macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-28
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 88. One of the biggest concerns I hear from my constituents in Houston and Harris County. Texas is having enough money for retirement. For decades. we have seen the private sector moving their employees from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement plans. Now were seeing growing pressure to move public sector workers onto defined contribution plans as well. Even more concerning is the current effort by multiemployer pension funds. like Central States. to pull the rug from under retirees and slash their pensions by hundreds of thousands of dollars. This pattern has troubled me for years and I hope Congress will take action to ensure workers in Houston and Harris County and throughout our great country who have worked for decades get the secure retirement they deserve. If American families are going to be required to secure their retirement in the private market. at the very least. they ought to have peace of mind that they are getting the best advice from financial professionals. The Labor Department and Secretary Tom Perez worked for years to put together a fair and balanced rule that will ensure that when it comes to saving for retirement. customersin other words. the American peoplecome first by holding advisers and brokers to a fiduciary standard. The Council of Economic Advisers has reported that due to loopholes that had been on the books for 40 years. conflicted advice and hidden fees have cost American families $17 billion a year in lost retirement savings. These conflicts of interest can cost a retiree almost onefifth of their savings by age 65. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle today to stand with our nations retirees and working families and vote down this irresponsible resolution.
Date: 2016-04-29
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as I begin my remarks. I know that the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia would understand my sense of pride in acknowledging that. in my district. the Victory Early College High School. which is in the Acres Homes neighborhood and a part of the Aldine Independent School District. a public school. will be celebrating the National Blue Ribbon award ceremony this morning. I offer them congratulations and express my disappointment for not being there. Obviously. they have been recognized as one of two schools in Houston nationally to earn the distinction of a National Blue Ribbon School at an awards ceremony in Washington. D.C.. for closing the achievement gap. May I remind my colleagues that that is a public school system. So I rise in opposition and join my colleague from the District of Columbia to oppose H.R. 4901. which would reauthorize the District of Columbia private school voucher program and the Opportunity Scholarship Program for 5 years. The OSP program came about in 2004. In 2011. Congress reauthorized the OSP through fiscal year 2016. Under the SOAR Act. D.C. households with incomes that do not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line may receive an annual maximum voucher payment per student of $8.000 for grades K8 and $12.000 for grades 912. We all know that private schools are much more expensive than that. So. in essence. this creates a small class that pays money to schools that have not been assessed as to whether or not they are quality schools. Private schools can cost as much as $50.000. Are we giving them $50.000 while we are dumbing down the public school system? What is so disturbing is: Where is the data? This bill. in particular. makes a significant change. The bill prohibits a control study group in making evaluations of the OSP and requires a less rigorous quasiexperimental research design than under the SOAR Act. Since 2004. almost $200 million has been spent on D.C. voucher schools. Can you imagine what we would be able to do if that money was invested?
Date: 2016-04-29
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. can you imagine what that could do? I hear that 50 percent of D.C. children are in charter schools. but 50 percent of children in D.C. are using The Choice Program. What are we doing in America? By using this as a scapegoat. we are suggesting that we are not invested in public schools. Finally. the D.C. Mayor and City Council members. as I understand. were only advocating that: If you dont fund the voucher program. dont leave us out for the public and charter school program. There is a vigorous Choice Program in D.C. This bill undermines the public school system for all of us. and we should oppose the bill.
Date: 2016-04-29
Speaker: TED LIEU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. this is the final amendment to the bill. which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted. the bill will immediately proceed to final passage. as amended. My amendment would simply change the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program so that it could not discriminate against students based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Sadly. we know that LGBT kids are often victims of bullying and hate. According to a survey by the Human Rights Campaign. LGBT youth were twice as likely as their nonLGBT peers to report being verbally harassed and excluded. Moreover. misguided antiLGBT laws. such as those passed in North Carolina and Mississippi. continue to send a message that being LGBT is not okay. and that is wrong. As one of my Republican colleagues earlier today on the floor stated. God makes every child different. It is wrong to systematically discriminate against students because they are LGBT. We need to send our kids a message that saying whom they love and the gender they identify with does not dictate their selfworth. and it certainly should not dictate whether or not they can get a voucher. I move that we begin to do this right now by passing my amendment to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Being LGBTQ is not a medical condition that needs to be cured. It is instead a beautiful reflection of what it means to be a human being. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-04-29
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am always reminded of the greatness of America. When the word came: Go west. go west. A little church. a little general store. and a school. I am excited this morning to honor the Victory Early College High School in Acres Home. sponsored by the Aldine Independent School District. And I thank Dr. Bamberg. the superintendent. the trustees. and. as well. Dr. Phyllis Cormier. for they are celebrating right now the National Blue Ribbon Award ceremonyyes. a public school. Victory Early College High School is one of two schools in Houston and one of 335 schools nationally to earn the distinction of a National Blue Ribbon School at an award ceremony hosted by the Department of Education. They exemplify overall academic excellence. Yes. innercity children. poor children. are showing progress and closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. This particular school has been exemplary in both areas. We are also celebrating Senior Signing Day because each of our graduating seniors will graduate under the distinguished high school plan. and all have been accepted to a 4year university. They will announce their schools at this eventa public school. The mayor will be there. I am in Washington. I wanted to pay tribute to them. And I want to thank Aldine for letting their M.O. Campbell Center be used for a shelter for those who are fleeing the flood.
