macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 992. This bill passed overwhelmingly out of the Financial Services Committee earlier this year with broad bipartisan support with a vote of 536. The whole point of the DoddFrank reforms was to improve the safety and soundness of our financial system. and H.R. 992. the bill before us. will help us do just that. This bill does not expose the taxpayer to any additional risk. In fact. it includes a ban on taxpayer bailout of any swaps or any use of taxpayer money. Under H.R. 992. truly risky swaps will still be pushed out of commercial banks while at the same time bank regulators can see all of the banks swaps activities. As well intended as section 716 is. it turns out it would actually hinder the oversight of regulators of the derivatives market. That is why Barney Frank. the former chairman of the Financial Services Committee and. of course. the Frank in DoddFrank. said during the debate in the last Congress of this same bill that is before us now. H.R. 922: It will not in any way. shape. or form reduce sensible regulation of derivatives. it will not increase any exposure to the financial system from derivatives. The economist of Moodys. Mark Zandi. also supports this bill and has said that section 716. as written. actually increases systemic risk and creates major inefficiency in the markets. Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke opposed section 716. as written. stating that the way it forces these activities out of insured depository institutions "would weaken both the financial stability and strong regulation of derivative activities." So Ben Bernanke has said that our bill before us will protect safety and soundness. Barney Frank agrees. Mark Zandi of Moodys agrees. I agree. And I urge my colleagues to agree with us and support safety and soundness of our financial institutions by supporting H.R. 992.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas. (Mr. Al Green). who is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation on the Financial Services Committee.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. not everyone supports this legislation. Ranking Member WATERS was mentioned. But she spoke eloquently today as to why she opposes H.R. 992. Mr. Frank is not here to speak for himself. So we cannot say that he. today. would support H.R. 992. It may be that we have the AFLCIO opposing H.R. 992. as well Public Citizen. and the Commodity Markets Oversight Coalition. It may be that we have them opposing it because we understand. as do many others. that this weekend marks the 84th anniversary of the stock market crash of 1929. It was that stock market crash that gave us GlassSteagall in 1933. GlassSteagall provided the firewall between commercial banking and investment banking. It didnt let you use tax dollars in the sense that they are insured by FDIC to engage in investment banking. Well. it seems ironic that it took us 66 years to repeal GlassSteagall. 66 years to repeal that firewall that separated commercial banking from investment banking. and has taken us now little more than 3 years to repeal. by way of evisceration. section 716 of DoddFrank. Section 716 provides a firewall. It is the firewall to protect investorstaxpayers. if you willfrom those investors who engage in derivatives. This derivatives market that we are talking about is $600 trillion to approximately $1.2 quadrillion. No one really knows. Only God knows how big it is. But what we are doing is exposing tax dollars to this derivatives market. and it is my hope that we will not pass this legislation because it will set us back. Lets give section 716 an opportunity to function. GlassSteagall functioned for 66 years. Lets not repeal section 716 in a little more than 3 years.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut. Representative JIM HIMES. a leader on the Financial Services Committee and the chief Democratic cosponsor of this bill.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois. Representative BRAD SCHNEIDER. He is a member of the Small Business Committee. and he certainly understands the value of this legislation to Main Street businesses.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. while I recognize the many legitimate uses of derivatives in todays financial marketplace. I also believe it is critically important that derivatives be properly regulated so that endusers and consumers can reap their benefits without putting the larger economy at risk. For that reason. I think we need to tread carefully before making material modifications to the regulatory regime for derivatives established in the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform Actand this note of caution is equally applicable to what might be described as piecemeal changes to Title VII of DoddFrank. given the inherently complex and interrelated nature of these sophisticated financial instruments. In that regard. the Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act would substantially revise Section 716 of the DoddFrank Act to permit a broader array of derivatives transactionsincluding those involving commodity swaps. equity swaps and certain credit default swapsto occur inside federally backed financial institutions. rather than in separately capitalized subsidiaries as required under current law. Impacted institutions argue that this existing "push out" requirement for these categories of derivatives places them at a disadvantage relative to their foreign competition by increasing the cost of those transactions and by effectively preventing the netting of positions between themselves and their customers. Additionally. proponents of H.R. 992 argue that Section 716 confers no meaningful additional protection to taxpayers in light of the stronger capital. margin and clearing requirements created by DoddFrank. and that it might even work at cross purposes with the Orderly Liquidation Authority created in Title II of the legislation. I am not opposed to making commonsense adjustments to improve the real world workability of the DoddFrank law. I want our financial institutions to be able to compete effectively for customers everywhere they operate. And I am not in favor of regulation that is either unnecessary or not accomplishing its intended objective in a costeffective way. It is possible that Section 716 will prove to be that kind of regulation. but right now it is too soon to tell. Of particular importance when evaluating the ultimate value of Section 716 is the final scope of the forthcoming Volcker rule. If the final Volcker rule provides a strict definition of what activities constitute bona fide "hedging" and "market making". then proponents arguments for this legislation will be strengthened. If. on the other hand. the final Volcker rule includes an overly broad definition of these activities. then the protections intended by Section 716 could become more important. Accordingly. I will be voting "no" on todays legislation. but remain open to revisiting this issue once the Volcker rule and other relevant rulemakings are finalized and in place.