mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE CAREER OF MR. JIM PAGLIARINI, PRESIDENT & CEO OF TWIN CITIES PBS
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-11-29

I rise today to congratulate Mr. Jim Pagliarini, on his remarkable 21 years as the President and CEO of Twin Cities PBS or Twin Cities Public Television (TPT). Under Jim's leadership, TPT has become one of this nation's most successful, innovative and prolific public television stations. While not only launching and producing popular programming and community facing initiatives, the successes of TPT have gone on to become nationwide models for how other PBS stations interact with their audiences and the communities they serve. prgtoken After seeing the power that television has to educate communities, and children especially, Jim earned a Master's degree in education from Temple University and went on to found the PBS station in Reno Nevada. He was one of the youngest station leaders in the nation at 29 years old. After successfully running the Reno PBS station, he was encouraged to apply for the position of President and CEO of TPT here in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His arrival in Saint Paul in 1997 marked the beginning of a new era for TPT. prgtoken Jim is often spoken of as a keen listener who cares about the thoughts and visions of those around him. His strategic vision, as well as the staff and leadership team he oversees, has enabled TPT to be a national leader in serving the community with a variety of offerings both on television and the web. Twin Cities Public Television is consistently one of the most viewed stations in the country and excels in offering programming and content to people at every stage of life, spanning from early childhood to later adulthood. Jim has not only been an enormous positive force for TPT, but has leveraged his talents and knowledge for the betterment of public broadcasting nationwide. In addition to serving and being reelected to the national PBS board, in 2006 he took a partial leave of absence to lead strategic planning for all public television stations around the country. prgtoken One of the many successes that TPT has had during Jim's tenure as President and CEO has been a partnership with the state's non-profits to help them use the power of media to broadcast their values and missions to viewers across Minnesota. This initiative helped to launch the Minnesota Channel in 2003, which became a national model for public broadcasting community partnerships. During Jim's time at TPT, the station completed a $40 million campaign to modernize their headquarters and invest in new digital work. It was the most ambitious campaign in TPT's history. prgtoken Under Mr. Pagliarini's leadership, Twin Cities Public Television has thrived and grown into a model public broadcaster. TPT is a shining jewel for Minnesota, and the Fourth Congressional District, where it is located in Saint Paul please join me in wishing Jim all the best in his retirement, and to honor him for his years of educating and enriching the lives of Minnesota residents through his work at Twin Cities Pub
GUN VIOLENCE
Robin L. Kelly (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-11-29

I rise today because Americans are still being taken from us by gun violence. prgtoken The majority's strong ties with the NRA--an organization that has blocked commonsense, lifesaving legislation and told America's doctors, our public health experts, prgtoken that addressing gun violence `isn't in their lane'--has prevented this Congress from acting. prgtoken Why is that ? Could your caucus be so beholden because of the millions of dollars the NRA funnels into your campaign accounts and leadership PACs? prgtoken As the NRA was telling doctors to `stay in their lane', a domestic abuser entered Chicago Mercy Hospital--a hospital, a place a refugee, healing and wellness--and took the lives of: prgtoken 32-year-old Dr. Tamara O'Neal, prgtoken 28-year-old Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, and prgtoken 25-year-old pharmacy resident Dayna Less, PharmD. prgtoken These are just three of the more than 90 Americans lost to gun violence each and every day in America. prgtoken , how many times do we have to see American lives lost to senseless gun violence before we act? When will we be part of stopping violence? prgtoken Unfortunately, this long list does not end with them. These are the names of the Americans that this -controlled House has failed with our failure to pass commonsense gun legislation: prgtoken 1. Nathan Majors, 8 prgtoken 2. Hayden Mayes, 2 prgtoken 3. Amy Hayes, 5 prgtoken 4. Ronald Rocket prgtoken 5. Patrick Smith, 41 prgtoken 6. Ke'Anthony Jelks, Jr 2 prgtoken 7. Lauren McCluskey, 21 prgtoken 8. Florence County Deputy Farrah B. Turner prgtoken 9. Nicole Barker prgtoken 10. Antoine Hartwell prgtoken 11. D'Onjay Jackson prgtoken 12. Selina Rowsell prgtoken 13. Aries Rowsell, 15 prgtoken 14. Avi Rowsell, 5 prgtoken 15. Michael Franco prgtoken 16. Qa'id Muhammad, 29 prgtoken 17. Darren Scott Stroh prgtoken 18. Onexis Del Valle Delair prgtoken 19. Dustin John Delair prgtoken 20. Claudia Cordero Garcia, 20 prgtoken 21. Diosdan Benitez-Cruz, 25 prgtoken 22. Ted Williams Hale prgtoken 23. Joanne Lynn Strussenderg prgtoken 24. Glenn Strussenderg prgtoken 25. Donna McElfresh prgtoken 26. Matthew Minkler, 17 prgtoken 27. Raheem Anthony Rice, 23 prgtoken 28. Michael Lamar Ragland prgtoken 29. Mia Banks prgtoken 30. Undra Colbert prgtoken 31. Zachary Ragusa prgtoken 32. Jesse Ordonez prgtoken 33. Dylan Ray Martin prgtoken 34. Martha Johnson prgtoken 35. Richard Dean Johnson prgtoken 36. Weldeyoanes Zelealem 37. Edward Budd prgtoken 38. Christopher Hodgkin prgtoken 39. Nicole Nguyen prgtoken 40. James Charles Powell prgtoken 41. Giovanni Melton, 14 prgtoken 42. Craig O'Driscoll prgtoken 43. Nicholas Joseph Diamond, 29 prgtoken 44. Darrion Bolden, 26 prgtoken 45. Gabriel Valenzuela, prgtoken 46. Bradley Whitis 47. Anthony Garrett, 16 prgtoken 48. Karen Michelle Jackson prgtoken 49. John Lunetta Jr 11 months prgtoken 50. John Henry Lunetta prgtoken 51. Eric Brooks, 18 prgtoken 52. Anthony Stearns, 17 prgtoken 53. Margaret Distler prgtoken 54. Clarence Dist
Nomination of Thomas Farr (Executive Session)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-11-29

