macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-11-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I just want to tell a story on that very specific restriction. We had the Republican secretary of state in Florida recently ask the attorney general to start assessing $50 fines for each of the 76 voter registration applications that were submitted by a high school teacher in Santa Rosa County. There was no indication of foul play. The applications were of individuals who appeared to be eligible Florida voters. They were high school kids who were 18 and were eligible to vote. But because Florida has changed the law under the Republican voter suppression law that requires registration to be turned in within 48 hours. and it used to be 10 days. this teacher got fined because she was trying to help her students register to vote and didnt get them in under the new time limit.
Date: 2011-11-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Exactly. The League of Women Voters in my State. Mr. HOLT. has registered voters in Florida for seven decades and suspended their voter registration activity after this law passed because they cant take the risk. The organization would become bankrupt. Can you imagine. the League of Women Voters no longer registers people to vote in the State of Florida.
Date: 2011-11-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Because in some States its equally as bad. It is certainly bad enough in Texas theyre not putting more funding in to make sure those people have more access to get those photo IDs. But in some States. because of the budget cuts. theyre systematically. in communities that have large African American populations and large Hispanic populations. shutting down drivers license offices. so its even harder for those communities to go and get a photo ID. This has been insidious. The disturbing thing about this is that its clear that these Republican legislatures. led by Republican Governors. just dont think that they can win an election on the merits. And so they need an insurance policy because. in the event voters actually decide that no. Republicans arent interested in creating jobs. no. theyre not interested in getting the economy turned around. and. gee. maybe Id like to actually go to the polls and vote for the candidate of my choice. they are using the insurance policy of voter suppression laws to make sure that people who are likely to go to the polls and vote for someone other than them cant do it. Its unAmerican. Its unacceptable.
Date: 2011-11-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. and thank you for the opportunity for calling us together on this very important topic. I just want to close out my time very briefly by saying to the gentlemen from Texas and New Jersey that we are not going to lay down and just allow these laws to stand. that there are civil rights organizations. as we speak. pursuing these laws because we know that they are violations of peoples. of individuals constitutional rights. We know they are violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We know that the Justice Department is reviewing many of these laws because they have to be precleared under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. So people should know that while we are here expressing grave concern. we are certainly not only using our voices to fight these insidious laws. we are standing up for the franchise. standing up for the right to vote and making sure that. as Democrats. we go to bat to make sure every eligible voter has an opportunity to cast their vote for the person that is the individual that they want to represent them in this representative democracy. We are standing against individuals who try to fix the outcome of elections by blocking peoples access to the polls.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. there are unsung heroes and heroines among us. These are the persons who overcome great challenges just to do the ordinary. Theyre not born into plentytheyre often born into povertybut they have lives that are rich in that they overcome great obstacles in life just so that they can be of benefit to the lives of others. One such heroine was born on January 26. 1934. She passed last week on November 9. 2011. Her story is one that I would hope we would remember simply because it exemplifies the life of a person who met challenges. who did everything that was required. who played by the rulesand sometimes these persons go unnoticed. Lola Mae Bolton Davis was born in Anderson. Texas. to Arllie Pratt Sanders and Charlie Bolton. She was their second born. She attended Allen Farm School up to the eighth grade. She joined Rockwest Baptist Church. At the age of 16. she moved to Houston. Texas. where she acquired her first job as a housekeeper. At the age of 18. she met the love of her life. Ruben George Davis. Sr. A year later. they had their first child. Pamela. She went on to attend Franklin Beauty School. Eventually. she opened her own business. and it was known as the Lola Davis Beauty Nook. She later had three additional childrenRuben. Paula and Renwick. She was hired by Texas Instruments in 