mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-6-22

I have 12 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry prgtoken The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 9:30 a.m to conduct a hearing. committee on armed services prgtoken The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 9:30 a.m to conduct a hearing. committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs prgtoken The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on nominations. committee on commerce, science, and transportation prgtoken The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 2:30 p.m to conduct a hearing. committee on foreign relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 2:15 p.m to conduct a hearing. committee on health, education, labor, and pensions prgtoken The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. committee on homeland security and governmental affairs prgtoken The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. committee on the judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. committee on the judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 2:30 p.m to conduct a hearing. select committee on intelligence prgtoken The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 2:30 p.m to conduct a hearing. subcommittee on airland prgtoken The Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 2:30 p.m to conduct a hearing. subcommittee on international trade, customs, and global co
REDEFINING EASTERN AND MIDDLE JUDICIAL DISTRICTS OF NORTH CAROLINA
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2021-6-22

I rise today also to highlight this critical bill that will help North Carolinians. prgtoken This commonsense legislation will revise North Carolina's judicial district lines to place Fort Bragg, one of the largest military installations in the world, entirely within the eastern district. Currently, the district lines bisect the base, resulting in unnecessary administrative and logistical problems for the people of our State. prgtoken This legislation will ease the burden of traveling miles to Durham, Greensboro, or Winston-Salem and, instead, let servicemembers resolve court matters in nearby Fayetteville or Raleigh. A similar redistricting occurred several years ago when Congress moved Butner into the eastern district. prgtoken This bipartisan piece of legislation will benefit our servicemembers and their families. prgtoken I am honored to work with my North Carolina colleagues, Congressman Hudson, Senator Tillis, and Senator Burr, my colleague from law school class, and the entire delegation to get this bill across the finish line. I am pleased it passed out of the Senate, and I look forward to passing it in the House and having it signed into law by the President.
PREVENTING CRIMES AGAINST VETERANS ACT OF 2021
Theodore E. Deutch (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2021-6-22

I rise in support of H.R. 983, the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act. prgtoken Financial fraud is an increasingly sophisticated enterprise. The unfortunate reality is that our Nation's veterans have become one of its biggest new targets. prgtoken Far too often, so-called pension poachers prey on elderly veterans. They use high-pressure sales pitches to con vulnerable veterans, survivors, and their families out of their hard-earned and well- deserved benefits. prgtoken Scammers make big promises, knowing that they will never be able to deliver. In the end, they leave veterans with their personal information and financial security compromised. prgtoken These criminals not only prey on our veterans, they prey on every American taxpayer who wants to do right by those who have served our country. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse, as scams have been on the rise. prgtoken The VA, community groups, and veterans service organizations are working to alert and educate our communities about these scams. But Congress must ensure that we do not let pension poachers get away with taking advantage of those who have served. prgtoken Unfortunately, our current laws fail to keep up with the increasing complexity of these fraudulent schemes. prgtoken This bill will give Federal prosecutors the tools they need to target criminals who actively work to avoid current mail and wire fraud statutes. It will specifically outlaw attempts to defraud veterans of their benefits. prgtoken It is past time that we take action to crack down on pension poachers and other fraudsters who prey on our veterans. prgtoken I want to thank the Palm Beach County Veterans Services office including, Greg Dover, Jose Capellan, Rohn Hultgren, Andrew Reese, and Yolanda Asante. They are working hard to help veterans receive their benefits, and they first raised the troubling rise of pension poaching with me years ago. prgtoken I thank Congressman Fitzpatrick for his leadership on this important bipartisan effort. Again, I want to thank Mr. Nadler and the gentleman from North Carolina, and I am thankful to every Member of this body who voted to pass this legislation last Congress 417-0. prgtoken I would, again, ask my colleagues to support and honor our veterans by passing the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act. Our veterans have done so much to protect this Nation. It is now our turn, and this bill is an opportunity for us to help protect them.
JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY ACT
James R. Langevin (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , today I rise to recognize the importance of celebrating Juneteenth as a national holiday. prgtoken For a century after the last slaves were freed, Black Americans were denied the rights considered ``unalienable'' by the Constitution. Even after July 4, 1776, millions of enslaved people and their descendants would not experience independence for decades. Over the last 50 years, systemic racism has continued to hinder many who strive to live out the American Dream. prgtoken Despite the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Black people would remain enslaved in parts of the Confederacy for nearly two and a half years. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivering news of the end of the Civil War and of slavery. prgtoken The message he conveyed that day was simple. General Order Number 3 declared that ``. . . all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves . . .'' prgtoken The following year, the newly liberated people of Texas began celebrating Juneteenth as a celebration of answered prayers and new opportunities. prgtoken This tradition slowly spread throughout the country, eventually becoming a holiday or day of observance in 49 states and the District of Columbia. My home state of Rhode Island has observed Juneteenth since 2012. prgtoken While Juneteenth has been widely celebrated among African American communities since the end of the Civil War, the prominence of the holiday has grown significantly in recent years. prgtoken I am proud to have supported the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act when it passed in Congress and was signed into law last week. It is my hope that June 19th will serve as a day of reflection and an annual call to recommit ourselves to the American ideals of freedom and equality. prgtoken For far too long, our society has denied the promise of these ideals to many Americans. prgtoken From the Jim Crow era until today, Black Americans have been the target of racism and bigotry, treated as second class citizens, denied opportunity, and subjected to countless violent attacks by racist mobs and individuals. prgtoken Over the last year, the United States has experienced the most intensive reckoning with slavery and its legacy since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. prgtoken The Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd have cast a light on the disparate outcomes that persist for Black people in education, employment, interactions with the police, and numerous other aspects of everyday life. prgtoken These disparities contribute to--and are influenced by--the intergenerational racial wealth gap. Recent studies show that Black children face significantly higher rates of downward economic mobility and lower rates of upward mobility compared to white children. prgtoken For instance, a Black child born in
ENHANCING STATE ENERGY SECURITY PLANNING AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACT OF 2021
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-6-22

