macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 1887. repeals the requirement directing the Administrator of General Services to sell Federal property and assets that support the operations of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Plum Island. New York. and for other purposes. Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security I support this bill because the safety record of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center is unparalleled. The Plum Island Animal Disease Center is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of animal diseases. It is part of the DHS Directorate for Science and Technology. Since 1954. the center has had the goal of protecting Americas livestock from animal diseases Throughout the history of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. there have been no accidental releases of infected animals to the mainland. The Animal Disease Center on Plum Island has conducted first rate scientific research on a variety of infectious animalborne diseases. including footandmouth disease. resulting most recently. in the development of a new cell line that rapidly and reliably detects this highly debilitating disease of livestock Mr. Speaker. in addition to the Animal Disease Center Plum Island contains cultural. historical. ecological. and natural resources of regional and national significance. Importantly. the Federal Government has invested hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars over the last two decades to make longterm improvements with respect to the conservation and management needs of Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay. Mr. Speaker. preserving historical and geographical entities play a pivotal role in maintaining homeland security and the sustainability of our ecosystem and health of our community. I urge all members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 1887.
Date: 2016-05-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4780. the "Department of Homeland Security Strategy for International Programs Act." This legislation directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit a comprehensive threeyear strategy for international programs in which DHS personnel and resources are deployed abroad for vetting and screening persons seeking to enter the United States. Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security I support this bill because the issue of proper vetting and screening processes upon the entry into the country is paramount. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 4780 directs the Security Committee of the Department of Homeland Security to use the following strategies to implement this legislation: 1. A riskbased method for determining whether to establish new international programs in new locations. given resource constraints. or expand existing international programs. 2. Alignment with the highest DHSwide and governmentwide strategic priorities of resource allocations on such programs. and 3. A common reporting framework for the submission of reliable. comparable cost data by DHS components on overseas expenditures attributable to such programs. In developing this strategy the Department for health and human services shall secure: 1. Information on existing operations of DHS programs that includes corresponding information for each location in which each such program operates. 2. Analysis of the impact of each such international program on domestic activities of DHS components. 3. The number of DHS personnel deployed to each location at which such an international program is in operation during the current and preceding fiscal year. and 4. Analysis of barriers to the expansion of such an international program. There should be a proper vetting and screening process for individuals entering the country from locations abroad. Border security is an evolving process. and our legislative process must evolve with it. Avoiding recurrences of attacks on the homeland such as the 911 attack is a major reason entry into the country should be heavily monitored. I urge all members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 4780.
Date: 2016-05-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I have the privilege of serving on the Homeland Security Committee. and in that capacity I have the oversight for any number of agencies. including the Transportation Security Administration agency. along with our ranking member and ranking member of our subcommittee and our chairpersons. Let me be very clear: we want America to be secured. But I had the privilege of meeting again with the Administrator of TSA. and as we watched incidents in Arizona and Chicago. I am very sure that as we build the TSOs and as we work to correct these issues. we could not have a better frontline defense for protecting America. As I have traveled to airports across the Nation and watched civilians or citizens. passengers traveling through. I have seen a smile and a recognition of how important TSOs are. It is important to make sure that equipment works. and it is more important to make sure that we have the right kind of staffing. We are almost 3.000 to 4.000 short of the number of TSOs that we need. It is also important that we recognize that a professional Federal staff is very important. similar to the many other law enforcement agencies that we have. Privatization is not the answer. but efficiency. expediency. good equipment. and training is. I believe we are moving forward to make sure that we have that kind of trained force to secure the American people and secure the Nations airports.
