macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

That is not acceptable to any Member of this Congress about their own State. Why is it acceptable all of a sudden to do that to the State of California? You simply cannot do this. We have in place a process that is working today for the first time in 40 years. and thats why the resources director of the State of California. thats why both of our Senators oppose this process. because this group of people had never come together in the last 40 years to work on California problems. The urban users. the rural users. the agricultural interests. the manufacturing interests. the municipal interests. with the blessings of the State legislature that set out the guidelines. that set out the goals. that set out the purposesthats going on today. Every party to that agreement except for this select few of special interests. This party is the only party that says "blow it up." Use the United States Congress to blow up a process that for the first time has the possibility of solving the water problems in this State and making it sustainable for agriculture. for the environment. for manufacturing. and for municipal use in our State. Yes. we have a tough problem. We have 30 million people. The drought that they talk about. that was imposed.
Date: 2012-02-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

That was a Statewide drought. Yes. they lost some employment in farm work. but. in fact. agricultural employment. even through the drought. was pretty stable. The big employment in the Central Valley came because we were selling homes to people who couldnt pay for them. That was the crash. It was first place and the longest crash that we had in this country in terms of mortgages and the loss of the people who were working in those trades. But that drought was still felt across the State. Thousands of people lost their jobs in tourism in northern California. in commercial fisheries. in recreational fisheries. in the bait shops and the support services all across our State. That drought was an equal destroyer of this California economy from north to south. Dont wreck this opportunity for California to settle Californias problems.
Date: 2012-03-01
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Thank you very much. my distinguished colleague. JOHN LEWIS. for inviting me to be a part of this resolution presentation. I think it is very important as we commemorate this event that we realize those were some dark and dangerous days and that there were both black and white people who gave their lives so that black people could have the right to vote. There was Ms. Viola Gregg Liuzzo from Detroit. Michigan. a white lady who came down to Selma to help African Americans get the right to vote. She was shot and killed on Highway 80 in Selma. Alabama. We need not forget Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. along with James Chaney. two young white men and one black man. who were shot and killed. When we tell this story about the civil rights movement. it is important that we tell this story right so that this is a true story of the greatness of America. It is not just a black story. It is Americas story. White and black people lost their lives. gave their lives for us to have the right to vote. This is the greatness of this. I just want to say what a privilege it is for us to have a man like JOHN LEWIS to serve with. Let us not even begin to underestimate the significant contribution of this young manand I call him a young manwhom I serve with and you serve with. I. personally. appreciate JOHN LEWIS for taking me with him when I was a student. traveling through the South. and I saw firsthand with him what we had to go for. JOHN. I want to say to you. thank you for taking me through that baptism of fire for it has truly made me the man I am today. I want to thank you for that. and the entire Nation thanks you and all of those. As I said. I want everybody to remember Ms. Viola Gregg Liuzzo from Detroit. who came down. and Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. these people who gave their lives. I want to also thank Ms. TERRI SEWELL. who represents the area in Alabama where so much of this sacrifice took place. This is an extraordinary pilgrimage. I was on it. have been on it. and I encourage everybody that can to go on this pilgrimage and see and experience what I call the greatness of America.
Date: 2012-03-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I wanted to rise to the floor to add my appreciation in celebration of H. Res. 562. directing the Office of the Historian to compile oral histories from Members of the House of Representatives involved in the historic and annual Selma to Montgomery. Alabama. marches. and certainly those who started in 1965. Let me first of all thank the sponsor of the bill. TERRI SEWELL. and acknowledge that Ive had the privilege of marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge for almost two decades with the Faith & Politics organization and JOHN LEWIS. Just a couple of weeks ago. I was in Marion. Alabama. receiving an award from the Perry County organization with Commissioner Turner on commemorating Jimmie Lee Jackson Day. who was the first person shot who went to a rally that Dr. Martin Luther King held simply to express his right to vote. He was shot trying to protect his mom and his grandmother. dragged out of the place and stomped to death. Now some 45 years later. were able to commemorate. but we must recount the stories of those who were there and those who still march today. As we proceed to improve on voting today and end the oppression of voter IDs. it is appropriate to celebrate this resolution and to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge this coming Bloody Sunday.
