macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 799. as amended. the Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2007. and thank Chairman OBERSTAR and Ranking Member MICA for their hard work and leadership in helping to bring this bill to the floor. The Appalachian Regional Commission. the ARC. strives to ensure the people and businesses of the Appalachian region have the knowledge. skills. abilities. and access to services necessary to compete in basic economic activities of the United States. Since its inception in 1965. the commission has been highly effective in meeting the goals of its mission. There is no doubt that it has compiled an impressive record of accomplishment in creating economic opportunity in Appalachia. Jusf as it has done since its inception. the ARC has proven it provides a fair return. both socially and economically. for the Federal Governments investment in the people of Appalachia. Consistent with the congressional leadership and interest in -energy programs. H.R. 799 authorizes the ARC to provide technical assistance. make grants. enter into contracts. or otherwise provide amounts in the Appalachian region for energyefficient projects or projects to increase the use of renewable energy resources. This bill also authorizes the creation of atrisk counties. and further outlines the percentage of funds for which these counties are eligible. The authorized amounts build on the funds authorized in Public Law 107149 and adjust the annual amounts for inflation. The bill authorizes appropriation for the commissions programs and expenses through the fiscal year 2011. H.R. 799. as amended. has strong bipartisan support. which acknowledges the ARC as: a wellrun and highly effective Federal/State partnership commission. I urge the passage of H.R. 799. as amended. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-07-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the President continues to ask this Congress and the American people to "stay the course" in Iraq. Well. Mr. President. today the American people and the Congress have said "no more." Today I add my voice once again to the growing number of retired military generals.. the Iraq Study Group. and untold thousands of rank and file on the front lines who were calling for a new direction in Iraq. The success of our military depends on a sound strategy. Yet instead of fighting the terrorists in the mountains of Afghanistan. our armed forces are overextended after 4 years of refereeing a civil war in the sands of Iraq. The Presidents escalation of this war. his socalled surge. is not working. That much is clear. Since the escalation of this war 6 months ago. more than 25.000 troops have been sent to Iraq. 600 more U.S. soldiers have died. and more than 3.000 troops have been wounded. Countless thousands of Iraqis are dead. and today the violence in Iraq is at an alltime high. Those are facts that no one can deny. Our troops have performed heroically in Iraq. but the Iraqi Government has failed to meet any. any of the benchmarks endorsed by the President in January. Political reconciliation within Iraq is nonexistent. A change of course is long overdue. The time has come for the United States to responsibly redeploy our troops from Iraq and to refocus our efforts on protecting Americans from terrorism. The time has come for Iraqis to take primary responsibility for their country and for their security. Let me be clear on one additional point. Democrats support the troops. As a member of the Appropriations Committee. I personally have consistently voted to fund our troops and to provide our soldiers in the line of fire with the resources that they need. I do this because our brave servicemen and women are not risking their lives each and every day for one political party over another. They are risking their lives for America. Our Nation owes our troops a strategy that is worthy of their sacrifice. But "stay the course" is not that strategy. It is a slogan that continues to fail them. No. Mr. Speaker. if we really want to support our troops. it is time to get them out of Iraq and redeploy them to other areas where they can fight the SE H7823 terrorists who have attacked and who continue to threaten our Nation. Thats where the war on terror should be waged.
Date: 2007-07-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. members of the Congressional Black Caucus wish to call greater attention upon the disparities that exist in health care. Chilren of color suffer disproportionately from a lack of health insurance.. In my State of Texas. the problem is severe. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the Nation. with over 21 percent of childrenthats 1.4 million-:-lacking health care coverage. Across the nation. more than 9 million American children lacked health care coverage in 2005. The State Childrens Health Insurance Program. called SCHIP. is critically important to prevent low- and moderateincome minority children from slipping through. the cracks of our health care system. One problem is that eligible children are not enrolling in SCHIP. Nearly threequarters of uninsured children were eligible for health coverage through SCHIP or Medicaid in 2004. A disproportionate number of those eligible. but uninsured. were either Black or Hispanic. Without insurance. children living in poverty are likely to have poorer health compared to children with insurance. Uninsured kids are more likely to lack a regular source of health care. delay or have unmet health care needs. use less preventive care. and receive poorer quality care than children with insurance. I urge my colleagues to remember our uninsuredespecially the children--and have compassion on our Nations most vulnerable.
