macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-12-02
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. after 9111. this Congress came together. and we came together to put our economy back on track. We passed TRIA. the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Now TRIA is set to expire in just 4 weeks. and we desperately need a longterm reauthorization of this important economic tool that has brought stability to businesses and to our economy. We cannot kick the can down the road again by pushing a shortterm extension of TRIA. In fact. just last night. 45 Republicans signed a letter opposing a shortterm extension of TRIA. All of the Democrats already oppose an extension of a shortterm reauthorization of TRIA. This united position should take the issue off the table. While some Members have insisted that the House cant waive the CutGo rule to pass TRIA. I think it is important to note that the House has waived it 18 times. and we traditionally waive it for emergency spending. which is what TRIA is: spending in the wake of a terrorist attack. Please come together and pass a longterm reauthorization for our economic growth.
Date: 2014-12-02
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. in the wake of Trayvon Martins tragic death. the Nation waits. Young people wait. I could give a long litany. But certainly Michael Brown has galvanized us from north to south. from east to west. I stand with the young men. among many others. of the St. Louis Rams and the young people that I have seen taking to the streets nonviolently. peacefully. Today I rise to thank them and to applaud them as Americans deserving of honor and respect. But they wait. So I believe that it is important that we work with those who are assigned and in uniform to protect and serve. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee. I have stood alongside law enforcement. but now it is important that we realize that the system is not cracked but broken. There must be a complete overhaul of the training of local police in the nooks and crannies of America. There must be a reform of the system which provides the funding to local jurisdictions simply by traffic stops and foot citations. That is what geared Officer Wilson in the wrong direction. And finally. Mr. Speaker. there must be training to protect officers but to know when to use deadly force. Deadly force was not warranted. it was not required in the life and the loss of Michael Brown. There must be solutions. Mr. Speaker. for those young people that are out in the streets protesting. We cannot have a lopsided justice system.
Date: 2014-12-02
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I thank the gentlelady for her leadership and for yielding. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 3240. I am pleased to have worked on this bill with my colleague from North Carolina . I would also like to take this opportunity to compliment his work on attempting to end terrorism. cracking down on terrorism financing in our country. The purpose of this particular bill is to study the current monthly limits. under Regulation D. on the number of automatic withdrawals from a consumers savings account. Currently Regulation D limits the number of automatic withdrawals from a consumers account to six per month. This means that if a consumer has already hit his limit on automatic withdrawals for the month and then overdrafts his or her checking account. the bank wont transfer money from his savings account to cover the overdraft. and this results in an unnecessary overdraft fee. As two recent studies by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have noted. overdraft fees disproportionately harm those of us who can least afford it. Unsophisticated consumers are most hit by them. So if there is a regulation that is causing unnecessary overdraft fees. we should study whether that regulation is necessary. That is what our commonsense bill does. It asks the GAO to study the limitation in Regulation D to determine if it is. in fact. useful or harmful. This bill is supported by many stakeholders in financial services: the Credit Union National Association. the National Association of Federal Credit Unions. and the American Bankers Association. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill. and I appreciate the help of my colleague.
