mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
GUN CONTROL MEASURES
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-9-17

I thank my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue and his very clear remarks and call to action. I am also very pleased to be here on the floor with my friend the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Murphy, who has been at the forefront of this battle for many years. We will not let up until we see meaningful action here in the Senate, because we have an epidemic of gun violence in this country. prgtoken The only question is, What are we going to do about it? We have seen 293 mass shootings in the last 9 months. We see people being killed by gun violence in our streets and in our neighborhoods every day. All told, 100 of our fellow Americans die from gun violence every day. It can happen anytime, anywhere, to anybody. It can happen in prgtoken our schools, our movie theaters, our homes, our concerts, our bars, our shopping centers, our streets. No one is immune or free from this violence. prgtoken If this were an epidemic caused by a preventable disease, this Congress would convene on an emergency basis. We would be having a bipartisan gathering to immediately pass legislation to help discover new cures and vaccines for whatever disease was killing 100 of our fellow Americans every day. When it comes to gun violence, here in the U.S. Senate, there is nothing, no action. prgtoken Inaction is complicity. It is complicity in the carnage when we know there are commonsense measures we can take together to reduce the gun violence. Are we going to stop every single gun death? No. But we know that these commonsense measures can save thousands of American lives. Yet we do nothing here in the Senate. That is despite the fact that we have at the desk a bill that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives 202 days ago. I have a copy of that bill in my hand. It is H.R. 8. If you look at it, it says: ``Read the second time'' and ``Placed on . . . Calendar.'' For people who may be listening in, what it means to be placed on the calendar is that it is here at the desk in the U.S. Senate. It means we could take it up anytime. We could take it up right now. prgtoken In fact, now I am holding what is called the Calendar of Business for Tuesday, September 17, 2019. If you look at it--No. 29, H.R. 8--how does it describe H.R. 8? Very simply, ``An act to require a background check for every firearm sale.'' It is very simple. It is something supported by over 90 percent of the American people, regardless of party. prgtoken I have in my hand a copy of the U.S. Constitution. I want to read article I, section 1, because it is very straightforward. It says: ``All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.'' prgtoken The House of Representatives has acted. As I said, H.R. 8, a bill for universal background checks, is at the Senate desk. It is the Senate that hasn't acted. Yet I heard th
GUN CONTROL MEASURES
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-9-17

I rise to echo the sentiments of the Senator from Washington State. She has absolutely articulated the reasons this Senate should just stop what it is doing and bring these bills to the floor for a vote so we can begin to make it more difficult for the wrong people to be able to buy guns in our country. We have no background checks, no ability to identify who they are. prgtoken This debate is one that should have already taken place in August after what happened in El Paso and after what happened in Dayton. We should have had the debate out here on the Senate floor. The House has already passed legislation that deals with the background checks of any person who wants to buy a gun in our country. That is the least we should be able to do. prgtoken By the way, it polls out at 89 percent. There aren't many issues that poll out at 89 percent. The reason it does is that the country is horrified by what it is seeing day after day on its televisions as the carnage continues to rise, as the hemorrhaging of communities continues unabated across our country. prgtoken The NRA retains a vice-like grip on the Senate of the United States. It is almost as though it is able to put a lock on these doors-- courtesy of the leadership--so that no bill can come down here into the well of the Senate to be debated on background checks. The NRA just refuses to allow those bills to come out here. So we have no debates. We have no votes. We have no accountability. This is the status of the U.S. Senate in September of 2019 as we see an epidemic of violence across our country. prgtoken Bring those bills onto the floor, Party. Forget the money from the NRA. Forget all of its spending. Let us not put a price on the lives of 34,000 Americans who died just last year on top of the lives of those who died the year before and the year before and those who will be part of a preventable epidemic in our country next year and the year after and the year after into the future. prgtoken After we finish debating background checks, we should then have a debate on military-style assault weapons and whether they should be sold in our country and a debate on high-capacity magazines and whether they should be sold in our country. Those were the weapons that were used in Dayton. Those were the weapons that were used in El Paso. Let's have a debate here on the floor of the U.S. Senate. prgtoken Let's have people have to be made accountable for allowing these dangerous weapons that belong on battlefields but not on the streets of our country. In fact, when they are on the streets of our country, they turn our streets into battlegrounds, whereby the criminal--whereby the bad person--has a weapon, in many instances, that is more powerful than that of the police. That is just plain wrong. We can do something about it if the Senate allows these doors to open, if the s allow this debate to take place. Of course, it w
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXPIRING AUTHORITIES ACT OF 2019
Anthony Brindisi (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-9-17

