macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1633. the "DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015." This bill makes needed improvements relating to the tracking and reporting of employees of the Department of Homeland Security including administrative leave. or any other type of paid nonduty status without charge to leave. and personal matters. and for other purposes. I support this bipartisan legislation. which amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the head of each component of the Department of Homeland Security to submit on a quarterly basis two reports to the Chief Human Capital Officer of DHS. Mr. Speaker. Title I of Homeland Security Act would be amended by adding Section 104 which provides for the improvement of internal tracking and reporting for administrative leave. First. this bill directs that the number of employees who had been on administrative leave. or any other type of paid nonduty status without charge to leave. for personnel matters for six consecutive months or longer be reported. Second. DHS agency heads must report the total cost to the component associated with such leave and paid nonduty status for that quarter. The Chief Human Capital Officer is responsible for determining appropriate actions to be taken by DHS to resolve any personnel matter expeditiously or to eliminate or reduce the use of such leave and paid nonduty status in addressing any personnel matter. The Chief HCO is also to develop and implement a departmentwide policy in accordance with existing federal guidance specifically related to the use of such leave of paid nonduty status for personnel matters. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 1633 enhances transparency and allows for more fiscally conservative policy in regards to the costs associated with paid administrative leave. However. it may be more difficult to accomplish this level of transparency in regards to how data for leave is extracted and recorded. These are time sensitive additions which will require that within 90 days of the enactment of this Act. and quarterly thereafter. the department heads are required to submit their reports to the Chief Officer. In that same time span the Chief HC Officer is to promulgate a departmentwide policy in accordance with existing Federal guidance specifically related to the use of administrative leave. I join my colleagues in working to strengthen efficiency in all areas of government and supporting fiscally conservative methods to achieve this goal. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of H.R. 1633.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1646. the Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act. and in support of the Houses adoption of H.R. 1646. I introduced this legislation in response to testimony that we received in committee this past March on gaps in our understanding of the security implications of unmanned aerial systems. UAS. in domestic airspace. For example. offtheshelf systems widely available today. in the wrong hands. can jam transmitted signals. take surveillance imagery. and carry dangerous weapons. Given these systems capabilities. it is important that there be a comprehensive study of the security risks and plans to address them. To that end. H.R. 1646 directs the Department of Homeland Security to research how a commercially available small- and mediumsized drone could be used to perpetrate an attack. and to develop policies. guidance. and protocols to prevent such an attack or mitigate the risk of such an attack. As amended in committee. my legislation directs DHS to work with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to carry out this research. and allows for DHS to share advice and information based on that research with these key Federal partners. Mr. Speaker. drone technology holds great promise. with significant social and economic benefits not yet fully realized. However. given the rapid growth in the domestic drone market. it is important that we identify and have strategies to mitigate the associated security risk. If enacted. H.R. 1646 will enhance our Nations security while. at the same time. clarifying the framework for Americans legitimate interest in producing and using drones lawfully and safely. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. H.R. 1646. to further the Department of Homeland Securitys efforts to work with other agencies on the security risks of smalland mediumsized drones in domestic airspace. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1646. the "Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act." I support this bipartisan legislation because it addresses the potential terrorist threat posed by small and mediumsized drones throughout our country. I thank my colleague. Congresswoman WATSON COLEMAN of New Jersey. for introducing this thoughtful and necessary legislation that will assist the Department of Homeland Security. The Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to research how commercially available small and mediumsized drones could be used to perpetrate an attack. Agencies will be tasked with the responsibility of taking the lead for developing effective policies and guidance along with the proper protocols which will assist in preventing an attack perpetrated with a drone. Information regarding how to properly respond to the potential threats from these drones will be distributed to state and local law enforcement agencies to allow them to develop approaches to mitigate identified threats. The protocols that will be developed as a result of this legislation will assist every level of law enforcement in coordinated responses to a drone related emergency. Recent news reports of small drones crashing in areas such as on the White House lawn and incidents including near misses with commercial aircraft demonstrate the need for this legislation. Mr. Speaker. one of the most important things that can and must continue to be done is to protect our homeland from evolving th reats. Mr. Speaker. this is why I join my colleagues in working to strengthen the laws that allow the Department of Homeland Security to create policies that will address emergency protocol threats such as the proliferation of commercial use of drones. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 1646.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1615. the DHS FOIA Efficiency Act. Mr. Speaker. this legislation. which was unanimously approved by the committee on May 20. seeks to improve the Departments processing of Freedom of Information Act requests. In November 2014. the Comptroller General reported that DHS faces the largest backlog of unprocessed FOIA requests of any Federal agency. While resource challenges and inefficiencies in DHS internal processes help explain in part the backlog. we must not be complacent and accept these challenges as excuses for the backlog. A cornerstone of our democracy is that the government is accountable to its citizens. The FOIA process is a key mechanism to ensure accountability. I am pleased that the approach taken under this bill is consistent with the Departments unity of effort initiative. Specifically. H.R. 1615 requires that the Departments chief FOIA officer collaborate with FOIA officials in component agencies to track the total annual costs associated with processing FOIA requests. identify and adopt costsavings measures. and strategize on addressing the backlog. Mr. Speaker. I would also note that in committee. measures authored by Democratic members to promote automation and address staffing resources were adopted with bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker. I urge passage of H.R. 1615. a bipartisan bill that seeks to improve the responsiveness of the Department of Homeland Security to the American public. and I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker. timely compliance with FOIA requests is imperative to an open government. The DHS FOIA backlog has existed for too long and needs to be addressed. I thank Representative CARTER and Chairman MCCAUL for their bipartisan efforts on the DHS FOIA Efficiency Act. which marks an important first step in addressing this FOIA backlog and promoting greater automation in the processing of requests. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1615. the "DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015." I support this bipartisan legislation. which addresses DHS FOIA backlog by requiring the departments chief FOIA officer to issue updated regulations on obtaining records under the Act. I am pleased that H.R. 1615 incorporates two key Jackson Lee amendments offered during the committee markup of the bill. In 2014. DHS had 67.097 FOIA requests that carried over from 2013. added 291.242 requests. and processed 238.031 FOIA requests. The agency still had 120.308 FOIA requests that were carried over into 2015. Because FOIA is a critical component of creating our nations open and transparent government. the process of citizens getting access to information regarding government matters of personal or public interest is important. DHSs ability to meet public demands for information through FOIA should not be hampered by a lack of technology. One of the Jackson Lee Amendments included in the bill directs that the agency include information on how to adopt automated processing to meet FOIA obligations triggered by agency: Public Notices published in the Federal Register. Final rules. decisions. outcome of adjudicated matters or other agency actions. and obligations to reply to citizen FOIA request. Another Jackson Lee Amendment included in H.R. 1615 directs that a report be drafted that provides an assessment of DHS progress made toward automating the FOIA process. That Jackson Lee amendment also provides that upon completion of the FOIA automation plan that the Chief FOIA officer provides the plan to the heads of the components of the Department. Mr. Speaker. it is true as Justice Brandeis famously observed that "sunshine is the best disinfectant." He was speaking of the power of knowledge to illuminate and to enhance the ability of people to understand and evaluate government actions when presented with information. I agree with Justice Brandeis that "the most important political office is that of the private citizen." I support H.R. 1615 and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for its passage.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1626. the DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act of 2015. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 1626 seeks to address duplication or fragmentation within the Department of Homeland Securitys information technology systems. Specifically. H.R. 1626 requires the Departments Chief Information Officer to report on the number of IT systems throughout the Department and identify and address those areas where duplication or fragmentation may exist. This undertaking at the headquarters level should help inform the Departments IT budget planning which. in light of sequestration and the downward trend of the Departments budget. becomes all the more important when considered in the critical missions entrusted to DHS. This legislation is in the spirit of the Departments Unity of Effort initiative and has the potential of fostering more coordinated IT planning and management among the Departments components. In committee. a number of technical refinements authored by Democrats were accepted to ensure that reducing redundancy frees up resources for DHS operations. Mr. Speaker. I do urge support for this measure. and I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker. in closing. I. once again. want to point out the bipartisan efforts in regards to this measure. This measure has the potential of fostering more coordinated IT planning and management among the Departments components. Mr. Speaker. I urge passage and support of this measure. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1637. the "Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015." I support this bipartisan legislation which requires annual reports on the activities and accomplishments of federally funded research and development centers within the department of Homeland Security. The bill requires that the secretary of Homeland Security annually submit to Congressional oversight committees a list of ongoing and completed projects lead by federally funded research and development centers within the Department of Homeland Security have been assigned or completed. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) act as a vehicle for special research and development contracting within the federal government. The FFRDCs provide DHS with independent and objective advice and quick response on critical issues throughout the Homeland Security Enterprise. Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) and Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI) perform highquality research and provide advice that is authoritative. objective and free from conflicts of interest caused by competition. I support H.R. 1637. which provides much needed transparency on the research conducted by the Department of Homeland security. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in strong support of the suspension bill. H.R. 1637. the "Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015."
Date: 2015-06-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2200. the "CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015." I support this bipartisan legislation which amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) support homeland securityfocused intelligence analysis of terrorist actors. their claims. and their plans to conduct attacks involving chemical. biological. radiological. and nuclear materials against the nation and of global infectious disease. public health. food. agricultural. and veterinary issues. (2) support homeland securityfocused risk analysis and risk assessments of such homeland security hazards by providing relevant quantitative and no quantitative threat information. (3) leverage homeland security intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance prevention. protection. response. and recovery efforts with respect to a chemical. biological. radiological. or nuclear attack. and (4) share information and provide tailored analytical support on these threats to state. local. and tribal authorities as well as other national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders. I am pleased that H.R. 2200 incorporates an amendment by Congresswoman MCSALLY that directs the department to establish chemical. biological. radiological. and nuclear (CBRN) intelligence and information sharing functions of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security and to require dissemination of information analyzed by the Department to entities with responsibilities relating to homeland security. The Nations chemical facilities represent a terrorist target that must be protected. It is my hope that this bill will improve upon current legislation authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to regulate security practices at the Nations chemical facilities. Mr. Speaker. it is clear that we must equip ourselves to be able to detect attacks of a CBRN nature. H.R. 2200 ensures a standardized communication platform for need to know industries dealing with such sensitive information. There is no room for error when it comes to our nations security. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to pass. H.R. 2200. the "CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015."
