mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PREVENTING MATERNAL DEATHS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2023
Michael C. Burgess (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-5

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 3838, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2023. prgtoken During March, we celebrate National Women's History Month and honor the strong women in our lives, especially our mothers who make great sacrifices to bring life into this world. prgtoken According to the latest United States data, the maternal mortality rate rose yet again in 2021 to almost 33 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to a rate of 23 per 100,000 in 2020. While we know that over 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, we also understand that even one is too many. prgtoken The Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act works to understand and reduce maternal mortalities by reauthorizing Federal support for State-led Maternal Mortality Review Committees. prgtoken Maternal Mortality Review Committees are multidisciplinary committees that review the causes of maternal deaths in their State and make recommendations based on their findings to prevent future deaths and improve maternal health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year afterward. prgtoken H.R. 3838 also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work in consultation with the Health Resources and Services Administration to disseminate best practices for the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity to hospitals and other healthcare providers. prgtoken Maternal Mortality Review Committees are vital to understanding the drivers of maternal deaths and informing effective interventions. This way we will help to ensure that resources are directed where they will have the most positive impact. prgtoken Since its initial authorization in 2018, we have already seen the work of the Maternal Mortality Review Committees make a significant difference and increasing the number of Maternal Mortality Review Committees from 32 States to 49 States, the District of Columbia, New York City, Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. prgtoken Through their work, this body was able to discover that over 50 percent of pregnancy-related deaths happen between 1 week and 1 year after delivery, leading to the critical extension of the State plan amendment for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program to 12 months for postpartum coverage. prgtoken The critical importance of this bill is furthered by the news from my home State of Texas just last week. Effective March 1 of 2024, Texas extended postpartum coverage for the full 12 months for eligible Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program recipients through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. I thank Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature for their continued efforts to protect and defend life, especially the lives of new mothers and newborn babies. prgtoken Today, I am joined by 740 of my fellow OB/GYNs who are on the Hill with the American College of Obstetricians an
RECOGNIZING SOUTH CAROLINA CITIZENS FOR LIFE
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2024-3-5

as the junior Senator from the great State of South Carolina, it is my pleasure to honor the legacy of South Carolina Citizens for Life, SCCL, as they celebrate their 50th jubilee anniversary. Formed in the wake of Roe v. Wade, SCCL's tireless work has been instrumental in saving hundreds of thousands of lives over the past five decades. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating all they have done to create a culture of life in South Carolina and across the country. prgtoken South Carolina Citizens for Life has an incredible record of successfully fighting to nurture life at every stage. Their efforts have championed a total of 16 pro-life measures that became law, including legislation which banned doctor prescribed suicide and the Parental Consent Act, which resulted in a 16 percent drop in abortions the year following its passage. prgtoken Additionally, South Carolina Citizens for Life spreads awareness about the value of every human life through its booth at the South Carolina State Fair. As SCCL's largest educational resource, this booth has been instrumental in helping millions encounter the humanity of the unborn, many for the first time. For the past 45 years, fair volunteers have faithfully provided crucial information and resources, empowering vulnerable pregnant mothers to choose life. prgtoken In 2022, South Carolina Citizens for Life rejoiced when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ushering in a new chapter for the pro-life movement. While they celebrated the lifesaving decision, SCCL continues to press forward, leading the Palmetto State in fighting abortion on demand and helping expectant women choose life. Whether they are fighting to pass the Human Life Protection Act or continuing to spread the pro-life message at our State fair, SCCL's unwavering commitment to the sanctity of life remains stronger than ever. prgtoken Congratulations to SCCL on their 50th jubilee anniversary and for championing the unborn for half a century.
Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-6

last year the Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 32 million--32 million--reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. prgtoken As we are demonstrating here on a bipartisan basis, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by the Senator from Illinois, passed six bipartisan bills that aim to protect those children, and you have heard of some of them. prgtoken Two of the bills have already passed the Senate, including my Project Safe Childhood Act. Four others still need to pass, including the SHIELD Act, which Senator from Iowa just mentioned, which I introduced with Senator Klobuchar, from Minnesota, to ensure that criminals who share explicit photos of children online are held accountable. prgtoken Children are our Nation's most valuable resource, and yet we neglect them far too often when they fall prey to predators on line and in our streets. prgtoken But we need to move on these bills. It is not enough for us to pat ourselves on the back and say the Judiciary Committee did its job on a bipartisan basis. We need these bills to be taken up, passed, and sent to the President of the United States without further delay. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Graham for his leadership on this issue, and I hope the Senate can finally advance these bills.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2799, EXPANDING ACCESS TO CAPITAL ACT OF 2023; AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7511, LAKEN RILEY ACT
Erin Houchin (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-3-6

