mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CAMPUS PREVENTION AND RECOVERY SERVICES FOR STUDENTS ACT OF 2022
Teresa Leger Fernandez (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , I thank Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Keller from the State of Pennsylvania for their support of this much-needed legislation. prgtoken Alcohol and substance misuse is a devastating issue across the country and on college campuses. It steals the dreams and futures of too many of our community. prgtoken I lost two brothers to addiction--alcohol and drug misuse. That misuse began during their time in college. My family has never recovered from the loss of those two beautiful brothers of mine, and I understand all too well the pain substance misuse inflicts on students, their families, and their communities. Sadly, my family's story is not unique in New Mexico or across this country. prgtoken Since the start of the pandemic, States have reported increased numbers of drug overdoses. Campuses have reported increased mental health concerns in students as well. College students who deal with substance misuse and addiction often find themselves isolated and without a support network. prgtoken Congress has an opportunity to address this serious issue by making sure that colleges and universities support students through strong prevention and recovery programs. I don't want to see another headline or obituary of a promising young person lost to overdose. prgtoken That is why I introduced the bipartisan Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act along with Representatives Dusty Johnson, Lucy McBath, John Joyce, and Michael Guest. I would also like to acknowledge Representative David Trone who is co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Addiction Task Force of which I am also a member. He led this bill during last Congress. prgtoken Our bill will help to cut the chains of addiction and unlock access to treatment and prevention for countless students across the United States. Specifically, it will reauthorize the drug and alcohol abuse prevention provision of the Higher Education Act to promote evidence- based prevention and intervention strategies on college campuses. I have met with college students across my district to hear from them what is needed. What is needed is what is in this bill. prgtoken It encourages campus collaboration and service integration to address substance use and mental health concerns in a holistic manner. The bill also authorizes $15 million to implement those grants for fiscal year 2023 and the 5 following years. prgtoken I was pleased to see my bill pass unanimously during its markup in the Education and Labor Committee. I thank Chairman Scott and his staff for working to get this bill to the House floor. prgtoken Madam , I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6493 and to vote ``yes'' in support of our students.
LGBTQI+ DATA INCLUSION ACT
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Today, I rise in support of this amendment that clarifies the Federal surveys governed by this bill can and should collect data on deceased LGBTQ individuals when applicable. prgtoken As we know, due to mistreatment and being stigmatized, LGBTQ+ youth are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. prgtoken In recent years, the number of violent fatal attacks against transgender people have hit record highs. But importantly, the actual number of fatal attacks is widely believed to be undercounted. Allowing a proxy of a deceased person to respond to a Federal survey can right this wrong. prgtoken Federal surveys often do not collect key demographic information on those they study, such as the gender identity or sexual orientation of a deceased person. As a result, we as policymakers do not have the full picture and cannot accurately identify disparities or create policy solutions that serve each person we represent. prgtoken For example, the Justice Department's National Crime Victimization Survey only asks questions about the victim's sexual orientation but not about their gender identity. prgtoken This potentially severe undercount of targeted violence against the transgender community has left us making policies with one hand tied behind our backs. prgtoken This amendment ensures that researchers and policymakers can understand the experiences of deceased LGBTQ individuals and make more informed decisions as we fight for equality and justice under the law. prgtoken Madam , I urge support of this amendment, and .
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ALLEVIATES SUFFERING
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , biomedical research can accelerate discoveries to alleviate human suffering due to illness if we allow it. prgtoken The speed with which the COVID-19 vaccines were developed using groundbreaking messenger RNA technology is one of the most important biomedical advancements in 100 years. prgtoken By establishing the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, otherwise known as ARPA-H, we can harness those lessons for new discoveries in many other diseases. prgtoken The potential for lifesaving treatments for devastating conditions like ALS, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cancer is right in front of us. For millions of Americans suffering and the people who love them, this can't come soon enough.
