macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-09-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman. my colleague on the other side of the aisle said that this legislation is the wrong way and the wrong place to make this investment. He has got it exactly backwards. This is the exact way to make this investmentto take the savings by cutting the subsidies to the lenders and recycling those on behalf of families. students and our community institutions so that we can expand the educational opportunities in this country. We cannot continue just to wring our hands about our competitive place in the world. about the need for new engineers. new scientists. new mathematicians. a skilled and technologically fit workforce in this country. We must do something about it. What the Obama administration has said under the leadership of the President and the Secretary of Education is that were going to do something about it now. and were going to provide additional money for Pell Grants. that were going to provide additional money for community colleges. that were going to provide additional money for early childhood education. and that were going to provide additional opportunities for access and completion of that educational opportunity. Its not enough that young people start college. Its important that they finish college. Weve got to do better at that. and were going to do it in a fiscally sound manner. Were going to pay for it. because there is enough money in those exorbitant subsidies that we pay decade after decade that were first raised to the consciousness of this Congress by President Bushs Office of Management and Budget. They kept showing us the comparison. If you ran the Direct Loan Program. you would save a huge amount of money for the taxpayers. Finally. this Congress. under this administration. is taking the leadership to take that money and to recycle it on behalf of our families and students. I just want to say. this is the right time. the right place. and the right way to do this. I thank him for his support in opposition to this amendment.
Date: 2009-09-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. Members of the House. I want to begin by thanking so many Members of the House that have supported this bill today on this floor. The bipartisan support we had for so many of the amendments. the debate and the dialogue that we had. thank you so very much. When the President talked about the future of the American economy. he made it very clear that if we were going to be competitive in the rest of the world. if we were going to emerge in that top competitive position in the next generation of the globalized economy. where so many more countries are now able to educate young people. provide worldclass organizations. universities. research facilities. that we had to change our education system. that we had to make a major investment. that we no longer could just think about how much money we put into education. We had to start thinking about the outcomes and whether we were getting the results for young people all across this country. were we getting the results for businesses across this country. were we getting the results for families. He made that very clear with the Race to the Top fund that is getting such wide reception and acceptance from Governors all over the country. from school districts. from unions. from families and organizations to see that change. He has extended that to the colleges and universities. It is not enough that a student enters a college. that he or she is eligible to go to college. The question is. Will they graduate from that college? And what he has put in this legislation is a discussion and a requirement that we understand how many people who enter college obtain that certificate for a career. that AA degree in a 2year college. their ability to go on to a 4year college. Thats the first time weve ever asked that question. But its terribly important. when twothirds of the people going to college today are borrowing money. when theyre borrowing money. we need to know that the colleges are providing the right kind of educational experience and the opportunity to succeed. Thats what youve been voting for all day long. and I want to thank you because it will change the direction. it will change the direction in which we are going in this Nation. And I think it will dramatically enhance our possibilities of remaining the top competitive country in the world. Thats why the Business Roundtable spoke to the issue of the community college provisions in this bill. how important they were so that the community colleges could become a catalyst for economic revitalization. for retooling. for dislocation. so that communities that are welcoming a new industry or communities that are losing an old one and thinking about where to go in the future. to make the community colleges the center of that training and education that so many American workers and families are seeking out today. Thats what you voted to do in this bill. I want to thank you very much.
Date: 2009-09-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I will not yield. I want to thank you very much. As to this amendment. ACORN gets. I believe. no money under this bill. but thats not the issue. The issue is that I will support the gentlemans motion to instruct. We have a worldclass bill here. We have a bill of opportunity for families. for students. for employers. for our country. and for our economy. I hope you will support it. Vote for the motion to instruct. Vote for this bill on final passage.
Date: 2009-09-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H

o Mr. Speaker. pursuant to tions of the House in the r commit. I report the bill back to the House with an
Date: 2009-09-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the staffs of the Education and Labor Committee on both sides of the aisle for all of their hard work. and I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 3221. to include corrections in spelling. punctuation. section numbering and crossreferencing. and the assertion of appropriate headings.