Date: 2007-07-17
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor Robert Causor. Jr.. a paratrooper rifleman with the 82nd Airborne Division who was killed July 7 by a homemade bomb in Samarra. Iraq. Robert was born and grew up in San Jose. California. Since childhood. he dreamed of being a soldier. and after graduating from Overfelt High School he enlisted to serve in Iraq. Despite worries from his family. Robert was determined to fulfill his lifelong dream. To Robert. service in the military was a way to repay his country for the successes of his family. He came from a close family. one of 26 cousins who lived in San Jose for over three decades. On behalf of Californias 16th Congressional District. I offer Roberts family our deepest condolences as they deal with this painful loss. He will be decorated with many honors. including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. but today our thoughts and our prayers are with his parents. the rest of his family and his friends.
Date: 2007-07-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I missed rolicall Nos. 633 and 634 since I was at Walter Reed Army Hospital visiting injured troops. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea."
Date: 2007-07-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I want to thank my colleagues. my good friend from Indiana and chair of the subcommittee. Mr. ViscLOsKY. and Chairman OBEY. for bringing up this important piece of legislation. I rise in support of the supplemental report on H.R. 2641. Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the subcommittee leadership for their inclusion of $18.3 million for the Houston Ship Channel Navigation project. which is $2 million more than the Presidents budget. and for including $15.442 million in operations and maintenance
Date: 2007-07-17
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I strongly support this bill to fund the departments of Labor. Health & Human Services. and Education. I commend Chairman Obey and his staff on their hard work and dedication in putting together a bill that addresses the most pressing needs of American families. including their health and safety and the education of their children. I especially thank the Chairman for his efforts to increase funding for school counselors. This bill provides over $61 million for school counseling programs. a 77% increase over last years funding. This historic investment will expand counseling in middle and high schools across the nation. School counseling is a profession often treated as an afterthought in school improvement efforts. But counselors play a critical role. especially in high schools. High school is a transition period into adulthood and the worid of work. As students make this transition. many lose their way and drop out. But a good counselor can help a student find the right path. No matter how many credits a student is behind or how many personal challenges she might face. counselors can help students at risk develop a plan. access the right help. and graduate on time. Individual attention and followup from a counselor can help turn around students lives. Additional counselors. particularly at the middle and high school levels. will be instrumental in helping schools improve their graduation rates and achieve other goals of No Child Left Behind. Again. I thank the gentleman for his commitment to the education of our young people. and I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.
Date: 2007-07-17
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. I congratulate the chairman and ranking member on a very wellcrafted and bipartisan bill. Id like to particularly thank the 6hairman for including a nearly $100 million increase to the Ryan White CARE Act. My amendment would add a $3.5 million increase to Ryan White title IV funding. Title IVs unique model of coordinated. familycentered care has proven successful at promoting better health. HIVpositive children treated by title IV have reduced hospitalizations. fewer symptoms. and fewer opportunistic infections. resulting in overall improved health and longer life. Babies are more likely to be born HIVfree if their HIVpositive mothers receive prenatal care through a title IV program. Nearly 90 percent of the people cared for by title IV live below the poverty level. and 88 percent are African American or Latin o. As HIV infections in women and young people continue to rise. disproportionately impacting lowincome women and youth of color. title IV programs have needed additional resources in recent years. . A $3.5 million increase to title IV will prevent cuts to HIV services for women. children. youth and families living with HIV. Even this modest increase can help bring mole pregnant women and young people into care and keep them in care. Madam Chairman. I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member as well. and I want to acknowledge the advocacy and support of Congressman HANK JOHNSON from the State of Georgia as well. Madam Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-07-18
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me say to the gentleman who objected. I truly understand his objection on the reading program. However. statistics have shown that if these young people are under the influence of drugs. thats where they fall. And if we could prevent this drug usage. it probably will let some of the ability come through. I know that its difficult. but this is a very serious problem. and these cuts will hurt very severely in areas. primarily in school districts where weve had even young people having the ability to sell drugs to another young person. Obviously.- its comingfrom somewhere else. But in Dallas. we have not found a single child that has experimented with this "cheese" thathas survived. And we do have parents involved. Well have to discontinue this program if we dont have these funds. And I would just plead with you to help find these funds somewhere. if you have a severe objection to it coming from this area. But I felt that if the areas funding was not being handled correctly. it could be placed in a program thats going very well. that has influenced the decrease of 23 percent -drug usage among our youth in the last 5 years. And I have grave concern about allowing this to go on without the assistance thats needed. As I said earlier. I have worked with the FBI. Theyre working with merchants to try to get some of the Tylenol PM and the other off the market in these areas. It is a serious undertaking in the area. And all of our law enforcement people are involved. But our schools cannot continue this without the funding. And thats the reason why I plead for understanding for this funding.
