mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CELEBRATING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RICHMOND, INDIANA, MUNICIPAL BUILDING
Greg Pence (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Richmond Municipal Building in Richmond, Indiana. prgtoken This week, Richmond has the honor of hosting the Indiana Conference of Mayors, where over 70 hometown leaders from across the State will come together to share ideas on how to better serve Hoosiers in their communities. prgtoken The city has so much to be proud of, and this occasion will give them an opportunity to showcase their hard work. From upgrades to Veterans Park to connectivity projects throughout the Depot District, Richmond is an all-American city with a small town charm. prgtoken I want to congratulate the president of the Indiana Conference of Mayors, Mayor Dave Snow of Richmond, for his hard work on behalf of all Hoosiers.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam Chair, I thank my good friend from Texas for yielding me this time. prgtoken Madam Chairwoman, my amendment in this en bloc package is very simple. It transfers $1.5 million from the general administration account to the homeless assistance programs and suicide prevention outreach. prgtoken According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 40,000 veterans are homeless in any given night in this great country. In Arkansas, we have coordinated robust efforts in Little Rock to combat homelessness, but still 250 veterans can experience homelessness on any given day. prgtoken I have got three veterans on my constituent team. They spend time in our shelters every month helping vets. Our vets deserve that extra touch. One of those safe places is St. Francis House, a nonprofit in Little Rock that has done exceptional work to help our veterans experiencing homelessness. For over 30 years, they have been providing transitional housing for homeless veterans. prgtoken Our veterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and safety, and in return, we need to do everything we can to ensure they get the proper attention and care that they deserve. We must all work together to continue to move forward, addressing this issue that plagues too many of our veterans across the country and help those suffering from the plague of homelessness. prgtoken Madam Chair, I urge passage of my amendment.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Ralph Lee Abraham (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the two amendments included in this en bloc package. The first is to ensure that the Air Force prioritizes construction of the Weapons Generation Facility at Barksdale Air Force Base. prgtoken The Louisiana congressional delegation and I have continued to push the Air Force for this project because of its strategic importance to our Nation's security and nuclear strategy. Millions of Federal dollars have been invested in projects to prepare for this facility, and last year, we in Congress prioritized funding for a new gate entrance at Barksdale. prgtoken The Weapons Generation Facility at Barksdale is a national security imperative. Funding this project cannot wait any longer, and I encourage the Air Force to prioritize funding for this project. prgtoken The second amendment I would like to speak on is to prioritize the funding of our Army's combat development centers. One of these is the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. prgtoken Fort Polk has supported training operations for our Army for decades. The prgtoken training our soldiers receive at Fort Polk is the best and closest they will get to combat without actually being deployed. This training is imperative to readiness and our national security. prgtoken We need to do a better job about resourcing the infrastructure needs of these training centers, and we must prioritize funding for them. prgtoken Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleagues for working with Congressman Johnson and me on these amendments, and I look forward to seeing them pass.
RECOGNIZING KYLA JOHNSTON OF COLUMBIA FALLS AND KARLEE ALBERTSON OF BILLINGS
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam , I rise today to honor Kyla Johnston of Columbia Falls and Karlee Albertson of Billings for their entrepreneurial spirit that has contributed to their communities. Kyla conducts a children's reading program, donates books, and encourages kids to read. Karlee paints nails for charity and has raised more than $20,000 for Christmas gift-giving programs. Kyla is a recent graduate of Columbia Falls High School. As part of a monthly community dinner program that brings together area families, Kyla reads to the children and brings them books to read at home. She is raising funds to purchase new books and to expand the program. Kyla's strong sense of volunteerism also leads her to shovel snow for seniors and plant flowers at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls. Karlee recently completed sixth grade at Castle Rock Elementary in Billings. She began her ``Nails for a Cause'' program as a first-grade student. By painting nails at school and community events and through donations, Karlee has raised more than $20,000 for charity. Every year, she shops for Christmas presents and wraps them with the help of other volunteers. Her efforts have reached over 250 less fortunate people in her community. For their work in their communities, Kyla and Karlee were recently recognized as Montana's top youth volunteers by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Prudential Financial, Inc. Madam , for their entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to serving their communities, I recognize Kyla Johnston and Karlee Albertson for their spirit of Montana.
HONORING THE SACRIFICE OF JOHN HETLAND AND KOU HER
Bryan Steil (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam , this week, my southeast Wisconsin community lost two heroes: Racine Police Officer John Hetland and Milwaukee Police Officer Kou Her. prgtoken Officer Hetland, a 24-year veteran of the Racine Police Department, was shot and killed while off duty, trying to stop an armed robbery. prgtoken Officer Her, a 2-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department, was killed on his way home from a shift as a speeding car crashed into him. prgtoken These men are heroes. They will always be remembered for their service. prgtoken This is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices members of our law enforcement make every day to protect our communities. prgtoken My prayers are with the families and friends of the officers and the entire law enforcement community grieving for these heroes.
HONORING THE LIFE OF SUE FENLEY MEYERS
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-6-21