RECOGNIZING CHRISTOPHER M.C. DEIBERT
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Christopher M.C. Deibert for his 23 years with St. Mary Church in South Amboy and to wish him the best of luck in his new roles as Director of Sacred Music for the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen and Diocese of Metuchen Director of Diocesan Liturgical Music. prgtoken Following his undergraduate education, Mr. Deibert focused his graduate studies in church music and organ performance at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ as well as organ and harpsichord improvisation at The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Additionally, Mr. Deibert has studied under Brenda A. Day, Ronald W. Thayer, Bruce Neswick, Gerre Hancock, and William Porter. prgtoken A well-renowned and respected performer and music expert, Christopher Deibert has served on many organizations, including the Middlesex Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Diocese of Metuchen Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and the Royal School of Church Music, among others. He also offers university lectures and teaches at a private studio, and previously served as music department chair at Our Lady of Victories School in Sayreville, NJ. He continues to share his talent and love of music with the community and has received well-deserved accolades for his work. prgtoken Mr. Deibert brought his experience and talents to St. Mary Church in South Amboy, NJ, founding the Music at St. Mary's concert series in 2001, which many in the public enjoy frequenting. Throughout his tenure at St. Mary's, he has served as Director of Music and Liturgy, Executive Director of the Music at St. Mary's series and Conductor of the St. Mary Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Deibert has also performed as an organist and has conducted the St. Mary Choral Society. His musical gift has been a joy to experience and will truly be missed by St. Mary's parish and visitors like myself. prgtoken Madam , it is my honor to join with the parish community of St. Mary's in thanking Christopher M.C. Deibert for his years of exceptional leadership and congratulating him on his next endeavor. I am confident that the Diocese of Metuchen and the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen will appreciate his talents and I look forward to hearing of his continued success.
JOSEPH WOODROW HATCHETT UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE AND FEDERAL BUILDING-- Continued
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-6-23

I want to thank my colleague and friend from Texas as well as the team that worked with him--Senators Murphy, Tillis, Sinema, and all of us who worked with them. Where he is surely right is that we have shown that democracy works, at least that it can work, when people come together seeking common ground and responding to the overwhelming sense of urgency from the American people about solving a problem. And that democracy working stands in stark juxtaposition to the tableau on the other side of Congress, the House Commission that is investigating the near-overthrow of that democracy. So for all who are doubting and all who may have doubts in the future, we are providing some reassurance that we can get things done and solve problems. prgtoken My mind goes back to watching that Gallery almost 10 years ago in the wake of the Newtown tragedy--the unthinkable murder of 20 beautiful children and 6 brave educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. And when we failed to take action then on a very modest improving the background check system--we had 55 votes but not enough to reach 60--I will never forget the cry of ``Shame, shame'' that came from that Gallery. prgtoken I remember the Sandy Hook families were in that Gallery, and at least two of them are here today, Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley. And it is not only those families that are in the Gallery, it is the movement that those families, through their immeasurable grief and unthinkable trauma, created in the wake of that unimaginable murder. That movement is here, comprised of survivors and first responders, medical professionals, educators, advocates, and so many others. And today when the U.S. Senate passes the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we won't hear cries of ``Shame,'' there will be cries of relief, finally. prgtoken I am proud to have been part of the team that negotiated this measure and to have worked with colleagues on the other side of the aisle like Senator Cornyn. This is not the measure I fought for. It is not the measure I would have written if I had been doing it alone, but it marks meaningful progress. prgtoken If you wait to get everything in the U.S. Senate, chances are you will get nothing. Progress is better than nothing. This measure will save lives--not all the lives that we want to save, but it will save lives, and I will be proud to vote for it today. prgtoken After 30 years, hundreds of thousands of gun deaths after Sandy Hook and dozens of failed legislative proposals, we are finally taking this step forward. The Sandy Hook victims, the Parkland victims, the Uvalde victims, and so many more deserve so much better, and they deserve more, but the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is that significant step forward that responds to the Nation's sense of urgency to get something done. prgtoken One way the legislation will do so that I am particularly proud of is investing in crisis intervention programs. This bill will
