macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-13
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. today I rise in support of H.R. 2101. a bill to address waste. fraud and abuse in the governments procurement process. This bipartisan measure is an important step in the Congressional effort to .increase oversight of DoDs procurement process and to limit overall defense cost growth. For years the American people have watched with frustration as exploding contract and procurement costs drive up the cost of government. We all remember the $200 toiletseat. This bill is an attempt to get such cost overruns and bloat under control at the largest agency in the federal governmentthe DoD. The Weapons Acquisition System Retorm Act will help fight abuse in defense contracting and procurement by establishing a principal acquisitions adviser who will monitor costs. oversee performance assessments and track cost growth for major DoD programs at the beginning of the decision making process. before the final go ahead is given. The President has proposed a broad and ambitious agenda that will require all us to help identify ways to save money and bring down the costs of government. This bill is an important step in that direction.
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker and Members of the House. this legislation last year had bipartisan support as it passed this House overwhelmingly. Why did it have that support? Because this legislation enabled the Federal Government to partner with local school districts who were looking to repair and to restore and renovate their schools to make them more energy efficient so that those local school districts could save on the average $100.000 in energy bills by making these changes. We know that the economy has made it more difficult for those local school districts to be able to repair and renovate and restore those schools that are in such bad need of that kind of work. So we offer the hand of the Federal Government as. a partner with those districts based upon those local priorities. some of which have been * waiting for several years. That partnership is critical to the survivability of these districts in meeting their energy needs as we go forward. . So what do we have here? We have an attempt to kill this amendment based upon a deficit from a party that gave us and left office with $1 trillion in deficits. when they entered office with $5 trillion in surplus. .They want to tell us how to manage the books and not take care of local schools. not have school construction. not have local jobs in our community because they ran up the deficit. The alltime world champions of deficits now want to suggest to you that you should put your schools at the end of the line of the deficit that they created. Yes. we have a budget. We have a budget that takes down the deficit. that takes down the deficit to what it was in the Reagan years. You know. weve been through this before. We went through this where the Republicans run up the deficit on the theory that they starve the beast. and then none of the things that we believe in can go into effect. Were not going to let this happen on this bill. Its most important that we understand that. that this is about this party trying to stop what is an agenda that has bipartisan support in the House. in the Senate. at the local levels to try to improve the learning opportunities for so many of our stui dents. I would like to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

This decision is simple. The American public made a decision. They want us to go In a new direction. They want us to improve our education systems. our health care systems. and. our energy systems. The partf on the other side is not interested in that. They dont have those solutions on the table. They havent presented those solutions on the table. But what they want to do is infringe on the ability of this President and this country to move forward in a new direction. We cannot let that happen. They didnt do it. This is a party that is now holding weekend talk sessions about how they lost their way. Yeah. they lost their way on fiscal irresponsibility for 8 years. and now they want the school children of this Nation to pay the bills. I ask for a "no" vote on the motion to recommit. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H

of Texas. Ms. SPEIER. Messrs. DEFAZIO and RANGEL. and Ms. MARKEY of Colorado changed their vote from "aye" to "no." So the amendment was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. Stated against:
Date: 2009-05-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this bill. but not without reservations and some concern. I fully support the funding that is in the bill for the militarythe bill addresses their immediate needs by providing protective equipment in supplies. and supports the sacrifices they and their families are making by retroactively providing servicemembers and veterans $500 for every month they served under stoploss orders since 2001. It also plans for the end of combat operations in Iraq and refocuses our efforts In Afghanistan. Following a news report by KHOU in Houston on Monday about troops in Iraq not having sufficient supplies. specifically individuals were having to ration water. find their own. or drink bulk water not intended to be potable. we need to ensure DoD has funding to supply our troops. and this bill provides for that. My main concern however is that this supplemental did not include funding. or any assistance for areas affected by Hurricane Ike. We still have great unmet needs. and while there is funding to address other natural disasters such as wildfires. the Gulf Coast is still struggling to recover. I Ike was one of the most devastating hurricanes since Katrina. yet the small amount of funding that has been appropriated for the disaster has not been passed through by the Federal agencies to meet local needs. Of the nearly $6 billion in CDBG funding that was included in the combined Defense. Homeland Security. and VA Appropriations bill. nearly two thirds of that is still being held by HUD. What has been delivered was divided among all areas hit by a natural disaster last year. meaning the Gulf Coast has received a tiny fraction of what is needed and what has been delivered to previous areas devastated by category 3 and category 4 hurricanes. The 2009 hurricane season is nearly upon us. and we have yet to address the needs of what is left from the 2008 season. Additional funding would be ideal. but at a minimum. local areas like Galveston City and County need the localmatch for disaster recovery assistance waived. and I intend to continue working with the Appropriations Committee and House Leadership to provide that assistance at a minimum. Mr. Speaker. I fully support what is in this bill for our troops and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. However. I hope to work with you moving forward to provide assistance to an area still devastated and recovering from Hurricane Ike.