Date: 2012-03-01
Speaker: JOHN LEWIS (democrat)
Chamber: H

others who were such participants in the civil rights movementpeople see that and say that was a movement by blacks or African Americans to try to have equal civil rights. But having read a great deal about Martin Luther King. Jr.. its very clear this was a Christian minister. an ordained Christian pastor. I havent heard anybody in the wonderful tributes that have been paid here today as we commemorate that march in Selma. I havent heard anybody mention this. As a Christian minister. Martin Luther King. Jr.. and those who participated. did more than help African Americans move closer toward having full equality. toward equal rights. It did more than that. For those of us who were young. white Christians. for those who would come behind us as Euro Americans. white Americans. they did something wonderful for us. They created an environment in which all Christianswhites. all Christianswould be able to treat brothers and sisters as being brothers and sisters. They did a great service for all Americans. So I will lend my voice. such as it is. in tribute for the service that was done for all Americans. and anxiously long for the daywere getting so closebut long for the day when people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. where there are no quotas. there is no need for a Justice Department to review everything. because people are acting and treating each other in ways of equality. so that we finally achieve the dream.
Date: 2012-03-01
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: California

The message also announced that pursuant to section 703 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 903) and the order of the House of January 5. 2011. and upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader. the Speaker reappoints the following member on the part of the House of Representatives to the Social Security Advisory Board for a term of 6 years: Ms. Barbara Kennelly of Hartford. Connecticut.
Date: 2012-03-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

The slaughter continues in Syria. Mr. Speaker. last week I visited the head of Mission at the Syrian Embassy and delivered letters that indicated that Mr. Assad. President Assad must go and that there must be an establishment of safe houses or safe places for women and children and that. at that time. the bodies of those deceased journalists should come out and. as well. that the Red Cross and International Red Cross should be allowed in. Then there was a protesting and suggesting it was the rebels that werent allowing the Red Cross in. But weve now heard from a journalist that was able to get out that those journalists were actually murdered. And now. today. were reading that the Syrian authorities Friday blocked an officially sanctioned Red Cross convoy laden with food and medical supplies from entering a devastated neighborhood in Hoins 1 day after the Army overwhelmed the rebel stronghold here after a monthslong siege. No rebels. just a Syrian despot. the people who want to kill their own people. Mr. Assad needs to go. We need to get women and children safe. We need to be able to get justice for the dead journalists. and now the world needs to rise up. I look forward to the Syrian resolution passing. but something must be done. Mr. Assad. you have to go.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I have a headline here this morning that indicates. "Women Wait as Politicians Debate Their Care." This is not a story about accusations or calling college coeds prostitutes and. if you will. sluts and other negative words. This is about womens access to health care. and Im sad to even say those words. but we see them broadcast across Americas Federal airwaves by talk show entertainers like Rush Limbaugh. This young womans name is Kimberly Moore. who is caught in a conflict in the State of Texas with the Womens Health Program that is funded by Medicaid and the decision of the State of Texas to evict Planned Parenthood from caring for women like Kimberly. a single mother working part time. who cant afford health care. Between judges who want to accuse our President of dastardly things through jokes and the idea of keeping women away from access to health care. that should not resolve around their choice of contraceptives. but plain old health care. its time for us to stand with the women of America and the decent people of America. to stand with this President. to stand with the idea of providing women health care. and to stand against those who are in States where they want to reject Planned Parenthood for simply giving health care access to women and to stand against divisive corrosive language.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Just one simple statement. I couldnt leave the floor. Just to express our love and affection for DON PAYNE and just to say that he saved lives because he intruded in places like Africa and Sudan. in Africa and many other places. He saved lives because of his compassion for people. his fight for human rights. and his fight for peace.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in support of domestic manufacturing. middle class jobs. and American insourcing by voting in favor of H.R. 4105. Last December. the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the Commerce Department could not apply countervailing duties (CVDs) on imports from nonmarket economies. If this ruling were allowed to stand. it would terminate 23 existing CVD orders on certain imports from China and one from Vietnam. H.R. 4105 would reverse the courts ruling and make clear the intent of Congress to allow CVDs to be applied to nonmarket economies. Several of the endangered CVD orders provide relief to steel and pipe manufacturers. many of which. including VAM Drilling. V&M Star. and TMK IPSCO. are located in or near the 29th District of Texas. These manufacturers. and the dozens like them throughout the country. have witnessed unfair competition on a mass scale in recent years due to the large subsidies provided by the Chinese government towards their domestic industries. Without these countervailing duties. tens of thousands of wellpaying. middle class jobs would be threatened around the country. including several thousand in the 29th District alone. As our Nations economy continues to recover from the Great Recession. and American industry rebounds from a decade of outsourcing and unfair competition. it is important that this Congress support domestic manufacturing and good paying jobs by voting in favor of H.R. 4105.