mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
THE WALK UP MOVEMENT
Steve Stivers (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-3-14

as co-chairman of the House Civility and Respect Caucus, I want to talk about something that people aren't talking about today. prgtoken There is a movement called the walk up movement, where a lot of kids around this country are taking action. They are walking up to the kid who sits alone and asking him to join their group. They are walking up to the kid who never has a voluntary partner and asking them to be the partner. They are walking up to teachers and saying, ``thank you.'' They are walking up to people and just being nice. prgtoken Civility and respect is for everyone. It makes a difference in our lives. There are a lot of people recognizing a lot of things today, but I just want to recognize, today, that the walk up movement is constructive, it is helpful, and it is going to change people for the better.
NIFLA V. BECERRA
Andy Harris (Republican, MD) \u2014 2018-3-14

next Tuesday, March 20, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for the case NIFLA v. Becerra. At issue is a California law that requires medically licensed pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for and to promote the abortion industry by posting notices alerting clients that the State of California provides free or low-cost abortions. prgtoken This law blatantly violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The government may never compel anyone, including pregnancy centers, to make statements with which they disagree. This is clearly and blatantly unconstitutional, and courts across the Nation agree. prgtoken When abortionists sought to compel the speech of pregnancy centers in other jurisdictions, their laws were not allowed to stand. In fact, in 2009, in my home State of Maryland, a Baltimore city ordinance required pregnancy centers to post signs in their waiting rooms stating that they do not refer for abortions. This January, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that this law is unconstitutional. Judge Wilkinson said that the ordinance compels ``a politically and religiously motivated group to convey a message fundamentally at odds with its core belief and its mission.'' prgtoken Similar laws have been tried in Austin, Texas; Montgomery County, Maryland; and New York City. These laws, too, have been partially or fully invalidated. Even the California law in question has already been found to violate freedom of speech. prgtoken While the Federal case was advancing to the Supreme Court, a parallel track was being pursued at the State level. In October of last year, Judge Gloria Trask found that the law violated article I, section 2 of the California Constitution. In fact, she granted an injunction that prevents California from enforcing the law. She said the ``speech required by the FACT Act is unquestionably compelled and content based.'' It forces the clinic to point the way to the abortion clinic and can leave patients with the belief that they were referred to an abortion clinic provider by that pro-life pregnancy center. prgtoken Now, instead of seeking to silence pro-life pregnancy centers, people in every community should celebrate and support their work. They provide vital free or low-cost care to vulnerable women and children. So today we are here to talk about how pro-life pregnancy centers help mothers in our communities, giving them real choice. prgtoken , from California (Mr. LaMalfa), who organized this Special Order with me, for comments he might make.
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-3-14

I spent 28 years in the private sector before entering public service. In fact, in 2010 I was working at RightNow Technologies in my hometown of Bozeman, MT. We were growing a technology company there. We were creating good, high-paying jobs in Montana--in fact, about 500 jobs there. prgtoken While I was working to grow jobs back home in Montana, President and a ic majority in the House and the Senate were passing legislation that stifled job creation--in fact, costing our economy billions of dollars and penalizing small local banks and credit unions for the wrongdoings committed by bad actors on Wall Street. prgtoken I am talking about Dodd-Frank. Since Dodd-Frank's passage, the number of federally insured credit unions in Montana fell by over 10 percent. The number of Montana State chartered banks fell over 34 percent, from 64 to 44. This is no surprise because Dodd-Frank empowered more than 10 Federal agencies to write more than 400 new rules, imposing 27,000 mandates, many of which fell on these local banks and credit unions. prgtoken These small community businesses don't have the ability to keep up with the onslaught of these new rules, new regulations, and guidance constantly coming out of Washington following Dodd-Frank, and the customers are suffering. prgtoken Small local banks and credit unions are uniquely capable of knowing their customers and providing tailored financial services to meet their customers' individual circumstances. Dodd-Frank stripped this customer advantage away by making prohibitively difficult any loans that don't comply with the cookie-cutter regulations. prgtoken It is interesting that in that debate back in 2010, many s warned our colleagues on the ic side about this, but virtually every ic Senator then voted for Dodd-Frank. This difficulty fell particularly hard on Montana's entrepreneurs, who are self- employed and don't typically have wage income. Entrepreneurship runs deep in Montana. These banks and credit unions are truly part of our community. They know their customers, and they are able to make loans for their needs. They can determine the risk and make sure they are making good loans. They serve up-and-coming small business owners, moms and dads working to keep the family business prgtoken afloat, and countless farmers and ranchers across Montana. prgtoken Dodd-Frank has suffocated Montana's rural banks and credit unions and, ultimately, it is the people of Montana who use these banks and these credit unions, and they are the ones who have been hit the hardest. prgtoken I wasn't here in 2010 when this bill was passed. Let me just state that had I been on this floor then, I would have voted no on Dodd- Frank's passage. Unfortunately, the vast majority of ic Senators voted yes--virtually every one of them. But I will state that I am really happy to be here now to help undo some of the damage caused to our rural
STUDENT, TEACHERS, AND OFFICERS PREVENTING SCHOOL VIOLENCE ACT OF 2018
Harold Rogers (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-3-14