1969. While she was working there. she received her GED. Later. she received her associates degree from Houston Community College. She enrolled at Texas Southern University and graduated with a degree in education. She taught in the Houston Independent School District. Mind you. this is a person who dropped out of high school. who received a GED. who went on to get an associates degree. who got her degree in education. and now shes teaching in the Houston Independent School District. She was known as "Grandma Davis" to her students. Her son Ruben became a constable in Harris County. He is still a constable. but is now in Fort Bend County. Her children have done well. She played by the rules. She did not receive all of the awards that one might receive who has excelled and made a great contribution by way of an invention or maybe made a great contribution of having been elected to public office. but she did do thisshe was a good citizen who did the right thing: took care of her family and produced offspring who have done well. So. today. I salute her as an unsung heroine. Thank God for the many unsung heroes and heroines who are at the very foundation of what makes this Nation great. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. and God bless our unsung heroes and heroines.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in strong opposition to cuts in Medicare and Social Security. In these last few days and the most important days that we face. I challenge the supercommittee to put politics aside and to work together to come up with a balanced. bipartisan deal that will strengthen and preserve our Nations most successful health care and antipoverty health programs. Acrosstheboard cuts. which will result from the supercommittees failure to work together. will do nothing more than increase health care costs to seniors and the disabled and weaken our already vulnerable economy. I have received countless phone calls. stacks of letters. boxes of cards from concerned constituents all over north Texas who wait in fear to hear the fate of their economic future. I urge the supercommittee to reject any policies that will result in higher costs for our Nations sick and elderly.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to welcome ESPNs College GameDay to the campus of the University of Houston. This is the first time in the history of that show that the University of Houston and the city of Houston has been given this honor. The University of Houston Cougars. led by Heisman hopeful Case Keenum. is the highlighted game. as the 100 Cougars face the SMU Mustangs this Saturday. The Cougars will push for an undefeated season and potential atlarge BCS bowl opportunity. The University of Houston has a long. storied tradition of athletic success. including 55 NCAA individual championships and 17 NCAA team titles. 19 college football bowl appearances. five NCAA mens basketball Final Fours. and a trip to the College World Series. The University of Houston has received the TierOne research university distinction from the Carnegie Foundation. The University of Houston is one of only three Carnegiedesignated TierOne public research universities in Texas. The University of Houston is also known as a first -generation school. for many of the students are the first in their families to attend college. Our undergraduates choose from 120 majors and minors. The University of Houston also offers 139 masters. 54 doctoral. and three professional degree programs. The University of Houston is the second most ethnically diverse major research university in the United States. Students come from as many as 137 nations and from across the Nation. As a proud alumnus of the University of Houston. I salute the successes of the athletic and academic programs and welcome ESPN to our campus today.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady from New York for her kindness in yielding. I thank the hard work of the Appropriations Committee. I thank the gentlelady from Virginia for managing. And I thank Mr. DICKS as well for accepting the challenge in these very difficult times. Its not a happy time to come to the floor and indicate that this is what we have to do. but its important to acknowledge some challenges that we still have. And those challenges are: the many food programs that have to be capped in spite of the numbers of people who are hungry in this country. the dumbing down of food resources. in particular. as my colleague from Colorado mentioned. listing tomato paste and french fries as vegetables. and then an issue that I hope that I will be able to continue to work on with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. and that is food deserts. where there are pockets in rural and urban centers where we have no food access. good healthy food. vegetables. But I am glad that the New Starts. under the transportation bill. includes the north and southeast lines for the city of Houston. creating jobs. putting people to work. and improving mobility. some $94.616.000. I am also delighted that TIGER grants are in at $500 million. but disappointed in the community planning. that we have lost some $830 