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the gentleman from Minnesota for leading this position. I rise today to speak about the current extension of the transportation bill. which is set to expire at the end of this month. Im frustrated by the lack of action in this Chamber and the lack of attention being paid by the majority to the American people who desperately need these jobs. The current transportation authorization expires at the end of March. but we are still facing high unemployment and a weak economy. We need the kind of longterm transportation policy that will repair our crumbling infrastructure and bring back goodpaying construction jobs. I have been on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for 20 years this year. and up until now. the committee has worked in a bipar tisan fashion and we have produced sound. commonsense legislation. But the progress that could have been made has been stymied by partisan bickering and bad policy. The current transportation bill offered by the majority would cut investment in our Nations highways by almost $16 billion over the next 5 years. This would mean a loss of over 500.000 jobs nationwide. Mr. Chairman. we talk about this being a jobs bill. What is before us is a jobkilling bill. But the American people are waiting.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. the bill that Im speaking of is called the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee bill. The Secretary of Transportation. who has served on this committee. has clearly explained what this bill in its present form will do for this country. Now. I know that probably no one wants to quote this particular Secretary. who has had inside experience as well as outside experience. He is very aware because he served on this committee during the time we worked in a bipartisan fashion. Were talking about highways. And because someone put a lot more extracurricular. extraneous kind of stuff in this bill that does not relate to these highways. then theyre against it. But the progress that could have been made was really stymied by this very kind of propaganda and bad policy. The current transportation bill offered by the majority would cut investment in our Nations highways and kill jobs. We want to create jobs and do something about the crumbling infrastructure in this country. Mr. Chairman. the American people are waiting for us to do something. We were sent here by our constituents to solve problems. not to create them and not to find excuses to face the real reality. So lets get back to work and produce a transportation bill that will repair our Nations infrastructure and get thousands of Americans back to worknot to try to challenge this administration because you dont like the administration. We want to see something thats real and something that addresses the real problem. and not skirt around with a lot of ideas and a lot of propaganda that simply does not relate to this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you to my colleague from the Virgin Islands. I rise to speak today about the loss of Congressman DONALD PAYNE. Congressman PAYNE lost his battle with cancer early this morning. and we in Congress lost an esteemed colleague. My relationship and acquaintance with Congressman PAYNE came before I came to Congress and meeting him when he served on the national YMCA board and became the chair of the national YMCA board. and I know him as a devoted public servant who used his position in Congress to advocate for those less fortunate. first. as a teacher. and later. serving on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He was an advocate for children and worked to make college more affordable. As the highest ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. Global Health. and Human Rights. he worked to promote human rights around the world and helped secure billions of dollars in foreign aid for treating HIV/AIDS. tuberculosis. and malaria. It is difficult to lose a member of the Congressional Black Caucus family. Were small but very connected. And Congressman PAYNE served the 10th District of New Jersey with dedication and served as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus as well. My thoughts and prayers are with his family today in this difficult time.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady. Mr. Speaker. it is said that a politician will always rise to the occasion. and the Honorable DON PAYNE did rise to the occasion on many occasions. But it is also said that a statesman makes the occasion. DON PAYNE was more than a politician. he was a statesman. He made the occasion in Darfur. where he went to make sure those who were suffering. among the very least. among the very last and the lost. that they would have an opportunity to have a better quality of life. and he was to this day still working to help the people of Darfur. He made the occasion when it came to AIDS. $50 million. $50 million to help those who are beset with this disease. He made the occasion when it came to working with his colleagues. pulling us together. helping us unite to do things collectively that we could never do apart. He developed a symbiotic relationship among his many relationships. When I think of DONALD PAYNE. I will always remember that he was a person of honor. He honored his word. To his friends his word meant something. but more importantly. he honored his word to foes. people who disagreed with him. Once they had his word. they had a word they could count Onl. I will remember that he was a person who respected this institution. This institution meant something to the Honorable DON PAYNE. What this institution stood for and how we could utilize this institution to make a difference in the lives of others was important to him. He was a person of valor. He would stand with you. He was determined. He was a fighter. He came under fire. Im told. in Africa as he was trying to help others. And finally. I will say this: I truly do believe that God is good all the time. Even under circumstances such as these. I believe God is good because we didnt have to have him for 77 years. We didnt have to have him in this House for 12 terms. I didnt have to have him as a friend for 8 years. I believe that God is good all the time. and I am so proud that God allowed him to come this way and I had the benefit of calling him my friend. DON. we love you. and I know that wherever you are. there is a statesman there who is making the occasion.