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. ending domestic violence is not a quixotic quest. it is a noble calling. This is why we have filed H. Res. 392. a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence and its devastating effects on individuals. families. and communities. and support programs designed to end domestic violence in the United States. Mr. Speaker. I am honored to tell you that we will have a number of speakers. At this time. I yield to the Congresswoman from the Fourth District of Maryland. the Honorable DONNA EDWARDS. She serves on Science. Space. and Technology. Transportation and Infrastructure. she cochairs the Womens Caucus. and she is the chair of the Democratic Womens Working Group. She also cofounded the National Network to End Domestic Violence in 1994. She was its executive director.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank you very much for your testimony. Actually. it is something that I believe will benefit a good many persons who are viewing this today. I would like to share just a few stories. if I may. Mr. Speaker. I practiced law in Houston. Texas. and my practice was one that involved a good deal of civil work. In the early 1970s. I can recall females coming to my office to receive assistance from a lawyer to file charges based upon abuse that had been imposed upon them. In some of the cases. the damage done to the person was physical and immediately seen. but as you talked to the person. you could see that this person had been suffering for years. Literally years of suffering would emerge from this person in a 30minute. 1 hour. 11/2 hour visit. And they would plead with me. Please help me get the charges filed. The plea was there because at that time it was considered a family issue. When women would go in to file charges. the police would say. Well. we will look at it. We will see if we can get somebody out there. But they didnt always respond to the evident need. The need was evident because of what the eye could see. Many of the women who would come in would bring a minister or some other person to corroborate the story. There was this belief that your physical appearance alone was not enough evidence to support the filing of charges. Unfortunately. society had so developed at that time that we would take this victim to intake and we would help with the filing of the charges and we would help get charges filed. The unfortunate circumstance was that the culture at that time was such that other family members would visit with the victim and encourage the victim to drop the charges. family members seeing and knowing about the abuse not only on this occasion for which charges were being filed. but also the abuse that had occurred through the years. And family members would quite often prevail. and. as a result. charges would sometimes be dropped. I regret that we went through this time in our history where women were not treated with the dignity and respect that they should be accorded. A lot of that has gone away. and I will say more about a lot of this in just a moment. but there is still enough of it for us to band together and for us to answer the clarion call for help that these women present to us on a daily basis. I am honored to tell you that we have with us now another Member of Congress from the 40th District of California. She serves on the Appropriations Committee. and I am honored to yield to the Honorable LUCILLE RoY-
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady. I want to thank the gentlelady for the work she has done here in Congress over the years to eliminate domestic violence. This has been a bipartisan effort. Mr. Speaker. I am proud to tell you that S. 47. the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. this bill passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. In the House the vote was 286138. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support. It was 7822. The bill had this bipartisan support because it embraced women not only who are known to us as people from our communities. but also there were some communities that were embraced that have not been traditionally a part of the bill. It helped American Indian women because at one time tribal courts could not take on persons who had sexually assaulted women because they were nonIndians. Well. the bill addressed this. It also addressed the LGBT community which had not been included. It doesnt matter what your sexual preference is. domestic violence can be imposed upon you. And when you are hurt. you need help. This bill provided the help needed for women regardless of race. creed. color. origin. Regardless of your sexual preference. you can get help pursuant to S. 47. which received bipartisan support. I wanted to tell you that annually my friend from the State of Texas. the Honorable TED POE. works with me and I with him. We alternate years of taking the lead on this issue. He has had a career that has paralleled mine. When he was a prosecutor. I was a defense attorney. He became a district court judge in Texas right around the time I became the judge of a justice court. Here in Congress. we have sought to work together on many bills and many pieces of legislation. but I am proudest of what we do on domestic violence. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is one where he and I have collaborated to work together to make sure that we get this issue exposed to the public so we can continue the process of elimination. I am proud to tell you that he represents the Second Congressional District of Texas. serves on Foreign Affairs as well as the Judiciary Committee. and I am proud to tell you that I consider him a friend. not in the sense that we politely say it here in Congress when we say "my friend." I consider him a friend in the sense that he and I have developed a real kinship and relationship. Although we dont always agree. we always try to work together for the good of our State. city. and for the good of women who are being impacted by domestic violence. I yield to the gentleman from Texas
