macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-03
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this resolution and the underlying legislation. H.R. 2289. the Commodity EndUser Relief Act. As chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges. Energy. and Credit. I want to thank our chairman. Mr. CONAWAY. for his strong leadership and for making this reauthorization process a productive one through the full Ag Committee. I also want to thank my colleague from Georgia and the ranking member of the Commodity Exchanges. Energy. and Credit Subcommittee. Mr. DAVID SCOTT. He has been a tremendous partner throughout this effort. and we certainly continue to work well together. I thank him for that. Derivatives markets exist to meet the risk management needs of farmers. ranchers. utilities. manufacturers. and other end users. To be clear. these hedging activities directly benefit the American citizen by helping to keep consumer costs low and reducing the risk of manufacturing in the United States. The ability of producers and end users to use the derivatives markets to hedge risk has a direct impact on the cost of living in my district. Georgias Eighth Congressional District. and every other district around the country. It is essential that we have strong markets that our farmers. ranchers. and end users can utilize to meet their needs effectively. Earlier this year. our subcommittee held three very productive hearings that built upon the work done in the past two Congresses on this reauthorization effort. In many hours of testimony we heard diverse perspectives from end users. market participants. and regulators that were instrumental in drafting this legislation. Their testimony included outlooks on the unintentional impacts that the market reforms enacted following the 2008 financial crisis were having on the end user community. Despite congressional attempts to exempt end users from some of the more costly and cumbersome mandates. end users continue to face unnecessary regulatory burdens and uncertainty. With this legislation we have the opportunity to erase that. H.R. 2289. the Commodity EndUser Relief Act. seeks to clarify congressional intent. minimize regulatory burdens. and most importantly. preserve the ability for those necessary risk management markets to serve those who need them. I believe we have met these objectives of ensuring that our regulatory framework protects the integrity of our markets while not limiting the ability of end users to access these tools to conduct their business. I am proud to support both this resolution and the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker. and I urge my colleagues to join me in so doing.
Date: 2015-06-09
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I thank Chairman CONAWAY for his leadership on this issue. I rise today in support of H.R. 2289. the Commodity EndUser Relief Act. The use of derivatives is an important tool that farmers. agribusinesses. and manufacturers in my district use to hedge the risks that come with doing their business. Because of the risk of price movements and commodities. such as corn and soybeans. these end users use derivatives to ensure they and their customers arent negatively impacted by sudden changes in prices. The CFTC has an important role in overseeing these end users. who responsibly use derivatives to hedge. Unfortunately. following the passage of DoddFrank in 2010. many of these responsible hedgers. including farmers right in my congressional district in central and southwestern Illinois. have been impacted by these new regulations that often treat them as speculators. Mr. Chairman. farmers arent speculators. Farmers didnt cause the global financial crisis. and farmers shouldnt be treated like they did. This bill includes language that I authored to address regulations that could directly increase transportation prices for consumers back home. Additionally. the final bill includes an amendment I offered at committee that removes unnecessary and duplicative regulations created by the CFTC that require certain registered investment companies. such as mutual funds. to be regulated by both the SEC and the CFTC. This language. which was adopted unanimously in the committee. removes this duplicative burden in a manner that would not undermine investor protection because these companies would still be regulated by the SEC. This bill is an important and necessary opportunity for Congress to use the reauthorization process as a means to improve the regulatory environment and the impact it has on responsible market participants. as well as exchanges like the CME Group. which is headquartered in my home State of Illinois. Mr. Chairman. I am proud of the committees work on this bill. I want to express my appreciation for the work of Chairman CONAWAY and what he has done to get us here. as well as Chairman AUSTIN SCOTT and Ranking Member DAVID SCOTT of the Commodity Exchanges. Energy. and Credit Subcommittee. This is an important bill. and I urge my colleagues to vote "yes."