Date: 2016-05-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I want to add my appreciation to the gentlewoman from Ohio. the gentleman from New York. and the Members who have spoken. including the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. BUTTERFIELD. the former chair. Ms. FUDGE. and the ranking member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Mr. SCOTT. There could not be a more important topic than the topic that we are speaking about tonight. There are moments in history that I think come at times when urgency is the call of the day. It is often said that Dr. King emphasized in his tenure the urgency of moving forward on civil rights and spoke eloquently about the fact of why we cannot wait. If I might. I want to capture his theme of why we cannot wait to end the schooltoprison pipeline. End it now and begin the whole comprehensive approach of criminal justice reform. Let me take Texas as an example and cite some very important statistics from the Appleseed Report and as well a comment on the work that we are doing in the Committee on the Judiciary. I am so glad at this moment in history to be the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime. Terrorism. Homeland Security. and Investigations and working with the members of my subcommittee. including
Date: 2016-05-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. our children represent the future of our nation. Our future is more promising when our children have a clear path to succeed and have the opportunities to become active members of the community. Over time. a culture of favoring incarceration over education has become more prominent throughout our societyparticularly as it relates to minority and lowincome populations. Financial shortfalls at all levels of government are also placing downward pressure on states and municipalities to cut back on public services and educational or communitybased programs in favor of harsh criminalization or incarceration. The result is the "schooltoprison pipeline." which poses a very real threat to our children and our society. This pipeline refers to harsh policies and practices that cultivate a culture where young individuals are pushed into the juvenile and criminal justice systems through harsh punishments in schools. Inadequate resources in public schools. economic instability. zerotolerance policies. and harsh punishments for nonviolent offenses are all contributing to the schooltoprison pipeline. As a result. the United States suffers from the largest number of prisoners in the world and the economic and social burden of the high costs of incarceration. Zero tolerance policies are dangerous to have in our schools. These policies impose extremely severe punishments on students. regardless of the circumstances. which can result in suspension or even expulsion from school. Children of color and students with special needs have experienced a dramatic increase in these suspensions and expulsions. which greatly increase their probability of entering into the juvenile justice system. Schools are also beginning to display an overreliance on law enforcement to maintain discipline through the use of school resource officers. Mr. Speaker. the schooltoprison pipeline is the result of a dangerous precedent being set in our schools. Zero tolerance policies and the overreliance on law enforcement to keep order in our schools not only detracts from the culture of learning we expect in our schools. but also condemns countless children to a life of suffering for making simple mistakes during their youth. Our society will suffer if we continue on this path of forcing children into the criminal justice system and it is time that we considered serious reforms to keep children in our communities and outside the juvenile justice system.
Date: 2016-05-17
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Nahla Kayali. She is the founder and the executive director of Access California Services. Access. as we call it. is a nonprofit organization in my hometown of Anaheim. California. that serves the Arab American. refugee. and immigrant communities with culturally appropriate services. including English as a second language. health and human services. employment assistance. and citizenship resources. In 1998. she opened a small office and had two clients the first month. She initially helped people sign up for the California Healthy Families program. With only a high school diploma. Nahla has now expanded Access California to serve over 11.000 Arab American. refugee. and other underserved community members in 16 different languages. She works to foster a better understanding of the cultural needs of the Arab American community. and. quite honestly. she is a living example of what is the American Dream. As we celebrated last month Arab American Heritage Month. I wanted to honor and recognize her accomplishments. the accomplishments of Nahla Kayali. and her continued work in supporting the Arab American communities and helping. in particular. refugees resettle and become contributing citizens and leaders in Orange County.
Date: 2016-05-17
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I thank Chairman THORNBERRY. Ranking Member SMITH. and all of our staff for tirelessly working on this very incredibly important bill. Also I would like to thank
Date: 2016-05-17
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

for her support in completing the markup of this bill as well as that of other Members. and I want to thank LORETTA SANCHEZ for her long service on the Armed Services Committee. I ask everyone to support this bill.
