mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING JUDGE MICHAEL J. NEWMAN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Michael R. Turner (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-3-29

I rise today to recognize the Honorable Michael J. Newman, Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and who is president of the Federal Bar Association, for his achievements in piloting a special veterans court in Dayton, Ohio. prgtoken With Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Dayton VA Medical Center both located in the Dayton community, and with the large number of veterans residing in my 10th Congressional District, southwest Ohio is a prime region for establishing a court that concentrates on veterans' issues. prgtoken Judge Newman's veterans court appears to be the first of its kind in the State of Ohio, and it aims to address an area of need in the Miami Valley, assisting military veterans who have been charged with relatively minor offenses get their lives back on track. prgtoken In many cases, treatment and strong guidance is a better course of action to remedy misdemeanor Federal offenses than jail time, which can lead to a cascade of negative unintended consequences, such as difficulty in obtaining employment. prgtoken Thanks to Judge Newman's efforts to cooperate with the United States Attorney's Office and the Federal Public Defender's Office, veterans in the Dayton, Ohio, area can receive treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues, which so often underpin these minor offenses, rather than sitting in jail. prgtoken Veterans who decide to participate in Judge Newman's 6-month-long pilot program are required to work closely with a Veterans Justice Outreach coordinator, who acts as a mentor and caseworker, providing guidance, facilitating treatment, and helping secure housing and employment. prgtoken Besides meeting with their veterans officer, veterans must also attend medical appointments, receive recommended treatment, and not reoffend in order to graduate. Upon successful completion, the misdemeanor charges are frequently dismissed, allowing former servicemembers to truly earn themselves a second chance at life. prgtoken Of the more than 33 veteran participants thus far, 20 have successfully completed the program, and several others are continuing to make progress as we speak. prgtoken I commend Judge Newman for instituting an innovative Federal veterans court program that addresses critical needs within our community and resolves programs by rehabilitating rather than simply punishing the brave men and women who have served our country. prgtoken I also would like to congratulate Judge Newman for his work in implementing a civics program for students to learn about the Federal courts. Developing a partnership between the Federal judiciary and the Federal Bar Association, these interactive court camps invite elementary, middle, and high school students into the Federal courts to learn about the third branch of government. prgtoken During court camp, Federal judges meet with the groups of students in school classrooms, as well as Federal
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-3-29

I want to compliment the distinguished Senator from Wyoming for the wonderful remarks he has made. They are right on point. prgtoken Last week's Judiciary Committee hearing on Judge Neil Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination made two things abundantly clear. The first is that Judge Neil Gorsuch is a superb, highly qualified nominee. Second, with the possibility of the first partisan filibuster in the history of a Supreme Court nominee, I have come to the conclusion that some would do almost anything to keep us from having an impartial, independent judiciary. prgtoken As I explained at the start of the hearing last week, qualifications for judicial service include both legal experience and judicial philosophy. Legal experience looks at the nominee's past accomplishments in the law, while judicial philosophy anticipates the nominee's future judicial service. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch's legal experience is among the most impressive that I have seen in my 40 years on the Judiciary Committee. He is truly an impressive man. This is no doubt why the American Bar Association easily and unanimously gave Judge Gorsuch its highest ``well qualified'' rating, the highest rating it can give. I certainly have had my differences with the ABA, because at times they appear to let political or ideological considerations influence their rating. I mention their rating now because my colleagues, including Senators Leahy and Schumer, have called the ABA's rating ``the gold standard'' for evaluating judicial nominees. prgtoken The ABA testified about their rating at last week's hearing, explaining that they sought input from more than 5,000 people throughout the legal world who would have personal knowledge about Judge Gorsuch. That is about as broad a group as I have ever heard of. They assembled 40 scholars and nationally recognized Supreme Court practitioners to review his judicial opinions, other writings, and speeches. The ABA's 1,000-page report concluded that Judge Gorsuch meets the ``very high standards of integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament.'' prgtoken Editorial boards across America took notice as Judge Gorsuch demonstrated such qualities to everyone. prgtoken The Denver Post said that Judge Gorsuch ``possesses the fairness, independence, and opened-mindedness necessary to make him a marvelous addition to the Supreme Court.'' prgtoken The Detroit News said that Judge Gorsuch ``is proving himself an even tempered, deeply knowledgeable nominee who should be confirmed by the Senate.'' prgtoken The Chicago Tribune said that Judge Gorsuch's critics ``suggest that they fear Gorsuch won't follow the law, but the opposite is more true. They fear he will. Gorsuch should be confirmed.'' prgtoken The second and more important qualification for judicial service is the nominee's judicial philosophy or his understanding of the power and proper role of judges in our system of government. T
HONEST AND OPEN NEW EPA SCIENCE TREATMENT ACT OF 2017
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-29