I just have two words to say. H.R. 2, we passed that 8 months ago. That was the Secure the Border Act. The own that 211 voted against that legislation. prgtoken I would also note that, since took office, we have had record numbers of crossings. There has been 7.5 million people who have crossed into the United States illegally and been paroled into the United States under 's watch, and that has been going on for 3 years under the administration. Therefore, it is not s that own this issue, but it is . prgtoken , I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
BIDEN IMPORTS VOTERS
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2024-3-6

. During the State of the Union speech tomorrow, will blame others for the border crisis, which alone created. prgtoken Since has taken office, nearly 10 million illegal aliens have crossed the border, including over 20,000 military-aged men from dictatorships in just the last 5 months. prgtoken Yesterday, Elon Musk shocked America by exposing secretly flew 320,000 unvetted aliens into the U.S. Musk warned: ``The groundwork is being laid for something far worse than 9/11.'' prgtoken He also said: ``This administration is both importing voters and creating a national security threat. . . . ``This is why groups . . . fight . . . to stop voter ID requirements. . . .'' prgtoken When America is attacked, voter ID should be mandatory for fair elections. The safety of American families is endangered by 's quest for more voters. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, who successfully protected America for 20 years as the global war on terrorism moves from the Afghanistan safe haven to America. We do not need new voter laws; we need to enforce existing laws. shamefully opens borders for dictators, as more 9/11 attacks in America are imminent, as warned by the FBI.
Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Calendar)
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-3-6

a few weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg and a train of other tech executives traipsed in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took their oaths, and answered questions. prgtoken Mark Zuckerberg did something really quite remarkable for the first time, I think, ever. Zuckerberg stood up and turned to the parents who were there that day and spoke to every parent in America and said that he was sorry for what his company has done to the young people whose lives have been lost, to the families whose lives have been destroyed, to the parents whose dreams have been dashed and shattered. He apologized. prgtoken You know, I will say apologies are good, and his apology was long, long overdue, but an apology is not enough. prgtoken Now, these tech companies--they are bad actors. We all know that. If you are a parent--I have three kids at home--you know they are. What are they trying to do to your kids? They are trying to get them to spend as much time on that cell phone as possible. They are willing to push anything to them. Child exploitation material? You bet. You bet. Whatever it takes to get them online longer so they can take their data and sell them stuff. That is their bottom line--money, money, money. Those are the companies. prgtoken But what about this body? See, I think the question today is not so much about these companies. We know what they are doing. We know what their bottom line is. What about the U.S. Senate? prgtoken I think the question we have to ask is, Is this Senate--are they going to demonstrate some independence? Because here is what it looks like to me: It looks like, to me, the biggest corporations in the world, the biggest corporations in the history of the world, have a hammer lock on the U.S. Senate. It looks like, to me, no piece of legislation that those companies don't want will move across this floor. If they don't want it, it doesn't move on the floor. If they don't want it, it doesn't get a vote. If they don't want it, it doesn't happen. They call the shots. prgtoken We have seen this before in American history. We have seen corporations try to buy this body. The railroads did it. Other companies tried it a century ago. Here we are. The robber barons of this era want to own the Senate just like they have owned it in the past. It is time that we stood up and demonstrated that our oath is not to some corporation and their bottom line, which comes at exploiting our children. Our oath is to the Constitution of the United States and to serve our constituents--to serve the families, to serve the children, to serve the people who have no voice. That is the choice in front of us. prgtoken It is time for the Senate to show that the Senate is not bought and paid for. It is time for the Senate to show that the people are in charge of this House, not the corporations--not Mark Zuckerberg, not the people who write campaign checks, but the people. That is what we are doing here today
Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Calendar)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-3-6

