mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
INTRODUCTION OF THE IMPROVING OVERSIGHT OF WOMEN VETERANS' CARE ACT
J. Luis Correa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-9

women represent the fastest growing population in the veteran community. The Department of Veterans' Affairs reports that in 2016 women accounted for nearly 10 percent of the veteran population. This percentage will only increase in future years. It is vital that we ensure women veterans receive quality care in a safe and dignified environment, as well as in a timely manner. prgtoken According to the Government Accountability Office, the Veterans Health Administration does not have data and performance measures to determine women veterans' accessibility to gender-specific care delivered through certain community care programs. GAO also reports that VHA does not have accurate or complete data regarding VA medical centers' compliance with environment of care standards for women veterans. Medical centers must conduct regular inspections and report instances of noncompliance, but sometimes these cases are not reported to VHA. prgtoken Therefore, I am introducing the Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act. This legislation will enhance the monitoring needed for effective oversight of women veterans' healthcare in and out of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. To accomplish this goal, the bill will require VA to report to Congress on women veterans' accessibility to gender-specific healthcare in any community of care program and require VA medical facilities to report to the Secretary on their compliance and noncompliance with quality care standards.
Healthcare (Executive Session)
Heidi Heitkamp (Democrat, ND) \u2014 2017-11-9

I rise today to discuss a couple of pressing issues regarding our healthcare system and to ensure that Americans are aware of some critical deadlines for their health options in the marketplace. prgtoken It is that time of year. Healthcare open enrollment has started, and Americans across the country can sign up or change their healthcare plans to make sure they are getting a plan that works best for them and their families. prgtoken I have long said that the health reform law, otherwise known as Care, is not perfect, and I have been pushing since I have been here to make it work better for North Dakota families and small businesses. But there are many pieces in that healthcare law that are helpful, and I wish to make sure that Americans and North Dakotans take advantage during this open enrollment period. prgtoken Every individual and family should be able to get access to affordable, quality healthcare, and no one should have to go bankrupt to pay for healthcare for a child with a disability, a sick family member, or just an emergency that you never thought could happen. That is why I am encouraging everyone to please make sure you explore your options and sign up for healthcare coverage. prgtoken It is more important than ever that folks take advantage of this open enrollment period early because there are many changes this year that, unfortunately, make it more difficult for individuals and their families to sign up for health insurance. Even if you already have a plan, it is worth checking out healthcare plans, as these prices change from year to year. prgtoken First, open enrollment today is a month and a half shorter this year than it has been in the past. Open enrollment is from November 2--right now--until December 15. That is just 45 days. Do not wait to check this out. It is best if you go today to find out if there is a better plan for you or if you need to secure health insurance on the marketplace. prgtoken Second, the administration has significantly reduced funding for in- person assistance, called navigators, who help individuals and families sign up for healthcare coverage. This action is leaving millions of Americans and thousands of North Dakotans without the critical help they need to understand their options and enroll in meaningful healthcare coverage. prgtoken I want to make a point here. For those of us who in the past have always had the option of getting healthcare coverage through an employer, there is always someone in that employment office, in the payroll office, or in human resources who helps you through. This is not unique in needing this assistance. It is not unique to the marketplace. It is access and information that you have through your employer, if you are getting your insurance through your employer. The idea was that the same opportunity for information should be made available in person on the marketplace, but it is not. So we have to try and fill i
HONORING THE MONTEREY COUNTY FILM COMMISSION
Jimmy Panetta (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-9

