macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. drugs are no stranger to my hometown of Piano. Texas. Since the beginning of last year. heroin has claimed the lives of thirteen young people in my district. Local police are working closely with community leaders and parents to stop this terrible epidemic. The heart of their mission is not just to stop the flow of drugs to these kids. but to get the word out that drugs kill. Because. you see. somewhere along the line. the message got lost. Somewhere along the line. kids got the idea that drugs werent that bad. I guess that happens when even the President of the United States jokes about it on M.T.V. Ive met with several law enforcement off icials in Piano. and they all tell me the same thinghelp us get the word out. And thats what were doing here today. This resolution sends a clear message to the President and to the drug users of America that the good times end now. No more. We are committed to ending the scourge of drugs in this country. And the President had better get on board. or hes going to get left behind. We will not stand by and watch the future of our country waste away in a heroin haze. I owe it to the kids of Piano. Texas. just as the rest of this House owes it to the kids in their district. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. by direction of the Committee on Commerce. I move to take from the Speakers table. the bill to grant the consent of Congress to the Texas LowLevel Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact. with a Senate amendment thereto. disagree to the Senate amendment. Insist on the House bill and request a conference with the Senate thereon.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Texas. and 10 minutes to the gentleman from Texas . and I ask unanimous consent that they be permitted to control their own time.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. the motion before the House is a very simple one. It allows the House to go to conference with the Senate to resolve differences between the two versions of H.R. 629 that was: passed by each body. H.R. 629 would grant the consent. of Congress to the Texas. Maine and Vermont LowLevel Radioactive Disposal Compact. This compact. like the nine others we have passed through Congress. has already been approved. It is necessary to allow these three States to fully comply with their responsibilities under the Federal LowLevel Radioactive Policy Act. The act was passed as a part of an agreement with the States that they would be responsible for the disposal of. lowlevel waste while the Federal Government would be responsible for highlevel radioactive waste disposal. It is important for Congress to complete its work on this matter. and the motion is a necessary step in the legislative process. I would recommend adoption. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend. the gentleman from Texas . ranking member on the subcommittee.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas . sponsor of the bill.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas . the sponsor of the bill.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I have no further speakers. I yield back the balance of my time. and I move the previous question on the motion. The previous question was ordered.
Date: 1998-05-12
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the hardworking people that live. work. and recreate in Sterling. Colorado. Sterling is the center of economic activity. professional services. and recreation for northeastern Colorado. The city is situated 2 hours northeast of Denver on the South Platte River. With a population of 11.000. the county seat of Logan County boasts a good environment and a strong. safe community. The community enjoys modern telecommunications technology and a solid infrastructure. Sterling is easily accessible by plane. rail. and car. Located off 176. the city is the hub of activity in ortheast Colorado. With a regional medical center and a fully accredited junior college. Sterling provides valued medical and educational services to thousands of my constituents. Recreational opportunities add to the high quality of life in this admirable community. including public and private golf courses. reservoirs. parks and portions of the Pawnee National Grasslands. Logan County contains rural farms which provide a good environment for people and wildlife alike and a vibrant agricultural economy. Mr. Speaker. Sterling was recently named one of 30 finalists for the AllAmerican City Award. Representatives from the community will appear soon before a panel in Mobile. Alabama in June to highlight the reasons why Sterling deserves such an award. The National Civic League and Allstate Insurance Company present the award each year to 10 outstanding communities around the Nation. Such recognition exemplifies the western spirit and strong values that bind this community together. Good schools. good services. and a good environment make Sterling ideal for new businesses and economic growth. Mr. Speaker. I am proud of those that live in and around Sterling. Colorado.
