macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. all we need to do is look at the substandard conditions in many of our public housing complexes. fl 2115 That is not a state of mind. That is a state of circumstances. and no one wants to be in those circumstances. But if we look at the dismal record of this administration as far as job creation. African Americans are at almost 10 percent unemployment. So if we look at where we are as far as employment opportunities. training. it is interesting to talk about what they are going to do in the future. but I would like the people to look at their present record. Judge people on the work I have done. I love that spiritual: "Let the work I have done speak for me." We look at the record of this administration when it comes to housing. and it is dismal. When it comes to training. dismal. When it comes to education. dismal. And all of this goes together to change that state of mind. to give people that opportunity to get a heads up. and that is what we are supposed to be about. It is a real honor to serve in the House of Representatives. It is really an honor because we have an opportunity to help people that need a little helping hand. It is not a state of mind. We visit people who try all they can. and they have run out of their employment. and the training program is not there. And they have trained people to go into other jobs. and then they have sent those jobs overseas. and they have no job.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

That is. Mr. Speaker. I think the most important thing. to have a trust fund. So once we have a trust fund. then we have a dedicated source of revenue. and that is certainly what housing needs because it is not a priority. A lot of people that are in housing. they do not vote. They do not have any rich lobbyists up here. So. therefore. they are not included. They are not on the agenda. No one cares about them. So that is part of the problem. So I really want to commend the gentlewoman for coming up with a mechanism that we can have a dedicated source of revenue. And then. of course. we will have to continue to fight because. just like in transportation. the reason why we cannot pass a transportation bill. and the money is also there in the trust fund. is this administration for some reason does not want to invest in the infrastructure in this country. In Iraq. yes. But not in this country. Because for transportation every billion dollars creates 44.000 jobs. and that is what the people need. Once they have a job. then they can have housing. But until that time. they have to have affordable housing because people just cannot afford it. And the gentlewoman said $44.000 or $45.000 or $50.000. What happens when people have nothing. they have no source of income? They have lost their job. they paid into the fund. but yet this administration will not even entertain extending it so that people can get some assistance.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if the gentlewoman will continue to yield. it is not not believable because it is not a priotity of this administration. I have served for 23 years. 10 years in the Florida House. and I have been here for over 12 years. I have never seen an administration that -dictates what comes before the. House of Representatives. the peoples House. I mean. if they do not want the bill to pass. it does not pass. Just like with the gun bill. they do not want the bill to come up. regardless of what they have said. because it did not come up. So people do not understand what has happened in this country and in the peoples House. I love being here because it was 129 years before the first African American got elected to Congress. so I feel that it is very important that we speak up for the people who do not have lobbyists here in Washington. who do not have people that are going to fight to make sure that we have decent. safe. and affordable housing. And we have a Secretary who does not understand that. a Secretary of Housing. who just happens to be an African American.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if the gentlewoman will continue to yield. I know him very well. He is a nice person. But I can tell the gentlewoman he was the worst Secretary we ever had. Because for this administration. it is just not a priority. and they do not want to spend the dollars. It is mind boggling how if a person is not one of the rich. companies. I mean. the gentlewoman talks about people that really need a helping hand. That is not a priority of this administration. It is not a priority of the former Secretary. It is just not when they cut the programs that they cut. It does not matter what one says. I say that all the time. Actions speak louder than words. I can say "I love you" all I want to. I can say "I support you" all I want to. But if I cut the programs that make people whole. then I do not care anything about them. They can show them better than they can tell them. And this administration consistently has cut not only housing but veterans housing programs. consistently cut them. And. therefore. if we do not have affordable housing. then people end up homeless in the streets. And that is a sad state of affairs when we have veterans in the streets that today they are our soldiers. they are. our heroes. tomorrow there is no safety net for them.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. the problem. in my opinion. is that if this administration does not support it. then it cannot come to the floor. We cannot have a debate over it. In fact. if we look at the Medicare bill. which is just so important to so many people. they would not even allow a Democrat in the House of Representatives to be on conference. They have the votes. but they do not even want to discuss ideas that are not their ideas. Even though they can just vote it down. they do not even want a discussion. And that is the same thing with the gentlewomans bill. They do not even want the bill on the floor for discussion.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

If the gentlewoman will continue to yield. Mr. Speaker. how will they partner? For example. I heard the gentlewoman say the credit union. and I have spent time discussing with them and talking with thefn about their being more involved with housing and helping in homeownership.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I want to once again commend the gentlewoman on working on this initiative. on her AIDS initiative. She has certainly been a bright star in Congress since she has been here and her leadership in the area of housing and the work that she has done as far as HIV and getting funding. This administration went to Africa and committed $15 billion. I do not think we have $1 billion yet. Photoops are one thing. But that is. once again. how we talk the talk. but we do not walk the walk. And the world community had expected some assistance and some leadership from the United States in this area. and none has come so far. I just need to know what kind of dollars have been put up for the AIDS that the gentlewoman worked so hard on.