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1374, the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2021. prgtoken This is a bipartisan bill introduced by my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I thank the bill's sponsors, Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush and Subcommittee Ranking Member Fred Upton for their work and leadership on this legislation. prgtoken This is an urgent and necessary bipartisan bill. In the wake of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack and other recent cyber threats to our infrastructure, we are reminded of the consequences of physical and cyber attacks. prgtoken H.R. 1374 provides Federal guidance and resources to the States that are most vulnerable to critical energy infrastructure threats. The State Energy Program is a popular, bipartisan program designed to support State energy offices. Funding for the State Energy Program is used for several energy initiatives, including developing energy security plans to help prevent disasters from happening and to mitigate and recover from any damage that does occur. prgtoken This bill will help allocate additional resources to further develop and enhance State energy security plans. The funding provided in this bill will facilitate the implementation, review, and revision of State energy security plans while also laying out the criteria for the contents of those plans. prgtoken , recent events like the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack have highlighted the importance of investing in the physical and cyber security of our energy systems. This legislation passed our committee and the House with overwhelming support from both s and in the last Congress. It also enjoys strong support from the nonpartisan National Association of State Energy Organizations. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote for this bipartisan bill, and .
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-6-22

today the Senate is voting on whether to consider the For the People Act, also known as S. 1. I encourage all my colleagues to support Senate consideration of this crucial election reform bill. prgtoken This legislation would put a stop to new State laws across the country that are making it harder for Americans to register to vote and to cast their ballots. So far this year, at least 389 bills to suppress the ability to vote have been introduced in 48 States. At least 22 of these new bills have become law in 14 States. prgtoken These newly enacted laws undermine the right to vote from every direction: They create new and unnecessarily strict voter ID laws, which make it harder to vote for the 11 percent of U.S. citizens who do not have a government-issued photo ID, many of whom are elderly or low- income. They reduce the timeframes for early voting, a critical method of voting for many working Americans. And they impose severe limitations on voting by mail, a strategy that many States have used to significantly increase voter turnout over recent years. prgtoken These attacks have shown no signs of letting up. In Texas, a restrictive voting bill is pending before the State legislature that continues to get worse the longer it is considered. In its current form, the Texas bill would cut early voting hours, ban drive-through voting, limit vote-by-mail, and add new voter ID requirements for mail- in ballots, along with a host of other restrictions on the right to vote. prgtoken These restrictions are harmful to our democracy. We should be working to make it easier for more people to vote, not making it harder. The right to vote is a bedrock principle of our democracy. Unfortunately, many States are using unfounded conspiracy theories of voter fraud as an excuse to pass laws to weaken that fundamental right. prgtoken That is why we must pass the For the People Act. This bill will help to ensure that all Americans are able to vote, free of unnecessary hurdles and burdens. It includes a number of commonsense reforms that anyone who believes in the health of our democracy cannot possibly oppose in good conscience. prgtoken For example, one provision of S. 1 requires that States allow voters to register to vote online. In an age when you can cash a check, buy a car, and conduct a doctor's appointment entirely online, there is no reason a voter should not be able to register to vote online. prgtoken The bill also invests in the health of our election infrastructure by securing our voting systems against foreign attacks. The security of our voting systems should not be a partisan issue. prgtoken In addition, S. 1 would ban partisan gerrymandering and require States to draw their congressional districts using independent redistricting commissions, like we do in California. Voters should be able to choose their representatives; representatives should not be able to choose their voters. prgtoken We need to emp
HONORING WILLIAM ``BILL'' WAGNER ON HIS RETIREMENT FOLLOWING MORE THAN FOUR DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE
John A. Yarmuth (Democrat, KY) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , I rise today in honor of William ``Bill'' Wagner, a dedicated public health servant in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, who will soon retire after more than four decades of selfless work for our community. prgtoken For the last 40 years, Bill has helped lead Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center that has grown in size and scope to become one of the largest non-profits in our area, providing health care to more than 45,000 individuals annually. Serving as Family Health Centers' CEO since 1998 and as Assistant Director for 17 years prior to that, Bill oversaw the growth of their brick-and-mortar footprint in our area, expanding the number of health center locations in our region. He also helped oversee their tremendous growth in services provided, in patients served, and certainly in the rise of positive health outcomes for the countless Louisvillians that walked through their doors seeking care. prgtoken During consideration and the subsequent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Bill was at the forefront, advocating for increasing access to care while using his voice and passion for those often unheard. As we worked to expand services across our city, it