Date: 1998-05-13
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. as a young boy. I learned that the great wall of Chiha was in China. But today. we learn that the Democrats in Congress have extended this great inpenetrable stone wall of China right through the White House and down the center aisle of Congress. Let me rephrase. that. These stonewallers of justice have been busy erecting a new world wonder: A total. airtight. roundtheclock stonewall by refusing to grant immunity to 4 key witnesses so that they might testify about illegal campaign contributions to the Democrat party from Communist China. Those witnesses are Kent La. Irene Wu. Larry Wong and Nancy Lee. witnesses that President Clintons own Justice Department does not oppose granting immunity to. Let me repeat that again. Mr. Speaker. The same Democrats who deny they are stonewalling refuse to grant immunity to 4 key witnesses. even though the Justice Department does not oppose granting immunity to these 4 witnesses. The same Democrats who defend convicted felon Susan McDougals refusal to tell the truth are the same Democrats who are blocking these 4 key witnesses from coming forward to tell the truth. Mr. Speaker. the great wall of China has nothing over congressional Democrats. for their great stonewall of Congress is an even bigger spectacle.
Date: 1998-05-14
Speaker: LINDA SMITH (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Washington

Mr. Chairman. I first want to stand and show strong support for the chairman. and I believe that this particular sponsor. the gentleman from Virginia . is doing something that all America wants him to do.- He is saying that all policy in America has to have a heart and all policy has to have a.conscience. This bill says that all constructive engagement. as the President likes to say. will keep in mind the religious freedom of all people. Now. earlier today several speakers have said this takes away all the latitude from the President. This bill is drafted in a way that the moment his administration makes a recommendation that there is gross. very strong religious persecution in a country and there should be sanctions. he can immediately say no to the sanctions. It just simply says that he has to stop being silent.. It simply says that we as a Nation will declare that religious persecution. that persecution of any. kind. is wrong. that this is an America that stands for freedom. for liberty. and for religious liberty. These are the things America stands for. Now. the President calls for constructive engagement. and yet he is silent on harvesting livers and corneas. from religious and political prisoners in China. Is this constructive engagement? He was silent on the Tibetan monks being tortured and murdered because of their faith. He has been silent on the Government of Sudan intensifying attacks upon Christians and tribal faiths. I guess if that is the policy. we ieed this bill. because although it does not do a whole lot toward making the President do anything. it does make him break his silence on all of the things that are going on in the world. Whether it be in China. whether it be in Pakistan. If America does not stand for freedom. if America does not stand for the worker and the family all over the world. then what is America? I say today that this bill does one thing: It says America has a conscience and America has a heart. and I think we should pass it today.
Date: 1998-05-19
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to the bill to extend certain programs under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
Date: 1998-05-19
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

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 material on the bill. H.R. 2472. as amended.
Date: 1998-05-19
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker.I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. this bill reauthorizes provisions of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act relating to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and U.S. participation in the International Energy Agreement through fiscal year 1999. These provisions. which expired on September 30. assure that if there is any emergency dealing with energy at all. the Presidents authority to draw down the Stxtategic Petroleum Reserve is preserved and the ability of U.S. oil companies to participate in the International Energy Agreement without violating the antitrust laws is expanded and extended. Because of their importance to U.S. national energy security. I believe these programs should be reauthorized. And with the decision by the President and the appropriators to stop the budgetary sales of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. I believe it is now appropriate to pass a longterm extension. I certainly do appreciate that fact because that has been a longstanding problem that we have had selling off our oil. In recent years. with respect to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. this body has been penny wise and pound foolish. For the past 3 years. we have allowed our energy security. for which we paid for so dearly. to be sold at less than half of what it cost us. If the most recent sale had gone through with todays oil prices being so low. the taxpayers would have lost at least $175 million. but they would also have lost something even more important. the energy security in this country. In the past decade of low oil prices and steady supply. we have become increasingly dependent on foreign oil. We now rely on oil imports to meet more than half of our daily petroleum needs. Moreover. we have become complacent about how vulnerable that dependence makes the United States. When oil prices fell to record lows recently. OPEC and nonOPEC producing countries began to restrict production in order to boost the prices. While we are still a long way from the oil embargo of the 1970s. our vulnerability remains. and we must guard carefully the energy security we have built up with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Mr. Speaker. the provisions containedin H.R. 2472 will help the United States preserve its energy security. It is a good bill. and I endorse its adoption wholeheartedly. Finally. there are several conservationrelated programs contained in EPCA which were discussed at the subcommittee hearing that are not included in this bill that we are considering today. but we do have a bill coming up that would extend these programs as well. I intend to work with the interested parties to mark up that bill and reauthorize those programs in the near future. Mr. Speaker. before I reserve the bal�ance of my time. I would like to thank my good friend. the gentleman from Texas . for his continual support on this issue. I know that coming from the State of Texas it is very important to him. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1998-05-20
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Before the gentleman goes. I know he has been back in his district over the breaks talking about campaign finance reform and various issues that we are dealing with here to try to improve the integrity of the political process. so perhaps the gentleman will tell us a little about what his constituents are telling him with respect to campaign finance reform.
