macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-10-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I would just like to say. because we keep hearing that we are not concerned about civil liberties and so forth and that courts ought to look at this rather than making decisions by the President of United States. many people fondly remember Justice "Whizzer" White on the United States Supreme Court. an appointee of President John F: Kennedy. And in the seminal case in the Supreme Court dealing with the question of privacy and wiretapping called Katz versus U.S.. he said this: "We should not require the warrant procedure and a magistrates judgment if the President of the United States or his chief legal officer. the Attorney General. has considered the requirements of national security and authorized electronic surveillance as reasonable." Because the fourth amendment talks about protection against unreasonable searches and seizures and we never hear on this floor that qualification. It is reasonable. So how do we protect American citizens in this? The process of minimization that we talked about that is followed by everybody in the NSA. And I would just show this to the gentleman. This chart shows the procedures already put into place at the NSA. National Security Agency. to implement the Protect America Act and ensure that Americans civil liberties are protected by minimization. Look at this: Internal oversight. they have training built on the foundation of compliance training. They have an annual requirement to read the legal compliance and minimization documents. They have advanced training and a competency test. Everybody out there has to take the test and pass or they cant be involved in the program. They have new training in the authority and the competency test. They understand the legislative changes. the documentation and the termination. They have spot checks and audits to assess compliance. They have somebody else come out within their organization and check up on individuals. And then they have an assessment of management controls. In other words. they have multiple reviews on a regular basis of whats going on there. And in addition. what they have done is they are subjected to oversight by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice every 14 days. every 30 days. and every 60 days. And then on top of that. they have the Congress that can look at things. That. the American people should understand. is the seriousness with which the agency is undertaking their responsibility to protect Americans from terrorists overseas and to make sure there is no inadvertent violation of the civil liberties of Americans.
Date: 2007-10-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I appreciate the gentlemans sentiments. And I would just say I dont think there is anybody in this Chamber that depreciates the experiences of 9/11 nor the threat that currently faces this country. That does not excuse anybody in this Chamber or us collectively for making either illinformed decisions or just wrongheaded decisions. And when we have the expert -experience and judgment of people like Admiral McConnell. who told us of the threat that we are currently facing and his inability to do the job that he has sworn an oath to do. and when we responded in a way which he said works. it is totally beyond belief that we would want to change that now. And the other thing is. is there anybody in this Chamber that believes the threat is only until February or is only for 2 years. as was in the bill that was presented to. us? This is a longterm threat which necessitates a longterm commitment on the part of the American people. on the part of the Congress. on the part of the entire Federal Government. And we have an obligation to make sure that that takes place. Otherwise. the American people have every right to say to us you have not done the job. So I would hope that when we have this bill on the floor we have an opportunity to make it permanent so that we can tell our adversaries we will throw everything at you. not to convict you after a perpetration of an attack on us but to prevent it in the first place. The American people dont want prosecution. They want prevention first and foremost.