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 4285, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019, which I introduced to ensure that veterans and their families continue to have access to the programs and benefits that they rely on. prgtoken This critical bill authorizes the continuation of several important VA programs that will expire at the end of this fiscal year if Congress does not act. prgtoken First, this bill provides a 1-year extension of VA's authority relating to vendee loans. Vendee loans are loans offered by the VA to purchase VA real estate-owned properties. Offered to veterans and nonveterans alike, this loan prgtoken program allows people to purchase properties that were previously foreclosed upon and are now government-owned, with little to no downpayment. prgtoken This bill also provides a 2-year extension of financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing. Grantees under this program are required to provide supportive services to eligible veterans and their families, including outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA benefits. prgtoken This program was previously authorized for fiscal year 2019, but this extension would extend authorization to include fiscal years 2020 and 2021. This extension of the program helps give the VA and the grantees better certainty of the program's future so they can continue providing critical wraparound services that help low-income veterans get back on their feet. prgtoken The bill also provides a 1-year extension of VA's payments and allowances for beneficiary travel in connection with veterans receiving care from vet centers. While veterans can claim beneficiary travel from VA medical facilities, we know that care at the vet centers can be just as important. prgtoken This program is important because it specifically helps populations of rural veterans. Highly rural veterans have frequently described transportation as being a limiting factor in receiving care, and I am proud that this bill would extend this critical program. prgtoken I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Roe for their work on extending these critical programs and their true commitment to our Nation's veterans. I also thank my colleague Congressman Bost from Illinois, my friend on the VA Committee, for leading this legislation with me. prgtoken It is an honor to serve on the VA Committee, the most bipartisan committee in Congress, and work with my colleagues to support our Nation's veterans. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues to support this critical legislation and support our Nation's veterans.
GUN CONTROL MEASURES
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-9-17

I rise tonight to join the chorus of ic Senators in this Chamber demanding action to address the American gun violence epidemic. We stand here tonight on behalf of the tens of millions of Americans, from one end of the country to the other, who are crying out for change. prgtoken Every few months, it seems that our Nation is rocked by another horrifying mass shooting. El Paso and Dayton are only the latest entries in our national register of tragedy, a list that stretches from Parkland to Pittsburgh, Charleston to Columbine, Aurora to Orlando, Blacksburg to Binghamton, San Bernardino to Sandy Hook, and to Las Vegas. Because that ever-growing list can sometimes seem abstract, let's not forget about the specific places where these awful shootings occurred: movie theaters and night clubs, shopping malls and office parks, music festivals and traffic stops, churches, synagogues, mosques, colleges, high schools, and an elementary school. prgtoken Our hearts remain with the families of the victims and the survivors of these mass shootings whose lives were turned upside down in an instance by mad men who never should have had access to a gun. The touching letter that Senator Murphy read from one of his constituents whose child died in Sandy Hook is just one of many testaments to that turning upside down--instantly ruining your life forever by one of these horrible, awful incidents. prgtoken At the same time, our hearts are with tens of thousands more whose lives were ended or forever altered by everyday gun violence. It doesn't make the headlines, but we remember them, too. They are no less tragic and no less painful for the parents who lost children, and brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who lost mothers and fathers. prgtoken Whether it is a mass shooting or an individual shooting, people who shouldn't have guns are killing our fellow American citizens, and Congress just sits on its hands--the Senate does, anyway--and does nothing. prgtoken Let me mention a few stories of New Yorkers whose lives were cut short by gun violence just this year. The list goes on and on, I assure you. prgtoken Norzell Aldridge, of Cheektowaga in western New York, was a youth football coach. He was shot in the chest and killed a few weeks ago while trying to break up a fight at a park in Buffalo's East Side. Coach Aldridge's team had just finished playing the first game of their season. prgtoken Rhyan Williams-Cannon, a 21-year-old from Syracuse, was shot and killed in March as he was leaving the corner store. He was the youngest of seven siblings. He had just earned his GED in October. Rhyan's family said he was like a father to his nephew, sneaking candies to him behind his mother's back. prgtoken Shakeel Khan, of Johnson City, was murdered by a mass gunman in April while closing up his restaurant. Shakeel was the sole provider for his wife and his three children, aged 14, 12, and 8. prgtoken May God rest the
GUN CONTROL MEASURES
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-9-17