Date: 2004-09-23
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if the gentlewoman will yield further. I guess-. once again. it is not a priority. It is back to Robin Hood. They do not have the bigtime lobbyists up here. although the world - community is looking to the United States for leadership in this area. and it is just has not been a priority. I really want to commend the gentlewoman. I am going to let her close. I want to thank her so much for her leadership in the housing area. in what she has done as far as HIV. just stressing the importance of having a dedicated source of revenue for housing. because. as I said. the memo went around where this administration indicated if reelected. every single domestic. domestic. program. would be cut.
Date: 2004-09-28
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to amend the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to improve the administration of Federal pension benefit payments for District of Columbia teachers. police officers. and fire fighters. and for other purposes. as amended.
Date: 2004-09-29
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am proud to join today with my colleague. the gentlewoman from the neighboring congressional district. the District of Columbia . in opposing this bill. The District of Columbias gun laws have already been upheld by the Federal courts as constitutional. so the second amendment argument in this context is just a bogus one. This bill represents the height of arrogance. Members of this body have got to stop treating the District of Columbia and the people of the District of Columbia as their personal playground where they impose their will on people who did not elect them. The people of the District of Columbia elected the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia . They elected the Mayor. They elected the D.C. Council. They elected the people who put these laws into effect. This legislation is nothing more than a contemptible effort to placate certain special interests at the expense of the people of the District of Columbia. We talk about a world upside down. The House leadership have prohibited this body from taking a vote on extending the ban on militarystyle assault weapons. and at the same time today we rush through a bill put at the top of the schedule to impose our will against the wishes of the people of the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker. I will insert for the RECORD a letter from the representatives of the business community of Washington. D.C.. the Washington Board" of Trade. opposing this legislation at this time.
Date: 2004-09-30
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise this morning to congratulate a very good friend of mine. Ruben Martinez. owner of Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery in Santa Ana. California. for being named a 2004 MacArthur Fellow. How appropriate that during Hispanic Heritage Month. I have the opportunity to recognize such a successful Hispanic from my own district on this great honor. For more than 30 years. Ruben has been getting the youth of Orange County engaged in books and politics. What began as a haircutting venture. accompanied by political discussions with his clients. turned into a lifelong passion for selling books in both Spanish and English. Today Libreria Martinez is one of the largest commercial sellers of Spanishlanguage books in the Nation. Authors and community members. both young and old alike. have made this shop a home. The MacArthur Fellowship has been dubbed the "genius award" by some. and I can think of no one more deserving than Ruben. I thank him for his tireless work and his dedication in promoting readings and education in my hometown.
Date: 2004-09-30
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. first of all I thank the gentleman from Alaska and the gentleman from Wiscbnsin and the gentleman from Minnesota and the gentleman from Illinois for .their hard work in pushing for the highest amount possible for our Nations transportation system. I want to particularly thank the gentleman from Illinois who I have enjoyed working with over the past 12 years. I thank the gentleman for his leadership. American transportation infrastructure is in need of sufficient additional funding. particularly as we struggle to finance the security upgrades needed to protect our transportation system from terrorist attack. Transportation projects are also a natural economic development tool which this Nation sorely needs. Department of Transportation statistics show that every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure creates 42.000 jobs and $2.1 million in economic activity. It also saves the lives of1.400 people. We cannot ignore those numbers. Transportation funding is a win/win for everyone involved. States get to improve their transportation infrastructure which creates economic development. puts people back to work. enhances safety and improves local communities. Unfortunately. we were unable to add a rail title to the bill. but that does not mean that our rail infrastructure is taken care of. We have dangerously underfunded rail security. It is surprising after what happened in Madrid that rail is not a priority in this administration. By delaying the passage of muchneeded legislation. we are doing a disservice to the driving population and the Nation as a whole. The States who are battling red ink want to see a bill passed. Construction companies laying off employees want to see a bill passed. and citizens waiting in traffic jams want to see a bill passed. If this Congress fails to pass a bill funding transportation. shame on us.
