macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-29
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in the Federal government serves the people strongsupport of H. Res. 1073 and the h4d- and how Fgdera! government services make working~publid seivants. A sol.deieye life better for al of us .pubtic ervi�c employgniestoqy.ees are the educatorso insructus foinc. . t . r t ... . . " : . .1z. . . t QJ l plex academia. the policemen and firemen who fight crime and fires. the physician who fight disease and promote better health. and the military who consistently defend our freedom and advance United States interests around the world. Public service employees encompass the fields of public transportation. waste management. social services. housing. electricity and more. These hard workers deserve the care and benefits they have earned through their honorable service. The Nation benefits daily from the knowledge and skills of these highly trained individuals. The services that these workers provide are a necessity to modem life and is understood that its universal provision should be guaranteed. It is imperative that Congress recognizes the magnitude of the workers job and its subsequent effects on environmental integrity. human health and overall quality of life in the United States. Mr. Speaker. we should continuously honor our government employees who have given their lives in service to this country. The most important reason for Public Service Recognition Week is the need to celebrate and recognize the valuable services that millions of public servants provide to the Nation. All too often. the contributions made by Americas public employees to our democracy are forgottennot only by our fellow citizens but even by those of us who serve. Public servants alert Congress and the public to government waste. fraud. abuse. and dangers to public health. The Federal. State. and local governments are responsive. innovative. and effective because of the exceptional work of public servants. and this involvement should not be disregarded. Public service employees playa significant role in the greatness and affluence of the United States. I humbly commend public servants for their outstanding contributions to this great Nation during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year for their unyielding .dedication and spirit for public service. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation. and. insodoing. giving our public service personnel the respect and recognition they deserve.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this bill to recognize the roles and contributions of Americas teachers to building and enhancing our Nations civic. cultural. and economic wellbeing. It is clear that we cannot improve schools or ensure student -success without good teachers. We know that an engaged teacher can be the difference between kids getting ahead and falling behind. And Im sure we can all remember a teacher who provided guidance or sparked interest in a new subject. Todays bill recognizes teachers. but they deserve more than recognition. We have to make sure we are taking tangible steps to assist them. And that means funding for our schools. high quality training. and fair pay. It means making sure that every teacher is prepared to walk into the classroom and every teacher has support through the school day. We trust our Nations teachers with our most important taskcaring for and educating our children. We need to honor their commitment and support that mission.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman from Illinois for bringing this bill to the floor. On Monday of this week. millions of people worldwide recognized Workers Memorial Day. I introduced H. Res. 1154 because each year this country has thousands of workers who are killed due to workplacerelated injuries. and tens of thousands more die of occupational illnesses. It is staggering to think that each day an average of 16 workers are killed due to injuries on the job. Worldwide. more than 2 million workers die of occupational illness and injuries annually.. That means more people are killed on the job each year than in wars. The bottom line is that everyone deserves a safe and healthy workplace. Many of us may take this basic right for granted. But for millions of Americans. the threat of being permanently disabled or even killed on the job is very real. Workers Memorial Day not only recognizes and honors those who have been killed or injured on the job. it also reminds us of the overwhelming need to improve health and safety standards in our Nations workplaces. It has been 38 years since the creation of OSHA. and over this time worker health and safety standards have vastly improved. However. there is still work to be done. as evidenced by the Sago mine disaster and the recent combustible dust explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Georgia that killed 12 workers.. Today we will take a step toward improving those safety standards by considering the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act. This bill represents a pressing need for OSHA standards to prevent combustible dust explosions which have killed more than 100 workers since 1980. Thats 100 workers who* went to work in the morning but never returned home to their families and loved ones. Workers Memorial Day remembers those workers who gave their lives and the families they left behind. I would like to thank House leadership and Chairman MILLER for his support in bringing this resolution to the floor today. and. of course. Mr. DAVIS. I would also like to thank the House -Labor and Working Families Caucus. and in particular Congresswoman LINDA SKNCHEZ. for their assistance in bringing this resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support recognizing this Workers Memorial Day.