first, I would like to thank Senator Graham for his leadership for protecting our kids, and also I would like to thank him for giving me this opportunity to help him advance three bipartisan bills which could revolutionize child safety in the digital era. prgtoken As child predators have exploited the development of technology to harm and endanger our Nation's most vulnerable, our laws to address this grave and growing threat to our kids have fallen way, way behind. prgtoken We have three bills to talk about. One goes by the title of ``STOP CSAM.'' It strengthens reporting requirements of suspected abuse by expanding mandatory reporting and enhancing the CyberTipline, and it also protects child victims in court. prgtoken Another bill goes by the title of ``EARN IT.'' It modernizes section 230 to ensure that victims can secure justice. prgtoken And the last one, the SHIELD Act, would impose necessary criminal penalties for distributing illegal explicit material and hold sexual predators accountable. prgtoken I am proud to cosponsor both the STOP CSAM and the EARN IT Act and have supported all three bills in the Judiciary Committee as part of my efforts, joining with Senator Graham, to protect American youth. These bills are essential to protect our children and are examples of the fine bipartisan work that this body is capable of doing when we put constituents first. prgtoken Nothing is more important than protecting our youth, their childhood, and their futures. It is time to send these bills to the House and then hopefully through the House to President . The longer we wait, the more children prgtoken are victimized and more childhoods are lost. We owe it to them to do what is right. prgtoken Thanks again to Senator Graham for deferring to me, and thank you for your leadership.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2024-3-6

today I rise to honor Officer Matt Davis from the Bowling Green Police Department. On July 6, 2023, Officer Davis responded to a call of a disturbance at a used car dealership in Bowling Green, unknowingly stepping into an incredibly volatile and dangerous situation. prgtoken Upon entering the establishment, Officer Davis encountered an armed suspect. Without hesitation, he raised his voice, alerting and instructing others to take cover. The assailant fired at Officer Davis, resulting in multiple gunshot wounds and severe, life-threatening injuries. Despite his injuries, Officer Davis was able to neutralize the assailant, and no one else was injured. prgtoken Thankfully, Officer Davis survived the shooting. However, he has had to endure a long road of surgeries and rehabilitation. He plans to one day make it back to the force, and I look forward to the day that he returns to work. prgtoken Despite the grave risks, Officer Davis put his life on the line and likely saved the lives of many of the patrons in the car dealership that day. His bravery exemplifies the dedication and sacrifice of those who serve and protect our communities. Officer Davis' actions that day are a testament to the resilience and valor exhibited by members of law enforcement and first responders across Kentucky and our Nation.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. 160 (Executive Calendar)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-3-6

I am very sad that we are on the floor today and that Sarah's Law has been objected to. We have been down this road before, many times over, through the years since Sarah Root's death. prgtoken Now, I do understand that ICE has discretion, and that is what we are discussing today. It is the fact that ICE had discretion and chose to allow Edwin Mejia to post bond of $5,000 to disappear into the night. Before Sarah was even laid to rest, Edwin Mejia was long gone, and he has yet to face justice for Sarah's family. prgtoken In July 2020, a Mexican national was drunk-driving in Texas and struck and killed a Chicago resident and two retired U.S. Army officers. All were part of a pro-law enforcement motorcycle club. The Mexican national was out on bond and awaiting trial for allegedly striking a man with his truck in 2018, biting the victim's back, and biting off a portion of his ear. If Sarah's Law had been on the books, he would have been detained in 2018 to await trial. prgtoken In June 2011, a Chicago resident was killed in a drunk-driving accident. The driver, a Mexican national, was driving with a blood alcohol level four times over the legal limit. He struck and killed a Chicago resident, dragged the victim's body 300 feet, and then attempted to run away on foot. He was bailed out--again, bailed out, not held. He bailed out and fled to Mexico. He was extradited back to the United States in 2022. prgtoken If Sarah's Law had been on the books, he would have been detained and not been able to flee to Mexico. prgtoken In March 2021, a Mexican national shot and killed his next-door neighbor in Chicago. He then injured the three officers attempting to arrest him. The Mexican national was arrested in 2011 for driving with an open container. In 2015, he was arrested again for aggravated assault. In 2012, he attempted to lie his way into a visa reserved for victims of criminal activity. And he also twice unsuccessfully applied for the DACA Program in 2014 and 2015. prgtoken If Sarah's Law had been on the books, he would likely have been detained after the aggravated assault in 2015, and, again, we would have another innocent who was killed still alive today. prgtoken So these are just a handful of examples of where Sarah's Law would have made a difference. prgtoken I do understand that there is an objection to the discretionary part of this bill, and the example that was given is of those who are being trafficked for sex-type operations. Sex trafficking is very real. Because I have worked in this space of domestic violence and violence against women, I do and have heard from those who have been sex- trafficked that sometimes the only way to break away from those who are trafficking them is actually to be arrested and pulled away from those johns or those sex traffickers. So maybe to put them in an area of safety would be the right thing to do. prgtoken So I appreciate having been heard. I will continue to
Unanimous Consent Requests--H.R. 4366 (Executive Calendar)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-3-6