million for community block grants. $1.6 billion below the President. Thats where we help rebuild communities and jobs. The Legal Services Corporation that Ive been a supporter of and actively was on our local board. board of directors. now has been reduced by $348 million. but it has been reduced. which creates what we call the justice gap. I also am concerned about providing more developmental training for our law enforcement that covers our Federal sectors. In particular. I am concerned about the police in the Supreme Court and the Chief of Police there. and the concern for the lack of professionalism and the need for training. I believe that in the Capitol Police scenario. there is an orderly process of the Chief. the SergeantatArms. and we work wonderfully together with these outstanding men and women. Its a shame for those who have to protect the other body of government. the Supreme Court. to have individuals who do not recognize IDs. are not professional in their handling of their business. And I will be raising this issue with the Department of Justice and relating it to the funding which I think is necessary to either provide them with more funding or to put more stringent guidelines in their hiring policies and the way they train people. So I rise today to say that I am glad that we will have the government open. and that we have funded agriculture programs. not at the best. weve funded infrastructure. But we can do more. And I believe we should not adhere to any cuts going forward. and I hope the supercommittee will not do that. I ask for support of the underlying bill.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida. Mr. Speaker. the underlying resolution has to do with a balanced budget amendment. which most Americans might say "yea" to. but this is a deja vu because we debated this so many years ago. and it was found that a balanced budget amendment for the Federal Government will not work with all of the restraints and necessities of serving the American people. But Mr. CRITZs bill and the idea of correcting the currency manipulation of China will work. It will create jobs. The World Trade Organization cannot help. All the negotiations with China will not help. I would love for them to stand up and be counted in the world family so that we can continue to churn the economy. which all of us would benefit from. But as the euro crumbles and possibly the dollar will step inI opposed the euro many years agoweve got to get a currency that responds to all of us. Decent pay for a decent days workthat does not happen when you have a manipulation of product cost so that some products are so much cheaper than the ones made by Americans. We are not envious. and we are not jealous. but this resolution or Mr. CRITZs bipartisan effort can move forward if we vote "no" on the previous question. and then we can begin to help create jobs. And we might say to the supercommittee that we thank you for your service. but we can go into 2012 deliberatively and thoughtfully looking at a plan that raises revenue and cuts the areas that do not leave the vulnerable along the highway of despair. I support Mr. CRITZs effort. I want to move beyond the supercommittee and fund this government and create jobs in the way that the people elected us to do.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the ranking member of this committee. Many of us could spend a lot of time on educating the public on just what is occurring. We cherish this little book that has lasted in this Nation for somemore than centuries that we can count. As this document was written. the question was going to askor was asked whether it could last. And today. we cite the United States as the longest democracy holding on to a Constitution that provides us with the opportunity to even be here. But it is important to note that in order to amend the Constitution. the Founding Fathers were so serious about how important an action this would be that they indicated that there should be twothirds votes from both the House and the Senate and threequarters of our States. The people of the United States must likewise answer the call. Frankly. let me make a pronouncement. The American people will not answer this foolish call. They will recognize that whether its supercommittees or Tea Parties and others that want to detract away from the reasonable approach to budgeting. which is revenue enhancement and serious reform. they know that the way they do their budget is thoughtfulness and not rushing to judgement. A headline on the markup of our bill in committee. though I know this is not. said: SHEILA JACKSON LEE Cant Slow Down Republican Balanced Budget Amendment Freight Train. That train keeps coming. and in the midst of it. there are bloody bodies left along the wayside. Our Chairman of the Federal Reserve said we really dont want to just cut. cut. cut. Chairman Bernanke said you need to be a little bit cautious about sharp cuts in every near term because of the potential impact on the recovery. That doesnt at all preclude. in fact. I believe its entirely consistent with a longerterm program that will bring our budget into a sustainable position.