I rise in strong support of the HONEST Act. As a cosponsor of this legislation and a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I am very pleased to see this bill come to the House floor. prgtoken I represent the congressional district with the highest concentration of petrochemical, manufacturing, and refining facilities than any other district in the entire Nation. This means that thousands of my constituents have been or are currently employed by these industries. In fact, years ago, I spent some time as a worker in one of these very factories. prgtoken With this in mind, you can understand why pushing for reform, transparency, and accountability within the EPA would be very important to me because so many of my constituents' livelihoods are affected by costly and burdensome regulations from the EPA. My constituents want to make sure that the EPA's actions, particularly those based on secret science, do not cost them their jobs or their livelihood. prgtoken Time and again, the EPA has issued extensive regulations without ever showing the science to back up their claims to justify these regulations. It is like they have a little black box over there. They don't let anyone else look into it, and they just say: Trust us, we have got good science backing up our claims. prgtoken I say, if your science is so good, then don't hide it in your little black box. Show us your data. prgtoken The HONEST Act simply requires the EPA to open their little black box to public scrutiny. After we pass the HONEST Act, any regulations coming from the EPA must be based on data that is publicly available. What is so offensive about a little transparency? prgtoken Most companies and businesses would be happy to comply with the EPA when data shows that their regulations are backed up by clear evidence. But many times, if not most of the time, this is not the case. Instead the regulations are based on secret science that no one but the regulators themselves have access to. prgtoken When the Federal Government issues regulations based on secret science, this is yet another example of a Federal agency getting away with something the rest of America cannot do. prgtoken American workers are fed up with overzealous regulators pushing our jobs overseas.
TO CONGRATULATE AND HONOR ANGELINA M. PENNISI STEINER FOR HER LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-3-29

today I rise to congratulate and honor Angelina M. Pennisi Steiner for her literary achievements. At the age of thirteen, her poem ``The Rusty Clock'' was selected to be included in the award-winning Children's Album of Poetry Archives. After submitting another poem, ``A Nightly Wish,'' Mrs. Steiner became the only person in her school to be included twice. In 2014, her first book, ``Chasing Dreams'' was published. Now, her second book, ``Beautiful Words Coming My Way'' is being published and archived in the Library of Congress. prgtoken Mrs. Steiner joined the Plant City Senior Center several years ago, where she shared her talents in weekly poetry readings. She became a member of the Florida Writer's Association, has been a guest at Winter Haven's ``Meet the Artist Event in the Park,'' and was the featured guest speaker at Bruton Memorial Library. Angelina recently participated in the 36th Annual Tampa Bay Senior Talent Showcase. prgtoken A loving wife, and a mother of four children, Mrs. Steiner is inspired from everyday events, and has the talent to paint a beautiful picture through her poetry. Her rare talent and literary achievements must not go unrecognized. It makes me proud that a constituent of mine has achieved success in her literary endeavors.
RECOGNIZING EDWARDSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL'S SENIOR GUARD MARK SMITH
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-3-29

I rise today to recognize Edwardsville High School's senior guard Mark Smith, who is now better known as Mr. Basketball of Illinois for the 2016-2017 season. prgtoken Mark received the Mr. Basketball honor after a senior season in which he filled up the stats sheet. Over the course of the season, Mark averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He recorded double figures in 31 of the Tigers' 32 games, and had eight games in which he scored more than 30 points. In the championship game of the Ottawa sectional, Mark scored a career-high 45 points in Edwardsville's win over Danville. prgtoken Outside of Mark's individual statistics, the Tigers boys' basketball season was an unforgettable one in the Metro East, as the team finished 30-2 and played in the Class 4A Super-Sectional in Normal. prgtoken In addition to the Mr. Basketball honor, Mark was named the ``Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year,'' and has scholarship offers from multiple Division 1 schools. prgtoken I am proud to congratulate Mark on his spectacular senior season and receiving this honor. I look forward to continuing to follow his basketball career.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-3-29

