mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SUBSTANCE USE-DISORDER PREVENTION THAT PROMOTES OPIOID RECOVERY AND TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-10-3

I come to the floor today to discuss the opioid abuse epidemic, which has taken the lives of too many Hoosiers, harming families and communities across my State and our country. This is a public health crisis. It is a complex problem, and addressing it will require all of us to work together in a bipartisan way at the Federal, State, and local levels. prgtoken I am very pleased that the House and the Senate have worked together over many months to write this bipartisan legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This bill provides important new tools to combat the opioid epidemic and to work to ensure that those providing prevention, treatment, and recovery services in our communities have the resources necessary to help those in need of assistance. I am also proud that this legislation contains several bipartisan bills I helped lead over the past year. prgtoken For Hoosiers in Northern Indiana, one particular provision in this legislation is particularly significant. On July 26, 2017, Dr. Todd Graham was senselessly murdered in South Bend after refusing to prescribe an opioid to a patient. To honor Dr. Graham's memory, I helped to introduce the bipartisan Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act with my friend and fellow Hoosier Senator Todd Young. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study Medicare's payment and coverage policies for nonopioid pain treatments. It could also help to increase access to nonopioid treatments and prevent future patients from developing an addiction. It would never have been possible without the leadership and courage of Julie Graham and the Graham family. prgtoken Another way of increasing access to nonopioid pain treatments is to encourage the development of new nonopioid pain treatments. I helped to introduce two bipartisan bills to achieve that goal. These bills would require the FDA to clarify how nonopioid pain treatments can qualify for expedited approval and to clarify how it will assess treatments that reduce the need for opioids. Provisions based on both of these two bills are included in this legislation so we can get closer to helping treat pain without the risk of addiction. prgtoken On another front, as we work to provide health professionals with new treatment options, we must also make sure that there are enough health professionals to provide substance abuse prgtoken disorder treatment in communities that need them. There are far too many areas in my State of Indiana and across America that lack access to meaningful addiction treatment and the trained professionals to provide it. prgtoken Earlier this year, I worked with Senators Lisa Murkowski and Maggie Hassan to address this issue by introducing the bipartisan Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act. This bill provides up to $250,000 in student loan forgiveness for trained addiction treatment providers who will work in areas with a sh
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (Executive Calendar)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-10-3

I come to the floor today to thank my colleagues Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray for this important opioids legislation. Parts of it passed out of the Senate Finance Committee as well. So I want to thank Senators Hatch and Wyden for their work on this very comprehensive package. prgtoken This important legislation, which, I think, is the third in the bills we passed related to opioids, couldn't come at a more important time. This crisis is ravaging our communities. It is impacting families. prgtoken We need to do all we can to help those on the frontlines. That is why I have been from Port Angeles to Spokane, to southwest Washington, to Everett to talk about this issue and to try to provide the solutions that my law enforcement and community people want in this legislation. prgtoken I am so excited that the legislation will mean that there are more available beds through Medicaid to treat those addicted to opioids. This is something we heard about in every community in Washington. We heard that those coming out of our jails addicted to opioids, who had some modicum of an ability to maybe get off of opioids, then had to wait weeks and weeks for treatment in places like Tacoma or Spokane, where there simply weren't enough beds. prgtoken This legislation allows Medicaid to cover treatment at institutions with more than 16 beds for up to 30 days. It means that funding will be available to States and local governments to help treat opioid addiction, and it is very important in the State of Washington because we have received $43 million in the past 3 years to help us with these tools. It means funding tools for law enforcement so that they can help combat drug trafficking rings. prgtoken Specifically, this legislation includes more than $4 million in tools to support our State of Washington through the HIDTA Program, which fights drug-trafficking rings. prgtoken In 2016 alone, the Seattle-based Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area helped to disrupt and dismantle 81 different drug- trafficking organizations. prgtoken This support and help for our law enforcement and our sheriffs to keep doing their job is incredibly important. I have heard from our sheriffs who played great roles in this. Sheriff Pastor in Pierce County, the King County Sheriff, and our Snohomish County Sheriff have all done great work on this very important legislation. prgtoken This legislation also includes stiffer penalties for those who illegally distribute opioids that have been flooding our communities. We have talked to so many people about this problem. I joined with our attorney general, Bob Ferguson, and 39 other State attorneys general in pushing legislation that I and Senator of California authored that basically said we are not doing a good enough job in tracking the distribution of these opioids, and we need to have stiffer fines and penalties for those who don't do their job in tracking the dis
HONORING LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JAMES J. CONNELL
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2018-10-3

