macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. what we want them to see. if we truly honor those dead Americans that died in the line of battle and duty. then we need the kind of face to the American people that balances the subpoena power so that we allmeaning Republicans and Democrats who are on that committee. if that committee is finalizedcan responsibly question witnesses. and that the issue will not be the committee in its process. but it will be the fairness. it will be the Constitution. it will be the dignity and honor we give to those who have fallen. I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle. we can waive the point of order. amend this on the floor of the House to give a balance to this committee. to add the balance that our leadership has asked for. the fairness that our leadership is asking for. give the subpoena powers in a balanced manner. pay tribute to those who have honored this Nation by being willing to stand in the line. in the eye of fire. I conclude simply by indicating we are the people of this Nation. Respond to our concerns. And I ask my colleagues to reject this rule and the underlying bill.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

We are glad that after we called attention to that issue. our Republican colleagues realized that it was not a good idea to have an acrosstheboard cut in Medicare to pay for business tax incentives. We are glad they woke up to that fact. But the underlying report here is going to remain the same. Putting $310 billion on the credit card. someone has got to pay. We should take the responsibility in this House to figure out how we are going to do it. We put forward proposals as to how to do it. Unfortunately. despite having passed a budget a couple of weeks ago. they are now waiving their rules on their own budget for these purposes. I look forward to the conversation later today.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to come and join in an aspect of our bipartisan work that is working for children. and I thank the Education Committee and Mr. POLIS for their leadership in focusing on the idea that our children need the best education. I also know the hearts of the Education Committee members and Mr. POLIS in recognizing that public schools are a valuable asset. having been educated throughout my primary and secondary education in public schools. We want to have the opportunity to match excellence with excellence and to ensure that the oversight allows for excellence. So H.R. 10. the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act. brings all of this together: respecting teachers. holding children to a higher standard. and giving them the necessary tools. I am glad that I had an amendment that will be in the managers amendment that deals with requiring the Secretary to report issues regarding the age. race. and gender at charter schools. and also. the attrition and college acceptance. It has that same requirement for the teachers. as far as teacher attrition. That is important. That is already in the managers amendment. I also think more transparency and information to the parents on the Web sites concerning orientation materials. enrollment curriculum. student discipline. and behavior codes adds to this legislation. In that. we can ensure that there will be policies to prevent any bullying or even to have bullying intervention so that our children can have a better quality of life. This is a holistic approach to educating our children. I believe the underlying bill speaks volumes that our children are our most precious resource. I hope that. as we continue. we will be able to work on other items. such as unemployment insurance and comprehensive immigration reform. because these are ways that we show America that we are working for them.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

When we put forward legislation that focuses on the education of our children and the choices that our children can make. balanced alongside of ensuring the lifting of the boats of public education. we are in the right direction. I am delighted to support this legislation.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak during the Houses consideration of the Rule for H.R. 10. the "Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act." The Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act would revise the Charter School Program and the Public Charter Schools of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The rule before the House will pave the way for the consideration of a legislative proposal that consolidates two existing federal charter school programs into one: The Charter School Program. which supports grants for charter school developers to open new charter schools. The program also provides funds to disseminate best practices and provide state facilities aid to charter schools. The Charter School Credit Enhancement Program assists charter schools in accessing better credit terms to acquire and renovate facilities to operate a charter school. The rule will allow the consideration of the bill that will create a new federal charter schools program to promote highquality charter schools at the state and local level. and allows states to use federal funds to start new charter schools as well as expand and replicate existing highquality charter schools. The bill adds a new componenta Charter Management Organization grant program to support the opening of additional charter schools nationwide. H.R. 10 establishes a new Charter School Program that would consist of three parts: Grants to support highquality charter schools will be awarded to a State Educational Agency. the State Charter School Board. the Governor. or a Charter School Support Organization. Facilities Aid will be awarded to continue credit enhancement activities and support state facilities aid for charter schools. National Activities will allow the secretary of education to operate a grant competition for charter schools in states that did not win or compete for a state grant and a competition for high quality CMOs. The legislation adds five new definitions: a "charter management organization. a charter support organization". a "highquality charter school". the "expansion of a highquality charter school". and a "replicable. highquality charter school model." H.R. 10 authorizes $300.000.000 for fiscal years 2015 through 2020. The bill permits statedetermined weighted lotteries and allows students to continue in the school program of their choice by clarifying students in affiliated charter schools can attend the next immediate grade in that networks school.