macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2000-06-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time to me. Let me also thank the leaders of the committee for -bringing forth this legislation. and the gentleman from New York for sponsoring the bill to designate the Floyd Flake Federal Building in Jamaica. Queens. New York. Throughout Reverend Flakes life. he has been the personification of the greatest traditions of America. He has consistently fought to empower each person in this country. and ensure that everyone had the tools to pursue the American dream. Designation of the Federal building in his former district as the Floyd H. Flake Federal Building would be a fitting tribute to his work in that area here in the House. and his tireless activism since he has returned home. In Congress. Reverend Flake represented the Sixth Congressional District from 1986 until his retirement in 1997. He fought fearlessly to establish programs and craft legislation designed to revitalize urban areas. He was an innovator. frequently reaching across party lines to solve problems. One of his initiatives. the Bank Enterprise Act. has resulted in millions of dollars of investment for both urban and rural economies. The language in the Bank Enterprise Act. which became law through the Community Development Financial Institutions Act. is the catalyst for investments which have led to residential development and commercial growth. It has also increased private sector commitment to aid the economies of traditionally neglected areas. Through his work. Congressman Flake helped to make certain that all segments of our society feel the benefits of our unprecedented economic expansion. Since his retirement. Reverend Flake has charted new territory regarding community activism and civic responsibility. As pastor of the Allen A.M.E. Church in Queens. he has led a revolution in churchbased nonprofit activity. His $24 million operation is a national model and has helped to revitalize his community. Following his example. countless churches around the country have restructured their operations and reached new levels of efficiency and effectiveness. As leader. he has directly and indirectly helped thousands of Americans have a legitimate chance to compete in our global marketplace. Mr. Speaker. there is perhaps no other American as worthy of this honor as former Representative Reverend Floyd H. Flake. By bestowing this designation on the Queens Federal Building. this Congress will help to show the world -that America places a premium on the values of leadership. determination. and innovation with high moral standards. I strongly support this resolution. and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2000-06-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I want to thank my colleague. the gentleman from Florida
Date: 2000-06-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. the American Heritage Rivers Initiative is a popular. effective and completely voluntary program. Claims that the program somehow violates property rights have been rejected by this Congress. the courts and the communities who participate in the Initiative. Having failed to abolish this program outright. the antiriver forces are now attempting to starve the program to death through a series of small funding cuts. These attacks are unwarranted. unwise and should be defeated.
Date: 2000-06-29
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mrs. CLAYTON. and Messrs. DEUTSCH. MCGOVERN. and HILLIARD changed their vote from "aye" to "no." So the motion to adjourn was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Date: 2000-07-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 129. and I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for bringing this to the floor. We frequently hear concerns regarding the adequacy of education our children are receiving in the areas of math. science. and technology. Indeed. our committee. Congress. and the commu: nity as a whole currently focuses a great deal of attention on improving programs aimed at increasing the literacy of students in these subjects. We should. of course. continue to pursue excellence in the areas of math. science and technology. if we intend for the United States to remain a world leader in the increasingly competitive global economy. However. is it not just as important that our citizens understand and appreciate the history of this great Nation. the democratic principles that define and sustain this Nation. such as liberty. justice. tolerance and equality under the law? For in the words of the third President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson. "If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free. it expects what never was and never will be." However. as my colleague. the gentleman from Wisconsin . has already stated. according to a recent study commissioned by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. knowledge of American history in todays students is sorely lacking. According to this study. which surveyed students from the top colleges and universities of this Nation. less than 20 percent of todays students could pass a high school level American history exam. Barely half possess the basic knowledge about American democracy and the Constitution. We are not talking here about very difficult subjects. but we are talking about the great history of this country. the great history of the documents and theories of government that govern this Nation. We are talking about the roles of Thomas Jefferson. James Madison. George Washington. about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. These are basic fundamental tenets of this Nation. They are also basic and fundamental tenets that so many other nations aspire to. and yet we find out that knowledge of these documents and of this Nations history is sorely lacking. The purpose of this resolution is to call attention to that problem and to try and get people to understand the need to iursue the knowledge of history in this country and thehistory of this Nation to better serve the Nation as we govern it. I would like to thank the involvement of John Patrick Diggins. one of my former professors. at that time at San Francisco State- who is now at the State University in New York. and I want to thank again my colleague. the gentleman from Wisconsin and Senator LIERERMAN and Senator GORTON for introducing this legislation in the Senate. and I would hope that all of my colleagues would support it. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-07-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentleman from Oregon for explaining this legislation. He has done more than an adequate job explaining the values of the Deschutes Resources Conservancy and I urge Members to support this legislation. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-07-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4132. a bill to amend the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. This legislation extends the authorizations important program for 5 years and provides a modest increase in the authorization of appropriations. The water research program- has provided us with extraordinary benefits for many years. and I would ask that all Members support the legislation. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-07-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think the Members obviouslyhave made a compelling case. the case that we heard in committee for the protectionof the Cahaba River. I would hope that all Members would support this legislation. Madam Speaker. I have no further requests for time. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2000-07-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I support H. Res. 415 and urge all Members to do the same. The oceans are vital to the welfare of this Nation and its people. The idea of taking one day annually to remind people why they need to appreciate our oceans and coasts should attract broad bipartisan support. Much of todays public awareness in the environment is attributed to the establishment 30 years ago of the first Earth Day. But as much as I applaud the success of Earth Day. it is my impression that we can and should do more to inform the public about the many threats con fronting our oceans and coasts. I have been encouraged by recent efforts of the Clinton administration that have focused public attention on ocean issues such as the International Year of the Reef in 1997. and the International Year of the Ocean in 1998. But it appears to me that an annual event to rally H5678 co: public support and interest in the oceans is needed if we are to sustain longterm public awareness. H. Res. 415 would be a very helpful step in that direction. and I commend our colleague from Hawaii. Congresswoman PATSY MINK. for proposing this resolution. I also commend the Chairman of the Fisheries Subcommittee. Mr. SAXTON. and the ranking Democrat. Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. for their support and cooperation in finetuning the resolution while it was under consideration by the Resources Committee. I urge all Members to support this bipartisan resolution.
Date: 2000-07-11
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation. H.R. 4579. that would ratify an agreement reached May 30 between Interior Secretary Babbitt and Utah Governor Levitt to exchange Federal and State lands in the West Desert of Utah. Such legislation is necessary.because the proposed exchange does not comply with- the requirements of the Federal Land Policy Management Act and other applicable law. The agreement between the Secretary and the Governor has only recently been finalized. and the hearing held by the Committee on Resources raised several questions. Fortunately. I think we have been able to address the questions that were raised with respect to appraisal of these lands and the process by which the BLM went through this and raised concerns about the general. if you will. BLM appraisal process with respect to land exchanges. Clearly here the worry was that valuation methods were used that had no basis in law or policy and could not stand up to the appraisal standards. But I think the fact of the matter is that while that process was far from ideal. I think also we have a unique situation here in the sense that there is a benefit in this exchange. especially in the fact that we will have the opportunity to consolidate Federal land holdings in many wilderness study areas and other lands found to have significant wilderness qualities. and I think that is important. So some of these lands in and of them themselves may not have great value. but in terms of management and the consolidation impact. I think that clearly this exchange is needed. and I believe the bill now contains provisions that will provide reasonable process for assessing the value of the proposed land exchange before it is implemented. The language provides that the Secretary and the State of Utah will each prepare a statement of value for the lands to be exchanged. In addition. the two parties will select an independent qualified appraiser who will review those statements of values and all relevant documentation to determine if the lands are of approximately equal value. I think this in fact will make the bill acceptable. I really want to thank the sponsor of .this legislation. the gentleman from Utah . for all of the effort that he has put into this legislation to address these concerns. I think it is clearly a bill that the House should now support. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance much my time.