I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. prgtoken , I rise today in strong support of the STOP School Violence Act. I want to congratulate Sheriff Rutherford, the original sponsor of the bill, for his dedicated work on this project, among others. prgtoken In the immediate wake of last month's tragedy in Parkland, more than 15 students in my home district in eastern Kentucky were arrested. Thankfully, our students and local law enforcement acted swiftly to prevent a copycat event in our own schools. As our Nation battles this epidemic of school violence, it is imperative that we utilize our available resources to stop tragic events before they occur. But, unfortunately, too many students and officials don't have the tools they need to successfully act under similar situations. prgtoken This bill takes necessary and commonsense steps to prevent school bullying, suicide, and violence, providing grant funding to States to implement proven and evidence-based trainings that detect threats before they come to fruition. In most cases of school suicides and shootings, at least one other person knew of the plan and failed to report it. So these appalling events are avoidable, but we must give our schools the tools and resources they need, and this bill would do just that. prgtoken Enhancing early detection, prevention, and coordination with law enforcement will save lives. There may not be one single answer to preventing all future violence in schools, but this effort is very much a part of the solution. prgtoken , I was proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote for it.
HONORING OFFICER RYAN MORTON
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-3-14

I rise today to honor the life and to applaud the heroism of Clinton Police Officer Ryan Morton, who gave his life last week protecting the citizens of Clinton, Missouri. prgtoken Ryan was beloved by all. He was a veteran who fought in Afghanistan, an ardent Royals fan, and a dedicated law enforcement officer who stepped up to serve his community as a full-time police officer after the tragic death of another Clinton police officer named Gary Michael. Sadly, Officer Morton lost his life 7 months to the day after Officer Michael was killed. prgtoken Officer Morton embodied what we all should emulate: dedication, patriotism, service, and a willingness to lay down one's life for others. prgtoken We mourn the loss, but we celebrate Ryan's life. prgtoken May the Lord comfort his family and the Clinton Police Department, and may his example inspire us all.
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2018-3-14

the time to vote has come, and we are a few minutes over. This is one of those times when the Senate is on a very tight timeline, so I will have the majority of my speech put into the Record. I just wanted to respond in one quick way to some of the comments my colleague from Ohio has just made. prgtoken A lot of attacks on this floor have been made saying that this bill rolls back the regulatory authority of the Federal Reserve and exposes all of our large banks to much greater risk or much less supervision than they would have had before and on and on. We knew these attacks were coming. They came in the Banking Committee when we had the markup on this bill. prgtoken Basically, I want to read a series of questions and answers I had with the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve about these types of allegations being made about the bill--a bill which is designed to deal with credit unions and community banks and the smaller sector of our economy, not the big banks--all these attacks about rolling back the protections against big banks. prgtoken I asked Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell whether it was accurate, if this bill were passed, that the Federal Reserve would still be required to conduct supervisory stress tests for any bank with total assets between $150 billion and $250 billion to ensure that it has enough capital to weather economic downturns. prgtoken He answered: Yes, it is. prgtoken I asked, if this bill were passed, whether it was accurate that the Federal Reserve would still have sufficient authority to apply any prudential standard--let me repeat that--any prudential standard to a bank with between $100 billion and $250 billion in total assets if the Fed determined that was appropriate. prgtoken He answered: Yes, that is true. prgtoken I asked whether it was accurate that this bill does not weaken oversight of the largest globally systemic banks. prgtoken He answered, correctly, that yes, that was correct. prgtoken Then I asked whether it was accurate that the Federal Reserve applies enhanced standards to international banks based on their global total consolidated assets--meaning that our bill would not exempt banks like Deutsche Bank and Santander from section 165 of Dodd-Frank. prgtoken He answered: That is correct. prgtoken I want to repeat this, because this keeps coming up. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve said that this bill does not exempt G-SIB foreign banks, such as Deutsche Bank and Santander, and that we do not eliminate the ability of our Federal Reserve to correctly and properly supervise our banks. prgtoken We are going to go back and forth over this, but this bill is designed to protect community banks and credit unions. That is why we have such bipartisan support for it. prgtoken , we have been able to highlight the benefits of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act on the Senate Floor over the last week, and I am glad we have
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-3-14

