mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
WASHINGTON, D.C. ADMISSION ACT
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2021-4-22

I thank my good friend, the gentlewoman, for her leadership on this D.C. statehood bill. prgtoken Congress has both the moral obligation and the constitutional authority to pass H.R. 51. This country was founded on the principles of no taxation without representation and consent of the governed, but D.C. residents are taxed without representation and cannot consent to the laws under which they, as American citizens, must live. prgtoken The State of Washington, D.C would consist of 66 of the 68 miles of the present-day Federal District. The Federal District would be 2 square miles, and Congress would retain plenary authority over it. prgtoken H.R. 51 complies with the Constitution, including the Admissions Clause, the District Clause, and the 23rd Amendment. prgtoken The Admissions Clause gives Congress the authority to admit new States. All 37 new States were admitted by Congress. No State was admitted by constitutional amendment, and no State would have to consent to the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. prgtoken The District Clause gives Congress plenary authority over the Federal District and establishes a maximum size of the Federal District--100 square miles. It does not establish a minimum size or a location of the Federal District. Congress reduced the size of the Federal District by 30 percent in 1846. prgtoken The 23rd Amendment allows the Federal District to participate in the electoral college. H.R. 51 repeals the enabling act for the 23rd Amendment, and the 23rd Amendment itself would be quickly repealed. In any event, the 23rd Amendment does not establish a minimum size or location of the Federal District. prgtoken The Constitution does not establish any prerequisites for new States, but Congress generally has considered three: population and resources, support for statehood, and commitment to democracy. prgtoken The State of Washington, D.C. would meet each. D.C.'s population of 712,000 is larger than that of two States. D.C. pays more Federal taxes per capita than any State and pays more Federal taxes than 21 States of the Union. The District of Columbia's gross domestic product is larger than 17 States. In 2016, 86 percent of D.C. residents voted for statehood. D.C. residents have been petitioning for voting representation in Congress and local autonomy for 220 years. prgtoken Congress has a choice. It can continue to exclude D.C. residents from the democratic process, forcing them to watch from the sidelines as Congress votes on Federal and D.C. laws, and to treat them, in the words of Frederick Douglass, as ``aliens, not citizens, but subjects.'' prgtoken Or it can live up to our Nation's founding principles and join the 54 percent of Americans--that is 54 percent, , and growing--who support D.C. statehood and pass H.R. 51.
DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTRE ACT OF 2021--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-4-22

today is a special day. It is Earth Day. I had the privilege of actually being at the first Earth Day, at Golden Gate Park, a million years ago. The speaker there that day was Ralph Nader, and there was a huge crowd. Hundreds of thousands of people were there. prgtoken Ralph Nader made a lot of fame and fortune writing a book called ``Unsafe at Any Speed,'' about the Corvair Monza. That was my first car, a Corvair Monza. And as he was there speaking that day, I couldn't help but think about how much I loved my Corvair Monza and couldn't believe he wrote that book about it. prgtoken He actually made a lot of sense and, certainly, it was a rallying point for people in this country who realized that we were going the wrong way in terms of the cleanliness of our air and the cleanliness of our water. prgtoken I had gone to Ohio State and was a Navy ROTC midshipman there, and I ended up in Southeast Asia. I remember being over in Southeast Asia on one of our deployments, and the Cuyahoga River, up the road from Ohio State, in Cleveland, OH, caught on fire. They had too many people drinking the dirty water. prgtoken I liked to run outside. I know our Presiding Officer is a big athlete as well. I know there were days that I would run outside, in the 1960s and 1970s--and in some places, even now, around the world--and I was doing more damage than good by breathing the air in those places. prgtoken But some amazing things happened in 1970, right around 1970. We saw the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. I don't think it was done initially as a bill. I think it was actually done sort of as an Executive order. Richard Nixon was the President then. prgtoken I think the Congress came along a few years later and sort of passed legislation to implement the Executive order. The Clean Air Act was signed into law. The Clean Water Act was passed. I think Richard Nixon initially prgtoken vetoed the Clean Water Act. But they had huge support--overwhelming support, and --for both measures. prgtoken We didn't give a whole lot of concern in those days to climate change. Nobody really talked, in the 1960s and the 1970s or the 1980s, about climate change. But something started happening on our planet. People said: I think it is getting warmer. The weather seems to be a bit more extreme as time goes by. prgtoken Then scientists reported that a hole was being formed in the ozone layer over the North Pole, and it started off small and got bigger and bigger and bigger. And people a lot smarter than me said: This is not good. We have to figure out what is going on here. prgtoken They finally figured out that it was something called CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, which were actually found in our air-conditioners, our freezers, and refrigerators. They did a really good job in keeping things cool, including us, but, unfortunately, it led to the hole in the ozone. prgtoken So some really smart scientists g
EARTH DAY
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-4-22