here today, since I have been in the Senate, which has been a little over 5 years, I think I have been the most steadfast voice in terms of, whatever we want to do here, we shouldn't be borrowing it from our kids and our grandkids. prgtoken Any of you up there listening, it is a sad state of affairs in the sense that, just a little over 5 years ago, we were $18 trillion in debt, borrowing at the tune of about a trillion dollars a year to backfill for all the things we want to do here, and ask you and your kids to pay for it. To me, that is a bad business plan. prgtoken Sadly, it gets even worse. Over these 5 years, instead of a trillion dollars annually, it is now a trillion dollars every 6 months. For those of you who are good at math, take current interest rates and apply that to $34 trillion--soon to be $35 trillion, if it has not already crossed that threshold. That is a big figure with a lot of zeroes behind it. To put it in perspective, the interest on that alone is going to be about what we spend on defense in the next year or the discretionary side of our budget. prgtoken How we have ever gotten there, I don't know. prgtoken We are going to be considering another package tomorrow or Friday that takes the whole process of doing budgets, asking: Do you really need it? Aren't there some places that we could surely get back to where we don't spend more than we take in, because when we don't, we are borrowing every penny of it. And, on every dollar that we spend here, 5 years ago, it was about 20 cents of that dollar that we had to borrow. Now it is 30 cents. The arithmetic--the numbers--don't just go away. prgtoken It will be the single biggest thing all of you--this country--has to deal with over the next 5 to 10 years, and it is just starting to get to the point where it is going to, literally, break the back of the American public. Sooner or later, you won't have people lending us that money. Sooner or later, it is going to crowd out almost everything we do here, and it is shameful, in my mind. prgtoken I want to focus on one, actually, small part of it, but what is symbolic of what shouldn't be happening here: earmarks. Earmarks are justified because we ought to be able to maybe do it better here and should have input in it, and not let the executive branch do that. But to me, that would be valid if, in fact, we were balancing our budget in the first place. prgtoken Until we get total fiscal reform here and at least start to turn it around to where the deficits get smaller, the debt is never going to get smaller because, in general, if you take out a loan, imagine if you told your banker: I just want to pay interest only for as long as I have that loan. prgtoken They would laugh you out of the office. prgtoken So when it comes to earmarks, this bill is filled with them. It wasn't too many years ago that we got rid of them. Then the House started doing them again--both sides of the aisle. W
EXPANDING ACCESS TO CAPITAL ACT OF 2023
Bill Huizenga (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-3-6

. Mr. Chair, 2\1/2\ minutes. prgtoken Mr. Chair, for 90 years, the Securities and Exchange Commission has been tasked with three things: protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and finally, facilitate capital formation. prgtoken The amendment before us today does all three. prgtoken First, it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to promulgate rules with respect to electronic delivery of some required disclosures to retail investors. prgtoken Second, it provides a transition period, allowing an initial paper communication about the electronic delivery to be sent to existing investors. prgtoken Third, during a period not to exceed 2 years, the amendment requires delivery of the annual notice in paper solely to remind investors of the ability to opt out of that and into electronic delivery at any time. prgtoken Lastly--and I can't emphasize this enough--this amendment provides a mechanism for investors at any time to opt out of e-delivery, and once again, you will receive paper versions of the documents. prgtoken You want paper, Mr. Chair, you get it. prgtoken You want e-delivery, you can get that, too. prgtoken E-delivery is not a new and radical concept, but frankly, it is long overdue, and the data supports the facts. prgtoken In 2018, the Social Security Administration eliminated paper as its primary method of delivering benefit statements to individuals. Now, nearly 45 million Americans who receive benefits from Social Security have created online accounts to access their information--information that is more timely and more secure. prgtoken Likewise, the Federal Thrift Savings Plan, TSP, which Members and staff in this Chamber use, began offering statements digitally in 2003, with 5.5 million or 85 percent of participants currently taking advantage of this option. prgtoken Finally, in 2020, the Department of Labor moved to e-delivery as a default for all of its workplace plan participants. prgtoken I would close by addressing consumer protection. This amendment appropriately preserves the ability for investors who prefer to receive paper notices and disclosures to do just that. prgtoken Like many of my colleagues, I, too, represent a district that encompasses rural communities. That is why it was important for today's amendment to ensure that paper will always be an option if internet access is an issue. prgtoken American financial markets are some of the most sophisticated in the world with innovation happening at every turn. Yet, for retail investors, we have decided that defaulting to an outdated mode of information sharing is in their best interest. prgtoken Today's amendment was guided by a commitment to honor consumer choice while ensuring Americans receive important information. prgtoken Madam Chair, .