Date: 2004-09-30
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. allow me to thank the great leadership we have on this committee and the diligence with which they have led us and with which we have worked. The gentleman from Alaska . the gentleman from Minnesota . the gentleman from Wisconsin . and the gentleman from Illinois . the members of the committee respect and honor their leadership. It makes for a very good committee. Three in four Americans now believe that the Nation is facing a transportation capacity crisis. Our infrastructure desperately needs attention. There are 17 bridges in my district alone that are currently in critical condition. Yet in spite of this. we stand poised to shortchange the American people with another shortterm highway extension. If you poll any local. State. or transportation industry representatives. they will tell you that the transportation needs of this country will only be met by passing a fully funded 6year bill. $376 billion. but no less than $319 billion. We did not pull these numbers out of the air. They are numbers from the administrations own Department of Transportations research and assessment. Our leaders in this committee traveled this country looking at conditions to verify what we have been told by the administration. It is ironic that the current argument is over funding levels. Yet the longer we delay in enacting a fully funded transportation bill. the costs associated with addressing our Nations infrastructure will continue to rise. So just neglecting going through and doing what is right. we are going to cause ourselves to spend more money. If the Republican administration can find time to place such a great emphasis on the reconstruction of other Countries. surely priority should be given to our Nations crumbling infrastructure and bringing the needed jobs. Our constituents are counting on us to do the right thing and we really should not let them down. We have cars collapsing on bridges. The highways are so bad until accidents are being caused. It is time for us to stand up and pass this bill and do something for our Nation and bring about good jobs.
Date: 2004-09-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the question facing this Congress today is simple and straightforward. Should we amend the Constitution of this great Nation to restrict the rights and limit the freedoms of citizens of the United States. Our Constitution has been used to protect the rights of the minority against the sometimes discriminatory impulses of the majority. We must not today write discrimination into the very Constitution that has stood as a bulwark against discrimination. We must not enshrine injustice into a document meant to serve justice. I dont often agree with Vice President CHENEY. but on this issue he is right. This issue should be left to our State legislatures. This Nation confronts many pressing challengesthe war on terrorism. jobs and the economy. and the many other issues that demand our attention. We should not be spending our time on a divisive. politically motivated issue that responds to a nonexistent problem.
Date: 2004-09-30
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I rise tonight to oppose this blatant attempt to hijack the Constitution of the United States for political gains. On July 12. 1996 this House of Representatives voted for. and I supported the Defense of Marriage Act. On September 21. 1996 this bill became the Law of the Land as Public Law 104199. The Defense of Marriage Act states that "No State. territory. or possession of the United States. or Indian tribe. shall be required to give effect to any public act. record. or judicial proceeding of any other State. territory. possession. or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State. territory. possession. or tribe. or a right or claim arising fro such relationship". I do not support a constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage. Historically. amendments to the Constitution have been utilized as a tool to protect or defend the rights and liberties of American citizens. Two prominent examples include the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery and the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Marriage has historically been in the domain of the States to regulate. There is no Federal marriage certificate or license needed to be married. however. the State determines how and when a license is necessary. I am opposed to this Amendment. I do not feel that the Constitution of the United States should ever be used to limit the rights of citizens. States currently have jurisdiction over marriage. and can outlaw the act of same sex marriage if they choose. This amendment does nothing to improve the major problems facing marriages today. particularly the Nations extremely high divorce rate. 50 percent. The reasons for this vote are politically motivated. At a time when 12 of the 13 appropriations bills. a budget. and transportation funding for the states have not been passed. why are we spending valuable floor time on a bill that has already failed in the Senate? Do not support this amendment and let us get back to the peoples business.
