communities. and have nothing to be ashamed of. Far too often we read stories of child abuse in the headlines. It is heartbreaking and preventable. and that is why Congress and groups like the Innocence Mission must continue to advocate for victims and raise public awareness.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the presiding Member for yielding. On Wednesday of this week. which is tomorrow. millions of people worldwide recognize Workers Memorial Day. Each year in this country. thousands of workers are killed due to workplacerelated injuries. and tens of thousands more die of occupational illnesses. It is staggering to think that every day an average of 14 workers are killed due to injuries on the job. Worldwide more than 2 million workers die of occupational illness and injuries annually. That means more people are killed on the job each year than in wars. The bottom line is that everyone deserves a safe and healthy workplace. Many of us take this basic right for granted. But for millions of Americans. the threat of being permanently disabled or even killed on the job is very real. Workers Memorial Day not only recognizes and honors those who have been killed or injured on the job. it also reminds us of the overwhelming need to improve health and safety standards in our Nations workplaces. It has been 40 years since the creation of OSHA. and over this time. worker health and safety standards have vastly improved. However. there is still work to be done. as evidenced by several recent workplace disasters. The month of April has been particularly devastating for workplace deaths in the United States. On April 2. seven workers were killed by a devastating fire at Tesero Refinery in Washington. And just last week. as has been mentioned. we also saw a large explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Seventeen workers were injured and 11 are missing and thought now to be dead. April 5. as has been mentioned. the explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia where 29 lives were lost. Additionally. a miner was killed this past week at Pocahontas Mine in West Virginia. Both of these mines had a pattern of repeat safety violations. It appears that these companies were not dedicated to the safety of their employees. Rather. they were dedicated to staying open by doing the bare minimum to meet regulations. Chairman MILLER. Congresswoman WOOLSEY. and Congressman RAHALL have been diligent in working to bring to light repeated violators and holding those who continue to operate unsafe mines accountable. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who were killed and injured in these tragic events. as well as all those workers who were injured or killed worldwide. These are our mothers. fathers. brothers. sisters. sons. and daughters. They left home for work in the morning like all of us do. only never to return.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlewoman. We hear again and again that those who died knew the risk of what they were doing. a risk many felt was necessary to provide for their families. Yes. accidents do happen. But often accidents are preventable. and we must do all that we can to prevent injury and death on the job. I would like to thank House leadership and Chairman MILLER for their support in bringing this resolution to the floor today. and I would also like to thank Congressman BRUCE BRALEY and Congresswoman LINDA SA NCHEZ for their assistance in bringing this resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support the recognition of Workers Memorial Day.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 375. supporting the mission and goals of Workers Memorial Day. introduced by my good friend. the gentlelady from Texas. On Workers Memorial Day. we pause to remember workers who have been injured. sickened. or even killed on the job. We were recently given a harsh reminder of the realities of workplace danger in West Virginia. The coal miners who lost their lives in that tragedy paid the ultimate price while working to support their families and supply energy to this great nation. Sixteen workers are killed on the job each day in America. my home. Los Angeles County. that means that. on average. one worker dies every 3 days. We lose a neighbor on the job every 3 days. Accidents dont just happen in the most dangerous industries or on the most hazardous job sites. They also happen in offices. stores. and warehouses. The fact is. deaths and injuries at work are preventable. We just need to give the issue the attention it deserves. I applaud steps taken so far. President Obamas Labor Department has already raised the profile of this issue and OSHA and MSHA have been empowered to do much more than ask for compliance with voluntary standards. With passage of the Recovery Act. we were able to shift resources to agencies that enforce workplace safety and health laws. While the recent tragedy in West Virginia reminds us that we have far to go. my point is that it shouldnt take a disaster to put our eye on the ball. One preventable death at work is too many. Disasters. like the recent loss of so many lives in West Virginia. serve as a stark reminder of the inadequacies that still exist. No family should ever have to suffer loss because we do not properly or fully inspect a workplace. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution. I also urge you to join the members of the Labor and Working Families Caucus as we continue our efforts to make it safe to go to work in America.
Date: 2010-04-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise to make a correction on the vote on passage of H.R. 5146. providing that Members of Congress shall not receive a cost of living adjustment in pay during fiscal year Madam Speaker. I would like to state for the RECORD that I support the denial of a cost of living adjustment for Members. The correct vote for rollcall No. 226 would have been "aye" instead of "nay." providing that Members of Congress shall not receive a cost of living adjustment in pay during fiscal year Again. I want to state that Congresswoman JACKSON LEE opposes the cost of living adjustment for Members of Congress as stated appropriately in H.R. 5146.
Date: 2010-04-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I join my good friend from Florida in acknowledging that many of the issues that we debate on this floor are not political issues. So I ask America and I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle. let us not internally implode over a decent human rights issue of immigration reform. While the economy is failing and questions are being asked about the integrity of Wall Street. let us look to a reasoned response to immigration reform. Not troops on the border. not the National Guard on the border. but a real comprehensive immigration reform that provides access to this country. legalization. and the picking up of the criminals. We understand that. There is no time for politicking and grandstanding on the question of students and families who want to be reunited. I am ashamed of the action of the Governor of Arizona. but I sympathize with the people. Let us have real border security. I will be reintroducing my legislation that asks for ramping up of Customs and Border Patrol agents. more technology to secure the border. Lets do this the right way. The faith community. the business community of America. lets talk reasonably. The business community should be talking across America about the importance of comprehensive immigration reform.