Date: 2007-07-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the Chair. Under this amendment. what this amendment says is that the National Labor Relations Board could not enforce the partys obligation to bargain in good faith following a voluntary recognition. So an employer and an employee can get together. they can voluntarily enter into an agreement by which they have their working relationship. and if theyre down the road at some point. one of them wants to bring an action. the employer against the employees or the employees against the employer for not bargaining in good faith. the National Labor Relations Board couldnt enforce that. couldnt take any action. This is a voluntary agreement. It doesnt even have to be through the card check process. Any voluntary agreement. youre suggesting that somehow these people would not be able to enforce that agreement once it was entered into. This undermines the rights of potentially millions of American workers that have already organized under voluntary recognition agreements and already engaged in a collective bargaining relationship. These workers may have decades long collective bargaining arrangements already that they have worked under. and -then if -the most recent contract expires. they would have no enforceable right to go back and enforce their rights under the Souder amendment. This makes no sense. Its rather incredible to me that under the Souder amendment what we would be doing is inserting the government in a private voluntary agreement between an employer and an employer. I understand the gentleman doesnt like card check. but thats not what this is about. This is about any voluntary agreement that theyve entered into. and I dont know why we would be inserting the government at this point. Madam Chairman. at this point. I yield 12 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey .
Date: 2007-07-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. let me just reiterate again. and my two colleagues have said this. Under existing law today. if the employer doesnt like the agreement. the voluntary agreement. or if employees come to them and say. gee. we all want to join a union. heres a majority. whatever it is. the employer says. no. game is over. its off. its done. He has a veto. absolute veto. its over. So the only way you can have this voluntary agreement is if the employer is happy with it. So. now we have an agreement where the employers happy. the employees are happy. and they work under it for a number of years. but you cannot ever go and seek enforcement. So apparently what the gentleman is doing. hes just decided hes going to insert the government for only one purpose. and thats the purpose to destroy basic worker rights and the ability to organize the workplace. even if they do it voluntarily and with the consent of the employer. Now. I know the gentlemans always believed in limited government. and I know the gentleman. doesnt think the government should interfere in all these contractual arrangements. Heres a voluntary arrangement and youre going to insert the government for one purpose. to deny the employees their rights under the voluntary agreement which they entered into with an employer who had the veto if he didnt want to enter into it. They cant coerce him into doing it. He has the veto. We should reject this amendment. Madam Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-07-19
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I come to the floor today in full support of H.R. 3043. the Labor. Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008. By bringing this bill to the House floor. we demonstrate again the hard work of the Democratic majority to reverse the trend of critical cuts to programs that improve the lives of all Americans. The bill includes an additional $750 million for the National Institutes of Health. another $400 million for the Social Security Administration to address the backlog of disability cases and reviews and. most dramatically. $2 billion additionally to improve the requirements of No Child Left Behind. Additionally. Head Start will get $75 million in additional funding under this bill. But when you look at it. in real dollar terms. thats actually a decrease. Head Start is widely recognized as one of our most productive education programs. For every dollar that we spend on Head Start we bring in $9 in future. benefits in taxes. So the benefits of Head Start do not end just with. the preparation for school. And I understand there are budgetary constraints but. Mr. Speaker. I hope that in the conference -committee we can actually put real money into Head Start.