Date: 2014-12-02
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague for his hard work on this bill. I did want to come to the floor and support it because it is one of the areas where we did work together in a positive way. I would like to also take this opportunity to congratulate him on being reappointed as chairman of the Capital Markets Committee on which I serve. And I look forward to working with you in the next Congress. When the Financial Services Committee marked up the JOBS Act in 2012. Mr. GARRETT included an amendment requiring the SEC to conduct a study on how to modernize and simplify the disclosure process for emerging growth companies. The SEC published that study last December. and while the study failed to make any specific recommendations on how to streamline the disclosure process. it did provide. I thought. a very fascinating history of all the different efforts to simplify registration and disclosure processes. especially for smaller companies. which is a concern for many Members of this Congress who want to relieve the regulatory burden on particularly smaller companies. For example. here are some of the studies that they did: the SECs 1969 Disclosure Policy Study. the 1977 Advisory Committee on Corporate Disclosure. the simplified Form S18 for small companies in 1979. a new simplified Form SB in 1992. the 1996 Task Force on Disclosure Simplification. the 2005 Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies. the Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting in 2007. and. most recently. the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. What this history demonstrates is that the process of scaling and streamlining the reporting requirements for smaller companies is something that we all need to focus on in order to keep pace with the everevolving marketplace. and it is one that historically has been revisited every 7 to 10 years. It requires strong oversight by the SEC and also by Congress. I believe that now is an excellent time for the SEC to revisit the disclosure requirements for smaller companies and to figure out how to best modernize these requirements. This bill directs the SEC to build on its 2013 study by making immediate improvements to reg SK in the short term and then by making specific and detailed recommendations on how to simplify and modernize reg SK in the long term. We were able to work in a bipartisan manner on this bill to clarify that any revisions the SEC makes should reduce burdens on small businesses. while also ensuring that investors still have access to all important information. This bill will ensure that the SEC properly tailors its regulations to the needs of small businesses and doesnt get caught up in a onesizefitsall reaction. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

a Democrat Member of this body. yes. some United States Senators. including Senator HARKIN of Iowa and. yes. Senator CASEY from Pennsylvania. yes. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS. a senior member of our Republican leadership team who. by the way. has a Down syndrome son. Colewe all worked together. This is a special thing. I think. today. it ought to be a pat on the back for us. an opportunity for us to say this is important and this is good. That is what we should remember from today. in that we may not go to sleep knowing our job is done. but that we did something right by coming together as a body. My dear colleague LOUISE SLAUGHTER. who is from New York. very clearly understood a long time ago. as she put her name on the bill. that this is a good bill. Members of the Rules Committee. who typically dont put their names on bills. put their names on this bill380 Members of this body. See. there are good things that happen. I do want to thank my colleague. Ms. SLAUGHTER. I do want to thank people because this is a bipartisan effort. This is a chance for us to work together. and I think we did a good job today. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. let me start by thanking my colleague. Ranking Member LEVIN. for yielding but. most importantly. for his partnership on this important bipartisan legislation. I also want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Chairman CAMP. thank you for all of your efforts and diligence in getting us to this point. To our fellow cosponsorsCongressman CRENSHAW. Congresswoman MCMORRIS RODGERS. Congressman SESSIONS. and othersthank you for all you have done to get us to this point. To our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol. Senator BoB CASEY and Senator RICHARD BURR. this has been a team effort. Mr. Speaker. like Congressman CRENSHAW. I want to especially recognize and honor those families from across the country who actually worked so hard over so many years to get us to this point. Many of those families are in the gallery today. Others are watching from around the country. At a time when there is deep cynicism about the ability or lack of ability of Congress and the government to function. they broke through that cynicism and are an example to others of what we can do and can accomplish by working together. Because of their efforts. as we heard. we have 380 cosponsors. Republicans and Democrats. in the House and 74 United States Senators. Republicans and Democrats. With that broad bipartisan and bicameral support. everyone worked together to get to this point. We have heard what this does. It provides an opportunity for families with kids or other members of the families with disabilities to put aside a little money. tax free. to help defray some of the extra medical costs that are incurred by those families. It is a benefit available to families who are sending their kids to college. and we should make sure that we provide that kind of benefit to families who are trying to make sure their loved ones are cared for. That is what this does. It is about equity. It is about fairness. It is about making sure that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. It is a timehonored American value. and that is why this has attracted such broad support. Mr. Speaker. no single piece of legislationnothing we can do herecan singlehandedly eliminate the additional medical and financial burdens faced by families living and loving and caring for their children with disabilities every day. but this act. this ABLE Act. can help ease that financial burden and can help assist families in some small way in ensuring that their children receive the love and care they deserve. I thank my colleagues for coming together on this important effort. and I hope it gets through the Senate and to the Presidents desk. where it can be signed soon. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. and thank you. everybody. for being a part of this effort.