mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SUBSTANCE USE-DISORDER PREVENTION THAT PROMOTES OPIOID RECOVERY AND TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT
Karen Bass (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-22

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 6 and the foster youth who will benefit from its passage. prgtoken One of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26. It is only fair that young adults who age out of foster care should keep their coverage until they turn 26, too. prgtoken But when the ACA was implemented, the Department of Health and Human Services gave States the option of covering young adults who aged out of foster care in a different State. For example, if a young adult aged out of the system at 18 and had coverage in California but then moved to New York, New York would have the option to cover them under Medicaid until they turned 26 or not. prgtoken This extended coverage was never supposed to be optional. After all, former foster youth should have every opportunity to move freely without the fear of losing lifesaving health insurance. This is why I introduced the Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act. prgtoken Last month, over 100 former foster youth were on the Hill and shadowed their Members of Congress. We celebrated that many of the young adults had been accepted to college, some out of State. This bill will ensure that when former foster youth age out of the system, they can keep their healthcare coverage until 26, no matter where they live. prgtoken This is about fairness. Former foster youth should be treated the same way we treat all young people. prgtoken I am grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for including my bill in this bipartisan opioid package. prgtoken Just this week, The Hill reported the States hardest hit by the opioid epidemic have seen the number of children in foster care or State care increase dramatically. prgtoken Again, s for working with me to clarify this law, and I thank Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone for their leadership on this issue.
SUBSTANCE USE-DISORDER PREVENTION THAT PROMOTES OPIOID RECOVERY AND TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT
Richard E. Neal (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-6-22

the balance of my time. prgtoken , I want to close by thanking Chairman Kevin Brady and acknowledging Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone for their hard work on what is really a good step forward. prgtoken As I said earlier in my remarks, this bill is not going to solve the opioid crisis tomorrow, but it does include a number of important provisions that will expand access to treatment and recovery options for all Americans. This was a bipartisan piece of work in our committee. I think we can be proud of it. We know many who need treatment now cannot access it, and this bill will take significant steps to change that. prgtoken I want to thank Jessica Shapiro and Karl Hagnauer from the House Legislative Counsel for their hours of work in helping us to put together H.R. 6; the staff of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Office of Legislation, in particular Ira Burney and Jennifer Druckman; and the staff of the Congressional Budget Office, including Rebecca Yip and Lara Robillard. prgtoken Finally, I want to thank the Ways and Means staffers led by Emily Murry, the Energy and Commerce ic staff led by Tiffany Guarascio, the Energy and Commerce staff led by Josh Trent, and my own ic staff at Ways and Means, which is always superb, led by Amy Hall, Melanie Egorin, and Rachel Dolin. prgtoken A lot of hard work goes into this sort of legislation and a lot of complexities have to be addressed during the process, and oftentimes that is not the sort of information that finds its way to the public light. But acknowledging here those people who helped to put this together as well as the men and women of the committee, I think, frequently is missed, and we want to do that so that they receive the, I think, due praise that they are entitled to. prgtoken I hope that this, when matched with Senate provisions, will quickly become law. prgtoken One of the things that unites every one of us in this Chamber is that we all know somebody--a family member, somebody who lives down the street, or a coworker--who has an opiate addiction. I think that Congress taking this step today in this direction will provide some sense of hope for those families and friends who find themselves, for a variety of reasons, suffering from the pain economically and physically that comes from opiate addictions. prgtoken I think, as we close here, this is a good day for the Ways and Means Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, and, I think, for the members and the staffers whose work is reflected in this product. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
ENERGY AND WATER, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-6-25