Date: 2015-06-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of H. Con. Res. 54. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2015-06-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of H. Res. 292. and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Date: 2015-06-11
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I hereby submit for printing in the Congressional Record revisions to the budget allocations and aggregates of the Fiscal Year 2016 Concurrent Resolution on the Budget. S. Con. Res. 11. pursuant to section 4506 of such concurrent resolution. These revisions are designated for the following trade legislation: H.R. 644. the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. H.R. 1295. the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015. and H.R. 1314. the Trade Act of 2015. Corresponding tables are attached. This revision represents an adjustment for purposes of budgetary enforcement. These revised allocations and aggregates are to be considered as the aggregates and allocations included in the budget resolution. pursuant to S. Con. Res. 11. as adjusted. Sincerely.
Date: 2015-06-12
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I understand the importance of trade and the impact trade negotiations can have on our local economies. even back home in Illinois. Currently. 1 in 3 manufacturing jobs depend on exports. and 1 in 3 acres on all American farms are planted for hungry families overseas. As a Congressman. it is my job to make sure trade agreements protect American workers. farmers. manufacturers. innovators. and service providers by opening markets around the world because. when given a fair playing field. I have the utmost confidence that American companies and industries can outcompete foreign competitors. But too many times. past trade agreements have left our industries. especially steel. vulnerable to unfair trading practices like dumping. I will continue to fight for stronger trade enforcement and be committed to protecting American jobs. I want to thank Chairman RYAN and Subcommittee Chairman TIBERI for their leadership on this issue. And I really want to thank my colleague from Illinois. Representative MIKE BOST. for his tireless efforts to strengthen our trade remedy laws to protect American workers and more than 2.000 workers at our steel factory in Granite City. Illinois. I urge a "yes" vote.
Date: 2015-06-12
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. today I rise in support of trade promotion authority. or TPA. and I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin. PAUL RYAN. for his leadership on this issue. TPA. not to be confused with TPP. would put Congress in the drivers seat when it comes to negotiating trade agreements. It would ensure the President is held accountable to Congress and the American people in negotiating all trade deals. TPA. a public document which I have read and is available for the American people to readin fact. it is right herewould require the President to make public any free trade agreement before it comes to Congress for a vote. Trade is a vital part of our economy. One in five jobs is supported by trade. and 4.7 million jobs depend on trade in California. Right now. American companies cannot compete on a level playing field. Trade barriers make it difficult for the U.S. to sell their goods to the 95 percent of consumers that live overseas. Free trade agreements would eliminate these barriers and put in place fair and strong rules for U.S. companies to compete and win. Furthermore. if Congress fails to pass TPA and set the rules of the global economy. China will. We simply cannot cede our role as the global leader in the 21st century. I urge my colleagues in the House and the American people to rally behind TPA.
Date: 2015-06-17
Speaker: TOM PRICE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I hereby submit for printing in the Congressional Record revisions to the budget allocations of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2016. S. Con. Res. 11. pursuant to section 4503 of such concurrent resolutiona Deficit Neutral Reserve Fund Related to the Medicare Provisions of the Presidents Health Care Law. These revisions are designated for H.R. 1190. the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015. as amended pursuant to H. Res. 319. A corresponding table is attached. This revision represents an adjustment for purposes of budgetary enforcement. These revised allocations are to be considered as the allocations included in the budget resolution. pursuant to S. Con. Res. 11. as adjusted. Pursuant to section 3403 of such resolution. the revision to the allocations shall apply only while H.R. 1190. as amended pursuant to H. Res. 319. is under consideration or upon its enactment. Sincerely.