Date: 2009-09-22
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this legislation to temporarily extend unemployment insurance benefits. Unemployment rates remain historically high. However. we are beginning to see signs of economic recovery. Though the August 2009 jobs report announced that 216.000 jobs were lost. it was the fewest jobs losses in a year. We are seeing rebounds in the housing and stock markets. The gross domestic product is stabilizing. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Recovery Act that Congress passed earlier this year prevented a severe economic collapse and is a success by putting money back into the economy. creating jobs. and providing tax relief to 95 percent of Americans. While this economic progress is welcome news. much work remains to be done in rebuilding our economy. Too many Americans remain out of work at no fault of their own. They are still struggling to make ends meet. If we do not act to extend unemployment benefits. thousands of American workers will run out of unemployment compensation by the end of September. and over one million will exhaust benefits by the end of the year. These benefits help workers who have lost their jobs to buy basic necessities for their families as well as continue their mortgage payments. Mr. Speaker. we must continue to help those in need during this economic recovery. I urge my colleagues to support this muchneeded legislation.
Date: 2009-09-24
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise to urge my colleagues to pass comprehensive health reform. not this decade. not next year but this year. Our constituents need help now. My constituents have told me that health care costs are beyond their reach. Some cant afford insurance at all and others have been denied coverage or dropped the minute they got sick. These problems plague our entire population. but disproportionately affect Hispanics. Hispanics have an unbelievable uninsured rate of 31 percent. Our health system must provide essential services to all Americans. including those of Hispanic descent. Hispanic Americans are the fastestgrowing demographic group in this country. They are our future workforce. Without health care coverage for all Americans. our countrys economic future is at risk. Health care reform means having the peace of mind that if something unexpected should happen. an accident or an unexpected illness. people wont fall into economic ruin. Health care coverage for all Americans means a healthier. more productive America. The time for health care reform is now.
Date: 2009-09-24
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of the Medicare Premium Fairness Act. which will protect millions of seniors and people with disabilities from unfair increases in their 2010 Medicare Part B premiums. Because of very low inflation. it is expected that there will not be a costoflivingadjustment (COLA) in Social Security benefits next year. The current law has builtin protections for approximately seventyfive percent of Medicare Part B enrollees in which they will not see an increase in their Part B premiums as a result of not receiving a COLA on their Social Security checks. However. the remaining twentyfive percent of Medicare Part B enrollees will not be held harmless from an increase in their Part B premiums and will instead be responsible for shouldering the entire burden of next years Part B program cost increase. This bill. quite simply. would extend the current hold harmless policy to all Medicare enrollees. By taking this action. it will ensure that no senior will face Medicare Part B premium increases next yearincluding federal and state government retirees who do not pay their Part B premiums out of a Social Security check and so would have been disproportionately burdened without this change. The legislation is fully paid for and meets PAYGO requirements. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this very important bill that will help seniors and people with disabilities.
Date: 2009-09-24
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today as a proud original cosponsor of H.R. 3631. the Medicare Premium Fairness Act. Many of us heard from our senior citizens over the August recess that they would not be receiving a Social Security cost of living increase because of the economic downturn. This will cause a problem for many seniors because Medicare Part B premiums will still increase as they do yearly to cover the cost of the program. A "hold harmless" policy in existing law ensures that most seniors will not have a decrease in their Social Security checks if the Part B premium increase is projected to be greater than the Social Security cost of living adjustment. The hold harmless policy will protect most seniors from an increase in their 2010 Medicare premium. but the 27 percent of our seniors will not be protected by these hold harmless provisions and because of the way the law is written. premiums for these enrollees will be disproportionally increased to $110$120 a month. The Medicare Premium Fairness Act will extend the current hold harmless policy to all Medicare enrollees. Ensuring that no Medicare beneficiary will see a decrease in their social security check due to the 2010 Part B premium increase and they will not see decrease in their Social Security checks. Our seniors live on a fixed income and any decrease in their monthly social security check puts them in jeopardy of not being able to afford food and medicine. We need to ensure that even when we cannot increase the cost of living for Social Security we protect our seniors from a reduction in their monthly check. I urge my colleagues to support his legislation which is fully offset and has the support of the AARP. the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. the Center for Medicare Advocacy. the Alliance for Retired Americans. the Medicare Rights Center. and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.