Date: 1998-05-20
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

We are also joined here tonight. Mr. Speaker. by the gentleman from South Dakota . who I know is one who has been very helpful and thoughtful with respect to political participation and campaign finance reform. and I will yield the floor to him.
Date: 1998-05-20
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I see that our time is about to expire. and I appreciate the Speaker for recognizing the freshman class tonight. We will be back one week from tonight with another special order.
Date: 1998-05-21
Speaker: LINDA SMITH (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Washington

Mr. Chairman. this is simply about keeping our word. I have no answer when retirees ask me. why when I reenlisted and they promised me lifetime health care. can I not get it? There is no excuse for not keeping our word. and this is a beginning. just a beginning. to do that.
Date: 1998-06-04
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. you know. it is funny that we pass. welfare reform and then turn around the next year and destroy it. It is also kind of funny that we have a provision in here that does not address just crop insurance and agricultural research. which is what we should be addressing. Instead. we add to it a bunch of unfunded mandates. which has been admitted by the Committee on Agriculture chairman. and those same unfunded mandates that are coming out of our hide are going to be asked of the Committee on Ways and Means again. we just learned today. to take another $16 billion out of this very same program. Somewhere. the well runs dry. We have to pay the piper. It is time to stand on the laws that we passed. It is time to stand with our welfare reform and not suck the States into more spending.
Date: 1998-06-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. if my colleagues believe their constituents are overtaxed. then they ought to vote for this budget. This budget is the only one that we will debate that puts taxpayers first and stops wasting their money in Washington. Each year the average American works until May of each year just to pay their taxes. If we add State. local and Federal taxes together. and the average family of four paysAlmost 40 percent of their income in taxes. that is more than we pay for food. clothing and housing combined. The American people deserve to have that corrected. and this budget does that. This conservative action team budget will return to the American people more than $150 billion in their tax money providing acrosstheboard tax relief. eliminating the marriage penalty. eliminating the estate or death tax and restoring a 12-:month holding period on capital gains. The American people need real reform from the crushing burden of taxes. and this budget provides it. Now we have been talking aboutdefense. This is the only budget that increases our Nations defense spending by $56 billion in order to just keep up with inflation. No other budget does it. Recent events in India and Pakistan remind us what history has taught us. Americans cannot ensure economic security for our families unless we have real security in our defense of the Nation. In order to provide security we have got to invest in our Nations defense. A strong defense is the only way America can remain the No. 1 leader in the world. and this budget is the only one that just barely maintains the defense at just inflation level. It is our duty. in fact it is our primary function. I believe. in this Congress to ensure the security of these United States. Let us do it. It is imperative to our survival. This -budget plan returns the most money to hardworking American families. helps preserve the Social Security and shores up our national defense. As my colleagues know. Americans want. need and deserve tax relief. This is an all American budget and deserves my colleagues votes.