I rise today on behalf of an organization that displays the unique beauty of my district around the entire world. The Monterey County Film Commission has served my district on the central coast of California by inspiring, facilitating, and assisting in the production of media that highlights the pristine beauty, and unique culture of our community. This year, the Monterey County Film Commission celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. Since its inception, the Commission has helped attract and assist in the production of hundreds of movies, television shows, commercials, documentaries and still photography productions. Thanks to the work of the Commission, our community has benefited from over one hundred million dollars in direct financial impact in our local communities. The Commission serves as a liaison for movie producers, government entities and local businesses. It provides substantial information about our Monterey County, and straightforward guidelines for filming procedures that facilitate the development of successful media productions. The Commission also serves our community by highlighting highly desirable Monterey County locations through domestic and international tradeshows, sales trips and direct public advertising campaigns. Beyond this, the Commission also contributes to growing the next generation of young filmmakers, and is crucial in our communities' effort to create opportunity for creative-minded young people to find success pursuing their passion. I would also note that the Monterey Peninsula has been, and remains, home to many prominent actors including Clint Eastwood and Betty White. Clint Eastwood came to Carmel to film Play Misty for Me, and later become Mayor of Carmel. The Peninsula has hosted stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Barbara Stanwyck in Clash by Night. Over the years, the Central Coast of California has attracted over two hundred films, hundreds of television programs and countless magazine ads. Most recently, my district played home to the highly successful and critically acclaimed HBO series Big Little Lies, filmed on the Monterey Peninsula, largely in Monterey and Pacific Grove. The hard work of the staff and Board of Directors of the Monterey County Film Commission continues to provide our community and our country with great films and TV shows filmed in our beautiful district it is my pleasure to recognize the dedication and hard work the Monterey County Film Commission has given to the Central Coast and the entire State of California. I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the Monterey County Film Commission as an integral part of our community.
NATIONAL DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH
Alma S. Adams (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2017-11-9

each November, communities across the country observe National Diabetes Awareness Month. We come together to educate our neighbors and to bring attention to the impact that diabetes has in the lives of millions of Americans. prgtoken As a diabetic, I know the challenges faced by people with this condition. prgtoken In 2015, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death for Americans, and diagnosis rates continue to grow each year. prgtoken To live a long and prosperous life with this disease, it is imperative that people with diabetes receive proper nutrition and access to healthcare. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, preexisting conditions such as diabetes are covered by health insurance. Thanks to SNAP, the poorest in our communities have access to nutrition. prgtoken ACA and SNAP are under attack, and as a member of the Diabetes Caucus and as your Representative in Congress, I will continue to vigorously protect the ACA and fight to increase SNAP benefits for those in need. prgtoken My life is a living testament to the opportunities that exist when diabetes is properly treated. We must ensure these opportunities are available for the next generation.
Introductory Statement on S. 2115
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-11-9

as s consider tax proposals to disproportionately benefit corporations and the wealthy, they simultaneously fail to address revenue-draining loopholes that compel hardworking taxpayers to subsidize corporate misconduct. Today, I am introducing commonsense legislation--the ``No Tax Write-Offs for Corporate Wrongdoers Act''--to prevent the worst corporate actors from writing off their wrongdoing as simply the cost of doing business. This idea is commonsense. This idea is straightforward. This idea should be bipartisan. prgtoken Today's tax code allows corporations to deduct the cost of court- ordered punitive damages as an ``ordinary'' business expense. Courts reserve punitive damages for only the most egregious and reckless misconduct--misconduct that usually causes great harm to peoples' lives. For victims who have suffered at the hands of the worst corporate bad actors, there is nothing ``ordinary'' about this loophole. Punitive damage awards are designed to punish wrongdoers for the reprehensible harm they cause--to provide a deterrence to misconduct. By giving corporations a deduction specifically for their wrongdoing, our tax code winks and nods at future wrongdoers who know that they can simply write off the damages they owe for the damage they cause. prgtoken This is not a theoretical problem. In 1994, when the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil in the Prince William Sound, devastating Alaska's southern coast, it was eventually slapped with punitive damages of $500 million. Exxon turned around and exploited this tax loophole to write off those punitive damages as an ``ordinary'' business expense--saving the company millions of dollars that could have--and should have--added to government revenues. In 2011, two Montana teenagers died in a car crash caused by a steering wheel defect in the Hyundai model they were driving--a defect that Hyundai knew about and recklessly ignored for over a decade. Although a judge eventually ordered Hyundai to pay $73 million in punitive damages, Hyundai can lawfully write those damages off as a business expense. This is just wrong. prgtoken The No Tax Write-Offs for Corporate Wrongdoing Act is simple and straightforward, and would end this offensive loophole once and for all. My bill would amend the tax code to prevent the deduction of any amount ``paid or incurred for punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement, any action between private parties.'' Aside from bringing our tax code in line with our most basic notions of justice and fair play, my bill would save American taxpayers a significant amount of money. In 2016, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that ending this punitive damages loophole would increase our government revenues by nearly $415 million over 10 years. prgtoken The Senate will be talking a lot about tax reform in the coming weeks. The Senate majority will bend over backwards--they alr
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF PATRICIA BOWSER
Tim Ryan (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-11-9