Date: 2009-09-24
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

(during the Special Order of Mr. ELLISON) submitted the following conference report and statement on the bill making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30. 2010. and for other purposes:
Date: 2009-09-24
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Committee of Conference. Conference report on H.R. 2918. A bill making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30. 2010. and for other purposes (Rept. 111 265). Ordered to be printed.
Date: 2009-09-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I want thank Chairwoman NAPOLITANO and Chairman RAHALL for bringing this legislation to the floor. and thank Ranking Members HASTINGS and MCCLINTOCK for their consideration. This bill. H.R. 2442. represents a very exciting opportunity for California. With the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009. we are bringing an innovative new program online that reduces our states demands for fresh water from the BayDelta. The six new water reuse projects authorized in todays legislation are projected to save 2.6 billion gallons of water per year. The six water projects contained this bill add enough water to the system to meet the needs of 24.225 householdsthats the equivalent to serving every household in Pittsburg and most in Bay Point. These projects will help the cities of Concord. Dublin. Petaluma. Redwood City. Antioch. and throughout the Palo Alto area including Stanford University. But more importantly. these water projects will help the state as a whole. This billand others like it. is a critical piece of the puzzle. We cannot solve Californias water situation without a significant investment in recycling wastewater and putting it to beneficial use. This program is a smart and efficient way to conserve water supplies. lessen our impact on our natural resources. and create jobs and support local businesses. Todays bill expands on a successful partnership that the Congress has already authorizedin total. the 14 water reuse projects that the Bay Area partnership is building will produce nearly 100.000 acrefeet of water per year. The bill before us today allows us to take some of the pressure off the BayDelta. and it authorizes cities across the Bay Area to join in a strong FederalState -local partnership that is providing our region a sustainable and reliable clean water supply. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2442.
Date: 2009-09-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. We just heard from the previous speaker that we should focus on trade more than aid. And I do think we need to move forward on trade because we do know that that provides for more sustainable foundation to longterm economic growth in Pakistan. And the idea behind the reconstruction opportunity zones was to create more incentive for businesses to operate out of some of the troubled regions in Pakistan and provide alternatives to taking up a gun or joining the Taliban or joining the insurgency. So I think this is a very important part of our strategy. Im very hopeful that we can move forward on this with the Senate. Im disappointed again that the Senate has decided not to go forward at this time. And I just want to underscore again the statements made by Secretary Clinton as well as Ambassador Holbrooke and the President of the United States that we should move forward on this on an expeditious basis. Again. I thank the chairman for his leadership.
Date: 2009-09-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 743 on passage of the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act. Had I been present. I would have voted in favor of this important legislation to provide 2.6 billion gallons of water per year for droughtstricken California. Stated against:
Date: 2009-10-29
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. on October 26 of this year. this country lost a great public servant and defender of its borders. former Border Patrol Chief Gustavo De La Vina. Known as "the Chief" to the people that he worked with. Chief De La Vina passed away this Monday while on assignment in BosniaHerzegovina. He was born and raised in Edinburg. Texas. He lived on the border and worked on the border all of his life. Entering the Border Patrol as an agent in 1970. he rose through the ranks and 27 years later was appointed our Chief of the Border Patrol. This was in 1997. And upon his retirement in 2004. we called upon the Chief again to serve. and he became an adviser to the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program within the Department of Justice. My condolences go to his family and to the men and women who had the honor to serve with him in the uniform of green. who served with him for the last 34 years. Gus. we will miss you.
Date: 2009-10-29
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. after World War II when our parents and. in some cases. our grandparents returned from victory. our country stayed to rebuild the countries of our former enemies and our friends. Each of these countries. with our help. established a national health care plan for their people. Our country did not since huge numbers of Americans at that time received health care through their employers. That is not true today. My Texas district has the highest number of uninsured adults under 65 in the country. We need a national health care plan for all Americans. If you have Medicare or employerbased insurance. thats great. Next week. lets do what we did after World War II for our enemies and our friends. Lets provide national health care for all Americans.