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the manager. Mr. LEVIN. for his kindness. as well as the manager for the majority. Mr. CRENSHAW. and Mr. VAN HOLLEN. and the many others who. along with myself. cosponsored this legislation. It is very moving to have a moment of family on the floor of the House as I listen to Members recount their individual stories of those in their families and those of us who encounter our constituents with wonderful. beautiful children. many of whom fit squarely in this relief that is being given. As I watched two twins grow up who are prized and special in our community. I could just imagine what their mother and their late father would say about this opportunity. This legislation. H.R. 647. squarely answers our concerns. I want to get to two points that I think are so important. We hear it all the time: it seems as if these are rich people trying to get money. but they are not. They may be working families and middle class families. and to be able to not deny them eligibility for Medicaid when there are severe health issues that many of these young people and children face. and also for them to be able to have SSI. which is sometimes a lifeline. to be able to put aside this savings that will help them in education and transportationI hear it so often. training for employment. any of us who have dealt with Goodwill and seen what Goodwill does with young people whose parents bring them thereyet they need other ways of being able to respond. and they should not be denied higher education. This bill allows the savings to be part of the higher education efforts that these parents want for their children. and sometimes the ability for independence with primary residence. what it says is that these young people. as they grow. have developmental possibilities and opportunities. and that there are no throwaway children. there are no throwaway young people.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman. There are no throwaway young people. and we should not throw them away. I agree with my colleagues who have mentioned items that we would hope would be refrained. if you will. impacting workers conditions and rights. provisions that may. in fact. impact Medicare. None of us who have committed ourselves to the strength of Medicare want to see that undermined. But I will say that the goodness of this legislation for my neighbors and my constituents whom I personally know. individuals whom I personally knowthis is a lifeline. I am very glad to speak on H.R. 647 for the lifeline that it provides for people who deserve it. and they do not in any way have the need or the desire to see the opportunities for their children and their young people be determined only by the limitations of their ability to provide for them. This is an account. It is more than a savings account. It is a lifeline account to help give every American. no matter who they are. this equal opportunity and particularly those with disabilities.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. this 1year retroactive extension is not ideal. It is not the best that we should or could do. It does little to provide certainty to individuals and businesses for 2015. My constituent. Mary Joe. still will not know whether she can give money from her IRA to a Chicago charity without tax liability in 2015. nor does my constituent. Henry. know if he can receive enhanced tax benefits for donating food to the Chicago Food Depository. Further. I am deeply disappointed that this bill fails to extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance for health care workers laid off through no fault of their own. However. I believe that this bill may be our only option for this year to provide these tax benefits for 2014 and to ensure the taxpayers can begin filing their taxes and receiving their refunds early next year. There are many provisions included that are critical to Chicago and Illinois. and that must be covered in 2014. This is not the best bill. but it is a necessary bill. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to ensure comprehensive permanent reforms to the Tax Code that help all Americans. including provisions that help the lowest income workers. such as the earned income tax credit and enhanced child tax credit. I end. Mr. Speaker. by commending Chairman CAMP.
Date: 2014-12-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman very much. Let me express my appreciation to the author of this bill. Mr. KINZINGER. and to the managers on the bill. as well as. in particular. to thank the ranking member. the chairman. and. of course. the manager today. Thank you for your leadership. I associate myself with Congressman ENGELs remarks about leaving a space for affirmation of the Russian people but to make it very clear that we condemn the actions of Mr. Putin. Maybe calling him that is even too polite. Remember the days of Gorbachev when we understood that there was an open Russia. there was a Russia who was committed to working for world peace. standing on their own principles and values and history. not denying their strength. but yet working collaboratively in a civilized way. What happened to that Russia? What happened to the Russia that was supposed to be shown to the world during the Olympics? What happened to the Russia that believed in its great history and was prepared to stand alongside of all world leaders to make a better place? The taking over. the dominance. the literal invasion of Crimea was intolerable and an unacceptable action by a nation that calls itself "standing civilized with other nations." The horrific tragedy of Malaysian Airlines and what many of us viewed around the world as we watched bodies being unattended and thugs not allowing persons to come and see to those bodies. how long they languished in those fields. So I think it is important to ask the question of Mr. Putin: What has happened to the Russia that we have known? I would say that this resolution condemns the actions of the government and the leadership of the government. but not the Russian people. I look forward to legislation coming forward that we all will debate on how we interact with the Russian people and provide the freedom of press and the freedom of speech and the opportunities for them. Mr. Speaker. as I conclude my remarks. I would be remiss not to be able to acknowledge Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. who has an excellent bill on the floor. H. Res. 714. but to be able to say to him. I consider him a great American and a representative of his community and his region and all that he has done to turn our attention to south China. east China. and the Asian Pacific region. We are grateful for what he has done and grateful for his service. I thank him very much and wish for the continued support of his legislation and his service to this country. Let me also say that I support S. 2673. the United StatesIsrael Strategic Partnership Act. and look forward to its passage. Again. in conclusion. I hope that this legislation. the underlying legislation. is a statement on behalf of America. of what we mean and what we stand for.