I rise today to honor the life of Patricia Bowser, age 67 who passed away on Monday, November 6, 2017. Patricia was born on October 3, 1950 in Youngstown, Ohio to Stephen and Mary Ann (Svesko) Sinkovich. She was a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School and attended Youngstown State University for college. She devoted 30 years to working with the Youngstown Board of Education with behavioral and special needs children. Patricia was also a member of the AFL-CIO executive board and was an active participant with the ic Party of Mahoning County. She was also an avid cat lover. She is survived by her mother, Mary Ann Sinkovich of Struthers, Ohio; two sons, Russel Bowser and Jerred Kent Bowser, both of Youngstown; two sisters, Sue Benish of Struthers and Marianne (Keith) Burnside of Struthers; a niece, Kayla Burnside; and a nephew, Keith (Luca) Burnside. She was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin K. Bowser, whom she married in 1979, and by her father and brother. I extend my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to Patricia's family and friends. She will be dearly missed.
Senate Anti-Harassment Training Resolution (Executive Session)
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-11-9

I want to turn to two topics today. prgtoken First, the good news is that all of the members of the Senate Rules Committee have come together on a mandatory sexual harassment training resolution that has been submitted with broad support, including from the two leaders and every member of the Rules Committee. I thank Senator Grassley for his leadership, Senator Shelby for his leadership, as well as Senators Capito and Cortez Masto, who were a big help. prgtoken We are all too aware that sexual harassment continues in our workplaces. A recent study found that one in four women has been sexually harassed in the workplace and that three-quarters of individuals who have experienced sexual harassment at work have not reported the incidences. Civil service is actually among the top five industries with the highest sexual harassment incidences. prgtoken We know that it will not stop on its own, and we will not be complacent bystanders who expect workplace cultures to change on their own. That is why today, with a bipartisan group of 19 of our colleagues, we took a major step forward with this resolution. Once it is adopted by the full Senate, which we hope will be shortly, this resolution will simply require that all Senators and staff receive sexual harassment training, as well as on other forms of harassment, at least once every 2 years--in addition to that, 60 days after it passes. prgtoken What happens if Senators do not receive this training? The American people will know. prgtoken In one part of this bill--and I appreciate the broad support from Senator McConnell, who has long been someone who has taken leadership in this area for many years, and from Senator Schumer, who has also taken leadership in this area--all offices will have to certify to the Secretary of the Senate that they and their employees here in Washington, as well as those working in our home States, have, in fact, taken the training and complied with the resolution. These certifications will be posted online for the public to view. prgtoken I thank Senator Grassley, again, as well as Senator Shelby. Senator Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was the author of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. I want to thank as well Senators Cortez Masto and Capito and all the members of the Rules Committee for coming together, on both sides of the aisle, on this commonsense resolution. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support the Senate Anti-Harassment Training Resolution of 2017. There is more work to be done with regard to the reporting process, and that is something we are going to be working on in the next few weeks through the Rules Committee, but I do want to thank them. prgtoken Senator Gillibrand has also been working in this area, and I want to thank her. Overall, it is a good effort in which everyone came together and agreed on a plan for mandatory training.
Republican Tax Plan (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-9