today I rise to join my friends in celebrating Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson began the tradition in 1970, making today the 51st celebration of Earth Day. While it is always important to set aside a day to pause and reflect on our relationship with the natural world, I consider this Earth Day one of the most important yet. As we begin to emerge from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and reset our new ``business as usual,'' we are stepping into a new world, ripe with opportunity for progress on climate change with a more meaningful understanding of what it means to live in a global community. Our Nation and planet are at a crossroads in determining the future of our climate. With a new administration that understands the threat of climate change and the role of the United States as a global leader, we are at the precipice of bold action. prgtoken The scientific consensus is that climate change will have devastating and far-reaching impacts on the environment, public health, and national security, and we must mitigate and adapt. In 2018, the United Nations U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC found that if a concerted multilateral effort is not made to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, we will cross a tipping point and cause the worst damage by climate change. The scientific community has been sounding the alarm for years, which too many of our colleagues have chosen to ignore. prgtoken The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenges and opportunities of our increasingly globalized world. More than ever, we are understanding how decisions governments, corporations, and individuals make have real-world impacts and consequences. Actions that affect our climate are no different. An understanding of our impact in determining our collective future will only help us in our pursuit of a healthier planet. prgtoken Fortunately, our communities have proven resilient and adaptable. Over the past year. Americans have been burdened with collective grief, fear, and uncertainty. Through it all, our Nation has demonstrated a grit and ingenuity unlike anything we have seen in generations. We saw parents step up as teachers, corporations pivot their business models to keep people safe, and an entire population of office workers transition to working from home. In terms of action on climate change, this flexibility proves that a departure from the status quo is not as unrealistic as we may have thought previously. In fact, a change from ``business as usual'' can have unforeseen benefits for our quality of life and our planet. prgtoken Equipped with the lessoned learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am more confident than ever that our Nation in ready to commit to action on climate change in earnest. Additionally, the administration is already pursuing an aggressive climate agenda by reversing President 's shortsighted
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-4-22

I rise because it is a historic day. It is a historic day because the House is scheduled to pass H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. My original intent was to speak about that, but before I do, I want to honor my colleagues who have worked very hard on the hate crimes legislation that we will tackle later today. prgtoken I want to thank Senators Hirono and Duckworth and Senator Collins for working with them. I want to thank Senators Blumenthal and Moran and all the Senators who have worked to get us at the threshold where we will do something bipartisan that will send comfort to people around the country who are worried about being targeted because of who they are. prgtoken In honor of my colleagues who have worked hard, I just want to tell you a story about Heather Heyer, the Virginian for whom the NO HATE Act is partially named, who was killed when she was 32 in 2017 by a White supremacist in Charlottesville. prgtoken I didn't know Heather--I know her mother Susan pretty well--but I went to Heather's funeral. Let me tell you this amazing story about Heather Heyer. prgtoken Heather was a waitress, and she saw an ad in the newspaper to apply to be a paralegal at a local law firm specializing in bankruptcy. A Charlottesville attorney, an African-American man, had a bankruptcy firm. He needed a paralegal, put an ad in the paper, and got a lot of applications. He got this application from Heather Heyer. The other applicants had paralegal degrees. Heather Heyer was a waitress who didn't have a paralegal degree, but something about the letter made him think, well, I at least have to talk to this person. prgtoken He interviewed those with the paralegal degrees, and then he interviewed Heather Heyer and was very struck with her personality but said: Look, I am interviewing for people to be a paralegal. You don't have background in this area. You are a waitress. Why do you think you can do this job? prgtoken Heather said: Because I am a waitress, I listen to people all day long, and I want to tell you about some of my customers--the elderly widower who comes in every Tuesday for lunch, and I know his order, and I know how to converse with him to lighten his mood. prgtoken She went on to describe some of the people in the restaurant she had served for years. Then she looked at this attorney and said: You are a bankruptcy lawyer. The people who come to you are hurting. They need to be listened to. They are worried about losing everything. I think you couldn't do better than to hire somebody who has made a specialist out of listening to other people. prgtoken He said: Well, you may not have a degree, but you have answered that in a wonderful way, and I am going to hire you. prgtoken He hired Heather. Heather ended up, as he described at her funeral service, kind of becoming like the office den mother, manager, et cetera, who was so good dealing with clients who were so very worried when they came to
WASHINGTON, D.C. ADMISSION ACT
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-4-22