was Bill's guidance I sought out in order to be sure that we could do the most good possible for the most people. And so, it was no surprise when we saw our uninsured rate plummet as people began receiving the free preventive and other health services now available to them--just like Bill said they would if we'd just work together to make it happen. Along the way, he and his staff never hesitated to go above and beyond what was needed to make sure that our community was well-served, that people received the quality care they needed, and that everyone he crossed paths with knew that Family Health Centers was there and ready to help. prgtoken Bill had previously announced his plan to retire in early 2020, but as the COVID-19 pandemic reached our borders and began to spread, he put Louisville families first and stayed at the helm of this critical public health organization in order to help lead us through this public health crisis. Bill's tremendous knowledge on public health matters, his early efforts to help ramp up testing in the communities he serves, and in his continued focus to this day on making sure that vaccines are available and accessible in every neighborhood in our city--especially those that are so often overlooked or underserved--has been invaluable. prgtoken Reflecting on his upcoming retirement, Bill said, ``I've been guided by the belief that health care is a right not a privilege. We have a long way to go to achieve this goal in our community, but we have made significant strides over the decades.'' prgtoken I'm proud to share that belief, but I'm even more proud to say that those strides would not have been possible without Bill's selfless dedication to his profession, his wealth of knowledge in the p
CALLING ON NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , I rise this evening to call my colleagues' attention to the dire need for Congress to continue building upon recent progress to unlock the mysteries of the human brain and serious mental illness. Along with other legislation we are working on in the field of health, we have to create and pass robust mental health legislation. prgtoken Alongside other members of our Congressional Mental Health Caucus and the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, we are pulling together legislation to establish a comprehensive Mental Health Crisis Response Act. prgtoken I invite all of our colleagues to please work with our bipartisan working group. America has waited too long. The fundamentals of our social economy depend on the good health of our citizenry, and their ability to access quality and affordable behavioral health services has for too long been ignored. prgtoken Countless constituents face insurance barriers when accessing mental health services, and we must address the negative social and physical determinants of health that cause trauma and tragic illnesses. prgtoken It is time for us to take meaningful action. Again, I invite my colleagues to join us in preparing this important legislation.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S. 1251
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-6-22

I further ask unanimous consent that there be 2 hours for debate equally divided on the bill; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the Lee amendment; that the bill be considered read a third time; the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2021-6-22

I come to the floor this afternoon to urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. And I listened to my colleague from Maine on her remarks and I take her at her word. If there would be any chance to work on these election issues in the future, I guarantee we are all ears. prgtoken I say that because I come from the State of Washington, and we have a very high election turnout. We have a very high election turnout rate because we have a vote-by-mail system that has been developed over a long period of time. My colleague knew my predecessor, Slade Gorton, who was a three-term Senator. In the 2000 election, I won by 2,229 votes, and I am forever grateful to Senator Gorton for having faith in that election. That election that included provisional ballots and signatures and all sorts of things that people really understood. I think that is the principle here. Our election in the State of Washington is based on your signature. prgtoken That is the way it is now when you vote in person, and it is the way it is when you vote by mail. So our system has a lot of security in it, and this legislation that is before us today is to make sure that these rights--these civil rights and constitutional rights of individuals-- are upheld throughout the United States of America. prgtoken Now, I understand some of my colleagues may not like the ethics reform or campaign finance reform in the underlying bill. I support those provisions. But at the heart of this debate is prgtoken whether we are going to fight to make sure that the Federal Government does its job on constitutional rights. I feel like there is a little bit of hiding going on in this discussion about whether we have a role, that this is somehow left up to the States. It reminds me of when Rosa Parks was sitting on a bus. We didn't say it is just up to those individual States. Or when people were denied equal accommodations at hotels, we didn't say it was just up to those States. And we certainly didn't say, when people used police dogs trying to intimidate women to vote in the 1960's, that it was just up to those States. prgtoken No, no, no. We did something about it. We passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. We did that because intimidation was happening, and we needed to correct for it. So I hope that our colleagues will think about this issue because to me, it is the same debate we are having on criminal justice reform. So many people on the other side of the aisle said: You know what, this is up to local police departments, and it is just up to the local governments, and that is all there is to it. prgtoken No, that is not all there is to this. This is about whether we do our job in upholding these constitutional rights when certain States don't do that. prgtoken And so these American voting rights are guaranteed by our Constitution. The 15th Amendment provides that voting rights cannot be abridged on the account