I rise today to oppose the nomination of William Wehrum to be the next Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency. This job is really pretty straightforward. The person in this job must fight for the right of every American to breathe clean air. But here is the problem: Mr. Wehrum has dedicated his career to the service of corporate polluters. Like President and Administrator Pruitt, in a fight between hard- working families and well-paid corporate polluters, Mr. Wehrum sides with the corporate polluters every single time. prgtoken President promised to ``drain the swamp'' in DC. But, seemingly, with every week, this -controlled Senate approves yet another one of the President's corporate insiders to advance Big Oil and Big Coal's dirty wish list. The decision to nominate Mr. Wehrum is no exception. He is another conflict-ridden, climate-dismissing nominee who has made a career of putting corporate profits ahead of hard-working families who depend on the EPA to have their backs. prgtoken Some of my colleagues have argued that Mr. Wehrum has extensive experience serving at the EPA under the administration, and that is true. Let's take a look at his experience. Mr. Wehrum fought to keep States from setting their own higher vehicle emissions standards in order to try to keep the air cleaner. He played a key role in the administration's insistence that the EPA has no responsibility to combat climate change--a view that the Supreme Court rejected in 2007 in Massachusetts v. EPA. When the EPA was required by law to propose a rule limiting mercury emissions from powerplants, Mr. Wehrum's influence helped tilt the rule to benefit big coal. In fact, several paragraphs of the proposed rule were lifted verbatim from memos provided by the same pro-coal lobbying firm that Mr. Wehrum had worked at before joining the EPA. prgtoken The egregious inadequacy of the proposed rule and its blatant disregard for rulemaking processes led to 8 years of unnecessary delay in limiting toxic mercury emissions. There were 8 additional years of an estimated 130,000 asthma attacks, 8 years of 11,000 premature deaths--all potentially avoidable if Mr. Wehrum and his colleagues had just listened to the science and made the protection of human life more important than the protection of corporate interests. prgtoken During his tenure at the EPA, looking out for big corporate polluters was standard practice for Mr. Wehrum. In 27 separate cases--27 cases-- Federal courts found that the regulations that Mr. Wehrum helped write contradicted or violated the Clean Air Act and failed to protect public health. prgtoken Mr. Wehrum has a lot of experience--the weak-kneed experience of someone kissing up to big corporate interests. prgtoken In reflecting on his time at the EPA, Mr. Wehrum said: ``I'm a much better lawyer now than when I first joined
Republican Tax Plan (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-11-9

later today the Senate s will release their version of the tax bill. The bill will not include a single idea of in the Senate. Not a single has had any input into this bill. It was constructed entirely behind closed doors by the majority party, who have no intention of negotiating with because they locked themselves into a partisan process that only requires a majority vote. prgtoken They are trying to rush it through this Chamber with reckless speed. Why? Because my friends on the other side know that the longer their bill is out there for the public to see, the less the public likes it. Their only hopes of passing it are to rush it through before anyone can grapple with the stunning hypocrisy at the center of their plan. prgtoken The majority has repeatedly promised a middle-class tax bill, but instead, they have concocted a bill grounded in tax cuts for big corporations and the very rich. They actually hurt middle-class people because they need to give those big breaks for the wealthiest. prgtoken While promising that their plan gives ``everyone a tax cut''--that is what Ryan said again today--multiple independent analyses conclude that the House tax plan would increase taxes on millions of middle-class families, contrary to what s promised and what has promised. They said: No middle-class people will get an increase. This is aimed at helping the middle class. prgtoken But the vast majority of the help goes to the wealthiest and biggest corporations. A New York Times analysis found that next year the House plan would cause taxes to go up on one-third of all middle- class families. By 2026 taxes will go up on nearly half of all middle- class families. prgtoken So even if you come from a State with a lower tax rate--a red State-- it is probably a good bet that a quarter of the middle-class families will get a tax increase. I think the lowest I saw was 17 percent for West Virginia. prgtoken So this hurts middle-class people, and it hurts certain middle-class people much more than others--people who have student loans, people who have high medical expenses, people who come from States where there are large property taxes, people who have big mortgages. These are middle- class people. They should not get a tax increase. prgtoken Mark Mazer, director of the independent Tax Policy Center, said: You could create a plan that just cuts taxes for middle- class people. That's not what this is. prgtoken That is him, not me. It is what s promised people. prgtoken Now, we will see what the Senate comes up with today. But several Senators have already confirmed that the Senate bill has the same structure as the House bill, and, in at least one way, we know it is worse for middle-class families than the House bill because the House bill will reduce the value of State and local deductions by