I come here to raise an issue, not with the actual bill we will be voting on today but with language included in a committee report accompanying the bill. prgtoken The Environmental Protection Agency has reportedly given out unprecedented numbers of so-called small refinery hardship waivers to the renewable fuel standard. These are given, in some cases, to huge multibillion-dollar companies that probably would not be entitled to what is really a hardship. prgtoken The EPA has yet to disclose what waivers it has granted and the rationale, but based on what has been reported, its actions seem pretty darn fishy, from my point of view. Refiners speaking with the press have noted: Anyone with a brain submitted an application. The EPA was handing out those exemptions like trick or treat candy. prgtoken The EPA is hiding behind a very narrow court case for specific refineries, as well as report language accompanying last year's Energy and Water appropriations bill. Neither I nor any other Senator voted for this report language. Report language accompanying bills are not actually law so they are not legally binding. prgtoken Still, I wrote to the subcommittee that it should not include language purporting to tell the EPA to do anything other than follow the law. The law mandates blending 15 billion gallons of renewable fuels into our fuel supply. Estimates are that these retroactive waivers have reduced that by as much as 1.63 billion gallons. Every billion gallons lost equates to a loss of more than 2 million acres of harvested corn and an increase in emissions. prgtoken My constituents are outraged at this activity by the EPA. Agriculture Secretary Perdue has called these waivers, in his words, ``demand destruction'' for biofuels. prgtoken I wrote to the Energy and Water Subcommittee that it should urge the EPA to disclose the waivers it gives and the rationale for any of these grants and that any waivers should not result in a lowering of the 15 billion gallon renewable volume obligation in the law. prgtoken I am disappointed that the appropriators didn't include my commonsense language about transparency, but I am very upset that it renewed the previous language purporting to direct EPA how to consider small refinery waivers. The Appropriations Committee should drop the controversial report language and EPA should simply follow the law. prgtoken .
ENERGY AND WATER, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2018-6-25

before we vote this afternoon, I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate, provide a status update on the appropriations processes before us, and urge the Senate to stay the course. prgtoken First, I thank Leaders McConnell and Schumer for bringing this package to the floor and facilitating an open amendment process. prgtoken I also thank the bill managers--particularly Senator Alexander--for their work in crafting strong bipartisan bills and keeping the process on track. prgtoken In addition, I express my appreciation to Senator Leahy, the vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Vice Chairman Leahy is a man of his word, and that has been essential to the committee's ability to move bills. prgtoken Finally, I thank all of my colleagues for their cooperation and their input during floor consideration of this package. prgtoken At the outset of this debate, I challenged all Senators to follow through on their calls for a return to regular order. To that end, several amendments received up-or-down votes on the floor, and dozens more from both sides were included in the managers' package. We also rejected controversial authorizing provisions for the good of the process. prgtoken As we are getting ready to vote on final passage, I hope my colleagues agree that we are headed in the right direction. I recognize that this package must still be reconciled with the House version before we can get it to the President's desk, but I am optimistic that we can do that in short order. prgtoken We also cannot forget that nine other appropriations bills remain. The Appropriations Committee has already reported seven of these remaining bills to the full Senate, all with strong bipartisan margins. prgtoken This week, the committee will mark up the final two appropriations bills--Defense and Labor-HHS--and I am hoping for a similar result. prgtoken While we are about a quarter of a way through the 2019 appropriations process, we still have a long way to go, but we do have a framework for success--no poison pill riders, no new authorizations of law, no nongermane provisions. I have said it many times before, and I will keep saying it: This is the basis of the agreement I have with Vice Chairman Leahy. This is the approach our subcommittee chairmen and ranking members have adopted in producing strong and balanced bills. This is the way to avoid the catch-all spending measures and shutdowns we all detest. This is how the appropriations process is supposed to work. This is simply what the American people expect both parties to do. prgtoken Looking ahead, I don't think any of us are naive about the potential for partisan politics to snake its way back into the appropriations process. Tomorrow is a different day, as we know, after all. But we all have a constitutional responsibility to allocate taxpayer money in a deliberate manner, and we have a viable path forward. So it is my hope that today marks a new day for the a
RECOGNIZING THE STANISLAUS COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Jeff Denham (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-6-25