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. there is just one more congressional workday before the charter for the U.S. ExportImport Bank expires. If Republicans allow it to expire. thousands of Americans will lose their jobs and many smallbusiness owners will be hurt. people like Steve Wilburn. Steve is a pretty amazing guy. He is a former marine who was wounded in Vietnam. he owns a small business. and he is a Republican. Today. Steve runs a biomasstoenergy company. and thanks to the help of our ExIm Bank. he had a tentative $300 million deal with the Philippines. but they sent him a letter saying that. if the ExIm Bank goes under. so does his deal. Steve wont get the contract. and instead. it will go to a South Korean firm using a South Korean export bank. Perhaps our ideologically driven friends on the right can explain to Steve and to his employees who are going to lose their jobs why this is a good thing. We should join together. Lets pass the ExIm Bank for American jobs.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: BRENDAN F. BOYLE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. Mr. Speaker. this is one of the things that is actually very difficult to explain to my constituents and to most people who dont follow the ins and outs of Washington. I was at a plant in my district in northeast Philadelphia just 2 days ago. along with Senator CASEY. This company. Agusta Westland. does excellent work and employs Americans right there in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania. It benefits from something called the ExportImport Bank. something that has existed for 81 years and has been supported by every single President. both Democrat and Republican. It is a program that supports 164.000 jobs a year. and just last year. created a $675 million surplus for the taxpayers. So we have a program that helps business. creates jobs. and actually gives to taxpayers rather than taking from them. So. of course. Congress is about to allow this program to expire. It makes absolutely no sense. It is time for the leadership of this House to listen to the will of the vast majority and not the very vocal extreme minority. Let us reauthorize the ExportImport Bank.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I believe that a prayer has been answered. On May 15. I took to this very podium and prayed for the people of Nepal. The prayer was that we would accord them temporary protected status if they were living in the United States. I am proud to say that Homeland Security has now issued a mandate for a 180day registration period. 18month temporary protected status. I am grateful to Congressman CROWLEY and Congresswoman MENG for the letter that they sent to Homeland Security making this request that I was proud to sign on to. I thank the President of the United States for allowing this to happen. And. Mr. Speaker. I thank God that the people of Nepal will have an opportunity to stay in this country and not go back to the devastation that they have suffered in Nepal as a result of the earthquakes that took place there. God bless you. Mr. Speaker. and God bless the United States of America.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the gentleman from Colorado. as well as Leader PELOSI and Whip HOYER. for continuing to fight for the survival of the ExportImport Bank. Mr. Speaker. with just 1 day left for Congress to act before the ExIm Bank shuts down. I am shocked that my Republican colleagues are planning to leave town without even considering legislation to review its charter. Democrats will not sit idly by. That is why I rise today to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question in order to force a vote on legislation sponsored by myself. Mr. HECK. Ms. MOORE. Mr. HOYER. and nearly every other Democrat in this House to renew and reform the ExportImport Banks charter for the long term. Over the past 5 years. the ExportImport Bank has created or sustained an estimated 1.3 million jobs. and it has returned $6.9 billion to the American people over the past two decades. But next Tuesday. that record of success will be stopped in its tracks. The ExportImport Bank will stop creating jobs and supporting our small businesses. It will stop returning profits to the Treasury. and it will stop helping to make our businesses more competitive. Failure to act hands countries like China. Russia. and countless others that have their own version of the bank a significant victoryat the hands of American workers products and businesses. But we havent given up yet. Today we are giving the broad base of Democrats and Republicans who support the Bank an opportunity to cast a vote in favor of keeping this engine of job creation and economic growth alive. Last week my Republican colleagues who support the Bank failed to stand up for its survival. But with just 1 more day for Congress to save the Bank from shutting down. I am afraid that those who claim to support the ExportImport Bank but refuse to stand up and do so do not truly support the Bank or the jobs it creates. Mr. Speaker. businesses need to know that our government will stand up for them. not work to undermine them.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I ask my colleagues to heed the advice of Ronald Reagan. George W. Bush. and Bill Clinton. all of whom supported the ExportImport Bank. I urge a "no" vote on the previous question.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I join my colleagues. and I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1031a bill to protect thousands of American jobs by preventing the ExportImport Bank from shutting down.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1031a bill to protect thousands of American jobs by preventing the ExportImport Bank from shutting down.
Date: 2015-06-24
Speaker: BRENDAN F. BOYLE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. Mr. Speaker. as you might be able to predict. I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1031a bill that would protect thousands of American jobs by preventing the shutdown of the ExportImport Bank.