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life of long-time Deer Park resident, Sue Fenley Meyers, who passed away on April 10, 2019 in Colorado. prgtoken Sue Fenley Meyers was born on May 10, 1938 in Lufkin, Texas. She had six brothers and six sisters, two children, three grandchildren, and 21 nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly. Sue studied drama at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette and went on to act in, direct, write, promote, and produce over 200 theatrical events in her lifetime. prgtoken The city officials in Deer Park, Texas have long recognized the community's love of theatrical arts. On May 4, 1981, the City hired Sue as the full-time Artistic Managing Director of ``The Art Park Players.'' Under her leadership the program experienced rapid growth and in December 1986 the City opened its current theater facility. Sue's legacy is synonymous with the history of The Art Park Players. Several of her students have gone on to become professional writers, directors, actors, dancers, singers and influential artists to this day. prgtoken The thing she loved the most in the world were children. Sue established the Mead-Holm Scholarship in 1990, which was awarded annually to outstanding Junior Art Park Players students, and the first annual Sue Fenley Meyers Scholarships (six in total) were presented last month in her memory. Sue's 22-plus years within our community reflect a lifetime of achievement through her love for children, passion, vision and the importance of arts and arts education in Deer Park. prgtoken She retired from the City of Deer Park in 2004 and moved to Colorado, where she is survived by her beloved son Jay Meyers and wife Margaret, daughter Kelley Meyers-Southern and husband Brent, grandchildren Susannah Roberts, Mitchell Meyers, and Johnny Meyers, and her four sisters and three brothers. prgtoken Madam , my condolences remain with the family, theatre family, and friends of Sue Fenley Meyers.
CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF MR. DOUGLAS PRICHARD
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-24

. Madam , I rise to celebrate the career of Mr. Douglas Prichard, the City Manager of Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles County. Douglas is retiring after 34 years of service to the city. prgtoken Douglas was born on December 28, 1957 in Newport Beach, California to John Prichard and Eleanor Farmer Prichard. He earned his Bachelor's in Social Ecology in 1980 and Masters in Business and Public Administration from the University of California, Irvine in 1981. prgtoken Douglas' first job in civil service was as an administrative assistant for the City of Bellflower, where he eventually rose to Assistant to the City Administrator. In 1985, Douglas moved to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to become the Assistant City Manager for Rolling Hills Estates. He was promoted to City Manager in 1990, where he oversaw the day to day municipal functions of the city and its $9 million budget. Douglas maintained a balanced budget, even through the Great Recession, with little to no deterioration in services for residents. prgtoken Under Douglas' remarkable administration, Rolling Hills Estates saw an expansion of the city's green space, with careful partnerships crucial to the creation of Highridge Park and the Chandler Preserve. Douglas also aided in the development of the old Chandler Quarry, construction of the western portion of Palos Verdes Drive North and the Peter Weber Equestrian Center Stables, and establishment of the Peninsula Holiday Parade of Lights, an annual community-wide celebration of the holiday season. prgtoken I wish Douglas a happy retirement full of surfing and music, as well as quality time with his wife, Kathy, and his children, John and Michael. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his dedication to improving city services and programs for the residents of Rolling Hills Estates.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-6-24