along with Senator Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the life of LCDR James J. Connell, of Wilmington, DE. J.J. passed away on January 14, 1971, at the age of 32, at the hands of Vietnamese guards during the Vietnam war after being held as a POW. In life and death, J.J. epitomized the best of the country's selfless citizens who put their lives on the line during the Vietnam war. His service exemplifies the unwavering courage, devotion to duty, and honor that he had and reminds us all of how good we can be. prgtoken J.J. Connell was born on May 6, 1939, in Wilmington, DE, attending Salesianum High School until 1957. Following this, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy on June 7, 1961, after having spent some time in Congress as a page. By 1962, he was designated as a naval aviator. After additional training, he was assigned as a flight instructor at NAAS Whiting Field, FL. He then served with Attack Squadron 55 aboard the USS Ticonderoga, then at NAS Lemoore, CA, until deploying on the USS Ranger on December 1964. After 7 months of combat, he was shot down over North Vietnam on July 15, 1966. Though he only sustained minor injuries, rescue efforts were impossible in the high-threat area he landed in, and consequently, he was captured. prgtoken J.J. was captured by the North Vietnamese at a time when U.S. prisoners were declared as criminals and subjected to brutal conditions such as isolation, beatings, starvation, and other means of torture. Despite the heinous means of brutal force the Vietnamese used, J.J. refused to fold under pressure, demonstrating courage and determination beyond his years. He was in captivity for 1,645 days before his death, with his remains returning to the United States on March 6, 1974. He left behind two children who would never know their father and a wife who had previously waited years hoping that J.J. would return home alive. prgtoken Though it seems that time may have forgotten J.J. Connell, it is imperative that we remember the hard work and dedication he put into protecting our country and keeping it safe. Posthumously, he was awarded with the Navy Cross, the second highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor and the highest award of valor presented to any Delawarean during the Vietnam war. J.J. was a true hero, and is an inspiration to us all even today. prgtoken Along with Senator Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, I wish to commemorate J.J to celebrate his life, and to offer his family our deepest sympathy on their tragic loss.
Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-10-3

across the country, women and survivors are angry; they are energized; and they are making their voices heard. They are inspired by Dr. Ford, and they are sharing stories of their own, often of the worst moments of their lives--some for the first time ever with their families, with their friends, and their Senators. There are too many to share in one speech on the Senate floor, but I want to touch on just a few. prgtoken I heard from a woman in Sequim, in Washington State, who wrote to me. prgtoken She writes: There have been rare moments in my life when I have felt compelled to speak out. This is one. prgtoken She told me, when she was in junior high school, she dated a boy she thought was ``one of the nicest guys ever.'' Then, one day, she went to his house while his parents were at church, and he assaulted her--he tried to rape her. She only barely managed to escape and run from his house. She said she never told anyone about this because she didn't know who would believe her. She was worried that people would think it was her fault. She told me that after Dr. Ford found the courage to come forward with her experience, she found the courage to share her own. prgtoken Another woman from Everett, WA, reached out to me to share that she was sexually assaulted in a hotel elevator in the early 1970s. She didn't tell a soul for 40 years--until just a few days ago. She said that since that day all those years ago, she has avoided getting into an elevator alone with another man if she possibly could, taking the stairs instead. She told me: ``It happened a long time ago, but it still matters,'' that she was inspired by the women who had so bravely spoken out about Judge Kavanaugh, and that she shared her story with me in the hopes that I could make sure her voice and the other voices of so many women were heard. prgtoken I heard from another woman who lives on the Olympic Peninsula in my home State of Washington. She told me that when she was in college, she was raped by a man with whom she was out on a date. She remembered his name, but because she believes she was drugged, there were a whole lot of details she didn't remember. She didn't tell anyone about her experience for years. She reached out to tell me that she understood why Dr. Ford didn't come forward and to express her anger that people continue to attack survivors, doubt them, and say they are ``just mixed up.'' prgtoken There are so many more. I have received tens of thousands of letters and calls on this nomination with hundreds and hundreds of personal stories that my staff and I are still working to get through. They are heartbreaking, they are real, and they are just one small slice of the experiences being shared, the stories that are being told, and the voices that are bravely speaking up. prgtoken While these women and survivors are so bravely sharing experiences and while so many of us in the Senate are making it cle
SPORTS MEDICINE LICENSURE CLARITY ACT OF 2017
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-10-3