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , under the Admissions Clause of the Constitution, Congress has the authority to admit new States. That is why all 37 new States have been admitted by simple legislation. No State has ever been admitted by a constitutional amendment. prgtoken The s want D.C. to use an admissions process that has never been used in the history of this country. prgtoken The District Clause of the Constitution gives Congress authority over the Federal District and establishes a maximum size of the Federal District, 100 square miles. It does not establish a minimum size. prgtoken H.R. 51 would maintain a 2-square mile Federal District. prgtoken , .
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-4-22

. I am joined by Senator Van Hollen in reintroducing the Consumer Credit Control Act, which gives consumers greater control over when and how their consumer reports are shared by consumer reporting agencies. prgtoken Our current consumer reporting system is backwards. Consumer reporting agencies collect massive amounts of personal information on consumers, often without their knowledge, in order to compile consumer reports. These reports are then shared with financial institutions and others, often without consent. prgtoken Following Equifax's failure in 2017 to secure troves of valuable personally identifiable information it collected on approximately 147 million Americans, it remains clear that this system needs to change. Indeed, the National Consumer Law Center's Chi Chi Wu stated in her October 2017 testimony before the House Financial Services Committee that the Equifax breach ``means half of the US population and nearly three-quarters of the consumers with active credit reports are now at risk of identity theft due to one of the worst--if not the worst-- breaches of consumer data in American history. These Americans are at risk of having false new credit accounts, phony tax returns, and even spurious medical bills incurred in their good names.'' To make matters worse, the risks of identity fraud may only increase with time. As Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG's federal Consumer Program Director, explains ``unlike credit card numbers, your Social Security Number and Date of Birth don't change and may even grow more prgtoken valuable over time, like gold in a bank vault. Much worse, they are the keys to `new account identity theft.' '' prgtoken The Consumer Credit Control Act aims to address these concerns and fix the current upside down system. Our legislation, at no cost to the consumer, seeks to give Americans greater control over when and how their consumer reports are released when applying for new credit, a loan, or insurance. It also requires consumer reporting agencies to verify a consumer's identity and secure the consumer's permission before releasing consumer reports in instances that are particularly susceptible to identity theft and fraud. Additionally, our legislation requires every consumer reporting agency to take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized access to the consumer reports and personal information they maintain. These changes are intended to make it tougher for criminals to open new fraudulent credit or insurance accounts in other people's names. prgtoken I urge our colleagues to cosponsor the Consumer Credit Control Act, and I thank Senator Van Hollen, the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), U.S. PIRG, Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, the Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Demos, the NAACP, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the National Fair Housing Alliance, Public Citizen
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2021-4-22

in just a few moments, the Senate will take a strong stand against anti-Asian hate in our country. prgtoken Passing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act sends a clear and unmistakable message of solidarity to the AAPI community, and this moment would not be possible without the collective efforts of so many people, including, of course, my colleagues--one person in particular who just spoke before me. prgtoken But I want to especially thank Majority Leader Schumer for making this bill a priority for the Senate and working closely with us to shepherd its passage. prgtoken I also want to thank my colleagues in the House, especially Congresswoman Grace Meng for being the dogged advocate for our community during this process, as well as Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, led by Congresswoman Judy Chu. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this legislation.
SHARK FIN SALES ELIMINATION ACT OF 2021
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Democrat, MP) \u2014 2021-4-22