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman. So for us to go this route. it means that even in a war. it is a complicated process of a majority vote. even beside the declaration of war. even in an emergency when our soldiers are needing more resources. we have to come to this body and stop and wait for our soldiers to get what their resources are. We have to stop and wait for our veterans to get the resources that they need. While veterans hospitals are closing. while centers for posttraumatic stress disorder are closing. we will be fiddling around and the freight train of the balanced budget amendment will drive over the veterans. the soldiers. the President who is trying to save this Nation. Homeland Security resources that are needed. because we wanted to be a political grandstanding for a balanced budget amendment. We balanced a budget in 1993. some suffered politically. We got the budget balanced in 1997. some suffered politically. But the Democrats knew how to do it. Lets come together. Balance the budget and ignore a complicated. ludicrous process that the Founding Fathers said. stop. wait. do the right thing. do your job. not an amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to the rule for H.J. Res. 2. a "Proposing A Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution of the United States." While I support bipartisan efforts to increase the debt limit and to resolve our differences over budgetary revenue and spending issues. I cannot support a bill that unduly constrains the ability of Congress to deal effectively with Americas economic. fiscal. and job creation troubles. In my lifetime. I have never seen such a concerted effort to ransom the American economy in order to extort the American public. While I support bipartisan efforts to increase the debt limit and to resolve our differences over budgetary revenue and spending issues. I cannot support a bill that unduly robs average Americans of their economic security and ability to provide for their families while constraining the ability of Congress to deal effectively with Americas economic. fiscal. and job creation troubles. This bill would put our national security at risk. If our nation is under attack or needs to respond to an imminent threat. the last person I would consider contacting is an accountant. I would expect that this body would act swiftly and this mandate takes away that ability. We need to change the tone here in Congress. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said it best when he stated recently before the House Committee on Financial Services. "We really dont want to just cut. cut. cut." Chairman Bernanke further stated "You need to be a little bit cautious about sharp cuts in the very near term because of the potential impact on the recovery. That doesnt at all precludein fact. I believe its entirely consistent witha longerterm program that will bring our budget into a sustainable position."
Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I oppose this balanced budget amendment. Its not because I support reckless spending. deficit spending. or believe that we dont have a fiscal problem in this country. I oppose this balanced budget amendment because I believe it is a heavy handed approach. which has the potential to harm Social Security and Medicare recipients and will hamstring our Nations ability to respond to natural disasters. terrorist attacks. and acts of war. We balanced our budget in the 1990s without a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution and we can do it again. Balancing our budget is good policy. I am even open to the idea of a carefully crafted amendment that will not threaten Social Security and Medicare recipients and not endanger our future national security and emergency preparedness. The proposal before us today does none of this and is just bad policy. It is true that our Nations debt has gotten too big and it is projected to expand even more if nothing is done to curtail it. For this reason. I support immediate measures to reduce our debt to a level that is both manageable and sustainable. which will put our country on a path to economic stability and prosperity. I oppose this proposal. but look forward to working with my colleagues. Democrat and Republican. to find better ways to address our fiscal challenges.
Date: 2011-11-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Theyve offloaded all of the pension costs they possibly could on the backs of these workers. We should not allow that to happen. not in this country. not in this Congress. We should not allow it to happen to American workers and to their families. We should defeat this very antifamily piece of legislation.
Date: 2011-11-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

As for regular order. I would like to remind the gentlewoman from North Carolina that when the vote came. there wasnt a single Republican vote back in the Clinton era. Not a single Republican vote. Once again. you balked when it came time to vote.
Date: 2011-11-18
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to H. Res. 470. the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3094. the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act. The misleadingly named Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act has one overriding goalto frustrate workers right to vote in a union election. Seventysix years ago. this body passed the National Labor Relations Act. which stated: "It is declared to be the policy of the United States to . . . encourag[e] the practice and procedure of collective bargaining . . . for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of [workers] employment." The legislation being considered today would undermine the very intent of the NLRA by setting aside decades of labor jurisprudence set by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and our nations courts. and replace it with new and untested processes that would cause uncertainty. delay elections. and prevent rather than encourage collective bargaining. The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act would do this by mandating a set of waiting periods and a full. preelection hearing over any issue that is raised by a party. For instance. no election would be allowed to occur no sooner than 35 days after the filing of a petition. However. there is no limit on how long an election may be delayed. Delay gives unscrupulous employers more time to use any means. legal or illegal. to pressure employees into abandoning their organizing efforts. Also found in this legislation are provisions that would encourage frivolous litigation for the purpose of slowing the election process and stalling any vote. This will create a massive backlog of cases on the taxpayers dime. This bill would also give employers the ability to gerrymander elections through the proposed legislations onesizefitsall test in defining who would be allowed to vote in an organizing election. thereby making a majority vote all the more difficult to achieve. It is time for this Chamber to put aside its war on the American worker and his or her right to organize and collectively bargain. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for working Americans and vote against this rule and the underlining legislation.