Date: 2000-07-11
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. and I want to congratulate the gentleman from New Mexico and the gentlewoman from New Mexico for this legislation. I think we would make a terrible mistake if we thought about this in very narrow terms. if we thought about this simply as a matter of dollars. Obviously. we have an obligation to think about the dollars that we expend. This legislation is drafted with that in mind. and the requirements for selfsufficiency. We did this when we acquired the Presidio and created the national park there after the Army left. in San Francisco. We did that because we recognized that this was one of the unique natural assets in our Nation. Today we do the same thing with the Baca Ranch. It is not like we discovered this ranch yesterday. It is not like people just all of a sudden realized this was of value. People have recognized this as a value. a natural asset in this country. for many. many years. We now have the opportunity. through the cooperation of the family. to make this a part of our Federal land base. a land base that is envied around the world. a land base that. as many will find with the Baca Ranch. in many ways become economic generators to communities because tourists want tosee these protected lands. whether it is the headwaters of the rivers or whether it is the great valleys of this ranch or the wildlife. Fortunately. this Nation. this Congress. and Presidents of both parties have continued to acquire these lands. It is not to acquire them willynilly. it is to acquire them based upon a set of values and a set of assets that are unique. that are important to the history and the heritage of this country. Clearly the Baca Ranch qualifies in every category. however we measure it. But if we thought about it in very narrow terms. we probably never would have done Yosemite. we never would have created the Tetons. Yellowstone. Arches. the Gateways. any of these great national parks and wilderness areas and Federal preserves in this country. This is to protect it for future generations. That is what we have done best in this country. That is why other governments send people here to look at this and to see how they canmanage lands and open them up for recreation. how we can have the public participate in the utilization of these lands. and at the same time protect them for future generations. I would hope that this House would give overwhelming support for this legislation. This is truly one of the gifts we give this Nation to be enjoyed by future generations. to preserve and protect the uniqueness of this ranch which was fortunately held in one ownership for so many years. and cared for in the manner in which it was cared for. The House ought to recognize that and support this legislation. and thank our two colleagues from New Mexico for getting this matter before the House of Representatives. and thank the gentleman from Utah for his stewardship of this legislation through the Committee on Resources.
Date: 2000-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. let me express my appreciation for the hard work of the chairman. the gentleman from Alabama and the ranking member. the gentlewoman from California . I am displeased with what has come. Mr. Chairman. I fully respect what the gentleman from Alabama has done in portions of this bill. I fully understand why it is important to support the Middle East and the peace deliberations. But we cannot afford to come here day after day and ignore the poorest people of the world. while we have a pandemic going on in Africa and Asia with AIDS. If we think that is going to stay in Africa. we are in for rude awakenings. The life expectancy is moving to year 30. Can my colleagues imagine any country. any nation that has a life expectancy of 30. and we are willing to walk away .and simply say we just do not have the money when we know that we do? We can save Social Security. We can do the right thing about Medicare prescription drugs and still send some aid. the appropriate aid as frugal as is requested by the Presidefit. and we have ignored that. Let us vote against this and do it right.
Date: 2000-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. AIDSsuch an ugly disease to think about. This ugly disease which emerged from the shadows 2 decades ago. has devastated whole regions. knocked decades off national development. widened the gulf between rich and poor nations and pushed alreadystigmatized groups closer to the margins of society. Well. shouldnt we do more to extinguish such an ugly disease at home and abroad? The time to act is now. AIDS is one of the most critical development issues confronting our world. A decade ago. HIV/AIDS was regarded primarily as a serious health crisis. During that time. estimates in 1991 predicted that in subSaharan Africa. by the end of the decade. 9 million people would be infected and 5 million would die. Well. that was a threefold underestimation. Today. it is clear that AIDS is a development crisis. and in some parts of the world is rapidly becoming a security crisis too. The cumulative effect of millions of AIDS deaths is causing havoc in households. communities and economies in countries where HIV started spreading 2 decades ago. Altogether. 95% of the global epidemic is concentrated in the developing world. which has inadequate resources for haiting the HIV spread and alleviating its devastating consequences. It is a fact that AIDS is unique in its devastating impact on the social. economic and demographic underpinnings of development. The time to act is now. Support our colleagues amendment to include an additional $42 million. per the Presidents request. to the $202 million provided for the USAID global HIV/AIDS program.