Date: 1998-06-17
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. for a number of years now we have heard political leaders call for reform of the Tax Code. but nothing ever seems to change. Now Congress has a real chance to do -what so mang Americans have been asking for for a long. long time. . Today the House of Representatives will have an opportunity to vote on the Tax Code Elimination Act. a bill that will finally get rid of the Tax Code once and for all. It will sunset the Tax Code on December 31. 2002. and it will require Congress to come up with an alternative way to collect revenue. By voting for this bill. Mr. Speaker. Congress will be putting America on notice that a national debate must begin about a new tax system that is simpler. more fair and more transparent. Mr. Speaker. it is time -to choose a more rational system of taxation. one that average people can understand without having to consult accountants and tax attorneys. It is time for a national debate. and it is time for that national debate to begin now.
Date: 1998-06-17
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H

of -Texas.. Mr. Speaker. we have had hearings. and 212 years ought to be long enough for the people of the United States to speak and determine what tax they want. The current. Tax Code is complex. confusing. corrupt. costly. coercive. ani a lot of other Cs that I cannot think of. But so far there is a lot of talk and no action. When it comes to tax reform. a sunset date will force us to take action and relieve the American taxpayer. We ought to also repeal the 16th Amendment of the Constitution. and I have introduced a bill to do such a thing. the Tax Freedom Act. TI outlaws Congress ability to collect taxes on income except in time of war. Both these bills accomplishone common goal. No matter whether you support a flat tax. consumption tax. valueadded tax. national sales tax. blue. black. brown. whatever. the common goal is replacing the current complicated Tax Code. Fundamental and comprehensive taxreform will be one of the most profound changes this Nation experiences this century. The Tax Code Termination Act brings us one step closer to achieving that change and restoring freedom to the American taxpayer. Americans want. need. and deserve to get rid of IRS oppression. We have been talking about tax reform for years. Mr. Speaker. it is time to quit talking and start action. and this bill does just that.
Date: 1998-06-17
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. during my 15 years here in the House. literally thousands of taxpayers have contacted me to express their frustration with the current code that We have. The Tax Code is so complicated that even those who call themselves tax experts cannot figure it out. Let me give my colleagues a good example. Last November. Money Magazine gave 45 accountants nationwide a financial profile of a fictional family and asked them to prepare a hypothetical tax return. Not only did all 45 come up with different answers. but the computed tax liability ranged from $36.000 to $94.000. No one knows whether they are illegal or not illegal anymore when they. file their returns. Today. the average family pays more in taxes than it spends on food. clothing. and shelter combined. As a whole. Americans will spend at least $200 billion and over $5 billion complying with the income tax this year alone. This is more time than it takes to produce every car. truck. and van in the United States each year. Tracking all this paperwork requires the Internal Revenue Service. five times larger than the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And unlike the FBI. the IRSs power is nearly absolute. It may search our property and records without a court. order. And although both the House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed substantial IRS reform bills. I do not believe that that alone will prove successful. Over the past several years. I have talked to audiences nationwide about the case of replacing the Federal income tax with a national sales tax. Two years ago we introduced the National Retail Tax Act of 1996. and just last year reintroduced it again in H.R. 2001. This legislation is going to abolish the IRS completely. eliminate corporate taxes. gift taxes capital gains tax. inheritance taxes. gift taxes. and all excise taxes unless they are tied to a trust fund. I think this is the way to do it. Let us for once take the power of taxation away from Congress. give it to the American people. and let then decide. And once and for all. let us eliminate 8.000plus pages in the Tax Code and replace it with a Tax Code that is going to say April 15 is another bright. spring day.
Date: 1998-06-17
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr.- Speaker. I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) and want to make sure we save time here for the gentleman from Arkansas who is leading the freshman effort on campaign finance reform.
Date: 1998-06-17
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

With that in mind I yield the floor over here to the gentleman from Arkansas who has led the effort on bringing the base bill on campaign finance to the floor. and hopefully we will have a chance to eventually consider it.