mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO KIRK MILLER
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2022-5-26

I would like to share a few words today to honor an outstanding Montana educator who is retiring at the end of this school year. prgtoken Kirk Miller has dedicated his career to bettering the lives of the next generation of Montanans. Over the years, Kirk served as a teacher, a principal, and a superintendent before being appointed to the Montana Board of Public Education where he later served as chair. I first got to know Kirk Miller when I was a State senator, and he was the superintendent of schools in Havre, MT. I found him to be somebody who was dedicated above all to the kids' education, somebody who knew the value of public education and always did his best to make sure our kids got an education that would allow them to compete in the worldwide economy. As Bozeman schools superintendent, Kirk played a key role in improving infrastructure for students for years to come. He championed numerous successful initiatives that supported that strengthened public education in the region and serve as a template for other communities to follow. prgtoken At the end of this year, Kirk will be retiring from his most recent position as executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, where he has worked tirelessly to support administrators and educators across the State. Those who have been lucky enough to work with Kirk recognize that he has a knack for connecting with people, even those who have different views than his own. And his passion for public education shines through in everything he does. prgtoken Under Kirk's leadership, the School Administrators of Montana established the Leaders Professional Learning Program, or SAM LPLP, a mentorship program that brings administrators from across the State together to receive student-focused, solution-based professional development training. The SAM LPLP has served more than 500 administrators to date. As a former public school teacher I commend Kirk for his steadfast commitment to improving our school system from the top down. prgtoken In addition to his work, Kirk has a lot to be proud of--in particular, the wonderful family he has built with his wife of 42 years, Nan. prgtoken A lifelong educator and a dear friend to many, Kirk has shown through his prgtoken kindness and work ethic that he is truly dedicated to bettering the lives of the next generation of Montanans. prgtoken Thank you for your service, Kirk; our Montana schools are better because of you.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-5-26

I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to Donald K. Ross, a tireless organizer for democracy. Sadly, Mr. Ross passed away on May 14, 2022, at the age of 78. He will be remembered for his lifetime of civic service and advocacy. prgtoken Born in the Bronx, NY, Mr. Ross was a leader from an early age. As student body president, he successfully revived Fordham University's football program, an experience he credited with teaching him how to organize. Upon graduation, Mr. Ross spent 2 years with the Peace Corps in Nigeria, before graduating from New York University's law school in 1970. prgtoken From there, Mr. Ross joined consumer advocate Ralph Nader's Public Citizen movement, becoming one of the original ``Nader's Raiders.'' In 1971, they co-wrote ``Action for Change: A Student's Manual for Public Interest Organizing,'' which led to the organization of Public Interest Research Groups--PRIGs--across the country. These organizations combine research and public action, encouraging public citizens to get involved in important advocacy issues. Mr. Ross became the director of the New York PRIG, where he advanced a number of political reforms and advocated for increased government transparency. prgtoken Mr. Ross was also an outspoken anti-nuclear advocate. After the tragic accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, Mr. Ross organized anti-nuclear rallies that drew hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. That he was able to mobilize so many people in mere weeks after the accident is a testament to his leadership skills and passion for the cause. prgtoken In addition to his organizing expertise, Mr. Ross was also a dedicated philanthropist. From 1985 to 1999, he was director of the Rockefeller Family Fund, a charitable organization where he worked to expand access to grants for charitable causes. Additionally, Mr. Ross cofounded and managed the Environmental Grantmakers Association, which has grown to include over 200 member foundations around the world. A champion of numerous causes, Mr. Ross directed the National Campaign to Reform Juvenile Justice Systems from 2009 to 2017. prgtoken In my home State, Mr. Ross organized the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, a statewide organization dedicated to actively engaging residents to build a more sustainable, just society. In this and every endeavor he undertook in his remarkable career, Mr. Ross was on the frontlines of democracy, fighting to make our world a better place. prgtoken Connecticut and the Nation have lost a great civic organizer and champion of democracy. Mr. Ross's tireless devotion to many worthy causes--from environmental protection, to consumer advocacy, to criminal justice reform, and so many others--serves as a model of dedication and civic engagement. Through his work and his writings, Mr. Ross has inspired a generation of citizens to become engaged in their communities and fight for a more just world. While
VOTE EXPLANATION
Jacky Rosen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-5-26

