macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-12-02
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I wish today was spent really dealing with job creation rather than diminishing the social safety net for the American people. something that we fought long and hard for. But let me give you some good news. The unemployment has dropped to approximately 8.9 percent. I believe. or a little bit less. It means the countrys economy is going in the right direction. and the time that were spending on the floor on these bills is a job killer. Wed much rather have spent our time passing the American Jobs Act. putting money in investment and infrastructure. rehiring firefighters. teachers. and law enforcement officers. and certainly we dont need to jeopardize this little babys future with thwarting the opportunity for making sure food safety regulations are unfettered on behalf of the American people. My amendment is a simple clarification. The way the rules exist today is that the agency. in its wisdom. thinking about the safety and security of the American people. food safety. the environment. clean air. clean water. has the right. the discretion to give preliminary 90day notice. What do we do in this bill? We demand that the agency give a 90day notice in order to propose a rule. and prior to having it published in the Federal Register. My friends. there is no doubt that rulemaking is complex. but in many times rulemaking requires quick action. All my amendment does is put back in the discretion of the agency to determine whether they can have a 90day notice. The GOP claims that slashing regulations is the way to create jobs. Well. let me tell you what President Reagan and what President G.H.W. Bush said. As for the idea that cutting regulations will lead to significant job growth. Bruce Bartlett said in an interview. its just nonsense. its just made up. Bruce Bartlett was the economic adviser under Presidents Reagan and G.H.W. Bush. Indeed. as BLS data show. in 2010. only 0.3 percent of people who lost their jobs in layoffs were let go because of government regulation. intervention. But I will tell you this. this little ones life will be in jeopardy because of the intrusive and excessive 60step process that these legislative initiatives are requiring. Someone would say hogwash. The GOP claim that there has been a tsunami of regulations under President Obama is also a myth. It is simply a myth. I ask my colleagues to support the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-12-06
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. as a personal aside. this probably wont be the headline on the 6 oclock news tonight around the country because were actually agreeing on something. and I think I can associate myself with the remarks of my colleague. the primary sponsor of this bill. as well as he could associate with mine. Mr. PALLONE. and Mr. PITTS. But I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2405. the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2011. which will reauthorize certain provisions of the Project BioShield Act of 2004 and the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Act of 2006. and Im proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. This legislation was initially passed by Congress to help the U.S. develop medical countermeasures against chemical. biological. radiological. and nuclear terrorism agents to provide a mechanism for Federal acquisition of these newly developed countermeasures. Our Nation remains vulnerable to these threats because many of the vaccines and medicines that are needed to protect our citizens do not exist. Developing and stockpiling these medical countermeasures require time. resources and research. all of which will be provided under this legislation before us today. As my colleague from Michigan said. it may not be the bestseller on the market. like so many other pharmaceuticals. but this is something that our country needs. H.R. 2405 is important to me because the University of Texas Medical BranchGalveston National Laboratory is literally in the backyard of our congressional district. The Galveston National Lab is the only BSL4 lab located on a university campus. At the lab. the scientists conduct research and develop therapies. vaccines. and diagnostic tests for naturallyoccurring emerging diseases such as SARS and avian influenza. as well as for microbes that may be employed by terrorists. This is exactly the type of research we hope to encourage under the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act. As an original cosponsor of H.R. 2405 with Mr. ROGERS. Im really pleased with how quickly we moved this rare bipartisan piece of legislation. I want to thank Mr. ROGERS. Chairman UPTON. Ranking Member WAXMAN and Ranking Member PALLONE. along with the chair of our Health Subcommittee. Mr. PITTS. Mrs. MYRICK. Ms. ESHOO. and Mr. MARKEY for their work on H.R. 2405. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote "yes."