Date: 2015-06-18
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker. we have spent considerable time debating the merits of TPA in this body. I want to bring us back to the fundamentals of this debate. I want to talk about why trade is so important to our economy. why trade is a conservative cause. and why trade is so vital to our Nation. Simply put. free trade empowers the individual to make decisions in his or her best interest without undue government influence. Look around at your house or at your car. Without question. there are imported products. Free trade allows you. as an individual. to make the best economic choice for your family. When economic enterprise is free from unnecessary government interference and all enterprise is treated equally. the most competitive actors will rise to the top. That means higher quality products and lower prices. which translates to improved standards of living and economic growth. Opponents of free trade will say we need protectionist measures to maintain certain industries. but that is a flawed argument. Protectionist measures may benefit a few in select industries. but ultimately protectionism is more harmful to the Nations economic health. Protected industries become inefficient. Consumers are denied choice. and American businesses face retaliatory trade measures overseas. Bottom line. protectionism is an abandonment of the free market in favor of government intervention. I believe that when American businesses and entrepreneurs are placed on an equal playing field. when we eliminate tariffs and protectionist barriers at home and abroad. American businesses can compete and win against any of their foreign competitors. The famed economist Milton Friedman said: Free trade ultimately forces competitors to put up or shut up. Mr. Speaker. let us set the table for free trade. Let us pass TPA. I know American businesses will put up.
Date: 2015-06-18
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. on Thursday. June 18. 2015. I was absent Yoder Yoho Young (AK) Young (IA) Young (IN) Zeldin Zinke Neal ORourke Pallone Pascrell Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Pingree Pocan Polls Price (NC) Quigley Rangel Rice (NY) Richmond RoybalAllard Ruppersberger Rush Ryan (OH) Sanchez. Linda T. Sarbanes Schakowsky Schiff Schrader Scott (VA) Serrano Sherman Sires Slaughter Smith (WA) Takai Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tsongas Van Hollen Veasey Vela Velazquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters. Maxine Watson Coleman Welch Wilson (FL) Yarmuth Messer Poe (TX) Rogers (KY) from the House for family medical reasons. Due to my absence. I did not record any votes for the day. Had I been pesent. I would have voted "aye" on rollcall 373. rollcall 374. and rollcall
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to amend the United States Cotton Futures Act to exclude certain cotton futures contracts from coverage under such Act. as amended.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2620. This bill would amend the United States Cotton Futures Act to allow for the creation of a world cotton contract listed on the United States exchange. Current law. which requires sampling and classing by the USDA of every bale of cotton tendered under contracts listed on a U.S. exchange reflects an antiquated picture of the global cotton market. Some market participants need to hedge price fluctuations in foreign markets. and the current law limits their ability to do so. We need to update our law to reflect the modern nature of this marketplace. H.R. 2620 accomplishes this by providing an option for cotton produced and delivered in foreign markets to be classed by rating facilities closer to the point of delivery rather than by the United States Department of Agriculture. It makes no changes to the treatment of domestically produced and delivered cotton. This legislation will allow any willing exchange to meet industry demand to design a world cotton contract. For example. ICE Futures U.S.. which has already worked with market participants. has publicly announced their intention and preference to list a world cotton contract side by side with the domestically focused Cotton No. 2 contract they already list. H.R. 2620 allows for an important new contract for cotton hedging to be developed. which would be beneficial to commercial hedgers. However. it is important specifically to me and to others to note. it would not disrupt the industrys benchmark hedging contract. the No. 2 contract. which is relied upon by U.S. cotton producers in my district and around the country. Before I close. I would like to thank Chairman CONAWAY both for his continued leadership on the Agriculture Committee and his efforts on this legislation. Additionally. I want to thank Ranking Member DAVID SCOTT for working with me on this issue over the last few months. And I would like to acknowledge LYNN WESTMORELANDS work in this as well. He was instrumental in advancing this issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 2620. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. as my colleague. Mr. SCOTT. and I have said. this is simply a necessary. minor change. I would just ask all Members to support passage of H.R. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 1633. the DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015. introduced by my colleague from Georgia. BARRY LOUDERMILK. Over the span of 2 years. Department of Homeland Security employees racked up approximately 1.5 million days of paid administrative leave. which amounts to hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Some of these employees were placed on leave due to investigations into alleged misconduct. Stopping wasteful government spending has been a top priority for me during my time in Congress. which is why I am proud to cosponsor this piece of legislation. This bill increases government transparency by establishing an accountability system within the Department of Homeland Security. This system is essential in safeguarding against waste. fraud. and abuse. I am glad that it is a bipartisan measure. I look forward to its passage. and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1633 and stand with this commonsense legislation that saves taxpayer dollars.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. it is no secret that I am opposed to ObamaCare. I have been since day one. It is a bad law that is hurting Americans. It is hurting Americans with higher costs. it is hurting Americans because they have lost doctors they liked. and it is hurting our seniors because it will ration their health care. When ObamaCare created the Independent Payment Advisory Board. it put 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of what payments Medicare seniors could get for their treatments. Many people have referred to this Board as a "death panel." That is wrong. I have been working to repeal this Board. and yesterday. I was proud to stand up for our seniors by voting for the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act. which would do just that. The Senate needs to pass this commonsense bill now. and we need to keep working to see that ObamaCare is fully and permanently repealed.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: MIMI WALTERS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of H.R. 2042. the Ratepayer Protection Act. This bill would protect States and families from EPA regulatory overreach and significant spikes in electricity costs. Last June. the EPA proposed a rule for existing power plants known as the clean power plan. This rule would mandate new carbon reduction goals for each State. effectively changing the way electricity is generated. distributed. and consumed in the United States. The economic impact of this rule is very troubling. It could mean increased electricity costs and reduced reliability for consumers. In fact. under the clean power plan. electricity rates would increase by an average of 15 percent in a majority of States. This bill would protect ratepayers and exempt States from complying with the rule until all judicial reviews are complete. It would also allow Governors to opt out of compliance with the rule if there would be a significant impact on states ratepayers. Mr. Chairman. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan. commonsense bill.
Date: 2015-07-08
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today. I rise to honor the life of Tino Trujillo. Tino was a wellknown community leader in Plano and Dallas. My wife. Shirley. and I had the privilege of calling him and his late wife. Janie. friends. Tino was a special person in our hometown. He immigrated to California in 1952 and became a proud American citizen. serving in the United States Army at Fort Hood. In 1975. he found his way to North Texas where he opened his first restaurant. He loved to serve people. not only with good Mexican food. but giving back to the community that he loved. In fact. he was a founding trustee of Collin College. and he served for nearly 30 years. Tino was softspoken. kindhearted. and he will be greatly missed in Plano and Texas. America would be a better place with more folks like him.
Date: 2015-07-08
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. I want to congratulate the chairman of the subcommittee. who has done a yeomans job of shepherding this appropriations bill through this House. I would like to thank the ranking member. Ms. MCCOLLUM. for her efforts. I sat in that chair last night where you are. Mr. Chairman. and presided over many different amendments. There was much discussion on a wide variety of issues. but it is what we came here to do in this institutionto debate the issues and to work in a process that I call our constitutional appropriations process. If we are to regain the power of the purse here in the House. we ought to be able to work through the appropriations process that so many hardworking colleagues of mine. like Chairman CALVERT. have put so much effort into. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Date: 2015-07-08
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Chairman. this is an opportunity for us to begin the process. once again. of prioritizing how Washington spends money. which I remember not too long ago was the way Washington spent money. Mr. Chairman. when Washington was not nearly as broken. We have an opportunity to come here to the floor to debate the issues and to get an upordown vote. When our amendments may not pass. that doesnt mean that we shouldnt regain the power that Congress has been given in our Constitution. and that is by supporting great bills like this. I congratulate the chairman. I look forward to supporting his bill. I had a great time in presiding over the debate yesterday. and I look forward to continuing to work with the chairman in the future.
Date: 2015-07-08
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. reported that that Committee. having had under consideration the bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior. environment. and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30. 2016. and for other purposes. had come to no resolution thereon.