Date: 2016-05-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to salute a caring mayor. the mayor of the city of Houston. Mayor Sylvester Turner. Over the last couple of months. which is the first of his term. many challenges have confronted his administration. one of which was the terrible. devastating floods of midApril when so many thousands. many of them mothers and children. were displaced in my congressional district. Because of those terrible storms. $400 million of cars were lost. people lost their jobs. and businesses were destroyed. Mayor Turner continued to be that caring. steady hand working across political lines. working with the county judge. working with council members. and the Federal Government. One thing that he steadily did was listen to the council and the advice of his staff as I sat in meetings. taking ideas. establishing a relief fund. joining now with the Osteens in Lakewood. and having this wonderful concert to continue to provide relief. but yet showing the caring and loving nurturing of a father. In the midst of all of this. he lost a dear brother. a Vietnam vet. But steady. strong. and determined. he continued to nurture those who could not help themselves. What a pleasure to be able to work with a mayor. one who is ready to listen and to be able to answer the concerns of a constituency. but make hard decisions. I salute you. Mayor Turner. as someone who cares about our city. and works with all of us to make their lives better and our city the best.
Date: 2016-05-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 4063. the "Promise Act." H.R. 4063 directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to jointly update their respective clinical practice guidelines. The practice guideline pertains to the management of Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain. The guidelines spell out procedures for: (1) prescribing opioids for outpatient treatment. (2) (contraindications) contraindications for opioid therapy. (3) treatment of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. (4) psychiatric disorders. or a history of substance abuse or addiction. (5) and management transitioning patients. The guidelines also prescribe routine and random urine drug tests. as well as treatment options to augment opioid therapy designed to minimize opioid dependence. This bill examines the VAs evidencebased therapy treatment model for treating veterans mental health conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be expected to update safety measures for opioid therapy. expand the use of alternative medicine. and conduct audits of the VA health care system through a nongovernment entity. The VA will be required to request documentation of medical license violations during the past 20 years and any settlement agreements for medicalrelated disciplinary charges from the medical board. of each state. All VA medical facilities will implement the opioid safety initiative and train employees to effectively dispense pain management techniques through the establishment of pain management teams. Enhancing national oversight. the VA is also expected to track and monitor opioid use and access to state program information. increase the availability of Food and Drug Administrationapproved opioid receptor antagonists. and modify the computerized patient record system. as well as internal audits. Adjusting the computerized patient record system will ensure that health care providers accessing veterans records are notified of their use of opioid therapy. This system also informs health care providers of substance use disorder or opioid abuse histories. The Promise Act of 2016 institutes pilot programs within the VA to evaluate the feasibility of wellness programs complementing veteran pain management and related health care services. I support this legislation because it will promote safety measures for opioid therapy and alternative medicine. H.R. 4063 is a positive step in the right direction and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.
Date: 2016-05-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 5052. the "Opioid Program Evaluation Act of 2016." otherwise known as the "OPEN" Act. This is an important bill intended to provide a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant programs being considered by Congress to address the serious and growing problem of opioid abuse. The current surge in the use of heroin and other opioid drugs such as hydrocodone and oxycodone requires a strong. national response. Opioid abuse leads to physical and functional changes to parts of the brain affecting. impulse. reward. and motivation. In recent years. it is estimated that the number of heroin users in the United States has grown to over 680.000 people. Similarly. the use of other opioids. such as hydrocodone and oxycodone has grown by 100 percent and 500 percent respectively. To fight this crisis involving illegal opioids and the abuse of prescription opioids. we must employ a multifaceted approach that actually achieves results. This bill would evaluate the effectiveness of H.R. 5046. the "Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act." a bill reported by the Judiciary Committee. That bill was written with the goal of assisting States in the implementation of a variety of strategies. including: Providing treatment alternatives to incarceration. training criminal justice agency personnel on substance use and cooccurring mental illness. increasing collaboration between State criminal justice agencies and State substance abuse systems. purchasing opioid reversal drugs and devices for first responders and providing training to carry and administer opioid reversal drugs and devices. and implementing medicationassisted treatment programs used or operated by criminal justice agencies. As opioid abuse grant programs move forward. it is important we find a way to evaluate the success of these strategies and the effectiveness of the programs in implementing them. This is why I support the requirements of the OPEN Act. Specifically. the OPEN Act will: Instruct the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to identify outcomes to be achieved and develop metrics for evaluating success in achieving those outcomes. enlist the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate and report to Congress on the outcomes and metrics of the grant programs. require grantees to report annually on the progress made through the grants. and instruct the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to complete an evaluation of the effectiveness of their grant programs after five years. I am confident that the comprehensive approach we are taking to address opioid abuse will help address the Nations growing epidemic. For these reasons. I support the OPEN Act and the goal of ensuring the best possible response to treat and prevent opioid abuse in America. and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
Date: 2016-05-11
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise in honor of National Womens Health Week. Our goal this week is to empower women to prioritize and to take charge of their health. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act. women can access preventative care for little or no cost. but there still are concerning gaps in womens health. One out of four women reports not visiting a doctor because of the cost. and nearly two out of three women in America die from chronic diseases like diabetes. heart disease. cancer. which is why women need quality. affordable. and accessible health care. Protecting and improving the health of American women is one of my top priorities in Congress. I fought to insert language in the annual defense bill to ensure that our brave servicewomen and female veterans have access to adequate health services that fully address their specific medical needs. including preventative care and infertility treatments. We have seen increasing attacks on womens health in Congress. So it is important. more than ever. that we ensure womens access to contraception and to their constitutionally protected right to choose.