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank my colleague very much. and I thank you for your many words expressing what you actually witnessed. Yours was a testimony. not just a recitation. from something that was accorded you by some other person. You were there to see what happened. and you and I know that there is still great work to be done. In our State of Texas. in 2012. domestic violence caused 11.994 adults to need shelter. Mr. Speaker. It caused 14.534 children to need shelter. Mr. Speaker. It caused 36.831 adults to need nonresidential services. counseling. legal assistance. It caused 15.694 children to need nonresidential services. Unfortunately. 26.2 percent of the adults were denied shelter because of a lack of space. Mr. Speaker. there is still great work to be done. and I am honored to ask. at this time. another colleague to speak. However. would you kindly advise me as to the amount of time I have left.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask so that Members may be aware. We have a few Members left to speak. and we want to make sure that every Member has some time. Mr. Speaker. I am honored to ask the Honorable BARBARA LEE to move to the podium and consume an appropriate amount of time. She is my very dear friend from the great State of California. the 13th Congressional District. who sits on Appropriations and who has been a longtime champion of protecting women and protecting people and is truly a champion for the least. the last. and the lost. I might also add. Mr. Speaker. that she was the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. and I was proud to serve under her leadership.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank youand I also thank you for raising the issue of domestic violence against men. We talk quite often about it being against women. and there is good reason. The overwhelming empirical evidence connotes that women are the largest group of victims of domestic violence. so I thank you for broadening the issue for us. Thank you very much. At this time. Mr. Speaker. I am honored to tell you that we have a Congressman from the State of FloridaI was reared in Florida. went to Florida A&M University. He serves the 18th District of Florida. serves on Financial Services. and he is committed to working across the aisle. He makes a concerted effort to achieve bipartisanship. He is a champion for fair play. I also want you to know that he understands that. as we do this. as we try to end this scourge on society known as domestic violence. that it is more than simply an issue of violence. it also has economic components to it. He has tried to cause us to understand some of these components. but also. that it is a moral issue. I would now ask my friend. who accorded me this tie that is purplethe color purple in the tie. as I understand it. represents courage. survival. honor and dedication. dedication to ending domestic violence. Of course. purple is being worn today to spread awareness of domestic violence. I now yield as much time as he may consume to my friend. the Honorable
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank my fellow Floridian. I. of course. am from Texas now. but my roots are in Florida. and I thank you so much. Mr. Speaker. how much time do we have left?
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am honored at this time to recognize another Texan. a Texan from the 23rd District. who served 22 years. Mr. Speaker. in the State house. a Texan who serves on the Agriculture Committee. a Texan who is a strong supporter of domestic awareness. who voted for the reauthorization of the VAWA. and I might say. a Texan who started his career in Congress extending his hand across the aisle. He is one who not only preaches bipartisanship. he practices it. I am honored to yield as much time as he may consume to my friend. the Honorable PETE GALLEGO.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank my colleague from the State of Texas. I would also mention to my colleague that. unfortunately. one study concluded that 10.401 domestic violence victims reached out for help but were turned away because of a lack of resources. There is still great work to be done. and I thank you for continuing to do this great work. God bless you. At this time. Mr. Speaker. we have another Texan. from the 18th Congressional District in Houston. Texas. who serves on Homeland Security as well as Judiciary. We are going to ask that our friend. the Honorable SHEILA JACKSON LEE. move to the podium. And how much time remains. Mr. Speaker?
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the gentleman from Texas for his service and for his commitment to an issue that is so vital and important to the Nation. and that is. the protection of all Americans from domestic violence. There is a long history of the journey of this Congress to responding to the cry of women and men. both in the civilian life and in the United States military. I rise today to acknowledge and commemorate Domestic Violence Prevention Month. I remember the journey that we took in getting to the Violence Against Women Act with our former colleague. the late chair of the Judiciary Committee. Chairman Hyde. I remember in the early stages of the 1990s the attempt to reauthorize this legislation. The good news was that Chairman Hyde. a Republican. Ranking Member CONYERS. and Senators on both sides of the aisle joined together in one big room to come together and acknowledge the importance of protecting women. and then. of course. to acknowledge that violence. domestic violence. is a disease. an epidemic that spreads beyond the question of whether you are male or female. The loss of life that has come about because people have not found a refuge is staggering. And for those of us who have heard firsthand storiesas a member of the Houston area Womens Center. the board that. if you will. had supervision over local Womens Centers. where women could go. I have known and have seen stories that would argue so vigorously for more funding and more recognition and more laws that would protect these women. So I am glad that even though the journey was even longer to get the Violence Against Women Act passed in the last Congress that we ultimately. after the many petitions that we were involved in. saw a bipartisan vote in the House and the Senatemuch longer in the Housethat allowed it to go to the Presidents desk. So my remarks. as I summarize. are to say that this is an ongoing cause. Domestic violence comes from tension and pressure. but it results in violence that culminates with the loss of life. Time after time. women and children suffer a loss of life through violence by a spouse or a loved one. and. of course. we know that it occurs with men. Time after time. women in the United States military suffer from the act of violence. domestic violence. or violence against women. So I want to thank the gentleman for giving me the opportunity to at least acknowledge that this is a somber occasion. and there is great need for continued support. My last sentence. Mr. GREEN: you mentioned resources. I hope as we leave this floor that we will all reinforce the elimination of the sequester and a budget process that will allow the funding of vital programs like the Violence Against Women Act. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlewoman. And because time is of the essence. I will move quickly to the gentleman from the 41st District of California. the Honorable MARK TAKANO.
Date: 2013-10-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I do thank you for your indulgence. You have been liberal with the time. And I want to remind persons that while we do this on an annual basis in the month of October. we do want to make domestic violence awareness an everyday activity. I yield back the balance of my time.