Date: 2000-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. let me thank the gentlewoman for presenting this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I hope we are listening. I really do hope that we are not going to close our eyes and turn our ears off and ignore this problem. Let us try to listen to this one more time. A total of 5.4 million people globally became newly infected with HIV in 1999. A total of 34.3 million people globally are living with HIVAIDS. We cannot sit here and allow this to happen without some kind of intervention. There have been a total of 18.8 million global AIDSrelated deaths since the beginning of this epidemic. A total of 13.2 million children globally have become orphaned since the AIDS epidemic. There are 34.3 million adults and children living with AIDS in the world. We have to act now. This is an emergency. Experience shows that the right approach. applied quickly enough with courage and resolve. can and does result in lower HIV infection rates and less suffering for those affected by this epidemic. An evergrowing AIDS epidemic is not inevitable. yet unless action against this epidemic is scaled up drastically. the damage is going to be done. We have got to act now. We have got to eradicate this ugly disease. The time is now. It is urgent. Support my colleagues amendment.
Date: 2000-07-20
Speaker: DEIDRE A. LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Administrator. Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Acting Deputy Director for Management. OMB. Old Executive Office Building. Washington. DC. Re: Proposed Rulemaking/Federal Acquisition Regulations DEAR MS. LEE: As you are aware from numerous correspondence between this Committee and the executive branch. I. and a growing number of other members of Congress. strongly believe the administrations proposed "blacklisting" regulations published in the Federal Register July 9. 1999. are unfair. unnecessary. and without technical merit. Testimony heard before this Committee last year demonstratedas will testimony before House and Senate Committees in the future no doubt further demonstratethat these changes will grant procurement officers discretion over laws with which they are not expert. are unnecessary in light of the protections against "bad actors" found in current law. and are so vague with regard to the standard potential contractors must meet they raise serious due process concerns. Equally disturbing is the administrations attempt to bypass the proper legislative role of Congress effectively to amend the penalty provisions of dozens of federal laws--including the labor and employment laws within this Committees jurisdiction. I.am writing today to urge you again to reconsider this political effort to cheapen the federal procurement process. In addition. I request that you provide to this Committee by October 19. 1999. specific data upon which your Office and the administration relied in fashioning these proposals. Specifically. what contractors have failed to comply with what laws causing what problems in the procurement process? What specific complaints have you received from contracting officers regarding the inadequacy of the current FAR suspension and debarment procedures? Also. what specific government contractors have been unable to fulfill contracts with the federal government because of labor and employment law violations? Finally. I also request any other data or information upon which this policy decision was made. I thank you in advance for your attention to this request. If you have any questions. please contact Peter Gunas of my Committee staff. at 2022257101. Sincerely.
Date: 2000-07-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 2773 would amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to make the Wekiva River in Central Florida. as well as several of its tributaries. components of the wild.and scenic rivers system. Congress authorized a study of the river in 1996 to determine whether it met the criteria for addition to the wild and scenic rivers program. The study found that it did. There is a great deal of local support for conferring this status on the Wekiva. and in addition to this Federal designation. the Wekiva already benefits from important State and local protections. During consideration of this measure by the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands. an amendment in the nature of a substitute was adopted which made a number of technical changes to the bill. the majority of which are suggested by the National Park Service. With these changes. we support the legislation and urge our colleagues to approve H.R. 2773.
Date: 2000-07-24
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.