Date: 2009-10-29
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H

o Madam Speaker. as you k the Committee on Standar Conduct. and Mr. BONNER ing member. I regret to report that cyberhacking incident of a document of the committe of Members have been c The Washington Post. whi session of a document. We with certainty whether it rate document. but we th portant to state the relev material. As the body knows. unde the Chair and ranking mer mitted. indeed. obliged. to traneous matters that con tention. anything from a paper article to a comme Members or staff. to mal there is nothing serious. I of doing that. no inferen( made as to any Member have a newspaper article at. there is nothing to it. to make sure that that is t I would yield to the rank for his further comments.
Date: 2009-10-29
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania (at the request of Mr. HOYER) for today and the balance of the week on account of the birth of a child.
Date: 2009-11-07
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I support health care reform that invests in a health care workforce dedicated to meeting the needs of all women.
Date: 2009-11-07
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. being a breast cancer survivor shouldnt disqualify a woman from getting health care coverage. I rise in support of health care reform.
Date: 2009-11-07
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I strongly support health care reform. which will benefit women who change jobs. and I want to add that health care insurance companies cannot deny people health care because of preexisting conditions.
Date: 2009-11-07
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today our Nation stands at an historic crossroads. We can choose the road that deadends in the status quo where the health industry will continue to call the shots and ration our health care or we can pass this bill and take the path that will provide every American citizen access to quality. affordable health care. What we do in this bill is preserve what is best and fix what is broken. We currently face unsustainable skyrocketing health care costs that are breaking our familys budget. forcing businesses to drop health insurance. and will eventually bankrupt our Nation. We saw health insurance premiums more than double between 2000 and 2008. and during that period of time. health insurance profits soared by 500 percent. How did they do it? Essentially by saying "no" to people who had preexisting conditions and using the fine print in insurance policies to deny people promised benefits when they needed help the most. This bill will end those abuses. It ends the antitrust exemption that shielded the health insurance industry from pricefixing. It establishes a health insurance exchange like a shopping supermarket for health policies that provides more choice. including a public option. Mr. Speaker. thats why the Consumers Union and Consumer Reports support this legislation. Thats why the AARP. the largest organization protecting the rights of seniors. has endorsed this. And thats why the doctors of America have endorsed this. I understand why the insurance industry opposes this bill. but our job is not to protect the special interests of the insurance industry. our job is to do whats right by the American people. Lets move this country forward. Lets vote "yes" for America.
Date: 2009-11-07
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3962. the Affordable Health Care for America Act. This is a momentous day like that day in 1935 when Social Security was created and also like that day in 1965 when Medicare was passed. We are in desperate need of health care reform. Health insurance premiums are growing three times as fast as wages. and. last year. more than half of Americans postponed medical care or skipped their medications because they couldnt afford them. The 29th District in Texas. which I represent. has the highest number of uninsured individuals in the country as 40 percent of the residents are uninsured. If enacted. H.R. 3962 will provide coverage to 96 percent of all Americans and to 230.000 currently uninsured residents in our district. It will also improve the employerbased coverage for 217.000 residents in our district. H.R. 3962 will give individuals the ability to access quality. affordable health insurance. They will no longer be denied coverage for preexisting conditions. and their coverage will not be capped or dropped when they are sick. The bill ensures no more copays for preventative care. no more yearly caps for what insurance companies will cover. and it provides premium subsidies for those who need it. This is not government controlled medicineindividuals will be able to choose their own insurance plan and their physician. This bill ensures individuals will be able to have access to primary and preventive care services so they will be able to see a doctor before they are sick. and be able to access quality medical services. H.R. 3962 will rein in rising health costs for American families and small businessesintroducing competition that will drive premiums down. capping outofpocket spending. The time for health reform has come and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 3962 not only for my constituents. but for all Americans.