on May 17, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 179, 180, and 181 while traveling to my prgtoken daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 179, cloture on the nomination of Jennifer Rochon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York; yea on rollcall vote No. 180, cloture on the nomination of Trina Thompson to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California; and yea on rollcall vote No. 181, cloture on the nomination of Sunshine Sykes to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California. prgtoken On May 18, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, and 189 while attending my daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 182, confirmation of Jennifer Rochon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York; yea on rollcall vote No. 183, cloture on the nomination of Barbara Leaf to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; yea on rollcall vote No. 184, confirming Barbara Leaf to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; yea on rollcall vote No. 185, cloture on the nomination of Elizabeth Watson to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor; yea on rollcall vote No. 186, confirming Elizabeth Watson to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor; yea on rollcall vote No. 187, confirming Trina Thompson to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California; yea on rollcall vote No. 188, confirming Sunshine Sykes to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California; and yea on rollcall vote No. 189, confirming Christopher Lowman to be Assistant Secretary of Defense. prgtoken On May 19, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 190, 191, 192, and 193 while attending my daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall votes Nos. 190 and 191, cloture and final passage, respectively, of H.R. 7691, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022. Since the beginning of Russia's brutal war, I have been a strong supporter of additional aid to Ukraine, and I am glad that this legislation passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support. prgtoken Had I been present on May 19, I also would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 192, cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 4008, the Small Business COVID Relief Act of 2022. This important bipartisan legislation would have provided over $40 billion in COVID relief to support restaurants, live entertainment venues, and other struggling small businesses. I have been a longtime supporter of replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and providing more aid to small businesses, so I was extremely disappointed that the Senate fell many votes short of beginning debate on S. 4008. I will continue to be a champion for Nevada's restaurants and small businesses, working to make sure the
RECOGNIZING EARTH PRIME COMICS
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2022-5-26

I have long told the story of my love for Batman comics dating back to my younger years growing up in Montpelier, VT. When I was 4 years old, I would race to the Kellogg Hubbard Library in Montpelier with my latest Batman comic. As a child, reading comic books allowed me, like so many others, to broaden the expanses of my imagination. While Spider-Man and Superman are fine, I have always preferred Batman. His values, his pursuit of justice, his balance of human strength and vulnerability have always resonated with me. prgtoken I would like to take a moment today to recognize a store where I have bought more than my fair share of ``The Dark Knight,'' an institution foundational to the comic-loving community in Vermont: Earth Prime Comics. prgtoken Founded in 1983, Earth Prime Comics was one of Vermont's first comic book stores. It began as a shared venture between Christine Farrell and John Young, first operating out of John Young's attic in Burlington, VT. In that attic, John and Christine's extensive collection of comics quickly garnered a surprisingly large following. Earth Prime Comics soon moved into a real retail space: a converted Victorian house on Bank Street in Burlington. Requiring even more space for its growing business, Earth Prime moved to a storefront on Church Street in Burlington in 1989, a location where it has remained for 33 years. prgtoken Over the past few decades, Earth Prime Comics has drawn comic book fans from across Vermont and forged a comic-loving community where all were welcome. Christine still owns Earth Prime Comics, and it has been great to see how she and her team have continued to build and shape their community to keep pace with the ever-changing comic landscape. In the years to come, I have full faith that comic lovers of all ages will continue to prgtoken thumb through the pages of comics in Earth Prime Comics, as I have on so many occasions. prgtoken Earth Prime Comics was recently featured in an article published earlier this year in ``Seven Days.'' I ask unanimous consent that excerpts from the article, titled ``Origin Story: How Burlington's Earth Prime Comics helped unite Vermont's comic lovers,'' be printed in the Record.
ENERGY
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-5-26