I rise today to recognize the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors for issuing a proclamation acknowledging and celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month (lHM). prgtoken Stanislaus County is a land of immigrants, old and new. For generations, America has been reinvigorated by the contributions of new arrivals from foreign lands, and like so many of my fellow residents, I am especially proud of my district's deeply rooted immigrant history. Our country was built on the belief that all men are created equal, and immigrants from around the globe have proven to be vital contributors to the cultural and economic prosperity of Stanislaus County. prgtoken The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors recently acknowledged Immigrant Heritage Month, issuing a proclamation in accordance with a nationwide effort to celebrate and share inspirational stories of the vast contributions made by immigrants. Dedicated to remaining a welcoming community, we must hold IHM as a reminder to continue to pursue laws and policies that provide common sense pathways to successful integration for all newcomers. prgtoken I applaud the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors for recognizing the Month of June as a time to celebrate immigration. Immigrant Heritage Month will encourage us to remember that we should always strive to offer opportunities for all to take advantage of the American experience. prgtoken , please join me in recognizing the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors for issuing a proclamation acknowledging and celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month.
ENERGY AND WATER, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-6-25

U.S. Senators shouldn't get an award for restoring the appropriations process any more than Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts should get a merit badge for telling the truth because that is what we are supposed to do, but the fact is, last week and tonight we have taken an appropriations process, which has been incomplete and broken for the last several years, and we have done what we are supposed to do. prgtoken Sometimes the U.S. Senate has been like joining the Grand Ole Opry and not being allowed to sing. prgtoken Senator McConnell said before he became majority leader in 2015 that his goal was to follow the example of the Senate majority leader, Mike Mansfield, who was the leader when Mitch McConnell was a young legislative intern. Mitch McConnell said he wanted to open up the Senate, and for quite a while, that turned out to be the case. prgtoken As Senator McConnell has said: In the last year of the ic majority in 2014, there were only 15 rollcall votes on amendments the entire year. In the first year of the majority--that is 2015--there were over 200. prgtoken One example from the committee of which I chair--the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee--was the bill fixing No Child Left Behind. Working with Senator Murray, on the floor we considered 81 amendments. We had rollcall votes on 24, and we adopted 11. We had voice votes to accept 28, and we agreed to 27 amendments by unanimous consent. That was the bill to fix No Child Left Behind. prgtoken Another example is the Energy and Water appropriations bill we considered 2 years ago. Working with Senator Feinstein of California, the Senate voted on 21 amendments and adopted 14. prgtoken This year, we have fallen back into our bad habits with few amendment votes, but over this past week, we took an important step toward restoring the practice of considering appropriations bills under regular order. prgtoken Just on the Energy and Water appropriations bill--one of the three we will be voting on tonight--we have worked together in a fair and bipartisan manner to get a result. We held three hearings, a subcommittee markup, a full committee markup. Eighty-three Senators made suggestions during the committee process--almost all of which we tried to accommodate in one way or another. Then, in committee, seven amendments were included in the managers' package, plus we had two rollcall votes and adopted one amendment. prgtoken Then, on the floor, the Energy and Water appropriations bill has been considered with Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill and the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. For this package of bills, we adopted 7 amendments by rollcall and another 34 by unanimous consent. That adds up to what one might call restoring the practice of regular order for appropriations from start to finish. prgtoken The committee process has almost always been done. The part that has
FAYETTEVILLE VETERAN AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2018-6-25

I wish to highlight an incident that occurred in my home State of Arkansas that has negatively impacted veterans and their families. A former pathologist at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center was found to be impaired, was immediately removed from clinical care, and has since been terminated. A thorough independent review of all cases read by this pathologist is currently underway. This review will be handled by entities outside of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center to include other VA facilities and academic affiliates. At this time, a small percentage of cases have been found to be misdiagnosed. In total, 33,000 samples will be reviewed using a tiered risk prioritization. prgtoken In response, I have submitted an amendment cosponsored by the entire Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma delegation. This amendment would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional committees of jurisdiction a Departmental response plan that can be applied in Fayetteville and in all future incidents and for recommendations about changes necessary to prevent such incidents in the future. prgtoken I am very concerned with the procedures and policies that allowed this situation to occur. As the chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee and member of the Senate VA Committee, I am intent on working with the VA to ensure that we enact policies and put in places procedures to prevent such misconduct in the future, both here in Fayetteville and around the country. It is clear that our veterans deserve the best care available, and it is our duty to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs is providing that service. This is an issue that I will continue to monitor, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
IMMIGRATION ADVISORY PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Martha McSally (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2018-6-25