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5522.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 5522. the. Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act of 2008. This bill would require the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA. to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts. like sugar dust. that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. Opponents of this bill claim that OSHA has enough existing standard and education materials to protect workers. However. I would strongly argue that the absence of clear OSHA standards puts thousands of American workers and innocent bystanders at risk from workplace hazards. Unfortunately. I have an example to back up my statement. On December 19. 2007 there was a chemical explosion at the T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville. Florida. According to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. CSB. this explosion- was one of the worse chemical accidents in their 10year history. Unfortunately. this isnt an isolated incident. A year earlier. there was another explosion in Daytona Beach at the Bethune Point Wastewater Plant. These two incidents demonstrate a critical need for stronger OSHA regulations. In 2002. following a series of fatal explosions and a large number of deaths and injuries caused by runaway chemical reactions. the CSB issued a report concluding that reactive incidents are "a significant chemical safety problem" and that OSHAs Process Safety Management Standard. PSM standard. has "significant gaps in coverage of reactive hazards." The study identified 167 serious reactive chemical accidents resulting in 108 fatalities in the U.S. over a 20 year period. The CSB therefore recommended that OSHA amend the PSM standard to better control reactive chemical hazards. Reactive hazards rulemaking had been on OSHAs agenda during the Clinton administration as a result of a number of fatalities and a labor union petition. but the Bush administration removed it from the regulatory agenda. OSHAs mission is to ensure employee safety and health and as OSHA is watching the progress of H.R. 5522. I ask that they review the 2002 recommendations by the Chemical -Safety Board and revise the Process Safety Management standards to prevent further workplace accidents.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chairman. I rise in trong support of this bill to improve worker protections. The Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act would force the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts. like sugar dust. that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. While OSHA already has the authority to issue such a rule without Congress passing new legislation. the agency has failed to act despite the fact that the dangers of combustible dust have been well known for years. In 2006. following a series of fatal combustible dust explosions. the U.S. Chemical Safety Board conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards. It identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers. injured 718 others. and extensively damaged industrial facilities. Time and time again we have seen this administration fail to take necessary actions to protect workers. and without action by Congress. it appears OSHA has no plans to act on combustible dust regulation. As recently as February of this year. we saw the tragedy that can be caused by combustible dust explosions. The combustible dust explosion at the Imperial Sugar Company in Port Wentworth. Georgia. was a senseless tragedy that. like similar incidents. could have been prevented with OSHA regulation and oversight. � The bill has three main components. First. it directs OSHA to issue interim rules on combustible dust within 90 days. Second. it directs OSHA to issue final rules within 18 months. The rules would be based on effective voluntary standards devised by the National Fire Protection Association. a nonprofit organization. and in addition to itemsrequired in the interim rules. would include requirements for building design and explosion protection. Lastly. it directs OSHA to revise the Hazard Cornmunication Standard to include combustible dusts. Madam Chairman. I urge my colleague to join me in supporting this resolution to make sure OSHA takes necessary actions to protect workers.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I yield myself 4 minutes. This managers amendment is offered because during the drafting and the refining of this bill we have had numerous extensive conversations with OSHA. with its technical staff and witli affected industry associations- about problematic issues. Our goal is to save workers lives. but also make these OSHA standards workable for businesses who need to implement them. To that end. the managers amendment makes four adjustments to the bill: One. several industry associations were concerned that the short 1month effective date on the interim standards was too short to make some of the capital improvements. that may be needed for engineering controls. The managers amendment therefore provides for engineering controls required by the interim standards shall be effective 6 months after the issuance of the standard. rather than 30 days. Because emphasizing specific National Fire Protection Association standards was seen as putting more emphasis on some than on others that were not mentioned. the managers amendment