I come to the floor to talk about developments this week in trying to fight to make sure that American consumers aren't paying artificially more for gas to fill up their cars and trucks and take a vacation for the holiday than they should be paying. prgtoken This is an important issue for everybody in the United States but particularly my constituents, who all throughout the State of Washington are paying--well, Seattle, definitely over $5, and many other parts of the State over $5. And if you are not paying more than $5 a gallon, you are paying very close to $5 a gallon. So it is important that Members of Congress do their job in oversight and policing of these markets to make sure that there is transparency; that is, a bright light to make sure that no one is taking advantage during this tight supply and artificially driving up that price for their benefit. prgtoken That is why we introduced the Transportation Fuel Market Transparency Act that asked the Federal Trade Commission to expand on authority Congress already gave to them to police transportation petroleum markets and make sure that the trading that is done on indexes that have very little oversight--very little oversight--that those indexes have a brighter light shined on them so that we make sure consumers aren't being gouged because of the kinds of practices that happen. prgtoken Well, lo and behold, just this Tuesday, the Federal Government and the Department of Justice and the CFTC--the Commodities Futures Trading Commission--basically gave a statement on the largest settlement in history, a civil monetary penalty and disgorgement exceeding $1.1 billion on Glencore, one of the largest commodity trading firms. prgtoken It is a major participant in the global, physical oil and oil derivatives market, and for more than a decade, it engaged in a wide- ranging scheme to manipulate oil markets--schemes to defraud other market participants by manipulating the information going to financial markets, schemes that created artificially high benchmarks so that Glencore's derivatives and physical positions would settle or price at levels more favorable to the company. (Ms. CORTEZ MASTO assumed the Chair.) prgtoken These were some of the same practices that are were uncovered during the Enron scheme. I know the Presiding Officer knows because she comes from the State of Nevada, and two of the areas most hard hit by the electricity crisis were the State of Washington and the State of Nevada. Why? Because people wanted us to continue to pay on fraudulent electricity pricing. prgtoken That is why we fought, along with the Presiding Officer's predecessor and others, to make sure that electricity markets were properly policed for any kind of manipulative practices. prgtoken I am very proud that we authored legislation after that scandal that really has given the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the tools it needed on electricity and natural gas.
RECOGNITION OF THE BATTLE OF ORMOC BAY
Elaine G. Luria (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2022-5-27

. Madam , it is my honor to recognize our brave servicemembers and allies that fought in the Battle of Ormoc Bay during World War II. One of the fiercest battles of the war, Ormoc Bay proved pivotal in the Pacific and the liberation of the Philippines. prgtoken By October 1944, the tide in the Pacific had begun to shift in favor of the United States and our allies. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Philippines, soldiers from the U.S. Sixth Anny landed on Leyte Island. prgtoken The Battle of Ormoc Bay was pivotal in the liberation of the Philippines and began on November 11 when U.S. 3rd Fleet Commander Admiral William Halsey ordered an air attack on two resupply convoys approaching the bay, followed by mine sweepers Pursuit and Revenge and Destroyer Squadron 22 entering Ormoc Bay. prgtoken The battle had a significant impact on Ormoc. The port suffered significant damage, prgtoken and casualties mounted. As the fighting intensified, Filipino community leaders worked to save lives and countless civilians evacuated from the area with many families sheltering in the mountains. prgtoken In a push to gain control of the port at Ormoc, on December 7 infantry regiments of the 77th Division conducted an amphibious landing 3 miles south of Ormoc. In the most intense aerial battle of the Leyte Campaign, allied aircraft dropped 97,000 pounds of munitions on enemy shipping sinking several ships. Over 75 vessels of the Ormoc Attack Group came under constant and intense kamikaze attack. The destroyers Ward and Mahan were lost in the engagement with several other ships badly damaged. The Battle of Ormoc Bay was the only naval engagement during the war where the enemy brought every type of weapon to bear against the Allies. prgtoken The Battle of Ormoc Bay brought terrible destruction and incalculable loss of life. Countless individuals risked their lives to free a nation with thousands making the ultimate sacrifice. Before being able to celebrate the liberation of the Philippines, many Filipinos bravely fought for freedom and suffered tremendous loss throughout the war. prgtoken Madam , we are once again honored to remember all those who sacrificed in the liberation of the Philippines. Their dedication paved the way to victory in the Pacific and provides us an example to which we all strive to live up to. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing these outstanding heroes.
IN MEMORY OF GREG MUDGE
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-5-27