Date: 2007-10-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for his words. And let me just finish on these words. Justice Robert Jackson of the U.S. Supreme Court once said. "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." E 1945
Date: 2007-10-25
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

This Tuesday. a Wall Street Journal article written by Theo Francis started off by saying. "Hospitals are prime breeding grounds for antibioticresistant superbugs that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. But most people have had no way of knowing how well their hospital keeps these bacteriaand infections in generalunder control." Nineteen States have some version of requiring reporting of infection rates in hospitals. but there is no overall plan for this. and thus there is a great deal of confusion. That is why I introduced H.R. 1174. the Healthy Hospitals Act. to help our Nations citizens understand the infection rates in hospitals and get these under control. Here are todays sad statistics. So far this year 1.6 million people have developed an infection in a hospital. There have been 73.000 deaths and a cost of over $40 billion. It is time we get these under control. and I ask my Colleagues to help support by signing on as cosponsors of H.R. 1174. Lets stop these deadly diseases that are killing so many in our hospitals. SCHIP
Date: 2007-10-25
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this point of order that goes essentially to the question of unfunded mandates contained in this bill. It is very difficult to determine exactly what this bill is since it is nearly 300 pages and we received it last night. Why is the question of unfunded mandates so important? Well. a great example would be exactly what is happening in my home State of California right now. the tremendous. tremendous pressure that my home State is under at the current time as a result of an unprecedented series of fires raging at the same time. And that brings into question of those Members of Congress from my home State who are traveling today back home with the President of the United States in order to assess the damage. to show that the Federal Government is fully involved in concert with State and local governments. And we would ask that the consideration of this rule and this bill be postponed not only on this point of order but because of the circumstances that are occurring in our State at this time. The majority leader said a little bit earlier that. well. things happen all the time and Members miss the opportunity to be here on the floor because they are back home. as if this is an everyday occurrence. My home State has lost almost 1.500 residences. 1.500 destroyed. We have somewhere between half a million and a million people evacuated. That is not an everyday occurrence. That is an exceptional circumstance. And it just .is beyond the sense of the cordial nature of the collegiality of this House that ought to prevail for us to be considering this. Nearly 9.000 firefighters from all agencies on the fire lines of California over the last number of days. At least one confirmed death. 18 fires in seven counties. almost a half a million acres destroyed. 104 commercial structures destroyed. The fact is that we ought to come together and work together on issues as important as responding to the natural disaster that is occurring in California just as we should be coming together. working together to try to solve the problem of the unmet needs of poor children and their health in this country. Mr. Speaker. we have not been invited to the table to be able to present this. This point of order ought to be sustained technically on the question of unfunded mandates but really. philosophically on the fact that this is not the time for consideration of this particular rule or this bill.
Date: 2007-10-25
Speaker: MICHAEL BURGESS (republican)
Chamber: H

a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. attended with me to represent the Energy and Commerce Committee in the negotiations before the Rules Committee. He offered an amendment to this bill and was told it was not in order because he didnt get it in time. Didnt get it in time. An emergency meeting that is noticed at 7:30. that starts at 8:30. that lasts till midnight.
Date: 2007-10-25
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam. Speaker. I rise today to simply state that facts are funny things. No matter whats said on the floor of this House or how many times its said. facts are facts. And the real fact is. this compromise bill is nothing less than a bunch of baloney. This bill covers fewer kids. costs more than last weeks bogus SCHIP bill. and you know. we have a saying in Texas. if you put lipstick on a pig. it will still be a pig. My biggest concern with this bill is it doesnt fix the illegal immigration loophole. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the Federal Government will spend almost $4 billion to pay for health insurance benefits for illegal immigrants. That doesnt sound like much of a solution to me. And this bill diverts resources away from kids who need the resources most. In fact. in 5 years. 10 percent of the enrollees in the Childrens Health Insurance Program will not be children but adults. If were going to reauthorize a Childrens Health Insurance Program. we ought to be sure American kids have access to health insurance. not adults. not illegal immigrants. I say support poor kids first. The American taxpayer wants. needs. and deserves a bill that does just that.