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , a major part of keeping the homeland safe is making sure we prevent bad actors from ever reaching our shores. In order to do this, we must continue to push out our borders with programs that utilize a combination of vetting and interviews conducted by experienced law enforcement agents. prgtoken The Customs and Border Protection Immigration Advisory Program, or IAP, accomplishes just that. The IAP program deploys specially trained CBP officers to major last-point-of-departure airports that offer direct flights to the United States. It is the responsibility of these officers to recommend that airlines do not allow foreign nationals who would be deemed inadmissible upon arrival or present a significant security threat to board an airplane bound for the United States. prgtoken This program enhances our national security by preventing high-risk individuals from boarding an airplane bound for our homeland. In fiscal year 2017, there were a total of 4,328 no-board recommendations made across 12 different IAP airport locations. IAP is especially important in countries with significant terrorist screening database hits. prgtoken The IAP program is not currently authorized by statute, but H.R. 5207, the Immigration Advisory Program Authorization Act of 2018, will finally codify this important safety and security program into law. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to please join me in supporting this commonsense legislation, and .
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2018
John Katko (Republican, NY) \u2014 2018-6-25

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 5081, the Surface Transportation Security and Technology Accountability Act of 2018. prgtoken America's transportation sector has long been, and continues to be, a top target for terrorism. In addition to persistent threats to aviation, terrorists continue to see surface transportation as soft targets that can yield high numbers of casualties. prgtoken As chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, I have held numerous hearings, briefings, and roundtables dedicated to providing congressional oversight of the Transportation Security Administration's role in surface transportation security. prgtoken The U.S. surface transportation system is a dynamic, interconnected network of passenger and freight railroads, mass transit systems, over- the-road bus operators, motor carrier operators, pipelines, and maritime facilities. These systems are the bedrock of the American economy and way of life, which is precisely why they are such attractive targets for terrorists. prgtoken In addition to a number of horrific attacks against surface targets by terrorists overseas, we have recently experienced an attempted suicide bombing in New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal. This attack was the first attempted suicide bombing on American soil and represented a startling shift in the threat landscape. prgtoken Luckily, this incident only yielded injury to the would-be attacker. However, it served as an important reminder that we must be prepared to respond to threats in all modes of transportation. prgtoken While TSA is responsible for securing all of America's transportation systems, surface transportation security has been consistently overshadowed by the amount of attention and resources dedicated to aviation security. prgtoken This imbalance is aptly illustrated by the glaring absence of surface transportation at TSA's ``Strategic Five-Year Technology Investment Plan'' as well as the ``Biennial Refresh.'' prgtoken The plan is a key communication tool for TSA to help stakeholders understand the agency's priorities and to enable them to align investments and product investment initiatives accordingly. prgtoken I would like to reiterate that TSA is responsible for securing all of America's transportation systems, and that surface transportation is a key and integral element of that mission. prgtoken TSA does not procure technology for local surface transportation operators, but it does set the standards for viable security technologies and equipment for that environment. Therefore, investments related to research, development, testing, and evaluation of security technologies for surface transportation systems should be included in TSA's ``Strategic Five-Year Technology Investment Plan.'' prgtoken My legislation will enhance the visibility of the surface transportation sector and ensure that TSA is positioned to address
BLUE WATER NAVY VIETNAM VETERANS ACT OF 2018
Bruce Westerman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2018-6-25

I thank Chairman Roe and Mr. Valadao for their strong leadership on this issue. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. prgtoken Our Nation's warfighters are told they will receive benefits and coverage through the VA because of their service, but reality shows this has not always been the case, as with Agent Orange. This legislation would correct the issue by providing rightly earned benefits to men and women who were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange during their time of service. prgtoken Also included in the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act is language from my bipartisan bill, H.R. 4843, that provides coverage for children with spina bifida due to a parent's exposure to Agent Orange. prgtoken I thank Bill Rhodes, a veteran in my district, who has advocated tirelessly for his fellow veterans. I think it is pretty cut and dry: if you served America through the Armed Forces and were exposed to Agent Orange, our grateful country should cover the medical expenses. prgtoken Our veterans make great sacrifice, and they deserve the best benefits and care possible. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act is a great step toward providing these benefits, and I commend Chairman Roe and the Veterans' Affairs Committee for their work to make this legislation a reality for our veterans.