our country demands that we take action to confront the crisis of gun violence. One hundred people die from gun violence in our country every single day. If 100 people died every day because of any other single cause, even s would call it an epidemic and demand that we do something about it. prgtoken Think about it. The lives of 100 men, women, and children are cut tragically short by someone using a firearm every single day in our country. Some of them are killed sitting in church, others while shopping for school supplies, and others while sitting in their classrooms. Some are targeted because they are Latino, Jewish, Muslim, Black, gay, or transgender. Some are killed for reasons we will never know. prgtoken Victims of gun violence come from all walks of life and different circumstances, but they were all struck down by someone with a firearm--firearms which in many cases were purchased legally because we have gaping loopholes in our gun safety laws; firearms which, even when purchased legally, too often end up in the hands of someone who has absolutely no business owning a gun. prgtoken There are a lot of steps Congress can take--and my colleague just articulated some of them--to combat the crisis of gun violence in our country. We can ban assault weapons. We can ban high-capacity magazines. We can look at requiring gun licensing at the national level. prgtoken Each of these steps would make a major difference in combating gun violence, but I acknowledge that they would be controversial and are unlikely to pass, to become law, in the current Congress. But there is one step the Senate can take right now to confront the gun violence epidemic in our country. The Senate can take up and pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which passed the House nearly 7 months ago. prgtoken This legislation passed with a strong bipartisan vote to close the loopholes in our background check system. It would require checks not just for firearms purchased from licensed dealers but also from unlicensed individuals at gun shows, between friends, and between most unrelated people. Some people say that will not do much and that it will just be a drop in the bucket, but when that bucket is overflowing, as it is now, with the blood of innocent people, anything we do will help curb this epidemic. prgtoken At a time when our country is deeply divided on so many issues, it is noteworthy that 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks--90 percent. The American public knows a sensible gun safety bill when they see one, even if too many Members of Congress remain blind. prgtoken Sensible gun safety laws work. I know that because Hawaii, which has some of the most restrictive gun laws on the books, is, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the State with the lowest rate of death by firearms in the Nation. Anyone in Hawaii wanting to buy a gun, whether from a licensed d
Remembering Marca Bristo (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-9-17

the disability rights movement is one of the great civil rights achievements of our time, and Chicago's Marca Bristo was that movement's Rosa Parks. prgtoken Marca was a visionary and inspiring leader, who helped change Chicago and change the world when it came to the rights of the disabled, and she was my friend. prgtoken Sadly, Marca died last week in her adopted hometown of Chicago at 66 years of age. prgtoken In typical Marca style, she worked right on up to the few days before her death, trying to bend the arc of history just a little more toward justice before she drew her last breath. prgtoken I was happy to join my colleague Senator Tammy Duckworth this week in sponsoring a resolution honoring Marca's life and work. prgtoken I would like to take a few moments on the floor today to remember this amazing woman. prgtoken While most Americans have never heard of Marca Bristo, few lives went untouched by her lifelong quest on behalf of people with disabilities. She was a nationally and internationally acclaimed leader in the disability rights movement. prgtoken She helped to write and to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, which outlawed discrimination against the estimated one in four Americans with disabilities, and she spent the rest of her life making sure the ADA was faithfully implemented. prgtoken Along with leaders like Justin Dart, Marca changed the way Americans thought about disabilities. She persuaded us to view the disability experience as a civil rights issue, not just a medical issue. prgtoken To Marca's mind, what kept many people with disabilities from leading full lives was not their disability but the barriers they faced. What needed to change, she said, was not the person with disabilities but those obstacles that blocked their path. The problem was not that her wheelchair was too wide for certain doors; the problem was the doors were too narrow for her wheelchair. Remove the barriers, and people with disabilities can lead rich and full lives and make enormous contributions. That is part of what Marca taught me. prgtoken She was tough, smart, funny, determined, and fearless. She knew how to motivate others and how to build coalitions. prgtoken Her parents actually named her Marcia, but during her freshman year in college, a classmate called her Marca. She liked it, and it stuck. prgtoken She moved to Chicago and earned a nursing degree from Rush University College of Nursing in 1976. prgtoken In 1977, when Marca was 23 years old, working as a labor-delivery nurse at a Chicago hospital, she and her friend were sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan, when a dog grabbed her favorite pair of sandals and ran into the water with them. Marca dove in to retrieve her shoes, not realizing the water was shallow. She broke her neck and was paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life. prgtoken Because of her paralysis, she lost her job, her health insurance, her home, he
TRIBUTE TO THE ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF LOS ANGELES
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-9-17