. The memo includes Farr's own retelling of meetings in which sending postcards to voters was discussed. In fact, Farr told colleagues that postcards might not be as effective in kicking voters off the rolls as they had been in 1984. It is impossible, though, to square this memo with Farr's denial to the Judiciary Committee that he had any knowledge of these actions. prgtoken In addition, since that time, Mr. Farr has remained active in efforts to depress and dilute African-American voting. In several cases, Farr defended North Carolina's congressional and legislative districts that were drawn after the 2010 Census against allegations that the State legislature drew them to dilute the vote of African Americans. Farr has defended these districts before North Carolina's State courts, Federal courts, and the Supreme Court. However, in each instance, his arguments have been rejected. prgtoken In North Carolina v. Covington, a three-judge panel in the Middle District of North Carolina found that ``race was the predominant factor motivating the drawing of all challenged [state legislative] districts.'' prgtoken In v. McCrory, two of the three Federal judges on a panel held that the State's congressional redistricting plan violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. prgtoken In 2016, Farr also defended North Carolina's restrictive voter ID law in the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. McCrory. He had served as an adviser to the State legislature as it was considering that legislation. In arguing before the Fourth Circuit, Farr strongly denied that racial animus toward African Americans was the motivation for the voter ID law. The court, however, strongly disagreed. In striking down the law, the court strongly rejected Farr's arguments, noting that the law's requirements ``target African Americans with almost surgical precision.'' That is the Fourth Circuit's confirming that racial animus was part of this. prgtoken The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation expressed its strong opposition to Farr's nomination, writing that ``Farr has amassed a record that puts him at the forefront of an extended fight to disenfranchise African-American voters.'' prgtoken Opposition to Farr's nomination has been compounded by the history of this particular vacancy, which has been open for a long time--actually, since 2006. President nominated two highly qualified African- American women to fill the vacancy. Either would have been the first African American to serve on the court--a long-overdue milestone in a district in which more than 25 percent of the population is African American. prgtoken The first nominee, Jennifer May-Parker, served as chief of the Appellate Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina. By that time, she had served in the U.S. Attorney's Office for 14 years. Her nomination did not move forward because she didn't receive a blue slip from the Sta
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--CALENDAR NO. 670, S. 3405
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-11-29

