macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1997-04-30
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

I wanted to just give you one more example on this DavisBacon Act and what the impact is on public projects and construction projects. I returned from a couple weeks in. over the Easter break. doing town meetings throughout eastern Colorado. I went to a town called Trinidad which is in the southern part of Colorado. and the mayor. a Democrat I might add. came to me. and he talked about the DavisBacon Act as the No. 1 problem they are facing in Trinidad. CO. And they want to repair their library there. repair the library. not replace it. just repair it. In the process of repairing their town library they accepted $17.500 of Federal funds that they received in a rural redevelopment and construction grant. which was a small portion of the overall costs of this repair project. They concluded that by the time they calculated the cost of accepting $17.000 of Federal funds. costs attributable directly to the DavisBacon Act. that they would have been better off to replace the entire building than to make the small repairs that they had in *mind. Now I ask you to think about that when President Clinton and the Democrats come here and talk about this $5 billion as though it somehow is going to help our children and help our schools. and I assure you it will not. Before we came here tonight. one of our friends on the other side of the aisle. Democrat side of the aisle. said would it not be trying to paint a bleak picture for our children. said would it not be a shame if the children and the teachers returned this fall to crumbling schools. Let me ask a more direct question: Would it not be a shame if those children and teachers returned in the fall to crumbling schools that are still crumbling. even after spending $5 billion of Federal funds? Our States. as a matter of fact. are better off unencumbered by Federal intrusion in the efforts of trying to repair schools and taking care of children. That is where our confidence ought to be placed. not here in Washington.
Date: 1997-05-07
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in celebration of Jack Swigert and this concurrent resolution. House Concurrent Resolution 25. which does provide for the acceptance of a statue of Mr. Swigert presented by the people of the State of Colorado for placement in National Statuary Hall. I. along with Colorado citizens. anticipate a very moving and wonderful event for the unveiling of our second statue in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. This tribute has particular significance to me. As some Members may know. I came to Congress. as the gentleman from California indicated. in a special election in the spring of 1983. and this special election was necessary because Jack Swigert died before being sworn in as the first elected Representative in the Sixth District of Colorado. I am honored to follow in his footsteps and am excited to be part of this historic event. recognizing his contributions to both the State and the Nation. Jack was born in Denver and excelled in both academics and athletics. After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder. he joined the U.S. Air Force and went on to log over 2.900 hours of flight with the Air Force. the Air National Guard. and NASA. Then in 1970 he served as command module pilot of the famed Apollo 13 mission. the one that blew a. hole in its side and had to circle the Moon -and came back and landed. After he did do that. he got into politics and decided to run for Congress in 1982. It was a successful campaign. I can remember nominating him to this particular position. This is sad simply because before he could actually - take office. he passed away on December 27. 1982. and. of course. we all wanted him to at least be here long enough to take the oath of office after all of the things that he had been through. It is clear that Jack exemplified the true American spirit. He was a competitor. he was an achiever. he was a pioneer in his field. It is with great pleasure that I take part in honoring his spirit by accepting this statue. I thank so much the Lundeen brothers who did the sculpturing. and thank the Colorado Legislature and the Jack Swigert Memorial Commission. and all my colleagues in Colorado and in the congressional delegation. for all the work we have done. I look forward to May 22. when we will be able to celebrate the fruits of that labor. I thank very much the gentlewoman for yielding. and I thank the gentleman from California for moving so quickly on this resolution.
Date: 1997-05-08
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. let me begin today by expressing my appreciation to members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their efforts in trying to strengthen the Nations school system. As a former educator. I am interested in the Clinton administrations attention to the declining infrastructure in American schools. It is clear that the direct assistance is going to be certainly advantageous to the schools. but we cannot overlook some of the costs that are out there. and electricity is one of those expenditures. and the utility companies are the largest nonlabor expense for schools. Under the current system. everything. everything is a negotiable expense for schools except electricity. and in the case of electricity there is no mechanism at all out there that schools have an opportunity to shop around for. Direct savings on electric bills are estimated to range from 25 to 40 percent for inner city schools. districts and States with high electric costs. Such savings. freed tip for use in upgrading infrastructure and teacher salaries. are certainly there. In Dade County in Miami. FL. spent $30 million. in Chicago. $40 million. in Fairfax County right across the river here. $30 million. We cannot prepare our students for the future without saving some electricity costs. I urge my colleagues to look closely at the restructuring bill that we are coming up with in Congress.