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this legislation. H.R. 4438 would add $156 billion to the deficit to provide permanent tax breaks for businesses while doing nothing for the 2.6 million Americans living the constant nightmare of longterm unemployment. H.R. 4438 does nothing to help lowincome working families by permanently extending the earned income tax credit or the child tax credit used by over 100.000 of my constituents and credits that keep millions of Americans out of poverty. Further. H.R. 4438 does nothing to incentivize businesses to hire hardtoemploy workers via the work opportunity tax credit. to help revitalize distressed communities via the new markets tax credit. to help the elderly donate to charities via the IRA charitable rollover. to create affordable housing via the lowincome housing tax credit. to reimburse the 3.7 million teachers the hundreds of dollars a year that they pay out of their own pockets. In the name of fiscal responsibility. the Republican leadership has justified refusing to help the unemployed and slashing food stamps for poor families. cutting health care and services for seniors and limiting services for foster use. Even worse. the Republican leadership understands that. as a law. H.R. 4438s failure to pay for its $156 billion price tag will cause automatic cuts to Medicare. to student loans. and to other mandatory safety net programs because the bill violates PAYGO. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote "no" on this business giveaway.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I regrettably rise in opposition to H.R. 4438. a bill that would simplify and make the research and development tax credit permanent. As ranking member of the Science. Space. and Technology Committee. I have been a longtime supporter and advocate for making the R&D tax credit permanent. The R&D tax credit promotes innovation and encourages the creation and retention of jobs in the United States. Unfortunately. since being created in the early 1980s. the R&D tax credit has been allowed to lapse and has needed to be extended year after year. The business community needs certainty when planning longterm research and development investments. and many have called for this important tax credit to be made permanent. In the famous National Academies "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report. making the R&D tax credit stronger and permanent was one of their 10 recommendations on congressional actions to improve our Nations competitiveness. Private sector leaders also agree that there is a clear and necessary role for government in all aspects of our innovation ecosystem. from the direct funding of fundamental research. to incentives for the private sector to increase their R&D investments. Often. private sector R&D investments are built upon years of direct government research funding. For example. the Internet and the GPS were developed with DARPA and National Science Foundation funding. but private sector innovation carried these technologies to their full commercial potential. with immeasurable benefit for our Nation. However. the conversation about how best to modify the R&D tax credit and make it permanent should be part of a larger conversation about tax reform and tax extenders. and that conversation should include other tax provisions that are important for millions of working families and students. including the earned income tax credit. the child tax credit. and education tax credits. Further. we should be debating how to offset this tax credit. instead of ignoring how it would add $156 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York . who is the lead author on the Democratic side on this legislation.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado . There is no more enthusiastic and informed advocate of public charter schools in this Congress than the gentleman from Colorado. I thank him for all of the work that he put in on both sides of the aisle. working with us to make the improvements in this legislation. and for his support of it.