maintains the provisions that OSHA shall include appropriate and relevant National Fire Protection Association standards in its final standards. but eliminates reference to specific National Fire Protection Association standards. Then. because we want to make perfectly clear that OSHA is expected to conduct a full review of small business impacts of this standard. the managers amendment clarifies that the final standard shall be conducted in accordance with - the usual rulemaking procedural requirements. including those that provide for a small business review. Finally. it changes the title to "The Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires Act." I would encourage all of my colleagues to support the managers amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman. this amendment is an attempt to gut this legislation. This amendment would have OSHA not only wait for the outcome of the Imperial Sugar investigation. but also from findings from the combustible dust National Emphasis Program before deciding on whether or not to move forward. The National Emphasis Program could go on for years before there are findings. In fact. at the end of the day. OSHA could decide to do nothing. To do nothing has turned out to be very expensive for the American workers in those workplaces where there is combustible dust. The track record is horrible with respect to OSHA preventing these dust explosions from taking place. That is the reason that prior to the most recent explosion that Mr. BARROW and I are trying to address. prior to that. the Chemical Safety Board made a recommendation to OSHA that they should promulgate these enforceable regulations. because there are no enforceable regulations with respect to dust currently in effect. except for what we did years ago in the grain industry. Except for what we did years ago in the grain industry. and that dramatically reduced the number of incidents that took place. So to adopt the Wilson amendment is to adopt a position to do nothing. and to take an agency that has chosen time and again to do nothing in this field that any way provides for enforceable regulations of this most dangerous material when the workplace is not properly maintained and preventible actions are taken. That is just not acceptable. That is not acceptable in the name of the workers who died in the Port Wentworth plant. It is unacceptable to the workers who died earlier from the explosions. OSHA has refused to act. They have not acted on a single standard in the entire last 8 years unless they were prodded by the Congress or the courts. So to now say that you are going to take the lives of American workers and you are going to give those lives again back to OSHA. where they have not seen any hazard. they have not seen any danger in spite of the explosions is just the height of irresponsibility by this Congress. And I would hope that the Congress would overwhelmingly reject this amendment that allows OSHA to continue the status quo that allows OSHA to continue its irresponsible position. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman. I think the gentleman has the right to close on his amendment. Could the Chair advise me of the time I have remaining.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just note that a significant number of the signatories to the letter that was referred to by my colleague on the other side of the aisle r6ally have little or nothing to do with these standards or are impacted by them. And this is the same coalition that continues to call for no action with respect to actions by OSHA. and it is that approach to the protection of American workers and to the safety -of those workers that has led to the tragedy that we witnessed at the Imperial Sugar facility. And. clearly. these are accidents that we know are preventable. that we know we can dramatically reduce because we have the experience from the grain dust standards. This legislation is designed to be workable. It was worked. as I pointed out. with numerous conversations with the technical staff of OSHA. with the affected industries and the trade associations that are involved with this. I would note that the National Fire Protection Association. when we tell OSHA that they should select the ones that are relevant to the standards and the ones that are meaningful to this effort. we are talking about standards in which a consensus has been arrived at within the industries. These are consensus regulations that are put out there. but they are not required. And we think that in our discussions again with the OSHA staff and with the associations this is a good place to start because of the consensus. There may have to be additions and subtractions. and that is within the discretion of OSHA during the process that is anticipated under this legislation. So I would hope that we would reject this amendment by Mr. WILSON and that we would pass the underlying bill. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I would just say that the problem with home building is not explosions. it is implosions. With that. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I would hope that people would vote against the Wilson amendment. The people who are truly impacted by combustible dust are the workers who have been killed in the past and the workers that will be killed and injured in the future if we do not have an enforceable standard. I appreciate you have 17 regulations and all these things that OSHA is yakking about now. after years of doing nothing. The fact of the matter is. according to the Chemical Safety Board. they are not enforceable standards with respect to dust. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia changed her vote from "aye" to "no." So the amendment was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that. in the engrossment of the bill. H.R. 5522. the Clerk be authorized to correct the table of contents. section numbers. punctuation. citations. and crossreferences and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be appropriate to reflect the actions of the House.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: BARBARA LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