Date: 1997-05-13
Speaker: WILLIAM F. GOODLING (republican)
Chamber: H

U.S. House of Representatives. Rayburn Office Building. Washington. DC. DEAR CONGRESSMAN GOODLING: We. the undersigned national organizations. wish to commend the Members of Congress and their staff for their extraordinary efforts to reauthorize the Individualswith Disabilities Education Act. The bill as drafted by the IDEA Working Group as circulated on May 2 is. on -the whole. fair and balanced legislation and should be adopted. -On behalf of: National Parent Network on Diabilities. Learning Disabilities Association. The Arc. National Easter Seal Society. American Association of School Administrators. National Education Association. Autism Society of America. NationalAssociation of the Deaf. National Down Syndrome Society. Epilepsy Foundation of America. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. American Association of University Affilated Programs. American Foundation for the Blind. American Physical Therapy Association. American SpeechLanguageHearing Association. Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils. National Association of Protection and Advocacy. National Association of School Phychologists. National Association of State Directors of Special Education. .National Coalition on DeafBlindness. National Mental Health Association.
Date: 1997-05-14
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I commend the hard work of our budget negotiators for coming to an agreement that balances the budget by the year 2002. It is a positive step. But let me make it perfectly clear. as a member of the Committee on Ways and Means. I take seriously my responsibilities and constitutional authority to debate. craft. and pass tax bills out of this committee. In no way should the President dictate or bind our committee as to what should and should not be in any tax bill. That is what the committee process and this Congress was designed to do. We will give full backing to the gentleman from Texas. Chairman ARCHER. when he says we will accept the number given to us by the budget negotiators and the President. but we reserve the right to craft the provisions that are in any tax bill that comes before the committee and we may make them higher in the interest of the American people. It is that simple.
Date: 1997-05-15
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. this Congress is in an awkward position. Congress must decide whether to accept the budget deal negotiated with the President that proposed the biggest entitlement expansion in history. a President that tried to nationalize oneseventh of the U.S. economy. a President that only 4 years ago passed the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Clearly. making a deal with the President with that track record must be viewed with caution. But the American people have also voted to elect the Congress that will do exactly that. So these are the ques-. tions I am asking. First. does the budget really balance by the year 2002? Second. does this budget provides permanent tax relief to working families? Third. does this budget provide for adequate defense spending? Fourth. will this budget result in more jobs for my constituents. more job opportunities for college graduates and a higher standard of living for Americans? And fifth. will this budget contain policies that tend to weaken or strengthen the family? Those are the questions. Mr. Speaker. I will be asking. and the answers to those questions will determine which way I will vote.
Date: 1997-05-15
Speaker: CLAY SHAW (republican)
Chamber: H

and the gentleman from Rhode Island. Mr. PATRICK KENNEDY. our amendment. which has been allowed as a part of this particular exercise here this morning. it takes through the fiscal year the cutoff of SSI income and Medicaid checks to legal immigrants. Including refugees and asylees. This delay will give Congress a chance. Mr. Chairman. to agree on a permanent solution to help and assist these vulnerable people. Our amendment provides an offsetting rescission in budget authority that will allow us to do this. so that when Congress takes its recess. these very worthy legal immigrants will continue to receive their benefits. Our amendment. which they have been so helpful in letting us offer this morning. is identical to the one that has already been passed by the Senate on May 7. We all know that the Social Security Administration has sent out over 800.000 letters to people letting them know they may or may not have a cutoff of their benefits. We know they have let them know. and this has caused. quite a bit of consternation with the many people who received them. But now. because of the sensitivity of this Congress and because of this supplemental bill. we will hopefully. with our amendment. be allowed to help these people. This cutoff was required by the welfare law that was enacted last year. SSI checks. as we know. they go to needy people. they go to aged and frail people and disabled people. They are the most vulnerable people in our society. These people. most of them are over 64 years of age. blind or disabled. and certainly this Congress does not want to see their SSI cut off. We want to thank this Congress. Mr. Chairman. for this wonderful act.