Date: 2007-07-19
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I would hope that all of our colleagues would oppose this amendment. . The student loan application that is in question here. the criticism of it andthe concern with it is not because it is printed in Spanish or English. The real criticism is that it is so complicated that families have an incredibly difficult time in filling out this form. Our committee has been working. Mr. EMANUEL and others have been working. to try to simplify this form to make it useful. This form has more questions than if you went to the World Bank to get a loan. But to now suggest that a student may be denied access to a loan and the family may be denied access to financial support for that education solely on the basis of whether or not the parents speak English. they fill out the form right and whether or hot the form is printed in Spanish. you know the old saying. Im here from the Federal Government. Im here to help you. This has nothing to do with the parents status. Nothing to do with the status. It is a question of whether or not we make some effort to reach out to these individuals to make it easier for them to fill -out the forms that are necessary for their young people. their children to go on to c6llege and have the financialresources to do. that. The question of whether its printed in Spanish or not is simply now arbitrary. And as would they. if they dont fill out the form correctly. if they have do it with their child or somebody else trying to interpret the questions. interpret the answers to them. I think thats incredibly unfair to people who are here in this country. Theyre here legally. and they dont happen to speak English and they made need this assistance. What we know about people trying to learn English is that in every city. in every part of this country. where there are classes to teach English. theyre oversubscribed. they have waiting lists because these people understand that English is the language of this country. Its the currency of the country. its the means by which you get ahead in this country. and thats why they want their children to learn English/To now come along and say that were going to make it more difficult. based upon this characteristic that -has nothing to do with your qualifications for the financial assistance. with the qualifications of your child to go to school. what theyve accomplished with their lives. I think is outrageous and arbitrary. Id like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California .
Date: 2007-07-19
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I think the gentleman makes a point. This is about American citizens who are here who are paying taxes. whose children have done well enough to go on to college. Theyre seeking the financial resources to do that. They may not speak English. And this is a service that we provide to those individuals so that they can accurately fill out a form. They can understand the form. they can understand the liabilities that theyre taking on. They can understand the qualifications. To arbitrarily come along and tell one group. of citizens. based upon this question of whether or not they speak English. they will be able to have the same access to these resources as others or not seems to me to be very unfair. very unAmerican. It promotes a set of values that really arent consistent with the values in this country. And it really is about whether or not the Federal Government is in the business of looking at the people theyre trying to serve as customers. people who should be served. I would hope that we would oppose this amendment. We continue to struggle to try to make this form comprehensible to those who speak English and understand English. And I think to make it more difficult now for those who dont is a very poor service to that part of American society. And I would urge opposition to this amendment. -Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2007-07-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr Speaker. this water recycling legislation. H.R. 1526. enables local agencies across Californias BayDelta region to invest in sustainable and reliable new water supplies. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. The Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Authorization Act will provide Federal assistance for an ambitious and forwardthinking regional water recycling program that will reduce demand on the BayDelta and droughtproof our regional municipal water supplies. The legislation will assist efforts in Pittsburg. Antioch. Palo Alto. Mountain View. Pacifica. South Santa Clara County. Redwood City. and San Jose. The city of Pittsburg and the Delta Diablo Sanitation District. in my congressional district. have been leading the charge on this effort. investing time. energy. and local funds in developing water recycling projects to help meet regional water needs. Water recycling is good for the environment and for local budgets. In Pittsburg. for example. instead of using fresh water from the Delta. recycled water will be applied to city parks. golf courses. medians. and other green spaces. As the Contra Costa Times wrote about the bill. "There is no good reason to flush wastewater into rivers. bays. . estuaries. and the ocean if it can be treated and used again for other purposes such as irrigating parks and golf courses." I want to thank Chairman NICK RAHALL and Chairwoman GRACE NAPOLITANO. and the staff of the Natural Resources Committee and the Subcommiteee on Water and Power. for their assistance in this effort. and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.