I rise today to provide clarification surrounding section 317 of H.R. 302, the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Reauthorization Act of 2018. prgtoken New section 44737 of title 49, as added by section 317 of the bill, allows for the consideration of other means acceptable to the FAA Administrator that provide an equivalent level of fuel system crash resistance. I want to state clearly for the record that the intent of Congress in new section 44737 subsection (a), paragraph (1), subparagraph (B) is to provide flexibility for the FAA to consider innovative fuel system designs when determining an equivalent level of fuel system crash resistance.
TRIBUTE TO FRANCES H. ARNOLD, GEORGE P. SMITH, AND GREGORY P. WINTER
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-10-3

today the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the awarding of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to three outstanding scientists, Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith, and Gregory P. Winter, for using evolutionary principles to create new enzymes. Their work marks a remarkable leap forward in human knowledge and technology, and I salute these scientists on their honor. prgtoken The use of evolutionary techniques to create enzymes has led to new developments in numerous fields, from health to biofuel technology. Through the use of directed evolution, scientists and researchers have been able to speed up the processes of nature and to tackle some of our most challenging problems. These achievements would not have been possible without the leadership of Dr. Arnold, Dr. Smith, and Sir Gregory Winter. prgtoken Dr. Arnold hails from my home State of California and has worked as a professor at the California Institute of Technology. I am proud of the role that Caltech played in making this discovery possible. Dr. Arnold received prgtoken her Ph.D. from the University California, Berkeley, and I thank her for her contributions to the study of bioengineering and biochemistry. prgtoken On behalf of all Californians, I commend these three recipients on a well-deserved honor and for all that they have done to advance human knowledge of the power of evolutionary technology and bioengineering. Let us hope that this discovery will continue to expand the horizon of human knowledge and lead to new efforts in humanity's never-ending quest for enlightenment. prgtoken Again, I congratulate these three distinguished scientists and their families on this remarkable discovery and prestigious award.
SUBSTANCE USE-DISORDER PREVENTION THAT PROMOTES OPIOID RECOVERY AND TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-10-3

when it comes to Medicaid, there is no question the program is front and center in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Medicaid is the single largest payer of substance use disorder services in the Nation, paying for a third of all medication- assisted treatment across the country and covering millions of Americans currently suffering; yet gaps in the system still exist. prgtoken The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes a number of policies that will help fill some of these gaps both within Medicaid and across the healthcare system. One such provision focuses on providing States with additional flexibility around Medicaid's so- called IMD exclusion related to inpatient and residential treatment. I view this provision as one piece of a larger approach focused on ensuring patients have access to the care and services they need across the entire continuum of care. It includes early prevention, access to critical outpatient and community-based services, residential and inpatient care when needed, and essential step-down care so individuals can successfully transition back into the community. prgtoken However, I want to take a moment to note my concern about this particular provision that will leave gaps for young adults seeking care and treatment. Specifically, I am particularly worried about young adults who may not be able to access quality residential substance use disorder treatment services in the same settings as older individuals. Under the Medicaid statute, the IMD exclusion applies to all individuals under the age of 65 with limited exceptions for individuals under age 21 for inpatient psychiatric hospital services. As a result, I am concerned that, because the provision in this bill only applies to those age 21 and older, younger adults below the age of 21 may not have access to the full array of residential substance use disorder treatment options, settings that may be closer to home, closer to support networks, and that more appropriately serve their needs. prgtoken I am hopeful that my colleagues across the aisle will work with me to address this and other yet to be addressed gaps in our healthcare system to better meet the needs of the millions of Americans, young and old, suffering from the scourge that is the opioid epidemic.
SPORTS MEDICINE LICENSURE CLARITY ACT OF 2017
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-10-3