Date: 1997-05-15
Speaker: DAN SCHAEFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Chairman. I rise today to express concern about one of the provisions contained in the bill we are considering today. It is a provision that most Members probably arent even aware is in this bill. That is the redirecting of $11 million from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves operations account to help pay for these programs. I am extremely troubled by the irresponsible way the administration and our appropriators continue to use our national energy emergency stockpile. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created in the 1970s in response to the severe energy shortage that plagued this Nation. harming our productivity and our economy. Since 1975. the Federal Government has spent over $200 billion building and filling a national oil reserve so Americans would never again be held hostage by foreign governments because of our reliance on imported petroleum. In the 104th Congress. the first of three budget raids were made on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. the first initiated by the Clinton administration and the second and third by Congress. When the first ever oil sale for nonemergency purposes was made we were told it would be a onetime sale that was only occurring because the Reserve itself needed repairs. Unfortunately. two more sales were made for other. we were assured. equally worthwhile purposes. My Commerce Committee colleagues and I objected to each one of these sales. The United States is now more than 50 percent dependent on foreign oil to meet its daily energy needs. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is our first line of defense in an energy emergency. During the Persian Gulf crisis. President Bush announced oil .from the Reserve would be sold. immediately calming oil markets and protecting Americans from shortages and the economic effects of oil price spikes. Unfortunately. if we continue to sell oil from the reserve and use the proceeds from those sales as we are today. the next time there is an energy crisis. there will be no Reserve to protect us. And all Americans. including those who will benefit from this bill today will look to Congress to ask what happened to the $200 billion Reserve they paid for to protect them from an energy emergency. I feel it is important to note this obscure provision in the bill we are considering today. because I know in a few short months the Interior Appropriations Committee will begin to work on a bill to pay for operating and maintaining the Reserve another year. And I know that the Strategic Petroleum Rese[ve will again be lower on their list of priorities than it should be. I hope that no more oil sales are proposed. but if they are I plan on again opposing such a sale. There is not enough oil in the Reserve to pay for every worthwhile program that comes along and if we dont stop these oil sales soon. there wont be enough oil in the Reserve to protect Americans from another energy crisis.
Date: 1997-05-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. this amendment simply tries to rectify an injustice against the State of Texas. who has been trying to resolve a welfare problem for some time and getting no response out of the administration. Texas. Florida. Arizona. Wisconsin have all worked to meet the challenge that Congress and the President issued in last years welfare bill to design innovative -welfare systems. Specifically. Texas has designed a system that accomplishes two important things: First. it consolidates 21 existing programsz into one. making it much simpler for welfare recipients to receive and collect benefits. Second. it saves the taxpayers $10 million a month or about $120 million a year. Those savings. put back into the welfare system. could provide health coverage for an additional 150.000 children a year. But it has been 10 months since Texas submitted its proposal. and to this day theystill have not received a satI sfactory answcr from the Federal Government. The administration will not approve the proposal because of pressure from the unions. and they will not deny the proposal because it would contradict everything that this administration. the President. has said about ending welfare as we know it. So the result is that the citizens of Texas and every other State needlessly suffer. This amendment is necessary because we do not want any other State to have to battle and fight like Texas has for the ability to do what is best for its citizens. Mr. Chairman. Texas and the rest of the Nations Governors deserve an answer from the administration.
Date: 1997-05-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. this issue is of great importance to the entire country. When we have the chance to help those less fortunate. especially their children. nothing. including political interests. should stand in our way. Let me tell the gentleman that tomorrow Mr. Erskine Bowles has agreed to meet with some of us and try to resolve this question.
Date: 1997-05-16
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. the previous speaker. the gentleman from Kansas. mentioned a project that takes place in my district in Colorado. these horno ovens that we will find built in the Fort Collins area. It is a pile of mud. It is about that high. and some people believe they are attractive. but the AmeriCorps Program built this pile of mud in Fort Collins as a gift to the people of my community. as a gift. I just want to point out that when Members think of the AmeriCorps Program and the volunteers out working hard to deliver important projects to the community. I do invite my colleagues. as the gentleman said. to come through Fort Collins and look at the mud pile that the AmeriCorp Program has left In my community in Fort Collins and think about how vigorously we should support continuation of the program.