Date: 2009-05-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. as the sponsor of H. Res. 438 I rise in support of this bipartisan resolution expressing support for recognizing the month of September as National Child Awareness Month. My colleague from California. Congressman KEN CALVERT and I were pleased to introduce H. Res. 438 because it will raise awareness of childrens charities and youthserving organizations across the United States. This resolution recognizes that these organizations efforts on behalf of children and youth are critical contributions to the future of our nation. As we know. September is traditionally backtoschool month. a time when families focus on preparing children for the coming school year. In addition to academic preparation. it is also a time when the American public should be focused on the physical. social and economic wellbeing of our nations children. It is my hope that H. Res: 438 will encourage more individuals to volunteer for or contribute to causes that help our children. An enhanced awareness of childrens charities and youthserving organizations. made possible by this resolution. will assist these organizations efforts to encourage volunteers to become involved in the lives of the most disadvantaged children in our communities across the country. - . . I am confident that National Child Awareness Month will serve as a banner that will unite charitable organizations of diverse missions. size. geography and scope to focus on a common goal--improving the lives of our nations youth:Many nonprofit youthserving organizations and charities across the country have expressed their strong support for the recognition of September as National Child Awareness Month. I am hopeful that president Obama will share my enthusiasm and issue a Presidential Proclamation to designate September as National Child Awareness Month. With his support. both public and private programs across the nation will be acknowledged for their contributions to ensuring our childrens wellbeing. In the meantime. I would like to thank my colleagues for their unanimous support for the adoption of H. Res. 438National Child Awareness Month as it will serve to bring the nations focus back to the one resource that guarantees our future successourchildren. I yield back my time. Madam Speaker.
Date: 2009-05-18
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. health care in the United States has degraded in accessibility and quality. to the extent that we are a nation in crisis. Fundamental change is needed to truly make progress toward a healthier America. My experiences as a federal legislatorand as a nursehave provided a unique vantage. point from which to discuss this issue. During my years as chief psychiatric nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas. I have seen. -firsthand. the state -of affairs of our health care system. When it comes to mental health. for example. our system is particularly weak. Insurers do not provide sufficient or consistent coverage of menial health care services. Individuals with mental illness must navigate a patchwork of community service providers. Those with severe illnbss often have limited options for care. They end up homeless and are victims of a system that does not work. Others may not have an emplojer who understands mental illness. Others may be unemployed. and uninsured. or they may work for minimum wage and eam "too much" to qualify for Medicaid. People with mental illness are among those least served by our local and national care systems. We need relief from the harsh and unfair. practices of the health insurance industry. We need a guarantee of quality. affordable health care for all of us. We need to set and enforce the rules so insurance companies put health care above profits. We must be able to keep the health care that we have. and in addition. we need the choice of a public plan. so were not left et the mercy of the same private insurance companies that have gotten us into this mess. It is my belief that we need not reinvent the wheel. We can achieve savings and improve value in our current systems of Medicare. Medicaid and CHIPand make them available to anyone who needs coverage. Legislation like H.R. 676 makes a strong case for this policy strategy. Tonight I would like to share some good suggestions for health care reform. A study by the Commonwealth Fund analyzed policy options and their economic impact on health care costs. Five major strategies emerged. and I think these should be priorities. First. we must extend affordable health insurance to all. Second. we should offer financial incentives to reward efficiency and quality in health care that is provided. The third strategy is to ensure that care is accessible. coordinated and patientcentered. A fourth strategy for a high performance health system is that we must set benchmarks for quality and efficiency. Last. a reformed health care system must hold national leadership accountable. and it must allow for public/private collaboration. We can take the best of current models. and lessons leamed. and use that to reform our health care system. Only then will we .begin to reduce the health disparities that plague African Americans and other minorities. Fortysix million uninsured Americans. including 5.7 million Texans. need health care coverage. The time to act is now.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. and I thank the chairman for yielding. As the chairwoman of the Veterans Affairs Economic. Opportunity Subcommittee. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1170. as amended. I would like to thank Chairman FsLNER. Ranking Member BUYER on the full committee and the sponsor of the bill. and subcommittee ranking member. Mr. BOOZMAN. for their leadership and bipartisan support of this bill. which the full committee passed on May 6. The bill offers important improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs Specially Adapted Housing Program by creating a 5year pilot program to promote the research and development of adaptive technologies. With many veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan With injuries such as traumatic brain injury. it is important that research and development help meet the demand for costeffective solutions that could mitigate the needs for aroundtheclock nursing care or institutionalization for seriously wounded veterans. These solutions can be as simple as ramps or other structural modifications or they can be more complex. such as voice recognition controls for a homes heating system. Also. H.R. 1170. as amended. gives the Department of Veterans Affairs a 30 percent stake in any patent approved as a result of this grant program. This measure will allow taxpayers to.receive a reasonable return on their investment as well as to promote creativity and ingenuity among the designers and inventors working with the VA on these grants. The Specially Adapted Housing Program has been a tremendous help to many veterans. and it is expected to fund 1.250 projects in 2010. This bill will expand and improve this program. and it is a wise investment in our veterans. I thank Chairman FILNER for noting the working relatioihsship that I have with the distinguished ranking member. Mr. BOOzMAN of Arkansas. When he once chaired the subcommittee. we worked together then and continue to work today on a whole host of programs. particularly housing for our disabled veterans in light of the current needs of veterans and their families. I want to thank Mr. BOOZMAN for sponsoring this important bill. and I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1170. as amended.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. and I thank the chairman once again. I rise today in strong support of H.R. .1088. the Mandatory Veteran Specialist Training Act of 2009. which the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee passed on March 19 and which the full committee approved on May 6. I want to thank again Chairman FILNER. the ranking member of the full committee. Mr. BUYER. and once again the distinguished ranking member of the subcommittee. Mr. BOOZMAN. for their leadership and for. again. their bipartisan support of this bill. which I introduced on February 13. 2009. The bill would amend title 38 to reduce from 3 years to I year the period during which disabled veterans outreach program specialists or local veterans employment representatives with the Department of Labor must complete the specialized veterans employment training program provided by the National Veterans Training Institute. The National Veterans Training Institute program is designed to give those -specialists the correct skill set that can help veterans so that they can help veterans with a wide variety of employment services such as transition assistance and case management. Fl 1245 Through several oversight hearings held by the Subcommittee on Economic. Opportunity that we have held throughout the 110th and 111th Congresses. we learned -it was taking on average 2.5 years before individuals were completing the National Veterans Training Institute Program. This fact. therefore. leaves untrained specialists who dont have the necessary skills trying to help veterans with their employment needs. So this bill takes an important step in the right direction to providing better employment assistance to those who have bravely served their country. Again. I thank Chairman FILNER for his support of this important bill. and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

in the 109th Congress to begin the process of improving the training levels of State and employment service staff. We did that because there was a significant backlog of untrained staff and we needed to give States adequate time to train their veterans employment staff that were paid for with Federal funds. Together. we passed legislation to require State employment services to send their disabled veterans outreach program specialistsor DVOPS--and local veterans employment representatives through basic job placement training within 3 years. States have had sufficient time to meet the initial training bkcklog. and we should now require that employment specialists be trained within a shorter period of time to ensure veterans employment staff is trained properly and promptly after being hired by the State employment service. Again. I appreciate Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN for bringing this forward. I think its an excellent bill. Having no other speakers. I want to thanl committee Chairman FILNER and Ranking Member STEVE BUYER.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. for being so supportive of the work of the subcommittee. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1089. as amended. the Veterans Employment Rights Realignment Act of 2009. which the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee passed on March 19 and the full committee approved on May 6. Once again. we wouldnt be able to consider this bill today if not for the support and leadership of the chairman and ranking member both of the full committee as well as Mr. BOOZMAN on the subcommittee. And we introduced this bill on February 13. 