Date: 2016-05-17
Speaker: JUDY CHU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. the Small Business Administrations. or SBAs. Womens Business Centers. the WBCs. fill a critical gap in our economy. Despite being more than 50 percent of the population. women own just 30 percent of all businesses. and the same obstacles that keep some from starting a business keep others from growing theirs. By providing specialized resources. Womens Business Centers are designed to make sure womenowned businesses succeed. That is why it is imperative that female entrepreneurs are able to access these resources in a convenient way. The reality is that in large. densely populated areas. the need for these centers is greater due to the higher concentration of women entrepreneurs. In fact. Los Angeles County was home to more womenowned businesses than any other county in the entire country in 2012. yet some women had to wait weeks or months or were forced to travel long distances in order to visit a WBC because the center closest to them was unable to meet the demand. My amendment would address this reality by ensuring that the SBA considers the population density of the area to be serviced when reviewing and selecting eligible organizations for the Womens Business Center grants. We must continue to work to ensure that these centers are convenient and accessible for all women because. when women succeed. America succeeds. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. today is the 51st anniversary of Head Start. Fiftyone years ago. in 1965. President Lyndon Johnson announced the groundbreaking program. In that year. a shy little girl and the daughter of Mexican immigrants enrolled in Head Start. and it changed her life. That little girl was me. In this Chamber. when we fiercely debate funding education. we are sometimes too removed from the reality of the everyday struggles that are facing Americas children and just how wide that opportunity gap is. Even though I stand before you here as a Congresswoman. I also stand before you as a child of Head Start. Universal. early childhood education is the best investment we can make to close that education gap. I know this because I am living proof of it. Head Start was not merely something that helped me. it has helped 32 million children and their parents to prepare for school. It has prepared them for life.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am concerned. I am concerned because. while the mosquito is not the unbeatable foe. it is the deadliest living organism on the Earth. The deadliest life form is the mosquito. Annually. the mosquito kills 1 million humans. mostly from malaria. I must tell you. but I must tell you that they also kill by way of the West Nile virus. In Houston. Texas. we have had people contract the West Nile virus. We have people die. I would also mention that they are the greatest survivors. They survived the dinosaurs. We are dealing with a deadly foe. Make no mistake. the size should not in any way cause us to believe that this is something we can take as less than a deadly enemy that we have to confront. The World Health Organization has indicated that there may be as many as 4 million cases of the Zika virus from Zikacarrying mosquitoes in the Americas. As of February 1. we had seven confirmed cases in Houston. Texas. It appears. from what I have read. that standing water activates them. It appears that rain can activate these mosquitos. If this is true. in Houston. Texas. given that we have just had the socalled tax day flood and because we are still being inundated with rain quite regularlyan 80 percent chance of rain today in Houston. an 80 percent chance tomorrowit appears that we have the makings of a special problem in Houston. Texas. So. I am gravely concerned. I hope that we do all that we can to make sure that we get the necessary equipment and the necessary funding so that this enemy can be confronted properly.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. Members. I thank my colleague from the Committee on Rules and my classmate for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to the rule and to H.R. 5243. The last three Democratic speakers are from Texas. The Southeastern States are ground zero for Zika and other diseases. It is the first known vectorborne disease to cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. Our knowledge of the disease and how it is transmitted and its complications have evolved rapidly since the epidemic began. but there is still a lot unknown. We do not have rapid diagnostic tests or an effective vaccine against this virus. The mosquito vector is actively present in several parts of the United States. including Houston and the Southern States. Current vector control efforts are uncoordinated and inadequate. Cases of Zika are being introduced frequently by returning travelers. and mosquito season is rapidly approaching our community. As of May 11. there were more than 1.200 confirmed Zika cases in the continental U.S. and U.S. territories. Robust action is required to protect Americans. and this bill falls dramatically short of the response this epidemic demands. H.R. 5243 only provides a third of the funds necessary to respond to a Zika outbreak and. even worse. a large portion of the funding is taken from money Congress has appropriated to respond to the Ebola crisis. We are taking money away from researching Ebola cures to put on Zika. Ebola will not go away. We cannot rob Peter to pay Paul. My good friend from Oklahoma. I know in 2003. we sent legislators up to his district. I hope in Texas we dont send mosquitos up to his district. because that could happen. Congress has a constitutional and moral duty to protect the health and welfare of our country. I am saddened to say this bill fails to uphold our responsibilities to the American people. Crises of this magnitude demand robust. multiyear investments in our public health infrastructure. vaccine. diagnostic development. and transmission control.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Funding to fight the Zika virus must be treated as an emergency that is similar to past emergencies. like Ebola and HINI viruses. It should not be offset or use previously appropriated funds for other public health priorities. Doing so will only continue the broken cycle of lurching from outbreak to outbreak. Even worse. this bill only funds the Department of Health and Human Services response until September 30. Mosquitos dont follow our fiscal year. This threat is real. immediate. and grave. On behalf of American families. mothers. and the next generation. we must do better. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and bring meaningful legislation to the floor that adequately and responsibly funds our response to the Zika virus.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express a deep disappointment in the Rules Committees decision to throw out three of the amendments I put forward. By not doing those amendments. you failed to provide to those serving our country the same necessary health services that all of us get now guaranteed under ACA. You refused to take steps to protect young athletes attending United States military academies. And you neglected to provide congressional oversight on over $1 trillion worth that this country plans to invest in our nuclear deterrents. We need to fix the current TRICARE system so that we can ensure that servicemembers are provided the same access to preventive health services as those ensured under the ACA. including gestational diabetes with no copayments. smoking cessation. et cetera. My second amendment was simple. It directed the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on the effects of concussions in contact sports. including hockey. football. lacrosse. and soccer at our United States service academies. We all know that we see what concussions can do to people. The third amendment was to simply direct the Department of Defense to include a 25year plan to look at our nuclear spending.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I missed the following vote: H. Res 735Rule Providing for consideration of H.R. 4909National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. Had I been present. I would have voted "no."