Date: 1997-05-20
Speaker: D OMENICI (republican)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I note the presence of Senator LAUTENBERG in the Chamber and I wonder if he might join with me in at least discussing with the Senate how we might try together to be as helpful to fellow Senators yet move this resolution along as expeditiously as possible. From my standpoint. I do not believe my opening remarks and the opening remarks of any Members that I am aware of who want to speak in favor of the resolution should take any longer than 1 hour. I am not holding anyone to that but just sort of indicating to the Senate that is the way I kind of see the time elapsing. to be exchanged side by side. one on the Democrat side and one on ours. But I think we need about 1 hour in that regard. Does the Senator have any idea in reference to that side?
Date: 1997-05-20
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. I would like to do something extraordinary in politics. I want to pass legislation for which President Clinton can claim credit. It gets even stranger. The President opposes this legislation. even though he will accept it as part of a deal to get more social spending. The legislation I am talking about is. of course. a cut in the capital gains tax. What will happen ta the economy? Well. it is obvious. What will happen is exactly the same thing that has happened each and every time a tax cut in the capital gains tax has been signed into law. The economy will improve. In a $7.5 trillion economy a cut in the tax on capital gains has a dramatic effect. So when the economy improves. President Clinton will surely cite every possible explanation for improved economic growth except for the capital gains tax. But job creators know what really creates jobs. So. ironically. he will get all the credit for an improved economy that is due solely to te change in how we tax capital investments. but I can accept that. Let us help President Clinton. despite himself. and pass the tax cut on capital gains in his balanced budget agreement.
Date: 1997-05-20
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. this is not going to tear up the budget. The CAT substitute has a simple message: Americans taxes are too high because the government spends too much. Americans want. need and deserve to keep more of their own money. so support this amendment and give all Americans a better life. If my colleagues think the government has grown too big. then vote for this substitute because it cuts spending. Now is the time for Washington to get off the backs of the hardworking taxpayers of this country. We have got to stop spending Americans money on big government programs and let them have the money to raise a family. buy a house. send their children to school. maybe even get a much needed vacation. The CAT substitute does the. right thing. It balances the budget. reduces the size and scope of government and. most importantly. gives families more relief from high taxes. Vote for this substitute. cut spending. cut taxes. Do it for America.
Date: 1997-05-21
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. it is interesting to hear the liberals on the other side talk about how disappointed they are that we are not spending more money. At last tally the national debt stood at 55.1 trillion. The national credit card is hereby declared maxed out. The politicians in Washington have been going crazy with the national credit card for too long. Although we might think that running up the national credit card is clearly a case of insufficient adult supervision. think again. No. the 5 trillion debt on the national credit card is a result of 40 years of expanding big government. It is a result of special interests taking over the budget at the expenseof the middle class taxpayers. It is a result of an entitlement mentality that requires government to live beyond its means. Mr. Speaker. there has been a change in the management in Washington. The change in adult supervision means the national credit card is about to see a declining balance for the first time since 1969. Deficit spending has gone on long enough. So I urge my colleagues to be persistent in moving forward on the balanced budget agreement before the patience of the American people is maxed out. too.
Date: 1997-05-21
Speaker: BO SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H

a very distinguished member of our class. to do the things that are important. to see that we implement the promises that have been made. that we continue to stand firm on the principles that we believe in and the things that we talked about. and the reason that we are here today. We have something which I think is just absolutely an historic start. and I look forward to continuing down the road toward fiscal responsibility and fiscal sanity in this country. I think it is the right thing to do. for our kids andfor our grandkids.
Date: 1997-05-22
Speaker: BOB SCHAFFER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Colorado

Mr. Speaker. a lot of people when they hear that the countrys national debt Is over $5 trillion asked me how did we get into such a mess? Have the politicians in Washington totally lost their minds? Mr. Speaker. while I cannot comment on the mental state of Washington politicians. I can say a few words about passing on a $5 trillion debt to future generations. I think it is wrong. I think balancing a budget is not so much a spectacular achievement. Rather. I consider it a matter of common sense. I suppose that says a few things about how much common sense there has been in Washington in recent decades. And so while I support a balanced budget amendment. the one that Congress passed earlier this week. I really do not want to tire myself out by patting ourselves on the back. On the other hand. maybe allowing common sense to win the day in Washington is something to cheer.about. Last time I checked. the budget had not been balanced since 1969. Mr. Speaker. I will keep some champagne ready.