Date: 2011-12-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Congresswoman KAPTUR. thank you for allowing me to join you and to join the distinguished gentleman from New York. We are on the floor often. but it is very special to come here tonight as I listen to you discussing the issues not only of Make It In America. but something you have been onand. in fact. we have known Ohio to be the center point of manufacturing. the center point of production of what we call the raw materials. overlapping with our friends in the Midwest on steel production. We call Ohio the true salt of the earth and the underpinnings of Americas economy. Again. they are very fortunate to have a Member such as MARCY KAPTUR. who has never stepped away from the morality and the moral compass of allowing constituents to work and to fight for them having the opportunity to work and to create opportunities and jobs and manufacturing in Ohio. We thank you. We are joined. of course. by Mr. TONKO. who has never wavered from assisting his constituents. particularly facing the hurricane they had. I want to join you and pick up the populist chord. if I can. The President went toI guess he listened to us. listened to you and went to Kansas and went to the place where Teddy Roosevelt. the man with the big stick. went. I think we need a big stick around here. I dont believe in violence. but if I might just get one quote in that I really like: This country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot. when everyone does their fair share. when everyone plays by the same rules. This is what weve been speaking about. This is what the public has been asking us. This is what the coffee maker or the small businesses have been asking for: Give us an even playing field. I want to briefly speak. as I participate in this Special Order. on one or two points. and that is these go hand in hand. We know there are people who are unemployed. We know there are working people who will benefit from the extension of the payroll tax cut. We also know that we have great respect for our colleagues. but that we have not been tending to the peoples business for the last 3 weeks. We have been passing legislation which has been job killers. We could have had a reasonable discussion on how we get to a point. And I dont mind doing things in a bipartisan way. Ive never seen you reject bipartisanship. I have never seen
Date: 2011-12-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I want to follow up and put two more numbers on the record. as you did. You made a very valid point that here we are at the last minute. You would think that we would be sensitive enough to know that families are gathering. Families want to have a holiday for the children. Theyre trying to be the Santa that they know that the children believe in. Theyre trying to make preparations. Families are trying to find ways to be with loved ones. It may be gasoline that they may need to drive a car. If we dont do this unemployment insurance. we are poisedunlike if we did it and we get bang for our buckto lose 200.000 jobs. Compound that with not extending the payroll tax cut and wed lose 400.000 jobs. That is almost 600.000 jobs. I finish by saying the tragedy of your point about Chinaand I want to make it very clear that we love all people. We wish the best for the people of China. It is the policies. the currencies. But not only do we have this in the backdrop. we have to fix our own house so that were not building a bridge in California that has drawn steel and workers and designers and accountants from way across the ocean in China. Weve got to get our house in order. And so 600.000if the payroll tax cut extension doesnt go forward. were losing 400.000 jobs. And if unemployment insurance doesnt go forward. were losing 200.000 jobs. Is this the way to welcome the most sacred season for many faiths and many families of the year of giving. where we teach our children to give? Is this what we should be doing to the American people? Is this what we should be doing to our soldiers who will be coming home by the end of December? I think not. I thank the gentlelady for allowing me to share these thoughts. Im only looking forward to getting our house in order and getting our holiday house in order and reflecting on the needs of the American people and not special interests.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: SUSAN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H

who have taken a leadership role in this to try to implement policies to control sexual assault within the military. The provisions that weve put together in the House help move us forward towards addressing that issue. make sure that it takes on the importance that it deserves. and empower the military to make the decisions they need to better protect against sexual assault within the military. I particularly applaud Ms. TSONGAS. This is her motion to stick to the House provisions in this area. I urge the conference committee to do that going forward. With that. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman. I think its important for our colleagues to understand just what is being asked of this body. I believe it is a nullification of the Constitution. which I like to carry. and the very distinct definition of the three branches of government and their responsibilities. Frankly. our friends are trying to equate this Congress and its donothing record to the work of the executives. and now to create a donothing pathway for the rulemaking process which. as Ive indicated on many of the bills that have already passed. there is a Federal court process for anyone that wants to challenge the process of rulemaking or whether or not due process has been denied. So Id actually say that what we have here is a complete shutdown of the Federal Government. for it is asking this Congress to pass a joint resolution of approval for any major rule to be passed. Now. Mr. Chairman. let me suggest to you what would happen: Warnings on cigarette packages would no longer exist. Medicare payments for those lying in psychiatric hospitals would not