over the last 8 years, American workers grappled with a sluggish economy and policies that often made it harder for families to get ahead. Even on its way out the door, the administration pushed forward with more unfair regulations that hurt the middle class. It tried to advance regulations that threatened jobs and hindered economic growth. It tried to shift power away from people and toward government on everything from education to land management issues. prgtoken Under the guise of helping more people save for the future, it undercut a system of private retirement savings that has served millions of Americans very well for decades. It introduced regulations that would push more and more Americans into government-run retirement plans. These retirement savings regulations are a classic case of the whole being worse that the sum of its parts. prgtoken The administration encouraged States and municipalities to set up government-run retirement plans for private sector workers. Sounds great, some might say, but that is until you see the fine print. prgtoken States always had the power to set up these plans, but they chafed at Federal laws protecting the workers who would be automatically enrolled in them. They didn't like that the basic retirement protections that apply to those who manage private sector retirement plans would apply to the government too. So they sought a waiver from long-accepted Federal protections like the requirement to invest prudently and the rule against self-dealing. prgtoken That is what these regulations are actually about. They allow States and cities to create an employer mandate that forces private sector workers into these government-run plans. They liberate the States and big-city mayors from Federal consumer protections for these hard-earned dollars, and they create a competitive advantage for these new government-run plans. The end result would be more government at the expense of the private sector. prgtoken Fortunately, we can begin to roll back these regulations. We will take a vote today to protect workers should big-city governments try to force their private sector employees to auto-enroll in government-run savings plans. Later, we will advance another CRA to protect workers from similar efforts at the State level. prgtoken Congress is able to push back against troubling regulations like these because of the tools provided by the Congressional Review Act, or CRA. Just last week, we sent the 11th CRA resolution to the President's desk, and we hope to add to those regulatory relief efforts again. prgtoken I thank Senator Hatch, the Finance Committee chairman, for his leadership on this issue. He understands that prgtoken we need to do more to encourage private retirement savings, and he has advocated numerous policies that would do just that. He also understands that more government involvement in the retirement of private sector workers is not the ans
HONEST AND OPEN NEW EPA SCIENCE TREATMENT ACT OF 2017
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-3-29

I thank Chairman Smith for yielding time here today, as these issues affect my constituents in northern California as well. So being here to support H.R. 1430, the HONEST Act, really pleases me because we haven't had a lot of honesty the way the EPA has applied new interpretations of new rules to some of the folks in my district here, that farm and ranch and other activities that use their resources and their land in the way they see fit. prgtoken We need to ensure that the EPA rules and regulations are made using verifiable, publicly available data and science. prgtoken A fundamental tenet of our Nation is that citizens have the right to know how and why the government makes decisions and, just as importantly, have the ability to challenge those decisions. However, we have seen an increasing tendency of Federal agencies to refuse to disclose the data they have based decisions on, claiming it is too sensitive to share. Really, now. prgtoken For example, the administration's waters of the U.S. rule, which would have inserted the Federal Government into local land use decisions across the Nation, directly conflicts with publicly available data prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers, yet the EPA refused to release data it claimed supported its conclusion. prgtoken Farmers, in some cases, cannot even use their land under the threat of litigation, fines, or even arrest. Even the Army Corps of Engineers disputes the EPA's refusal, noting, in 2015, that EPA provided no scientific basis for its jurisdictional power grab. prgtoken Under waters of the United States, we have heard interpretations that prgtoken people plowing their fields could be interpreted now as a regulatable land because that could be seen as a watershed because you now have furrows that are new watersheds. prgtoken This is the kind of thing that needs to be heard publicly in review of Congress and the people, not made in a back room of the EPA somewhere. That is not an honest way of doing business. That is why H.R. 1430 is an honest way to bring them back to the accountability we need to have so people can have their day and have a right to dispute nonscience-led decisions made by the EPA. prgtoken The Administration did not even rely on peer-reviewed science or on publicly available Scientific Advisory Board determinations despite EPA claims that its effort was backed by science. prgtoken The tendency for Federal agencies to develop regulations based on secret data is even more insidious when we note that these are not even elected officials. They don't have to stand for election. These are career bureaucrats who cannot be removed or even sometimes met up with by the voters, by their constituents. prgtoken , when Americans face regulations imposed by unelected bureaucrats and based on secret science that cannot be verified or even viewed, how can they employ their First Amendment right to petition their government? The answer, colleague
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-3-29