the Senate is going to vote shortly on legislation called the FAA bill. It addresses the concerns of air travelers across the country. The bill before us has some key safety and security aviation measures. prgtoken We have worked across the aisle to bring to Congress a 5-year authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. This is the first 5-year bill of the FAA that has passed and will pass this Congress since the 1980s. prgtoken Why is that important? There needs to be stability for planning purposes for the aviation industry. Fortunately, this bill is a new mark of bipartisanship that would allow us to get an extensive bill charting the authorization for aviation for the next 5 years. Remember, there was a time during one year in which we had multiple extensions. That has caused an inability to bring bipartisan agreement to the FAA's governing of aviation. prgtoken Well, we have that agreement, and it is going to be a 5-year bill. I have already commended Chairman John Thune in another hearing this morning on another topic in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It is that bipartisanship that brings us to this point. prgtoken Along with the FAA bill, the bill will also provide long-term stability and continued focus on security and safety at the Transportation Safety Administration, the TSA, and the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, which is charged with determining the cause of aviation and other transportation accidents. prgtoken This bill greatly benefits the flying public. It ensures the FAA's core mission remains safety, and it helps American aviation and aerospace companies remain competitive and produce good-paying jobs. In Florida alone, my prgtoken State, aviation and aerospace companies employ over 98,000 people. It is ``big time'' to us in Florida. prgtoken Most important of all, we have heard weary travelers loud and clear with their cries for help, and help is on the way. That is why this bill contains a number of comprehensive consumer protections. prgtoken We have all experienced the indignity and the frustration of being squeezed into smaller and smaller airline seats. Under this bill, the FAA will be required to establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats. For airline passengers who purchased airline services that were never received, the legislation requires prompt refunds. Remember how infuriating it is if your bag doesn't arrive or if it is completely lost--the indignity that you have already paid for that bag. You are going to get a refund. prgtoken We also addressed the needs of traveling families by requiring early boarding during pregnancy, private space in airports for nursing mothers, and ensuring that strollers can be checked at the gate. prgtoken By the way, do you know how cigarettes are prohibited on flights? This prohibits e-cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, on flights. prgtoken The bill calls for the development of a bill of r
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-10-3

. I believe it was Tom Friedman, the very well-known author, who first wrote comprehensively about the connection between the unprecedented drought in Syria driving farmers and herdsmen away from their former farms and herds--the farms dried up and the herds died off--and into the city, into that conflict, and into that crucible that led to the initial conflict and now to the complete collapse of Syrian society and into an international boxing match of forces. prgtoken . prgtoken I thank Senator Merkley for joining me and for the longstanding passion that he has exhibited for the oceans, the coasts, the forests, and the well-being of the people of Oregon. We are very proud of our State of Rhode Island, but Oregon has a great deal in terms of natural assets to be proud of, and there is no stronger voice for them than the Senator from Oregon. prgtoken I yield. prgtoken .
SPORTS MEDICINE LICENSURE CLARITY ACT OF 2017
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-10-3

Americans are taking to the skies like never before. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a new high of 74.8 million domestic and international passengers flew in June of 2018, a 5.8-percent increase compared to last year and a 1- percent increase compared to May. June was the fifth consecutive monthly increase in system-wide passengers. In the midst of this growth, Congress has been working on legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, which sits at the center of this tremendously important industry. prgtoken Today we are sending a 5-year FAA reauthorization to the President's desk. While certainly not perfect, on balance, this is a good bill that takes positive steps for airline workers and customers and also reauthorizes funding for key programs that help rural airports. At a time when the administration has sought to either eliminate or dramatically slash discretionary funding for the Essential Air Service, EAS, this bill sends a strong, bipartisan signal about the importance of EAS to rural communities across the country. In addition, this agreement will end the requirement that airports use toxic firefighting foam that can poison groundwater. Communities in Vermont have been forced to confront the aftereffects of the use of these dangerous chemicals. It is long overdue that we put an end to their use. prgtoken I am also pleased that this bill contains a small but important provision I worked to include that will authorize reimbursement for preclearance activities in the rail environment. As a longtime advocate for preclearance, I appreciate the willingness of Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Chairman Grassley to work with me and Senator Johnson on this language, which is necessary for establishing preclearance facilities at Canadian rail stations. prgtoken I am concerned, however, about one unrelated piece of legislation attached to this bill that grants vague and overly broad authority to the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to mitigate threats posed by drones. The Preventing Emerging Threats Act would allow the government to take control over, destroy, and wiretap drones that pose a ``credible threat'' to an undefined class of Federal property. Crucially, it exempts DOJ and DHS from the protections contained in the Wiretap Act and the Pen Register and Trap and Trace Act, opening the door to warrantless wiretapping. prgtoken While there is undoubtedly potential for drones to be misused in a manner that could pose a serious threat to citizens and government buildings, this bill fails to achieve the right balance between granting DOJ and DHS reasonable authority to confront such threats and protecting civil liberties. The vague definitions of ``credible threat,'' ``safety and security'' and ``covered facility or asset'' leave the door open for serious abuse. It is imperative that Congress remain vigilant in conducting