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-6-23

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
HONORING DR. SANDRA HARRIS' 70TH BIRTHDAY
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Dr. Sandra of Ann Arbor, Michigan on the occasion of her 70th birthday. Her excellent service to our community is worthy of commendation. prgtoken Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Dr. is a graduate of Mack Elementary, Forsythe Middle School, and Pioneer High School. She attended Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where she earned four degrees: a bachelors, masters, specialists, and doctorate, all in the education field. She began her career at Ann Arbor Public Schools, serving in various roles, including as teacher, Vice Principal, Personnel Director, and Vocational Coordinator. Dr. then went on to serve as Superintendent at Lincoln Consolidated Schools and the Oak Park School District before retiring. Coming out of retirement, Dr. now serves as Dean Emerita and Director of Graduate Education at the School of Education at Concordia University in Ann Arbor. prgtoken Dr. ' lifelong dedication to education exemplifies her passion for helping the youth in our community succeed and thrive. Her work has touched the lives of so many and her warmth and enthusiasm for helping others is made known wherever she goes. Even if she is busy, she always has time to mentor the next generation. Her commitment to our students has not gone unnoticed, and Dr. is the recipient of multiple awards including the Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council, the Outstanding Professional Educator Award from the Ann Arbor Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the Most Influential Women Award from Business Direct Weekly, and the Women of Courage-Women of Change Award from the Minerva Educational Development Foundation. prgtoken Dr. Sandra has paved the way for young African American women in our community and is a trailblazer in educational leadership. She is the first African American to earn a Doctor of Education from Eastern Michigan University, the first African American to hold the position of Superintendent for Lincoln Consolidated Schools and the first African American to become a Dean at Concordia University. Additionally, she was the first female Superintendent at Oak Park School District. Dr. is a member of the Ann Arbor Chapter of the Links, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, and the Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor. Her continued involvement and outstanding contributions to our community are commendable, and I am proud to honor all her accomplishments here today. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Dr. Sandra on her 70th birthday. She is someone that I am proud to call my friend. I join with Sandra's family and friends in extending my best and warmest wishes to her on this special day.
INTRODUCTION OF THE DEFENSE ACCESS ROADS IMPROVEMENT ACT
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , today I introduce the ``Defense Access Roads Improvement Act,'' which would make commonsense reforms to reduce congestion outside military installations. The Defense Access Roads program is a unique partnership between the U.S. Departments of Defense and Transportation. Under the program, the Secretary of Defense designates civilian roadways that provide critical access for domestic military installations as Defense Access Roads, making them eligible for military construction funding transferred to the Department of Transportation for road improvements off base. prgtoken Military installations anchor communities across the nation, including California's Travis and Beale Air Force Bases in my Congressional district. The Defense Access Road Program ensures that the Department of Defense pays its fair share for maintenance, upkeep, or upgrades of roads impacted by military traffic and the constant movement of heavy equipment and vehicles. prgtoken My ``Defense Access Roads Improvement Act'' would create a new, public process for state, county, or municipal governments to petition the Department of Defense to designate new Defense Access Roads, unlocking military construction funding for needed roadway improvements off base. My bill would establish a new online database for designated Defense Access Roads and any federal funding requests outstanding, which improves public transparency and holds the Pentagon accountable. Lastly, my bill would also allow roads leading to commercial shipyards used by the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard to be designated as Defense Access Roads under the program, instead of just seaports as under current law. prgtoken As chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, which oversees all U.S. military installations and the Defense Access Road Program, I am committed to securing additional federal investment in off-base infrastructure. As a senior member of both the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I plan to make prgtoken this legislation a top priority in future National Defense Authorization Acts and Highway Bills. prgtoken Madam , I encourage all Members to join me in cosponsoring the ``Defense Access Roads Improvement Act.''