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today for rollcall 204 on agreeing to the Nadler amendment. which failed 163 to 259: I voted "no" and would like the record to reflect that I would have voted "yes."
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I am appreciative to the gentleman from Massachusetts for allowing me to speak on my amendment. Mr. Chair and Members. a lack of opportunity for Federal contracting is one of the main factors of the widening racial wealth gap. As the Nations largest employer. the Federal Government has a critical responsibility to focus on increasing minority and female inclusion in the job market. yet. only a fraction of Federal contracts goes to minority- or femaleowned businesses. This is partly why the wealth gap and extreme disparities in racial incomes continue. Amendment No. 49 ensures that we meet important contracting goals by analyzing a 5year study by the GAO on how the DOD contracts with minorityand femaleowned businesses. While there are many ways the government can address the issue of more equitable contracting. one important and more immediate impact. I believe. the Federal Government can have is by providing more opportunities for minorityowned businesses. The DOD spends roughly $285 billion a year on contracting. more than all Federal agencies combined. With such large purchasing power. it is imperative that these funds are used not only to provide the best services for the Department of Defense. but also to distribute fairly and wisely in all communities. The study proposed is the first step toward identifying where those opportunities lie for great inclusion. This amendment further emphasizes and underscores the importance of minorities in both our local and national communities.
Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding and also for his service to the Nation. I thank the ranking member of the full committee. Mr. SMITH. the chairman of the full committee. Mr. THORNBERRY. and the Rules Committee for accepting this amendment. Let me thank the gentlemen doubly and triply for being kind enough to accept this amendment on a regular basis. and I am going to persist because I believe it is important. Mr. Chair. let me make a big pronouncement or announcement or breaking news: there are women in the United States military. I want to say that again. There are women in the United States military. My amendment deals with triple negative breast cancer. It calls for the increased collaboration between the DOD and the National Institutes of Health to combat triple negative breast cancer. This amendment directs the Department of Defense to identify specific genetic and molecular targets and biomarkers for TNBC. "Triple negative breast cancer" is a term used to describe breast cancer. Its cells do not have estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors and does not have an excess of HER2 protein on its cell membrane of tumor cells. I am not in the military. I have had many family members in the military. but I would venture to say this is a case in which you have battalions. and you are on the field. and you have a difficult enemy who keeps moving away from your sight and your target. Though you have used overlapping forces. you cant seem to pinpoint the enemy. Ultimately you are victorious. but that is because you collaborate and you work together. This makes commonly used tests and methods to detect breast cancer not as effective. meaning the ordinary style of fighting does not work for triple negative breast cancer. Seventy percent of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than 5 years after being diagnosed. It is important to note that TNBC affects women under 50 years of age. and it makes up more than 30 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. specifically in African American women. The collaboration between the Department of Defense and the NIH to combat triple negative breast cancer can support the development of multiple targeted therapies for this devastating disease and can help women in the United States military. those who are serving our country. Triple negative breast cancer is a specific strain of breast cancer for which no targeted treatment is available. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.