2009. again in response to a number of hearings that were held In the 110th Congress. The bill would amend title 38 of the U.S. Code to move the enforcement of the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Actknown as USERRAto the enforcement of those protections. USERRA protections. of veterans and members of the armed services employed by Federal executive agencies to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The Office of Special Counsel is an independent Federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that was created by Congress with the goal of protecting employees. former employees and applicants for employment from prohibited personnel practices. Under a demonstration project established by Public Law 108454. the Office of Special Coflnsel investigated some Federal sector USERRA claims from 2004 until 2007. This demonstration project.showed that the Office of Special Counsel had the expertise and ability to quickly obtain corrective action for federally employed veterans. By granting the Office of Special Counsel initial jurisdiction over all of these Federal USERRA claims. we give claimants a single agency to investigate and resolve their complaint. This will be more efficient than the current circumstance where first the Department of Labor investigatds the claim. and then the claim is then transferred to OSC at the veterans request If the Department of Labor fails to find a resolution. which then prompts a second investigation. -So. again. I want to thank the chairman. Chairman FILNER. for his support. I also want to thank Congresswoman KIRKPATRICK for her amendment during the subcommittee consideration of the bill that clarified the role of the Office of Special Counsel .in this important piece of legislation. Again. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1089.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am proud to support S. 896. the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009. I supported H.R. 1106 when it left the House. and while lacking the provision to allow for judicial "cramdown." I am pleased with many of the improvements that S. 896 brings. This bill reflects an affirmation of this legislative bodys dedication to ensure that the American dream of homeownership is not lost for millions of American families. The foreclosure crisis has devastated our economy and this. bill is another step towards stabilizing our housing market and restoring confidence in the American people. S. 896 improves the HOPE for Homeowners program. making it a more viable option for helping families sustain homeownership. it provides a sate harbor for those who would engage in legitimate loan modifications or utilize the HOPE for Homeowners Program. The bill strengthens the FDIC and credit unions to ensure the availability of credit for consumers. which is crucial in this time of economic downturn. S. 896 reauthorizes the McKinneyVento Homelessness Assistance Grants for the first time in 20 years. and authorizes $2.2 billion for the programs for FY 2010 and 2011. It also provides funding to HUD to increase public awareness regarding foreclosure scams. Finally. the tenant protections included in the bill ensure that bona fide tenants are not unfairly removed from their residences when foreclosures occur that they could not control. Overcoming the foreclosure crisis and the damage that it has wrought" will take time and dedication. However. by passing the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. we are taking a critical step forward in protecting the American homeowner.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today. I rise in support of the Helding Families -Save Their Homes Act. a bipartisan bill that will help millions ot American families avoid the nightmare of foreclosure. Foreclosures cost an American family its home every 13 seconds. and negatively impact entire neighborhoods. Each foreclosed home reduces nearby property values by as much as 9.percent. and the lack of property tax revenues can affect community services and the quality of our schools. We all stand to lose if we do not stop the steep decline in home prices. which is why Congress and President Obama are taking action. This legislation builds on the Presidents comprehensive Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. and provides key tools and incentives for lenders. servicers and homeowners to modify loans and to avoid foreclosures. It bolsters important consumer rights to housing information and strengthens community banks. which are crucial to small businesses and families across this nation. It also makes important improvements to the Hope for Homeowners program. which was created by Congress to help those at risk of default and foreclosure refinance into more affordable. sustainable loans. Stabilizing the housing market is central to restoring the American economy. By passing the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009. we are not just helping millions of families keep their homeswe are getting the economy back on track and moving America in a new direction.
Date: 2009-05-19
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Cormittee on Standards of Official Conduct. Report of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Rept. 111122). Referred to the House Calendar.