JOSEPH WOODROW HATCHETT UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE AND FEDERAL BUILDING-- Continued
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-6-23

4 weeks ago, I was sitting where you are sitting, presiding over the Senate on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, when news broke that 19 children--all the same age as my youngest son--had been gunned down in their Texas elementary school. prgtoken As I scrolled through the early reports of the carnage, all I could think of were these two simple questions: What are we doing? Why are we here? prgtoken I sat up there obsessing over our willful decision as a body to ignore the slaughter that has become so regular that the news only seems to pay attention now when over a dozen die. Our collective decision year after year is to do nothing. What is the point of this job that we fought so hard to get if we just decide that saving children's lives is too hard or involves too inconvenient an amount of political risk? prgtoken Shooting after shooting, murder after murder, suicide after suicide-- for 30 years, Congress stood in its political corners and did nothing. But not this time. Within 2 days of the Uvalde massacre, Senator Cornyn, Senator Tillis, Senator Sinema, and I, joined by other Members of this body, had started talking, not about our disagreements--we prgtoken have plenty of those--but instead about what could be possible if we sat together and refused to give up until we figured out the set of things that we could agree on--the things that could get 60 votes--to save lives. prgtoken I am so grateful in the bottom of my soul to John, to Thom, to Kyrsten, and the other Senators here who took part in these talks for what they did over these last 4 weeks. prgtoken I am grateful to Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell for empowering these discussions and allowing us to have this debate this week. prgtoken I am equally proud of my team--Allison and Samir, Emily and Rebecca, Pete and Elizabeth--who worked 24/7 for the last 30 days straight to get this bill done. prgtoken But mostly I am proud of the regular people all across this country, many of whom were forced to become advocates after this epidemic took from them a son or a daughter, a mother or a father. Those citizens, many of whom are watching this debate right now, who protested or wrote letters or showed up at townhalls year after year, failure after failure, roadblock after roadblock, refusing to give up because the stakes--their children's safety--was so high that they couldn't afford to give up, that is who I am really proud of today, people who would not take no for an answer and knew that the righteousness of their cause had to eventually prevail. prgtoken This bill is a compromise. It doesn't do everything I want. But what we are doing will save thousands of lives without violating anyone's Second Amendment rights. prgtoken Through more effective red flag laws, by keeping guns away from domestic abusers, by being more careful about giving weapons to 18- year-olds, by getting more people access to treatment for their mental illness, this will bec
KEEP KIDS FED ACT OF 2022
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2022-6-23

. Madam , I rise in strong support of the Keep Kids Fed Act. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Scott for his steadfast leadership and determination to work to get something worked out to help ensure that our school meals are available to as many of our students as possible. prgtoken The school meals provisions were an effective response by this Congress to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools, children and families were disrupted as this deadly disease raced through our country. Congress acted to make sure that we provided flexibility to ensure that no child would miss a meal that they would otherwise have received in school. prgtoken Why is that important? Because Congress has long recognized that hunger and learning do not mix well, if at all. This isn't some theoretical or academic debate. I know what its like to be hungry and in school. And I am saddened that decades after I went through that experience as a student, many other children still must deal with that reality each and every school day. prgtoken Food is not a luxury. So hearing that the USDA COVID waivers that had allowed millions of kids to stay nourished were expiring was an emergency for me. And I know the Chairman shares that sentiment. prgtoken Frankly, it has been hard to sleep thinking of what happens in communities like Milwaukee when families find this lifeline cut off arbitrarily even while the pandemic that spawned these provisions, continues. prgtoken The reality is that hunger and food insecurity did not take a break during this pandemic. In fact, reports indicate it got worse. Hunger doesn't take a summer vacation even though our schools do. prgtoken It shouldn't have taken all of this to get us to agree on this: Feed our kids so they can concentrate on learning and being kids. These waivers have done a great deal to help us achieve that and I hope we can continue to work to ensure that we can take the great lessons learned about how to effectively reach and nourish school children during this pandemic and use them to put in place permanent provisions that will ensure that all of our children can go to school and focus on their education prgtoken That includes taking up and passing bills like the Universal School Meals Program Act which I have joined with Rep. Omar in introducing that would provide the most cost-effective and inclusive model for ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals during the school day without facing barriers such as stigma or burdensome paperwork.