Date: 2007-10-29
Speaker: DAVID DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 1473. to amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require child care providers to provide to parents information regarding whether such providers carry current liability insurance. Working parents depend on child care so they can earn an income needed to support their families. as well as ensure that their children are well cared for in a safe environment while they are working. As such. child care.is an integral part of the daily routine of millions of American families with young children. Research clearly shows us that the quality of child care has a lasting impact on a childs wellbeing and ability to learn. Children in poor quality child care have been founa to be delayed in language and reading skills and display more aggression toward other children and adults.. Schoolage childrens academic performance is enhanced by attending formal child care programs of at least adequate quality. according to several studies. The bill before us today does not reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Rather. it amends current law to do several things. Most importantly. it requires each provider to openly post whether or not they have current liability insurance coverfng the operation of the child care business. and it requires each provider to supply parents with a written notice stating whether or not the provider carries liability insurance. including the amount of such coverage. This legislation does not supersede any State regulations regarding facility licensure or insurance requirements. We as the Federal Government are simply asking providers to inform parents whether or not they hold liability insurance. While we have not utilized the norftal process of committee consideration through hearings and markup of this legislation. we do support the purpose of this legislation in providing notification of insurance to parents. I hope to see the Child Care and Development Block Grant come before this committee for reauthorization during the 110th session of Congress. As we move forward reauthorizing this program. we must consider policy that makes way for learning environments to exist where children can obtain the cognitive skills or other skills needed for them to succeed socially and academically. Federalizing child care is not the purpose of this bill. but rather properly and consistently informing parents of whether or not the child care center has liability insurance. In the future. we must ensure that Federal policy continues to provide States maximum flexibility in developing child care programs and policies as well as parental choice so the parentsare able to decide the bestsuited care for their children. I thank Representative BARROW for introducing this bill. and ask my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-10-29
Speaker: DAVID DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 58. expressing support for the designation of the month of October as "Country Music Month" and to honor country music for its long history of supporting Americas. Armed Forces and its tremendous impact on national patriotism. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the southern region of the United States. I am proud to represent the birthplace of country music. Bristol. Tennessee. Country music has roots in traditional folk music. Celtic music. blues. gospel music. and oldtime music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s. Its sound and style has changed dramatically over the years. In the early years. country music was more of the honkytonk sound from the likes of Ernest Tubbs and Hank Williams. In the 1930s and 1940s. another form of country music emerged. western country. These songs romanticized the life of the lonely. but heroic cowboy on the western frontier. Some of those famous for this western style were Gene Autry. Americas singing cowboy. and Roy Rogers. who later teamed with wife Dale Evans to become the famous duo of the genre. Country music morphed once again in the early 1950s with a sound that became known as rockabilly. a combination of rock and roll and hillbilly music. This sound was made popular by -many performers who developed staying power in the country music industry. They include the Everly Brothers. Jerry Lee Lewis. and. of course. the king himself. Elvis Presley. By the 1960s. country music found its home in Nashville. Tennessee. The Nashville sound was born. This was most definitely the sound of country. but the sixties saw more steel guitars and drums in the Nashville sound. This era of country music was the beginning of the age of contemporary country music which ushered in todays most popular artists. Kenny Rogers. Dolly Parton. Garth Brooks. and Reba McEntire. Today. country music is at its highest peak of popularity. As of 2007. country is the most popular radio format in America. reaching 77.3 million adults. almost 40 percent of the adult population. every week. Country music is a story pf family. faith. freedom. pride and patriotism. It embodies the American spirit and has played an integral part in encouraging Americans to support our Armed Forces. These songs invoke feelings of determination. liberty and responsibility. all of which this great country was founded upon. In 1964. October was declared Country Music Month in honor of its rich history and tremendous impact on national patriotism. Country music is Americas music. and for this reason I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 58. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-10-29
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I am proud to offer my resolution on the House floor today. House. Concurrent Resolution 230. supporting the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The effects of breast cancer have touched almost every American. whether through losing a loved one. as I did. or going through the pain of chemotherapy and a long recovery. as millions of individuals have done. I introduced this resolution to support the breast cancer education and outreach efforts that have taken place this October. We all know that every 3 minutes. a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and that this is the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 15 and 54. However. if this disease is detected early. the breast cancer survival rate is 98 percent. Congress must continue to promote breast cancer awareness and -support efforts to defeat this disease.-My resolution expresses support for the observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. which is this month of October. The resolution provides a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of monthly breast selfexaminations and annual mammograms. My resolution also salutes the 2.4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States and the efforts of victims. volunteers and professionals who combat breast cancer every day. Finally. this measure applauds the national and community organizations for their work in promoting awareness about breast cancer. A womans risk for developing breast cancer increases if family members have a history of breast cancer. particularly at an early age. However. 85 percent of women who develop breast cancer have no known family history of the disease. It cannot be stressed enough that early detection is the best chance for survival of a person who has a breast cancer diagnosis. Women must take care of their health and be aware of their risk factors. perform selfexaminations and get annual checkups. While breast cahlcer predominately affects women. we are regularly reminded that a significant number of men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. My colleague. Ms. BALDWIN. mentioned Jo Ann Davis..Jo Ann Davis certainly was a very. very brave lady who fought breast cancer. Actually. she fought it twice. She won the first time. and it came back. We all remember her in this Chamber and we remember her desire to make sure that a cure is found. If Jo Ann Davis were here today. she would not only vote in favor of this. but she also would be speaking on behalf of it. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Representative BALDWIN and the 129 Members who cosigned this very important piece of legislation with me. I certainly urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 230 to ensure that the House continues to bring awareness to this important issue. With that. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-10-29
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. on rolicall No. 1010. I am not recorded because my card did not register. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea."