Date: 2004-10-05
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

previous order of the House. the genMr. Speaker. I rise today to address the issue tleman from California of Americas health care. Are we better off is recognized for 5 minutes. than we were 4 years ago? A quick look at the (Mr. SHERMAN addressed the House. facts tells us that we are far from it. His remarks will. appear hereaftqr in Just this summer. the Census Bureau an- the Extensions of Remarks.) nounced that the number of people without health insurance. nationwide went up by 1.4 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a million--the third annual increase-.in a row. previous order of the House. the genFortyfive million people are uninsured. many tleman from Rhode Island (Mr. because they have lost their jobs. Over 5 mil- LANGEVIN) is recognized for 5 minutes. lion people have lost their health insurance (Mr. LANGEVIN address the House. since the beginning of the Bush administra- His remarks will appear hereafter in tion. - the Extensions of Remarks.) The Current Population Survey (CPS) is the primary source for data on "Texas uninsured The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a population. It paints a picture for the state of previous order of the House. the gentlehealth- care in Texas. My homes State cur- woman from California is rently has the second highest rate of unin- recognized for 5 minutes. sured in the United States behind New Mex- (Ms. WATSON addressed the House. ico. CPS data shows that there were 4.5 mil- Her remarks will appear hereafter in lion people without health insurance in Texas. the Extensions of Remarks.) which is about 21.4 percent of the total population. The President said were turning the comer. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a but we have to look at the. facts. Efforts to im- previous order of the House. the genprove our economy are notreaching people of .tleman from Texas is reccolor. . ognized for 5 minutes. African Americans are losing their jobs at (Mr. TURNER of Texas addressed the nearly twice the national average. Latino un- House. His remarkswill appear hereemployment hovers near a 5year high. These after in the Extensions of Remarks.) numbers are an outrage and are unacceptable. � The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a The higher unemployment rate for people of *previous order of the House. the gencolor is a major contributing factor to the- tleman from Ohio is recoghealth disparity affecting a large percentage of nized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2004-10-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. last night Vice President CHENEY said he was proud of the record in Iraq. and this is exactly what he said: "We did in Iraq what was exactly theright thing to do. and I recommend it all over again. I would." And yet in todays Washington Post we learned that the most definitive accounts of Iraqs arms programs will show that Saddam Hussein possessed a diminishing threat at the time the United States invaded and did not possess or have concrete plans to develop. nuclear. chemical. or biological weapons. This investigation found that the state of Husseins weapon development program and knowledge was less advanced in 2003 when the war began than it was in 1998 when the international inspectors left Iraq. The fact of the matter is over 1.000 Americans have died in this war. thousands and thousands of Americans have been wounded. thousands and thousands of Iraqis have been killed and wounded. and they have been killed or wounded in a war of choice because Iraq was not an imminent threat to the United States. But this administration chose. in spite of all of the evidence to go to war. to put our young people at risk and tg lose their lives because they wanted to manipulate the evidence. They wanted to manipulate the war on terror. and they wanted to frighten this Nation. Mr. Vice President. if you had to do it all over again. I hope you would not.
Date: 2004-10-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California who has been very active in this matter for several years.
Date: 2004-10-06
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I want to thank the gentlemen from Wisconsin and Florida for their hard work on this legislation. This bill is needed now and the Committee is *doing its job by getting this bill to be considered on its own rather than as part of another appropriations bill. However. there are still thousands of people in Florida without electricity. These storms had a huge impact on our tourist based economy with millions of. dollars lost in hotel rooms alone. . Car dealerships. mobile home dealerships. boat dealerships have been wiped from the face of the earth. I rise to object to the limited funds available for the small farmers in Florida. It is the end of the growing season and there is no chance to recover any of the investment that the small farmers in my district put into their land. Farmers are losing an entire years crop and have npthing to show for it. Wihle" some crops still have time to rebound and get back some investment by the end of the growing season. the squash farmers in my area are totally out of luck. I heard from one gentleman. Mr. Roy Brown. who has 40 acres of squash that is ruined. He has put $520 into each acre. for a total loss of $20.000. While there is some compensation available. by rule he can only get 50 percent of his investment back. That leaves him over $10.000 in the hole. Why did it take so long for the money to get to these people? Have they not suffered enough without needing to wait for us to get to work? . We need more money for these people who have suffered from 4 hurricanes in a 6week period.
Date: 2004-10-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan- . one of the sponsors of the .original. amendment to get this in front of the House.