and ALCEE HASTINGS in hosting a remarkable photo exhibit reception focusing on the appalling refugee situation resulting from the occupation of Iraq. Renowned photographer. Gabriela Bulisova. traveled to Syria to document the plight of the millions of April 360. 2008 Iraqis who have been forced fromtheir homes and from their homelands1.Thd photos show the tragic human side of the international refugee crisis. and in the faces of the children. you see confusion and fear. How do you explain to a child why he must leave his home. her friends. his school? How do you explain where her father is. or why his neighborhood is riddled with concrete and burnedout hulls of cars? Nearly 5 million Iraqis have become refugees because of the occupation and civil war ravaging their nation. International relief organizations believe that 2 million of those 5 million refugees have fled their own nations and have sought safe haven in surrounding countries including Jordan. Syria. and Lebanon. The photos in the exhibit were taken in Damascus. They are a glimpse into the lives of the alltoooften nameless and faceless. How can we even think about what it means to have 5 million people without a permanent home? It would be the same as if the entire population of the State of Kentucky or Colorado or Minnesota was suddenly evacuated from its State. No homes. no jobs. A detachment from everything we take for granted: income. schooling. access to financial savings. being close to -ones family doctor. Some people even lose the very land upon which their homes are built. The United States State Department made a commitment to assist in the voluntary resettlement. but despite a promise to take in 7.000 refugees in fiscal year 2007. only 1.600 were admitted into our country. In the last 6 months. State has only permitted an average of 400 people a month. At this pace. were going to miss the target by a huge amount again. We owe the Iraqi people more. Mr. Speaker. Certainly more than broken promises and despair. We cannot solely rely on the good graces of Iraqs neighbors or the assistance of the United Nations. This is a problem that we started. and it is our moral obligation to help resolve it. The U.S.. the United States of America. must end the occupation of Iraq and focus on the real needs of the Iraqi people. If we took even a fraction of what we are paying to occupy a nation in the middle -of a civil war and put it towards the refugee crisis. we could change millions of lives and offer real hope for their future. Next week or the week after. the House may consider the Iraq spending bill. Instead of extending the administrations occupation of Iraq. lets reaffirm our commitment to the Iraqi people through humanitarian assistance. Lets bring our troops and military contractors home. and lets help Iraq begin to heal.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. before I begin. I would like to askunanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. FILNER. your leadership on the Veterans Affairs Committee has just been second to none. Your commitment to our military families has been so incredibly important in trying to make sure that we can highlight their needs and the struggles and difficulties that they go through. and the policy that you are shaping in your committee to make sure that we can improve their lives. Look at the statistics there. The statistics there show just exactly what the impact is on our military families. The dark green shows 2003 to 2005 what you had in infidelity. it was about 4 percent. Fast forward to 2007. and we are at 15 percent. You go to divorce. We are at 11 percent 2003 to 2005. and you are up to 20 percent in 2007. And then look at any other problem. And of course the military families have problems just like anybody else. but look at the explosion of problems that military families have had in terms of their marital problems. In 2003 to 2005. it was 12 percent and they are at 27 percent now. Granted. war is a stressful situation. Mr. Chairman. But. my gosh. we need to do m6re. And I know that your committee is committed to doing that.
Date: 2008-04-30
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Can I ask you a question on that? Given your expertise and your professional background in psychology. obviously posttraumatic stress disorder is incredibly stressful on families. and I just want to bring up some statistics and maybe have you comment on them. We have documentation that servicemembers who are given a diagnosis of PTSD were significantly more likely to perpetrate violence toward their partners. with more than 80 percent committing at least one act of violence in the previous year. and almost half at least one severe act. And that source. the thirdparty validator we have on that is the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. and that was back in 2003 that they cited that. The stress on families. beyond the deployment. which is obviously incredibly stressful. When they come back and they are suffering from PTSD. that has to have an incredibly horrific impact.