Date: 2016-05-11
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia and Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania changed their vote from "yea" to "nay." So the previous question was ordered. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. Stated for:
Date: 2016-05-11
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

I thank my colleague for yielding time. Mr. Chairman. opioid abuse has become. as we have heard today. a critical national issue as 78 Americans are killed by heroin and prescription drug overdoses each day. and drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injuryrelated deaths in the United States. The number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription painkillers almost quadrupled between 1999 and 2013. but as bad as the opioid epidemic is across the country. it is much more severe in my home State of New Mexico. which has had one of the highest rates of overdose deaths in the country for several years. Unfortunately. it is getting worse. From 2013 to 2014. the death rate from drug overdoses in New Mexico increased 21 percent. Rio Arriba County. New Mexico. has the highest overdose death rate in the Nationone in 500 people dies from overdosewhich is about six times the national average. The overprescription of opioids for pain management is part of the problem. and an increasing number of patients is becoming dependent on these powerfully addictive medications. In fact. 259 million opioid prescriptions were written in 2012more than one for every adult in the United States. Once addicted to these prescription opioids. many then turn to heroin and to synthetic opioids due to their increased availability. lower prices. and higher purity. We must act to respond to this public health crisis. but we need to do it in a balanced way. We need to be mindful of the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain. We need to ensure that patients and providers continue to have access to the best. most medically appropriate course of treatment while cutting off access to those who abuse the system. This is why I strongly support H.R. 4641. which would establish an interagency task force to review and update medical best practices for pain management and prescribing pain medication. but we cant stop here. We have to do more than just study the problem. because only 11 percent of Americans who need treatment for substance abuse are receiving it. Many of those who remain find themselves in our criminal justice system. Our prisons have become de facto treatment centers. More than 65 percent of our prison population has a substance abuse problem. We have to provide the funds necessary to fully invest in opioid prevention. rehabilitation. and treatment programs. We have to support the placement of substance abuse treatment providers in the communities that are most in need. like Rio Arriba County. We have to improve access to the overdose reversal drug. naloxone. which can help save countless lives every year. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. which will address this disease that has destroyed the lives of so many.
Date: 2016-05-11
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. this amendment would simply ensure that. as we address what has rightly been called an epidemic. we consider the unique impacts and issues of drug addiction for minority communities by adding an expert on minority health to the task force that is created by this bill. The dangers of opiate addiction are apparent across the board. Abuse of prescription opioids has contributed to a flood of cheap heroin to all communities. Over the past 4 years. we have seen a 269 percent increase in heroin overdose deaths in White communities. but also a 213 percent increase in Black communities. 137 percent increase in Latino communities. and 236 percent in Native American communities. With that in mind. it is important to remember that the opiate epidemicboth heroin and its prescription painkiller counterpartslooks very different from the perspective of communities of color. The compassion and clemency that we are showing now and the evidencebased solutions we are embracing were needed long ago. way before abuse by predominantly White and suburban communities. As we craft the tools to solve this crisis. we must ensure the policies we create will help everyone affected. Adding an expert in minority health to this task force helps to make sure that the diverse needs of all Americans are represented at the table. We still live in a world of significant biases. Just last month. the University of Virginia released a study that found that White medical students and residents genuinely believed that Black patients were less sensitive to pain and had less sensitive nerve endings than White patients. bearing out at least one reason for the consistently documented lack of pain management provided to Black patients. As we give this task force the vital task of improving how we prescribe some of the most powerful and stillcritical medication for pain management. lets do our part to eliminate as much bias as possible. This amendment takes an important step toward reaching that goal. I hope my colleagues will support it. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-05-11
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for her leadership and for her support of this initiative. Let me close by adding this. We are considering a number of bills this week aimed at curing the opioid and heroin epidemics ravaging so many American families. As we do so. we need to consider two things: First is that communities of color have unique needs that deserve just as much consideration. That is why I have offered this amendment. and it is a theme I hope to see continued in other legislation we will debate. The second is that. when we head back to our districts on Friday after completing consideration of these bills. we should not wash our hands and walk away from this issue. We need to fund the programs we have authorized. We need to look back with a critical eye at the ways we criminalized addictions in the past and offer those whom we failed solutions that will allow them to reenter society. Our work cannot stop there. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.