this week we are debating an important piece of legislation that is going to streamline and simplify government regulations. We are going to make it easier and cheaper for families to get access to loans from their local banks. This legislation is good for communities, and it is good for the American economy. prgtoken This is just the latest action we have taken in Congress over the past year to help give the American economy a boost. The economy is responding, and the American people are doing better because of it. prgtoken Here is a headline from the New York Times on Friday: ``The Economy is Looking Awfully Strong.'' That is the headline in the New York Times--``The Economy is Looking Awfully Strong.'' This article was about the jobs report that came out last week. It said that the report ``can be summed up in four words: The economy is humming.'' prgtoken The U.S. economy has already created over 552,000 new jobs in just the first 2 months of this year--over half a million new jobs in the first 2 months of this year. There are half a million more people working today compared to when s passed this tax relief law. If we want to go back a little, there are more than 3 million new jobs since President was elected in November of 2016. That is a real number to look at. That is the moment when people said they had enough of slow-growth policies from the in Washington and elected President. That is the moment when businesses realized things were going to be different with s in charge. prgtoken More people are working now. And do you know what else? They are being paid more. According to the Commerce Department, the take-home pay of working people in America increased by $40 billion in January. They say it is directly because of the tax relief law that s passed last December. prgtoken More than 4 million workers are also getting a bonus or a pay increase. Four hundred companies have said that is because taxes went down. They are sharing the savings with their workers. These are people who work at Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, Starbucks, and other businesses that have familiar names all across America. They are also people who work in smaller businesses, like the Jonah Bank in Wyoming, at branches in Casper and in Cheyenne. It is not a nationally known bank, but it is very important in our State and in our communities. Some people who are getting bonuses work at places like Taco John's. That is another business that is important to the people of Wyoming. When I was in the State senate, Taco John's was a place I went regularly to eat lunch. It is one of many Taco John's facilities around the State of Wyoming and around the West. s cut taxes, and working Americans are seeing more money in their paychecks as a result. prgtoken This is what we see in terms of confidence. This new survey came out recently where they talked with the heads
RECOGNIZING THE DEER PARK ART PARK PLAYERS AND THE TEXAS NON-PROFIT THEATRE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-3-14

I seek to recognize the Deer Park Art Park Players on the occasion of the Texas Non-Profit Theatre Annual Conference. The City of Deer Park Parks and Recreation Department, The Art Park Players, and The Friends of the Art Park Players are hosting the conference on Thursday, March 15th. Theatre companies from across the State of Texas will be in attendance. In early 1979, a small group of Deer Park residents, led by Jeff Smith and Jean Riggs, met at the Deer Park Community Center to form a script-reading club. Later that year, they staged their very first production, Once Upon a Mattress, at Deer Park High School's Gaines Mason Auditorium. The City of Deer Park recognized the community's love of theatrical arts and hired Sue Fenley Meyers as the full-time Artistic Managing Director of the ``Not-Yet-Named-Theatre Company.'' The theatre officially became The Art Park Players in 1980. In December 1986, the current theater facility was opened by the city. Longtime theatre performer, Junior Art Park Player director, and volunteer, Susan Mele, was named director in April 2004 following Meyer's retirement. After nearly four decades, The Art Park Players have grown in number and spirit. Their success relies heavily on their staff, families, and more than one hundred volunteers. With four mainstage productions, concerts, and youth productions, The Art Park Players engage over 12,000 patrons each season, enriching the Deer Park community artistically and financially. The Art Park Players hold the distinction of being the only year-round dinner theatre in the Greater Houston area and is truly one-of-a-kind in the State of Texas it is my distinct honor to recognize the Deer Park Art Park Players.
ALLOW STATES AND VICTIMS TO FIGHT ONLINE SEX TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2017-- MOTION TO PROCEED
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-3-15