I want to talk about trickle-down economics and give my colleagues an example of why it doesn't work, particularly in parts of the country that have long been neglected by the power structures in those communities. prgtoken Let's take, for example, South St. Petersburg, FL. St. Petersburg is a part of Pinellas County. It is one of our major cities in Florida. It is at the tip of a peninsula that wraps around Tampa Bay. South St. Pete is riddled with poverty. According to the Census Bureau, 16.4 percent of the people who live there live below the Federal poverty line, 6.7 percent of which have jobs, but they still live in poverty. Now, there is something wrong with that. If you have a job, you shouldn't be living in poverty. prgtoken What we know, as a result of a survey by the United Way, is that 44 percent of people in Florida, according to this survey taken in 2016-- 44 percent of the people in Florida, almost half--do not earn enough money to make ends meet. That means they don't have enough money for food, for housing, for healthcare, for transportation, and for child care--essentials for someone who is working to be able to have enough to live day to day. So there is something wrong with this. prgtoken We find people living in pockets of poverty all across this country, but I want to give an example of it in South St. Petersburg, FL. Many people there don't make enough to make ends meet and, of course, that means that you have to have both spouses working. Forty-four percent of the people do not have an economic situation that enables them to make ends meet. So what do they do to compensate? They work two, three jobs in order to compensate. prgtoken So in South St. Petersburg there are a lot of people who don't even have a job. It is not because they don't want jobs. It is because a lot of the established financial power--including banks, corporations, and big investors--in areas that are depressed like this one see it as a lost cause. They don't believe it has the economic potential to support new business. prgtoken I want to tell you a great success story about what a husband and wife team, Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy, found out when they tried to open a restaurant on 22nd Street in South St. Pete, an economically depressed part of the town that was long overlooked by those at the top of the economic ladder. I want to show my colleagues a picture of them. This is the Brayboys. prgtoken In fact, the building the Brayboys wanted to use for their restaurant sat idle for the previous 35 years. It was basically wasting away. When the Brayboys went looking for a loan to buy the building, every lender they went to said: No, it is too depressed. It sat vacant for 35 years. prgtoken Everywhere they went, they heard the same thing: The community will not be able to bring in enough business, and you will not be able to get enough customers from outside the community to visit that area. prgtoken Most peopl
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 88, SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT AND PARKER'S CROSSROADS BATTLEFIELD DESIGNATION ACT
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-11-29

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in allowing me to speak on this bill. prgtoken , I hear my friend from Texas talking about the booming stock market and the increase in employment. Actually, the statistics will bear out that the increase in employment has been a steady line through the administration. It hasn't spiked. It is just kind of continuing the slow recovery. prgtoken About that stock market, now maybe my friend was distracted for the last few weeks, but the gains for the entire year disappeared in a couple of weeks. The uncertainty troubles people who care about the future of this country. prgtoken As the 115th Congress staggers to its conclusion, this rule enshrines the failure of the s to deal meaningfully with America's scandalous Tax Code, although promising to reform the Tax Code. prgtoken I was one of the people on the Ways and Means Committee who worked the 8 years they were in charge to try and find areas of bipartisan cooperation, but they have repeatedly failed at reform. Instead, every year, they made the Tax Code more complicated and less fair. That came to a glorious conclusion with their tax scam which made a hash out of the Tax Code. It means that millions of people actually will pay more. Irony of irony, Americans trying to deal with a more complicated Tax Code won't even be able to deduct the accounting expenses to deal with this monstrosity. prgtoken The centerpiece of the 8 years in charge was the tax scam costing taxpayers $2.3 trillion of additional debt. Now, you would think if we were going to borrow $2.3 trillion and lavish tax breaks, admittedly on people who need them the least, that you would think that would at least be popular. My friend from Massachusetts cited some of the perceptions of the American public. But what I think is most telling is that their tax cut that costs the American taxpayer $2.3 trillion in additional debt was less popular than Bill Clinton's tax increase. prgtoken What was supposed to be the centerpiece of a ride to victory in November ended up being the largest net increase for since Watergate, and at the end they weren't touting it. They weren't campaigning on it.
Nomination of Kathleen L. Kraninger (Executive Calendar)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-11-29

our job in this body, in public service, is to fight for the people we serve. If you are taking a government salary, your job is to fight for the people who make this country work. prgtoken Wall Street, the big banks, and corporate special interests have their own army of lobbyists that go in and out of the majority leader's office. They are at their beck and call. prgtoken Our job is to fight for everyday Americans. That is why we created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Bureau's job is to crack down on Wall Street predators and people who cheat the system and shady lenders who prey on hard-working families. prgtoken The people in this town may have collective amnesia about what happened a decade ago. They may have forgotten the financial crisis. They may have forgotten the housing crisis, but families who lost their homes, lost their retirement savings, lost their jobs, and lost their college funds haven't forgotten. prgtoken My wife and I live in Cleveland, OH, in ZIP Code 44105. My ZIP Code, a decade ago, in the first half of that year, had more foreclosures than any ZIP Code in the United States of America. I see every day the blight and the damage that the foreclosure crisis brought to us, mostly by Wall Street. prgtoken The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is supposed to look out for danger before it crashes down on these hard-working families and robs them of their homes, jobs, and savings. The first 6 years on the job, that is what public servants at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau did. They returned $12 billion to 29 million Americans who had been scammed, cheated, and ripped off. prgtoken The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau follows in this country's proud tradition of progressive achievements: workers safety laws, overtime protections, collective bargaining rights, Social Security, Medicare, safe drinking water laws--all of those things that helped our country grow, that helped build a middle class, that helped to enhance people's quality of life. prgtoken Over the last year, Mick Mulvaney turned an agency meant to stand on the side of the American people into yet another outlet for the financial industry to push its agenda. The same people who line up outside the majority leader's office down the hall and the same lobbyists line up at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and push that same Wall Street agenda. prgtoken Mick Mulvaney said to the workers and servicemembers who are served by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to students and seniors who are served by the Bureau: You are on your own now. Don't expect any protection from us. prgtoken It is not just an attack on consumers. It is the Americans who work hard, whether they swipe a badge or punch a clock, whether they work for salary, whether they work for tips, whether they are raising children or taking care of an aging parent. Americans work prgtoken hard to earn a paycheck, buy a home, se
Introductory Statement on S. 3686
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-11-29