. Madam , I rise today to honor the Assistance League of Los Angeles upon its centennial anniversary. Beginning in the mid-1890s, Assistance League founder Anne Banning and a small group of prominent Los Angeles women initiated a tradition of benevolence and compassion by performing local relief work for those underserved by conventional charities. By 1906, the group's humanitarian efforts extended beyond Southern California to victims of the devastating San Francisco earthquake. prgtoken Joined by her close friend and co-founder Ada Edwards Laughlin in 1919, Mrs. Banning officially formed the Assistance League of Southern California as part of the first wave of American nonprofits that empowered ordinary citizens to serve their communities through long- term volunteerism. As the organization expanded in the coming decades, Mrs. Banning and Mrs. Laughlin founded the National Assistance League in 1935, which today supports over 120 individual branches with the Assistance League of Los Angeles as the founding chapter. Over the last century, the Assistance League of Los Angeles has responded effectively and compassionately to national, state and local issues, staying true to Mrs. Banning's original vision, acting ``as a friend at any and all times to men, women and children in need of care, guidance and assistance, spiritually, materially and physically.'' The League began by providing food and clothing to families severely impacted by World War I and the Great Depression, before moving on to organize blood drives supporting the Red Cross and holiday gift exchanges for soldiers during World War II. Closer to home, the League formed auxiliaries that tackled a diverse array of issues and broadened the scope of the organization's assistance. Among their many achievements, these auxiliaries organized day nurseries and preschool programs, counseled families in need, provided clothing and supplies to underserved schoolchildren, and raised funds through theater performances, fashion shows, thrift stores, and other efforts. Today, the Assistance League of Los Angeles continues its commitment to helping the Los Angeles community, with eight auxiliaries conducting six significant services. These services include The Preschool Learning Center, Foster Children's Resource Center, Theatre for Children, Hollywood Children's Club, and Operation School Bell support children and families, giving future generations resources they need to succeed and grow. Additionally, the Court Referred Volunteer Center enables adults and youth convicted of infractions, misdemeanors, or felonies to serve the community they have wronged as a more meaningful and beneficial alternative to fines and incarceration. I am honored to recognize the Assistance League of Los Angeles for 100 years of outstanding service to the greater Los Angeles community. I ask all Members to join me in congratulating the Assistance League for its remarkable
HONORING EPISCOPAL HOMES OF MINNESOTA ON ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-9-17

. Madam , I rise to recognize Episcopal Homes of Minnesota on its 125th anniversary of caring for and serving senior communities in Saint Paul. prgtoken Episcopal Homes began in 1894 with a visionary leader named Sister Annette Relf. Sister Annette was a hospital nurse and Minnesota's first Episcopal Deaconess, who saw a need for a home and place of comfort for poor and elderly women. The first home was founded at 710 Martin Street in Saint Paul. In 1909, Sister Annette herself became a resident of the home until she died in 1915. The tradition of strong women's leadership continued in 1930, when Eliza May was elected as the first President of the Board and women took over daily management of the home. prgtoken The Great Depression brought major challenges to the community, and the federal government responded by granting the home an exception from taxes. The Social Security Act was passed which kept many residents out of poverty by providing retirement security. After World War II, the home grew to accommodate 70 residents. In 1970, the home officially became the Episcopal Church Home of Minnesota. The need for more supportive services led to the hiring of an occupational therapist who could address the physical, recreation and social needs of residents. prgtoken Episcopal Homes has continued to grow to serve residents, receiving a major grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build subsidized housing for seniors. In 2011, Kings Crossing Apartments opened in Saint Paul's Frogtown neighborhood, which HUD lauded as a model for innovative community planning and neighborhood revitalization. This federal investment has continued and been valuable to Episcopal Homes' nine senior communities located near Green Line Light Rail stops along University Avenue in Saint Paul. Episcopal Homes has won numerous awards and recognition for its care and services-- including those from Aging Services of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Council, the Midway Chamber of Commerce, the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and U.S. News & World Report. prgtoken Today, Episcopal Homes is home to more than 1400 residents who thrive in their retirement years through the continuum of care offered through the homes in the heart of Saint Paul. Madam , please join me in honoring the 125th anniversary of Episcopal Homes of Minnesota's dedication to building affordable, diverse, vibrant communities and enhancing the lives of older adults.