I rise today to share the frustrations of many of my constituents who are suffering from severe noise pollution caused by the FAA's NextGen program which has altered flight paths to Reagan National Airport. Montgomery County, Maryland, residents who live as much as 20 miles away from the airport have experienced a 300 to 500 percent increase in air traffic over their homes. These flight path changes have significantly disrupted life below with relentless noise pollution. prgtoken As 400 flights per day cross over Bethesda at low altitudes, many of my constituents are woken up in the middle of the night, others are interrupted and distracted at work by the onslaught of noise, and there are children complaining that they cannot hear their teachers speak over the noise occasionally caused by commercial jets flying over their schools. prgtoken After more than 3 years of incessant disturbance of their peace and quiet, my constituents were stunned last month when the FAA announced that it would implement yet another change to flight paths at Reagan National Airport that would lead to even more air traffic over our communities. The FAA casually announced the change slated for an August 2019 implementation date at a meeting with the Community Noise Working Group that works with FAA to address the problem of noise pollution at Reagan National Airport. Given the substantial consequences of this change and the complete lack of public input in its development, I urge the FAA to delay the implementation date and to engage seriously with our Community Noise Working Group, which is eager to evaluate the proposed changes and work towards alternative proposals or strategies to avert or at least mitigate the impact. prgtoken It is my hope, , that with the $17.7 billion that this bill appropriates to the FAA, the agency will take serious steps toward dramatically reducing the noise pollution in residential areas in my district, in Montgomery, and throughout the Nation. prgtoken Thank you, Chairman Price, for your indulgence.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-6-24

I rise in support to En Bloc No. 7, which includes Jackson Lee Amendment No. 242. prgtoken I wish to thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole of the Rules Committee for making this Jackson Lee Amendment in order. prgtoken I thank Chairman Price and Ranking Member Diaz-Balart for their hard work in bringing Division E, the Transportation Housing and Urban Development portion of this omnibus appropriations legislative package, to the floor. prgtoken I include in the Record letters of endorsement for this Jackson Lee Amendment provided by Bike Houston and the League of American Bicyclists. prgtoken I thank them all for this opportunity to explain the Jackson Lee Amendment, which makes a good bill even better by providing $10 million to support urban bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. prgtoken In June the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published its traffic fatality report which showed a one percent decrease in traffic fatalities and a four percent increase in pedestrian fatalities but a whopping 10 percent increase in bicyclist fatalities. prgtoken On March 30, 2019, in the city of Houston, at the intersection of North Shepherd Drive and West 10th Street located in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, Lesha White, 54, was driving with her daughters when she saw Jesus ``Jesse'' Perez struggling to cross the intersection in a wheelchair. prgtoken Ms. White pulled over and got out of her car to help Mr. Perez cross the street when another vehicle struck them, and they were both killed. prgtoken On March 7, 2019, 23 year-old David Leon Loya was killed in a collision with a school bus while riding his bicycle in The Heights area of Houston. prgtoken Police report that Mr. Loya was in the bike lane and tried to avoid the accident by sliding under the bus, but unfortunately he was run over by the back axle. prgtoken This young man was greatly loved by his family, the lives of the people he touched in his volunteer work, and the bicyclist community. prgtoken This amendment was offered in remembrance of Lesha White, Jesus ``Jesse'' Perez, David Leon Loya, and all of the other pedestrians and bicyclists who have lost their lives in accidents with motor vehicles in urban areas. prgtoken In the past sixteen years, the Houston area has seen 2,000 deaths of bicyclists and pedestrians, at an average of 100 a year, with the last three years seeing the rate increase to 150 a year, according to federal statistics. prgtoken In 2017, the most recent year for which comprehensive statistics are available, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (``TDOT''), the numbers were no more encouraging. prgtoken According to TDOT, 1,409 Houston-area pedestrians were injured in roadways crashes: prgtoken 275 of them were injured seriously; 146 pedestrians were killed in roadways crashes; 639 bicyclists were injured in roadways crashes; and 82 bicyclists were injured seriously. prgtoken The National Hig
TRIBUTE TO THE STUDENTS OF GILFORD HIGH SCHOOL'S INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING CLASS
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-6-24