. Madam , on Earth Day 2021, together with Rep. McCaul and 103 other original cosponsors, I am reintroducing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act. prgtoken The Act bans the buying and selling of shark fins in the United States and passed in the 116th Congress with bipartisan support and, ultimately, 287 cosponsors. It was the largest number of cosponsors for any ocean conservation bill in the previous Congress. prgtoken The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act has such strong bipartisan support, because it is an effective way to remove the United States from the devastating global trade in shark fins, at no cost. And because it does so without stopping those who want to fish for sharks and use them whole. prgtoken Madam , sharks are absolutely critical to life in the ocean. As apex predators, they help maintain balance by keeping prey populations in check. They are also critical to the tourism economy of our coastal communities. In Florida alone, tourists, who go diving to see sharks, generate more than 200 times the value of the trade in shark fins for our entire country. prgtoken Despite their importance ecologically and economically, sharks are in serious trouble. Each year, fins from up to 73 million sharks are sliced off and sold in the global marketplace. And, largely due to this demand for fins, some shark species have now declined by more than 90 percent. prgtoken Our nation has wisely banned the inhumane practice of finning sharks and throwing them back into the ocean to die. Yet, we still allow fins to be bought and sold here. And many of the fins we are buying and selling come from countries that simply do not have the same level of protection the U.S. gives sharks. prgtoken Now is time for us to take that next step. Only by banning the shark fin trade once and for all within our borders can we ensure we are no longer supporting an unsustainable use of ocean resources. prgtoken Recognizing this unsustainability, the Northern Mariana Islands, my home, was the very first U.S. insular area to ban the trade of shark fins in 2011. As an island culture 3,000 years old, the people of the Marianas understand and respect the important role that sharks play in maintaining the life of our oceans. prgtoken We are not alone. Thirteen U.S. states and three territories have also passed their own shark fin bans. But this patchwork of state laws can be challenging to enforce. That is why we need a federal ban on the shark fin trade in the United States. prgtoken A ban on the shark fin trade is supported by 45 domestic and international airlines, by 22 shipping companies, 15 major corporations, and nearly 700 U.S. businesses and organizations. A 2020 national poll found 4 of 5 American voters support a national ban on the buying and selling of shark fins. Hundreds of scientists, chefs, fishers, and dive and surf businesses have written to Congress requesting passage of a national shark fin ban. prgtoken I want, especially, to t
DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2021--Motion to Proceed
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2021-4-22

I come to the floor to talk about the rise in hate crimes in the Pacific Northwest and to thank my colleague the Senator from Hawaii for her tremendous leadership in guiding us through this process to get this legislation passed in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I want to thank her for her incredible work as a member of the Judiciary Committee and for getting this out and moved to the floor and to thank Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell for both helping us to get to this point today and our colleagues for passing this incredible legislation. But, again, thanks to Senator Hirono for knowing--knowing and understanding and being a great member of the Judiciary Committee-- that we needed to get this legislation done now. prgtoken Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a long history in our country. And their contributions have been significant, both in cultural vibrancy to our economy and to our way of life. prgtoken But, unfortunately, that has also been marked by periods in our history of hate and damaging stereotypes and xenophobia, and we saw this again with COVID-19. That is why we needed to act today, to pass hate crimes legislation to protect Asian Americans in the United States of America and to make sure that they have tools to protect them. prgtoken Our AAPI communities are facing the same challenges we face in the pandemic. And trust me, we have lost prgtoken some incredible Asian Americans, who ran markets, who ran restaurants, who were small business leaders and continued to work during this crisis and ultimately paid the price with their lives. But they also, in addition to facing the pandemic, have had to face a range of hate and racism against them during this time period. prgtoken According to Stop AAPI Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents of violence and hate against AAPI individuals were reported nationwide over a year since the pandemic. And sadly--sadly--women made up over half of this. Nearly 68 percent of the reported incidents of violence against Asian Americans were against Asian-American women. This must stop. prgtoken And it is very important that we think about how a fraction of these statistics that are the reported information--how many more are out there that go unreported. prgtoken My State, the State of Washington, has the seventh largest Asian- American population and the third largest Pacific Islander population in the Nation. And like the rest of the United States, we have seen an increase in these incidents. prgtoken In fact, in 2020, the State had the third highest rate of hate crimes targeted against AAPI community members. That is why I am for getting a full slate of people over at the Department of Justice, including Kristen Clarke, to deal with hate crimes. Why? Because my State is plagued by these issues, and we are not going to tolerate it. We are going to fight back and make sure that we have the infrastructure in place to recognize these things. prgtoken Just this pas
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Madeleine Dean (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2021-4-22

before coming to Congress, I served as a Pennsylvania State Representative. The legislation I was most proud to be a part of was the bipartisan Act 89 infrastructure bill that helped fix some of Pennsylvania's crumbling roads and bridges. prgtoken Signed into law by Governor Corbett in 2013, Act 89 was a serious investment in our infrastructure, but it is not enough. Nationwide, we know that an out-of-date infrastructure system is costly, energy inefficient, and dangerous. prgtoken Today, in a moment of low interest rates and historic need and a rapidly warming planet, we have an opportunity and an obligation to invest in a stronger, greener, and better connected future. prgtoken The American Jobs Plan is that chance, a chance to build back better and make a generational investment for our grandchildren's future. This includes: roads, bridges, public transportation, drinking water, broadband, and good, clean energy union jobs. prgtoken I worked with a legislature and a Governor to help pass Pennsylvania's infrastructure bill. I hope we can get together and work across the aisle for infrastructure investment for the next generation.