2 days ago, the President of the United States announced his decision to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. I respect and admire both of these men immensely. prgtoken I just want to take a moment to talk about Secretary Tillerson's public service. I know his entering government after his long and illustrious career in the private sector was quite a transition, but he provided able leadership to the Department of State during a period of transition from one Presidency to the next and a period of diplomatic turbulence. He worked hard to strengthen and, in some cases, repair our global alliances. prgtoken I have known Secretary Tillerson for a long time. He is a man of character who has led the Boy Scouts, which continues to be one of his abiding passions--developing young men as persons of character, and I respect that. At the same time, he advanced his own career as the head of one of the largest businesses in the world at the pinnacle of success, as we count success. I wish him the best, and I hope his statesmanship, professionalism, and deep and abiding friendships spanning the globe are remembered and maintained after he is gone from public life. Nomination of Mike Pompeo prgtoken , I also want to say a few good words about my friend Mike Pompeo. After graduating first in his class at West Point and then graduating from Harvard Law School, he had a successful career in law and business before transitioning into public service. As a Member of the House of Representatives, he represented Kansas's Fourth Congressional District and served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Then he was named by President , as we know, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. prgtoken Director Pompeo is a terrific guy, smart and well respected by all. He has a keen sense of the delicate nature of global diplomacy and the crucial role America and American intelligence agencies have to play. I know he has a great rapport with the President, and I think he will make an excellent Secretary of State. Nomination of Gina Haspel prgtoken , finally, I want to state my utmost confidence in Gina Haspel, Director Pompeo's Deputy, who has been nominated to take over after he leaves as Director of the CIA. As a career intelligence professional, she is tough, she is direct, but she is collegial, too, and much beloved by the people who work out at the Central Intelligence Agency. prgtoken As my colleague, the senior Senator from California, has previously stated, Ms. Haspel has great experience acting as Deputy Director, and she has the confidence of the Central Intelligence Agency, which is no small feat. prgtoken I support Ms. Haspel's nomination and look forward to working hard to ensure her confirmation. prgtoken Of course, there will be groups who will waste no time trying to tarnish her reputat
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-3-15

this week I have the honor of recognizing Kelli Lohr, the new owner of the Prairie Peddler in Shelby. The Prairie Peddler has been a community business for over two decades. Families throughout the years have come to indulge in scones, cookies and coffee, and shop for household decor and gifts. prgtoken When Kelli saw that the notable community establishment may close without a new owner, she stepped up without any prior experience as a businessowner and took a chance. Working together with the former owner to make a smooth transition, Kelli was able to ensure that the community's favorite staples would still be available as she stocked the shelves with new and exciting items as well. Her work has paid off. The family business is growing as folks have more money in their paychecks following the recent tax cuts and the community is eager to support the new management. prgtoken Thank you, Kelli, and the rest of the Lohr family. Your dedication to maintaining a community business is appreciated by the people of Toole County and the surrounding area. It is businesses like yours that make Montana the ``Last Best Place.''
Introductory Statement on S. 2559
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-3-15

I rise today to introduce legislation that would implement the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (``Marrakesh Treaty''). I'm pleased that Senators Feinstein, Corker, Menendez, Hatch, and Leahy are joining me as original cosponsors. prgtoken The Marrakesh Treaty was signed by the United States in October 2013. It seeks to help address the global ``book famine'' and facilitate access to printed works for visually impaired individuals by providing, with appropriate safeguards, that copyright protection should not impede the creation and distribution of accessible format copies, including the exchange of such copies internationally. prgtoken The Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act represents a consensus approach developed by the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees with stakeholders within the publishers, libraries and print disabilities communities, in consultation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office as well as other interested industry and public interest stakeholders. I particularly want to commend the National Federation of the Blind, the Association of American Publishers and the Library Copyright Alliance for working with us in reaching an agreement on legislative text and proposed legislative history. We would not be here today without their efforts. prgtoken I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee, Chairman Corker and Ranking Member Menendez, on ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty in the Senate, and with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Feinstein on passing the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act.