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of H.R. 10. the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act. demonstrating that Congress can actually work together to get something done. I want to thank Chairman KLINE and my good friend from California. Ranking Member GEORGE MILLER. for bringing this forward. I am still waiting for you guys to bring the ESEA to the floor. but I am really thrilled that we are making some critical improvements to the public charter school system. Charter schools were never meant to replace our traditional public school system. but I have to tell you that they have grown over the last 20 years and I see several of them in my area. just down the street really. making a difference in my communitythe Orange County High School of the Arts. for example. and an elementary school called El Solall doing great work just under a mile away from me. It is really great for us to take a look at the Federal law and say: How can we make this even better? Because even though we have great schools. like the ones I just mentioned. there are also some charter schools that have failed or some charter schools that are actually failing our kids. they are not really getting the work done that we thought they would do or that the people who envisioned them thought would be done. While charter schools work towards encouraging innovation in our public schools. we really need to take a look and see what these schools are doing. H.R. 10 is the first step in highlighting the need for charter schools that improve student outcomes while expanding those schools that are currently utilizing our best practices. I am also pleased to see that the legislation requires greater charter authorizer accountability and even more pleased that we are finally addressing the underenrollment of some of our most vulnerable students through the weighted lotteries provision. This is incredibly important in the area where I live. as I have a very urban area. We hold our traditional public schools accountable for the education of our future leaders. and we expect charter schools to involve the community in their efforts to improve the charter school system. That is why I am happy to have worked with both the majority and the minority on an amendment that I will have tomorrow which will hold public charter schools accountable in fostering and promoting community involvement. We all know that when people are involved. when they are involved in their school. when parents are involved. we see a mass difference in the students who come out of those schools. Charter schools must be engaged with a local community to understand the students they teach. and my amendment will strengthen that role.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. While it is not the final solution. H.R. 10 positively contributes to the promise of a quality education for every child in every neighborhood.
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. I rise to speak during House consideration of H.R. 10. the "Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act."
Date: 2014-05-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the distinguished Congressman from New Jersey. Congressman LANCE. for having this very special Special Order this evening and my friends. Congressmen
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to draw attention to an issue I think should concern us all. Americans increasingly rely on highquality and reasonably priced telecommunications services for almost everything they do. Key to providing that service is a robust and competitive market in wireless communications which drives innovation. keeps costs low. and employs tens of thousands of Americans in good. stable jobs. Safeguarding this competition and these jobs is our responsibility. With that in mind. I find the actions taken by Sprint over the past year since its acquisition by the Japanese firm SoftBank particularly troubling. In that time. Sprint laid off more than 2.700 call center workers. Almost 900 whom were in my home State of Texas. Now. rumors exist that Sprint is preparing to buy TMobile. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer have expressed strong skepticism about this potential merger because they believe. as I do. that competition drives innovation and lower prices in the marketplace. Coupled with Sprints recent layoffs. Congress must take a careful and critical look at this deal. if and when it is announced. and stand up for what is best for American consumers and American jobs.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I claim the time in opposition. although I am not in opposition. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection. the gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of this amendment and thank the chairman for working with me to include important improvements in the underlying bill. I am especially pleased that this amendment includes provisions to promote the use of nondiscriminatory discipline practices as charter schools work to serve and retain all students. We know that the overreliance on outofschool suspension and expulsion disproportionately impacts educational successes of minority students and students with disabilities. According to the most recent civil rights data collection. the negative impacts on unequal implementation of these disciplines is impacting minority kids as young as 4 years old. This is unacceptable. and I am pleased that this amendment seeks to better position charter schools to understand. implement. and report on the use of their fair practices. I want to thank Mr. DAVIS. Ms. WIL-
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Unfortunately. I too oppose this amendment of my good friend. Ms. MOORE. for the reasons that the chairman has just said. that we believe that much of this is already taken care of in the underlying bill and that we are directing money away from the program for responsibilities that should in fact be the responsibility of the authorizers. be they the State or local authorizers. That is their job. We are trying to strengthen that in this legislation to lead to highquality expansion of these programs. with the caveat being that you can only authorize those highquality programs that deal with the question of accountability and so forth. I too find myself in the unfortunate position of opposing my friend on this legislation and expect the States. in response to continuing to receive these grants. to step up to their responsibility to deal with these problems.