Date: 2012-03-06
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Thank you very much. Ms. LEE. This is indeed a very sad and. at the same time. a very precious time because were here to talk about a life. A life is so precious. DONALD PAYNE was indeed a very special human being. I served with DONALD PAYNE on the Foreign Affairs Committee. and through his work on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I got to know him. Let me just say to the people of New Jersey. to his family. youve lost a friend. youve lost a husband. a father. a public servant for the Newark area of New Jersey. But I want you to know that DONALD PAYNES life and his legacy go far beyond there. There was a friend of mine who said. I dont want to hang around the shores with the little boats. I want to go way out where the big ships go. DONALD PAYNE went way out where the big ships go. Nowhere was his impact more meaningful than in the continent of Africa. It was Africa that just pulled his heart. pulled his whole being. DONALD PAYNE became the champion and the foremost advocate for the people of Africa in the Congress of the United States. What courage. I remember the time I was over in Africa going to the Congo. going to the real heart of the matter. going into Kenya. and going into Somalia into Yemen. But there was DONALD PAYNE with the courage at a very difficult time. at a challenging time when alShabab was in control of the situation in Somalia. You hear on the news that there is a Congressman whos in harms way trying to get on an airplane to get out of Somalia at a very hot moment. But he was there in the toughest. meanest. most difficult part of Africa bringing some reason. So all over this world. we can all say that we thank God for sending DONALD PAYNE our way.
Date: 2012-03-07
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. last Friday. March 2. 2012. marked Texas Independence Day. It was 176 years ago that the Texas Declaration of Independence was ratified by the convention of 1836 at WashingtonontheBrazos. Texas. A military dictatorship took over Mexico. abolishing the Mexican Constitution. The dictatorship refused to provide trial by jury. freedom of religion. public education for its citizens. and allowed the confiscation of firearms. The last one being the most intolerable. particularly among Texans. Failure to provide these basic rights violated the sacred contract between a government and its people. Texas did what we still do today. stood up for our rights. In response. the Mexican Army marched to Texas. waging a war on the land and the people. enforcing the decrees of the military dictatorship through brute force and without any democratic legitimacy. As future Texas President and Governor Sam Houston. along with other delegates. signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. General Santa Annas army besieged the independence forces at the Alamo in San Antonio. Yesterday. March 6. 176 years ago. 4 days after the signing. the Alamo fell with Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis. former Tennessee Congressman David Crockett. and approximately 200 other Texas defenders. In a dramatic turnaround. Texans achieved their independence several weeks later on April 21. 1836. Roughly 900 members of the Texas Army overpowered a larger Mexican force. Im proud to represent the San Jacinto Battlefield and State Park. God bless Texas and God bless America.
Date: 2012-03-07
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to a true champion for education. Jan Harp Domene. who passed away this past Monday. Jan was a fervent advocate for children. She was serving our community for more than 35 years with the Parent Teacher Association. and she eventually became the head of the PTA in 2007. the National PTA. During her time with the PTA. Jan facilitated collaborative partnerships with many education. health. safety. and child advocacy groups to benefit children and provide valuable resources to PTA members. As President. she raised the level of parent involvement nationwide by increasing PTA membership and also by accessing very diverse communities. Jan Harp Domene was the product of public schools in Orange County. and she knew firsthand the intricate needs of our community and children. After serving as the national president of the PTA. she returned to Anaheim and became a trustee on our Anaheim Union High School board. She was a role model. She actually was a family friend. I remember. as a young child. my mother would get calls from Jan if I was out of line. Both locally and nationally. we are better off because of Jan. and I am honored. and I hope that my colleagues will honor her. also.