I am proud to recognize the students of Gilford High School's introduction to engineering class as June 2019 Granite Staters of the Month. These students successfully applied their engineering knowledge to create personalized, easy-to-use mobility devices for three young students in their community who experience disabilities. prgtoken The idea for this project came from Troy Gallagher, who just graduated from Gilford High School and will attend Texas Tech in the fall. Last summer, Troy participated in an advanced studies program at St. Paul's School, where he took a 5-week engineering course that introduced him to the University of Delaware program GoBabyGo!, which works with communities around the world to modify ride-on cars for children with disabilities. The vehicles can be used in physical and occupational therapy sessions, in speech therapy as a means to increase a child's expressive and receptive language skills, and to help the children better socialize with their peers. prgtoken Troy thought this would be an excellent engineering project to bring to Gilford High School, as did his introduction to engineering teacher, Dan Caron. After petitioning the parent teacher association, PTA, to provide the class money to buy the necessary parts and selecting the students that would receive these vehicles, the students in Gilford High School's, introduction to engineering class got to work. prgtoken The GoBabyGo! project was the students' final engineering assignment, and to successfully build these mobility devices, the students used everything that they had learned about the engineering design process. prgtoken First, the students visited with the three children, preschoolers George and Morgan, and first-grader Chloe, to take their measurements and determine how to best modify the Power Wheels to fit the specific needs of the children. For instance, the students noted that Chloe's left hand was weaker than her right, so they knew that they would need to move the button that accelerates the vehicle to the left side of the steering wheel, which allows her to accelerate with her weaker hand while steering with her dominant hand. prgtoken The students also modified the headrest using pool noodles and refitted the hard plastic seats with softer materials with a design from the popular children's show, ``Paw Patrol.'' Since some of the children have difficulty using their legs, the students rewired the pedal functions to the steering wheel, so that the children could easily start and stop the device with their hands. prgtoken After the vehicles were completed, Mr. Caron's class visited the elementary school to present the children with their new mobility devices. The Gilford Police and Fire Department helped by bringing the two vehicles over to the school, which was fitting since the mobility devices were designed to look like a police car and a fire truck. One of the students even customized the vehi
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
David E. Price (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2019-6-24

. Mr. Chair, for yielding. I am happy to offer support for her amendment. prgtoken Mr. Chair, the Family Self-Sufficiency program helps low-income families living in subsidized housing. It allows them to enhance their job skills and to increase earnings to improve their economic security. prgtoken Currently, there are more than 75,000 families enrolled in FSS, which is just a fraction of the number that should be--the families living in assisted housing, many, many more than that. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I am proud of the fact that our base bill already increases this program, providing $100 million for Family Self- Sufficiency. That is a $20 million increase from current funding. This amendment would do even better, would make FSS available to even more families, so I applaud my colleagues for offering this. prgtoken I want to register some concern about the offset in this and other amendments in terms of the Office of the Secretary and other departmental staff. They do have to do their work, and we have to consider the cumulative effect of amendments, but we will do that as the process moves along and we go to conference. prgtoken Mr. Chair, the situation can be addressed. This is a useful and helpful amendment, and I am happy to support adoption.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2019-6-24

I rise today to call for immediate action on the American Miners Act. We have an obligation to the coal miners across America who served our Nation by providing us with energy through our greatest advancements. They deserve to know that the pensions they rightfully worked for will be funded fully. They deserve to have acceptable healthcare, which was guaranteed to them, and they paid for it. prgtoken As the Senate fails to act, we continue to put our retired miners' healthcare and pension benefits in jeopardy yet again. I have been working with everyone from every angle in order to prevent our miners from losing their healthcare and retirement benefits, but, once again, they are facing a deadline that puts their whole livelihood at risk. prgtoken This has been a long fight, and it is far from over. Everyone--and I mean prgtoken everyone--who has joined me in this journey understands that they are fighting for the working people, and that is what we were sent here to do. These retired miners are walking the halls and fighting for what is rightfully theirs. I am doing this for them. I promised them that this body will not abandon them. I refuse to let them down. prgtoken The 1974 pension plan will be insolvent by 2022 if we do not act now. Miners who receive their healthcare through companies that went bankrupt in 2018 are at risk of losing their coverage in the coming months if we fail to act soon. Unlike many other public-private pension plans, the 1974 pension plan was well managed and 94 percent funded prior to the crash of 2008. However, the 2008 crash hit at a time when the plan had its highest payment obligations to the retirees. If the plan becomes insolvent, these beneficiaries will face benefit cuts and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will assume billions of dollars in liabilities. prgtoken To address these issues, the American Miners Act would shore up the 1974 pension plan, which is headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis. It would ensure that the miners who are at risk due to the 2018 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their healthcare. It would extend the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and 55 cents per ton of surface-mined coal for 10 years. prgtoken West Virginia has more retired miners than any other State. More than 27,000 retirees live in West Virginia alone. Most of those who are receiving these pensions are widows. The pensions for these widows-- basically, it is a family affair when someone in the family mines--on average is less than $600 per month--less than $600. They have worked for it. Their husbands worked for it. They have been counting on it. Basically, it is a lifeline for them. Because of the bankruptcies that have allowed companies to walk away from the legacy costs and leave them with nothing after they negotiated to not take home the pay to take care of th