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I rise in support of this amendment to ensure that all students reap the benefits of the public charter schools. That is the purpose of this legislation. and certainly including foster youth. I also rise to thank the gentlewoman for her just unrelenting effort to make sure that foster youth are not diminished because of their family status. if you will. because of the uncertain situation that they find themselves. many times in different situations throughout a given year. maybe in different schools. Both in her time in the State legislature and here in the Congress. she has just been remarkable in her advocacy on behalf of these students. We all know the difficulty that these students have. the uncertainty that they have to deal with. Just the proximity of their families to be able to go to school creates a great deal of hardship and difficulty for these students. We definitely owe them an extra effort to make sure that they get full inclusion in those academic offerings and participation in the charter schools in this country. Thank you so very. very much.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 21. line 15. strike "and". Page 22. line 2. strike the period at the end and insert ". and". Page 22. after line 2. insert the following: "(H) the State entity will ensure that charter schools and local educational agencies serving charter schools post on their websites materials with respect to charter school student recruitment. student orientation. enrollment criteria. student discipline policies. behavior codes. and parent contract requirements. including any financial obligations (such as fees for tutoring or extracurricular activity).". The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 576. the gentlewoman from Texas and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the proponents of this bill. Mr. Chairman. this is a very important bill. and I believe it opens the doors of opportunity for quality and excellence in charter schools. I hope. as we move forward as to the issues dealing with charter schools that are located in minority communities and that are created by minority members of the community. like in Texas. where in some instances there is an unfair process. H.R. 10 will bring an evenness and a quality in excellence and also opportunity for the creativity of charter schools that can lift up atrisk children. I think that is one of the key elements of. hopefully. this legislation. I want to cite in my own district that we have. yes. KIPP and Harmony that are wellknown across the country and somewhat around the world. It is my understanding that KIPP is now moving to Israel. but we also have a school like ProVision. its work of which I have known for over 20 years. It lifts atrisk children up to the levels of opportunity. My amendment is an amendment that directs the Web site publication of materials on the Web sites of charter schools regarding student recruitment. orientation materials. enrollment criteria. student discipline policies. behavior codes. and parent contract requirements. It would also include any financial obligations. such as fees for tutoring or extracurricular. That is transparency. That is allowing. if you will. the opportunity for parents to have full information in a different setting from public schools. My children went to public schools. I went to public schools. I believe in public schoolsI strongly believe in thembut I believe this new idea. that of the partnership of charter schools with public schools. should include a format of transparency. I should be clear that public schools have a challenge with transparency as well. As I interact with my constituents. many parents dont know the opportunities that they may have in a public schoolvanguard or the special classes that they may have or sufficient arts and music and which school has it. yet as this is going to be a federally funded program. it is important to ensure that our parents have information. Certainly. they should have information regarding the kind of discipline atmosphere that is there. They should also know whether or not there are serious commitments to making sure that their childrens holistic futures are in front of them and that they are not subjected to policies that would intervene on issues dealing with bullying or with the prevention of bullying. This is a very good amendment to H.R. 10. and I ask my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. it is not often that we mention our great disappointment on the floor of the House. We usually battle it out. I know I am right on this amendment. and I am highly disappointed in the majoritys representation. I would like to submit for the RECORD a letter from the AFT. which is supporting the Jackson Lee amendment extremely enthusiastically. and a letter from the National Education Association. which is endorsing the Jackson Lee amendment. It is strongly supported by the NEA. which gives me pause as to why this amendment is an amendment that is not agreed to.
Date: 2014-05-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. let me conclude my remarks by saying that. across America. children are bullied every day. and across America. parents are baffled by the educational system. Any time that you can reinforce this idea of transparency. I believe that it is an important step forward. and I would hope that my colleagues would be able to support this amendment. I believe it is a strong. but positive amendment. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota for an inquiry. please. to the chairman of the committee. What modification could occur with this amendment? It is a strong amendment that is supported by educational groups. and it just reinforces. I believe. in a more specific manner the intent of H.R. 10.