. Madam , today I want to celebrate the memory of Greg Mudge, a longtime community member and business owner in Detroit, Michigan, who we tragically lost last year. prgtoken Greg was a beloved member of our community, and his sudden death was a shock to us all. When he first opened Mudgie's Deli under his ownership back in 2008, Greg was already a member of the community. A food service veteran, he built and managed his own business with the heart and soul of family. His approach was ``all hands on deck,'' and he never shied away from any task and always gave a helping hand to any of his team. prgtoken Greg was a deli sandwich craftsman committed to serving high-quality food. Many of his menu offerings were made from scratch. He incorporated family recipes, like his grandmother's meatloaf, into his menu items. The homemade food made Mudgie's Deli a neighborhood standout. More than that, Greg's enthusiasm and passion for his work shined through in all that he did. prgtoken Always greeting guests with a warm smile, Greg Mudge embodied the spirit of our southwest Detroit neighborhoods. Please join me in honoring his memory.
INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TO SUBMIT A REPORT ON HELICOPTER AND ROTOCRAFT NOISE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRIDAY
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2022-5-27

. Madam , today I introduce a bill that would direct the Secretary of Transportation to submit a report to Congress containing recommendations on how to reduce helicopter noise in the District of Columbia. Such recommendations would include altitude, number of flights, flight paths, time of day of flights, types of aircraft, operating procedures and pilot training. The Secretary would be required to consult with any federal agencies or departments that fly helicopters in D.C the Metropolitan Police Department, any medical helicopter operators that routinely fly in D.C. and any other operator that routinely flies a helicopter in D.C. The report would be due to Congress no later than 180 days after the enactment of the bill. prgtoken Even though D.C. has the most restricted airspace in the country, I hear from D.C. residents almost daily about the negative impact of helicopter noise on their lives. The noise can harm health and quality of life, and helicopters can even harm the structural integrity of homes. While I recognize the need for helicopters in D.C the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Congress must do more to mitigate the harm to D.C. residents. prgtoken In 2019, I led members of the National Capital Region (NCR) in requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) study helicopter noise in the NCR. Last year, GAO issued its report. GAO found that there had been nearly 90,000 helicopter flights in the NCR from 2017 to 2019. GAO recommended that the FAA develop a mechanism to exchange helicopter noise information with operators in the NCR. The FAA indicated that it would implement such a mechanism. In March 2021, I introduced the Washington, DC Area Helicopter Noise Information Exchange Act of 2021, which would require the FAA to implement such a mechanism. In April 2022, I introduced the Reducing Helicopter Noise in the District of Columbia Act, which would require all helicopters in D.C. to fly at the maximum altitude permitted by the FAA in D.C with limited exceptions. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
RECOGNIZING THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE JABARA-HEYER NO HATE ACT
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2022-5-27

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of last Friday, May 20, 2022, being the one-year anniversary of President signing into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which included the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act. prgtoken This law was named after victims of two high-profile hate crimes: Khalid Jabara, who was killed in 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Heather Heyer, who was murdered in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The murders of these two individuals were prosecuted as hate crimes but not reported in hate crime statistics. prgtoken The Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act is aimed at improving hate crime statistics and promoting a better response to hate crime within communities. At a time when hate crimes against Asian American communities as well as hate crimes against other people of color, religious minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community are increasing, this legislation is crucial to driving community-centered policies that reflect the needs of people targeted for hate. prgtoken Through this bill, Congress and the President sent a powerful message that we must center communities targeted for hate and invest resources to meet their needs. The legislation is a significant first step in achieving meaningful hate crime reporting and prioritizing law enforcement accountability and community empowerment in the federal, state, and local responses to hate crime. prgtoken I want to also commend the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for their work to mark the anniversary last week with a celebration of Humanity Over Hate, culminating in a webinar that featured interviews with the families of victims of hate, including Heather Heyer's mother Susan Bro and Khalid Jabara's sister Victoria Jabara. prgtoken In the wake of the horrific tragedy in Buffalo, where an alleged white supremacist murdered 10 people, most of whom were Black, it is more important than ever that we commit to confronting anti-Black hatred and white supremacy. prgtoken Please join me in commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act and continuing to confront anti-Black hatred and white supremacy.