Date: 2007-10-30
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I will be asking for a "no" vote on the previous qqestion so that we can amend this rule and move toward passing a conference report on the bipartisan Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. The House of Representatives passed the veterans and military funding bill on June 15 of this year by a vote of 4092. with the Senate following suit and naming conferees on September 6 of this year. Unfortunately. the majority leadership in the House has refused to move forward on this bill and name conferees. Why has the majority decided to hold off on moving this bill. with bipartisan support. because thats what this is. This legislation has extraordinary bipartisan support. It was almost unanimously passed by this House. Why has the majority decided to hold off on moving this bill- forward? Well. according to several publications. Madam Speaker. including Roll Call. the majority intends to hold back from sending appropriations bills to President Bush so that they can use an upcoming anticipated veto of one such bill. the LaborHHS appropriations bill to serve as an. and I quote. "an extension of their successful public relations campaign on the SCHIP program." So for purely partisan tactical reasons. Madam Speaker. the majority is holding back from sending to the President legislation to fund our veterans and military construction. Now. recently. Madam Speaker. Republican Leader BOEHNER took a step towards naming House Republican conferees. Now. Speaker PELOSI should follow suit and take the steps necessary. to ensure that work can begin on writing the final veterans funding bill that can be enacted into law. Madam Speaker. every day that the majority chooses not to act to move this legislation forward. our Nations veterans lose $18.5 million. Our veterans deserve better than partisan bickering holding back their funding. So I urge my colleagues to help move this important bipartisan legislation forward. But. frankly. Madam Speaker. it is an unfortunate fact to have to report that this is the first time in 20 years where we have reached this date. end of October. and we are still waiting for the first spending bill to be sent to the President for his signature. It is most unfortunate. Most unfortunate. So I urge my colleagues to help move the important legislation. the spending bill with regard to veterans and military construction. to move it forward. to send it to the President. to appoint conferees so that the final product can be sent to the President. For that reason. Madam Speaker. we oppose the previous question and urge all of our colleagues to join us in doing so. Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment and extraneous materials immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
Date: 2007-10-30
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chair. section 2(i) of the Small Business Act states that only those lawfully in the United States shall receive funds under the Act. � My amendment establishes a Small Business Liaison to ensure that section will be followed. Thats what the amendment does. It mirrors language contained in my bill. H.R. 3496. which requires the liaison to work in tandem with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement group. Listen up. America. We are the land of opportunity. and small business owners make up the backbone of our economy. However. Congress canxiot continue to encourage and foster small businesses in our Nation. if we are not making those here legally an actual priority. This simple amendment will ensure that small business loans and grants are going to those who follow the immigration rules that we have in place. Therefore. I urge the Members of this body to support this amendment. And I certainly want to thank the gentlelady from my former home State of New York for working with us on this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-10-30
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman. I certainly want to thank the chairwoman for her cooperation on this. I think the key word. the operative word. here is obviously "accountability." And I think this amendment will help to improve an already good bill. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.