Date: 2014-12-04
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise against the poorly conceived antiimmigration bill that is being considered in the House today. The Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act would paralyze the executive order announced by the President. halting the deportation of families. Families who are working hard and playing by the rules should not be treated like felons. I urge my colleagues to bring comprehensive immigration reform to the floor with the same expediency that they were able to bring this poorly conceived legislation to the floor today. Our economy. our national security. and our families cannot afford inaction. Rather than keeping hardworking families together. Republicans are punishing communities by pushing irresponsible legislation like the bill that we are considering in the House today. Like Republican Presidents before him. President Obamas actions were within the law. If they werent. Republicans wouldnt need this slapdash bill to roll back the Presidents authority. This is a soap opera. frankly. that we have seen too many times. Can we please finally change the channel and pass comprehensive immigration reform? The time is long overdue for a more familyfriendly congressional show. ABLE ACT
Date: 2014-12-04
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this legislation. the defense authorization bill. is now 1.648 pages. and we are being told on the floor of the House that we either vote for the whole thing or nothing because we are not given a chance for any amendments in between. There are some hugely consequential decisions being made for our national defense in this bill on issues of war and peace. It was just last September the President increased the number of American troops in Iraq to help train and equip the Iraqi and Kurdish forces there. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. JONES. and I have a bipartisan amendment saying that U.S. ground forces in Iraq should not be engaged in combat operations going forward. The President has asserted authority under the AUMF. That is a blank check. We dont think there should be a blank check for the executive. This body should vote to make it clear that U.S. forces cant be involved in another ground war in Iraq. There is also a bipartisan amendment offered by Mr. DENT from Pennsylvania. myself. and others that says we should vote on the question of whether we should now arm the socalled moderate Syrian rebels for 2 years at a price of $500 million or up. Now. whether you are for or against it. we should have a vote. Mr. Speaker. I happen to think it is a bad idea. We are not going to be able to successfully micromanage the Syrian civil war. The target of those forces is not ISIS. So in the process. we are actually going to be inadvertently strengthening ISIS. But whether you agree with me on that or not. for goodness sake. we should have an amendment that has this body make a choice. That is what we are here for. I thought. making important policy decisions for the country on questions of war and peace. We owe it to our troops. and we owe it to the American people to actually debate and vote on these consequential decisions instead of a 1.600plus page bill that comes to the floor and doesnt give us that opportunity. So since we dont have that opportunity. I am going to vote "no" on the defense authorization bill. I dont like to do that. but it is irresponsible and reckless for this House not to vote on these important issues separately.
Date: 2014-12-04
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for his leadership. and the manager. Many of us. Mr. Speaker. have come to the floor of the House time and time again and supported our troops. supported their families. wanted them to have increased dollars in their compensation. but today I come with a heavy heart that issues of war and peace are in this bill. the authorization bill. and we have not had the time to debate this in front of the American people. Sending young men and women in the midst of a storm in war where they may lose their life. and yet this majority refuses to give us hours of time to show the American people what the commitment is. I raise a question. And then. of course. a bill that attacks the constitutional authority of the President of the United States in an immigration bill that is closed in falsehoods because the President is not going beyond the law. he is not changing the law. He has the authority to use his executive power for humanitarian relief. and he is saving the parents of children who are citizens. This is a wrong rule. and I ask my colleagues to vote against it.