be able to be paid. and the emissions standards for boiler pollutants. hazardous pollutants out of industrial. commercial. and institutional emissions would go flat. and we would have a nation that small businesses. I believe. would argue would also be a distraction from the work that they do. It is interesting that my friends would want to use the backs of small businesses to pretend that they are protecting them. First of all. if they look at their facts. they will note the Obama administration has passed less rules than the Bush administration. As I indicated. they will also note that the 111th Congress passed more constructive bills to help small businesses than this Congress could ever do. and the fact that they would note that it has been recorded that this Congress is the largest donothing Congress that has ever existed. It would be helpful if we could pass the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans. allow them to infuse dollars. 1.000 or $1.500. into the small businesses of America. I will tell you that my small businesses will celebrate that. In visiting a medical clinic owned by a doctor that had thousands of feet that he wanted to rehab and expand. he said that payroll tax that was part of the jobs bill that the President wanted to pass through this donothing House of Representatives would have helped him greatly. Then we have millions of Americans. 6 million. who are trying to get unemployment insurance. Here we are down to the last wire telling those in this blessed holiday season. whatever your faith. that you have to wait at the door and. in fact. there may not be any room at the inn for 6 million who dont have their unemployment insurance. I dont want to shut down the government.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the distinguished gentleman. I dont want to shut down the government. I want a government that works. Rulemaking is not the demon here. and the process of rulemaking. if you read it. provides the input and assessment of those who are concerned. What this does is involve the President. the Congress. in a scheme that is so dilatory that we will never do any work in this Congress. I beg of you to defeat this legislation.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. I rise today to debate H.R. 10 Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS). REINS would amend the Congressional Review Act (CRA) and require Congressional approval of all major rules (rules with an economic impact that is greater than $100 million). If Congress fails to act within 70 days the rule cannot be implemented. This change is targeted directly at executive agencies and does nothing to create jobs. In other words. this bill is calling for Congressional oversight of Executive branch activities and functions. I have been serving as a member of this governing body since 1995. and oversight of the Executive branch is exactly what Congress does. One of the main functions of the Congressional Committees is oversight. If Congress were required to proactively approve every federal rule. it would be extremely time consuming. The Federal agencies of the Executive branch are made up of experts in their respective fields. Many of the regulations that Federal agencies enact are very specific and require a high level of familiarity with the minute details of certain issues. The time it would take members of Congress to become adequately acquainted with each issue being proposed by each Federal agency would certainly be more productive if channeled into efforts to effect the change that Americans want. For example extending unemployment insurance. job creation. and encouraging job growth. Yet. here we are again wasting time on a measure that will not help our economy. There is no credible evidence that regulations depress job creation. The Majoritys own witness at the legislative hearing (on H.R. 3010 a bill based on the same false premise) clearly debunked the myth that regulations stymie job creation. Christopher DeMuth. who appeared on behalf of the American Enterprise Institute. a conservative think tank. stated in his prepared testimony that the "focus on jobs � . . can lead to confusion in regulatory debates" and that "the employment effects of regulation. while important. are indeterminate." If anything. regulations may promote job growth and put Americans back to work. For instance. the BlueGreen Alliance notes: "Studies on the direct impact of regulations on job growth have found that most regulations result in modest job growth or have no effect. and economic growth has consistently surged forward in concert with these health and safety protections. The Clean Air Act is a shining example. given that the economy has grown 204% and private sector job creation has expanded 86% since its passage in 1970." Regulation and economic growth can go hand in hand. Regarding the Clean Air Act. the White House Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") recently observed that 40 years of success with this measure "have demonstrated that strong environmental protections and strong economic growth go hand in hand." Similarly. the Natural Resources Defense Council and the United Auto Workers cite the fact that increased fuel economy standards have already led to the creation of more than 155.000 U.S. jobs.