when we encourage our students to be active and play school sports, it's because we want to promote healthy habits and team-building skills. Yet every year, more than 140,000 student athletes sustain a concussion--and that's just the reported count. We can be sure that many more go unreported and untreated. prgtoken The benefits of competing in school sports are undermined if students are staying out on the field after an injury--especially concussions. And there is more evidence than ever about the detrimental long term effects of concussions. prgtoken That's why I'm reintroducing the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act. My bill would direct States to develop concussion safety plans for public schools that include a concussion safety awareness component. Certain States like Illinois already have such procedures in place, but it's high time we make this true for all States. By equipping our schools and communities with evidence-based guidance for responding to concussions; we can keep our students, and their futures safe. prgtoken The bill would also require States to adopt a ``when in doubt, sit it out'' policy. If there is even the possibility that a student athlete has suffered a concussion, their health and safety ought to be the number one priority. That means, if an athlete is suspected of having sustained a concussion, they should sit out and not be allowed to return to play the same day and, after that, only once evaluated and cleared by a qualified health care professional. prgtoken Unfortunately, many student athletes return to play prematurely--to the detriment of both their health and academic performance. prgtoken Let's be clear: a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects brain function. It is, by no means, something we can simply shake or walk off. The still-developing brains of students make them more susceptible to injury, making concussions all the more dangerous. prgtoken A ``when in doubt, sit it out'' policy, endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Neurology, will take the decision to return to the game out of the hands of a coach or an injured athlete who may not want to look ``weak'' prgtoken to their teammates. It will prevent students from experiencing successive injuries by staying in the game when they are not fit. It will give injured athletes the time to heal to help ensure that short term symptoms do not become long term effects. prgtoken For school sports to be a safe option, we have to put the necessary, common-sense procedures for preventing, detecting, responding to, and treating concussions in place. This bill would help do that. prgtoken It's why my bill is endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Neurology, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League
WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT BILL
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-11-29

today I wish to discuss the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act, WEEE Act, which the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported yesterday afternoon. It has been my honor to work with Senator Boozman on this legislation, which House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Representative Lois Frankel originally introduced. The House passed the measure on July 17, 2018. Yesterday, the Senate took a big step toward passing this important bill into law. prgtoken Both here in the U.S. and abroad, how a country treats its women is a barometer of its success. I believe that, when women succeed, so do our communities, especially economically. The WEEE Act is critical in achieving this goal. It brings attention to helping women entrepreneurs, including those living in poverty, to access the tools they need to start and grow their businesses and invest in themselves, their families, and their communities. It recognizes that women are not always on a level playing field, particularly when they face discrimination, gender-based violence and harassment, and restrictions on their opportunities. prgtoken Roughly 1 billion women around the world are currently left out of the formal financial system, which causes many to rely on informal means of saving and borrowing that are riskier and less reliable. In many countries, because men are considered legal heads of household, married women are required to receive permission from their husbands just to open a bank account. As a result, we have observed the propagation of savings groups, primarily composed of women, recognized as a vital entry point, especially for poor and very poor women, to formal financial services. There is a high demand for such groups to protect and grow the savings of women with formal financial institutions. Evidence shows that, once a savings group is linked to a bank, the average savings per member increases between 40 to 100 percent, and the average profit per member doubles. Investing in financial literacy, business leadership training, and mentorship are key elements to these outcomes. prgtoken By requiring that 50 percent of the U.S. Agency for International Development's--USAID--micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise resources are targeted to activities that reach the very poor, as well as enterprises owned, managed, and controlled by women, the WEEE Act will help break down the barriers preventing women from participating in their local economies. It will help diminish the estimated 70 percent of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in the formal sector that are unserved or underserved in terms of access to financial services, resulting in a financing gap of $300 trillion for women-owned small businesses. Furthermore, the WEEE Act will modernize USAID's development assistance toolkit to include innovative credit scoring models, financial technology, financial literacy, insurance, and acti