I rise in support of the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court of the United States. prgtoken Last week the Judiciary Committee, on which I serve, held a week-long series of hearings concerning Judge Gorsuch's nomination. After listening to the judge's flawless testimony, after listening to him answer questions from my colleagues for days on end, I am even more convinced than ever that he is exactly the kind of jurist we need on the Supreme Court of the United States. prgtoken I want to briefly explain my support for the judge, and then respond to some of the criticisms that have been leveled against him. prgtoken First and foremost, Judge Gorsuch understands the proper and necessarily limited role of the judiciary in our constitutional Republic. prgtoken Last week, over and over, Judge Gorsuch affirmed--even against great criticism that at times can be difficult to understand in its entirety--but responded time and again to criticisms by pointing out that it is his job as a prgtoken judge to interpret and apply the law--not to make it, not to establish policy, but to apply that policy which has already been placed into law by the legislative branch. prgtoken When you are reading law, the text matters. Our laws consist of words and each word matters. If the law leads to an uncomfortable outcome for the parties, for politicians, or for anyone else in our society, then, it is our job as a Congress--or if it is State law at issue, it is the job of a State legislature--to get the policy right, to fix the policy problem at issue. The judge's job is to go where the law leads the judge, not to correct the law. prgtoken Over and over, Judge Gorsuch affirmed the importance of precedent in our system. It is clearly a topic that he takes very seriously, having coauthored a treatise on that very subject. While precedent is not always absolute, in so far as you have a clear conflict with the text, Judge Gorsuch testified that you start with the ``heavy presumption in favor of precedent.'' He described precedent as the ``anchor of the law.'' prgtoken Over and over, Judge Gorsuch explained that judges are not partisans in robes. No, they are different. They are different from politicians. They are meaningfully different than the politicians who make the laws or the politicians in the executive branch who enforce and execute the laws. They are unfailingly independent when they are doing their jobs right. They are devoted to the rule of law. They do their best to decide cases on the basis of the law and the facts, rather than on the basis of achieving whatever outcome they or others might desire. prgtoken Some of my colleagues' views of Judge Gorsuch's record are different, and I want to address some of their concerns. First, some of my colleagues have questioned the independence of Judge Gorsuch and his ability to exercise judicial independence. This is a very serious accusation. In fact, it is pro
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-3-29

I would like to add my voice to that of the Senator from Missouri. I thank him for his leadership and for his excellent work on the matters that he has been addressing. Nomination of Neil Gorsuch prgtoken , I am here to address the issue, as I have done before and will again, of the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. America needs judges who can follow the law, who have the highest ethical standards, and who value the independence of our courts. That is the description of Neil Gorsuch. That is him in a nutshell. We saw it throughout his career, and we saw it again in his confirmation hearing last week. prgtoken on the committee asked him to talk about issues that are going to be coming up before the Supreme Court. Well, Judge Gorsuch--we know what he did. He followed the rules, the ethics rules. These are the rules that say that judges and nominees should not answer those kinds of questions. prgtoken Following the rules is exactly what he should have done, and it is exactly what other nominees that both and ic Presidents have placed on the Court have done in the past. prgtoken It is what Ruth Bader Ginsburg did at her confirmation hearing in 1993. She said that a ``judge sworn to decide impartially can offer no forecasts, no hints.'' She said that this would ``display disdain for the entire judicial process.'' She was confirmed. prgtoken That is exactly what Judge Gorsuch said. That is the Ginsburg standard, and every nominee since then has followed that standard. prgtoken on the Judiciary Committee also tried last week to criticize Judge Gorsuch for some of his opinions that they didn't like. They suggested that the Court should have ignored the law--ignored the law and sided with ``the little guy'' in these cases. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch was quick to point out that all judges are absolutely not supposed to consider who they think is sympathetic. They are to rule based on the law. prgtoken Federal judges actually swear an oath to ``administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich.'' prgtoken It is interesting because the minority leader, Senator Schumer, himself has spoken about how important it is for a judge to be impartial. In 2009, at the confirmation hearing for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, he praised the way that she put the ``rule of law above everything else.'' He said that she did this even when it led to rulings that ``go against so-called sympathetic litigants.'' That was 2009. prgtoken Fast forward to 2017. It is the identical standard that Judge Gorsuch has followed. He pointed out that it is his job to apply the law, and writing the laws is the job of the legislative branch of government. prgtoken We are not here selecting the 101st Senator. This is not about who ought to be another Senator. This is about who should be on the Supreme