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. I rise in opposition to H.R. 10. the socalled "Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2011." Federal agencies issue rules based on statues created when Congress and the President enact legislation. These agencies devote months and even years conducting research. gathering expertise from skilled professionals. and seeking public input when crafting major rules. Congress relies on these agencies to promulgate these rules. because they have expertise in a given area. However. this bill would require that congressional politics play a part in deciding complicated rules and regulations. By preventing agencies from enacting rules. this bill could undermine the ability of agencies to protect the publics health and safety. Supporters of this legislation make the anecdotal claim that this bill is needed to stop a plethora of regulations. They forget that Congress currently has considerable power. even the responsibility at times. to alter and influence federal rulemaking. Congress has the power under various means to review and reject rules issued by executive agencies. Under the Congressional Review Act. Congress may pass a joint resolution disapproving any rule within 60 days of receiving the rule. If the President signs the resolution of disapproval. the regulation is not implemented. Additionally. it is important to note that federal agencies are only issuing rules to implement statutes that have been enacted by Congress. Federal agencies must adhere to the statute when promulgating a rule. Congress can also impose restrictions on agency rulemaking through the appropriations process by preventing agencies from using funds to implement or enforce certain rules. Congress may also revamp rulemaking procedures. In addition to the Congressional Review Act. Congress has enacted the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. the Regulatory Flexibility Act. and the Paperwork Reduction Act. All of these bills reform the procedures for federal rulemaking by federal agencies. This bill before us today is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the public health and safety. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. What America wants and what I believe is important to the institution that we have such great respect for is for Members to work together. There are a number of amendments that were allowed by the Rules Committee. and I thank them. and the idea should be that these amendments improve a bill. It is obvious that I disagree with this bill because I think it will literally shut down government. If you cannot pass simple bills that have been passed out of the House of Representatives to the other body and they have not yet passed. weve finished one year of the 112th Congress. how do you think we can manage what is called major rulemaking? Eighty different rules would have to be approved by the President. the House. and the Senate. Literally. the American people would be held hostage. So this amendment is a cooperative amendment. I think it makes the bill better. The reason why. we have our soldiers. most likely on the front lines of Afghanistan. On account of a heinous act of terrorism on 9/11. our soldiers were dispatched to defend this Nation in Afghanistan. In doing so. they had as their backup the Department of Homeland Security. a Department whose responsibility is to secure the homeland. Simply ask the 9/11 families how serious it is to secure the homeland. My amendment would simply say that Homeland Security regulations or regulations dealing with securing the homeland. making America safe. would be exempt from this dilatory. longwinded process of approval. We need urgency when we speak of securing the homeland. For example. it is well known that we deal not only with a terrorism potential from around the world. but it is also possible to have a catastrophic event that deals with a domestic terrorist attack. I cannot believe that my colleagues would not want to act in a bipartisan manner and. in particular. with the REINS Act that requires a votedon resolution of approval. otherwise the security amendment does not go into place. I cannot believe that we would not in a bipartisan way accept the Jackson Lee amendment. With that. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-12-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman for his explanation. but I think he plays right into the reason why he should join me and make this a bipartisan amendment. Frankly. I dont think we would want to throw out or delay any process of rulemaking dealing with securing the homeland. I think when the gentleman was citing licenses. he was speaking 9/ 11. It is now 11 years. and we have passed a number of rulemakings that have improved securing the homeland. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee. Im quite aware of the progress weve made. such as not having to address that kind of. if you will. mishapmore than a mishapbut that kind of lack of communication that we had on 9/11. The point I want to make is our soldiers are on the front line in Afghanistan. They are asking. as someone would say on the playing field. Have you got my back? The Department of Homeland Security is that Department created from the Select Committee on Homeland Security which I was on. now in the Homeland Security Committee. to in fact provide for the security of the Nation. With that in mind. I think it is untenable to think of thwarting that process. What we have here in the REINS Act is truly the REINS Act. It is a stranglehold on moving the Nation forward on good regulations. clean air. clean water. but in this instance securing the homeland. I believe that having the President. the Senate. and the House come together in a reasonable period of time to approve a rule dealing with securing the homeland while soldiers are on the front line defending us is an atrocious position to put the securing of the Nation in. Let me just say this. Bruce Bartlett is a Republican. He said that the regulatory uncertainty that Republicans talk about is a canard invented by Republicans that allows them to use current economic problems to pursue an agenda supported by the business community year in and year out. Thats from a Republican. The question is lets separate the special interests. The REINS Act is here. They have the majority. More than likely it will pass. But theyre going to ignore our war and our fight to secure the homeland. Here on the front line. what are we doing? Were putting a stranglehold on the rulemaking that will come forward thats attempting to help the American people. If we have to do something for the Transportation Security Administration and the security checkpoints and we need a rule. its going to be held back because of this process. I ask for the support of the Jackson Lee amendment. and I yield back the balance of my time.