mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN CELEBRATION OF CAPTAIN AARON MARTINEZ AND HIS 30 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
Paul Cook (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-9-6

. Madam , I rise today to recognize and congratulate Captain Aaron Martinez on his retirement and thank him for 30 years of service with the California Highway Patrol. prgtoken Captain Aaron Martinez entered California Highway Patrol Academy on January 2, 1990 at the age of 21. During this time he successfully graduated the Academy and was promoted to the rank of Officer. His first assignment was the Santa Cruz area where he completed his field training and was assigned to road patrol for six years. Captain Martinez spent two more years at the Officer rank working in the El Cajon and Rancho Cucamonga Areas. He was then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1998. He served at this rank for three years and was assigned to the Santa Fe prgtoken Springs, Temecula, and Riverside areas. In July of 2011, Captain Martinez was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga area. He spent seven years at the rank of Lieutenant before being promoted to the rank of Captain. Captain Martinez received his promotion to Captain in May of 2018 and was assigned to his current Command, the Barstow Area Office. Captain Martinez will be retiring with 30 years of service devoted to the State of California. prgtoken I would like to thank Captain Aaron Martinez for his many years of service to the people of the Great State of California, and on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I wish him the best in his retirement.
NATIONAL GASTROPARESIS MONTH
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2019-9-9

I would like to call attention to the estimated 5 million Americans suffering from gastroparesis and recognize the observance of National Gastroparesis Month, which takes place in August. prgtoken Gastroparesis is a chronic digestive disease caused by the stomach's inability to empty properly in the absence of any observable blockage. Symptoms of gastroparesis, which include nausea, vomiting, and the inability to finish a normal-sized meal, can lead to malnutrition, severe dehydration, and difficulty managing blood glucose levels. This debilitating and sometimes life-threatening disease affects people of all ages, including thousands of patients in my home State of Wisconsin, but it is four times more likely to affect women than men. prgtoken There is no known cure for gastroparesis, and the condition is poorly understood. Some treatments, such as dietary measures, medications, procedures to maintain nutrition, and surgery, can help reduce symptoms; however, patients often face delayed diagnosis and struggle to manage their gastroparesis and access treatment. Increases in related hospitalizations and emergency room visits can be linked to rising rates of this disease, which may negatively impact the capabilities of our health care community. prgtoken Nonprofit advocacy organizations like the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, or IFFGD, are leading the charge to further research, raise awareness, and provide education and support to help those affected by gastroparesis. IFFGD was founded in my home state of Wisconsin, and I am proud of the work they do for gastroparesis patients across the country. prgtoken In an effort to improve our understanding and awareness of gastroparesis, I urge my fellow colleagues to join me in recognizing August as National Gastroparesis Awareness Month. Thank you.
400TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST ENSLAVED AFRICANS BROUGHT TO AMERICA
Alma S. Adams (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2019-9-9

. Madam , it is my privilege to be here tonight, and I want to thank the gentlewoman from California for not only her wisdom and guidance and for leading this session tonight, but for all of the distinguished work that she has done for so many years. prgtoken I also congratulate the chair of the CBC, Karen Bass, for the leadership that she is providing, as well as the chair of the Committee on Education and Labor, on which I have the privilege of sitting, Congressman Bobby Scott. prgtoken I rise today, Madam , to join my colleagues in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the first recorded forced arrival of enslaved African people in America. prgtoken This anniversary marks the beginning of a legacy of oppression and discrimination, the effects of which we still live with today. From those first 19 Africans who reached Jamestown, upwards to 12 million Africans would be kidnapped from their homes and brought to the new world. prgtoken Those men and women had almost everything taken from them: their names, their religion, their families, and their freedom. But the one thing that couldn't be taken from them was their spirit. prgtoken The culture and customs that they brought to America leave a heritage for us, their descendants, to be proud of, to recognize how far we have come and how far we still have to go. prgtoken We know structural racism in our society didn't end in 1865. We know it didn't end in 1965. We know that there are still racial disparities in access to employment and education and healthcare. We know racial bias persists in our criminal justice system, and we know that pay disparities still exist along racial lines. prgtoken The shameful legacy of slavery remains, and it is incumbent upon us, the Joshua generation, to keep us moving forward. prgtoken One of the first things we can do to keep us on the path to a more equitable future is to have a full reckoning with our past. It is long past time for us, as a society, to have an open and honest conversation about the lasting effects of slavery in America. prgtoken My esteemed colleague Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee picked up the torch and introduced H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor. prgtoken We need to have that open national dialogue to come to terms with how we as a nation have not historically lived up to our ideals. prgtoken The advocacy of our youth who fight for consideration of this bill is a callback to the fights that made public accommodations open to all races and that made the voting booth open to all as well. prgtoken It is a callback to the abolitionists who awakened the public to the horrors of slavery and the Black men who became soldiers to protect and preserve our Union and their freedom. prgtoken It is a callback to the 19 Africans who landed in chains on those Virginia shores 400 years ago who never gave up the hope that one day they woul
RECOGNIZING DANIEL KRAUKLIS AND HAZEL SHELTON KRAUKLIS
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-9-9

. Madam , I rise today to recognize two World War II veterans who just happen to be married to each other: Daniel Krauklis and Hazel Shelton Krauklis. Daniel was born in 1922 and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. He graduated from Calumet High School. After the Pearl Harbor attacks, Daniel enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he served as a technical staff sergeant in the China-Burma-India (CBI) unit. He worked with one of the first IBM computing systems to send reports of personnel to the Pentagon. After the war, he worked in the burgeoning IBM department at the Old Rose Liquor Distributors in Chicago. Hazel was born in 1924 and grew up in a small Oklahoma town. After she graduated from high school, Hazel worked at a Douglas Aircraft facility in Tulsa, constructing war planes. When she turned 20, Hazel enlisted in the Women's Army Corps. There, Hazel was a sheet metal mechanic--building and flying in B-17s and B-29s. After the war, Hazel moved to Chicago where she was hired as a keypunch operator by none other than Daniel. The two eventually married on February 20, 1951. They moved to Park Forest, Illinois, a community developed for returning GIs where they raised five children together. Daniel eventually worked at an Office Electronics Inc. facility, ultimately becoming President of the company before taking another job selling office supplies prior to his retirement. The couple finally moved to Spring Meadows Assisted Living in Libertyville where Daniel just celebrated his 97th birthday and Hazel her 95th. Three years ago, B-17s were featured at the Waukegan Air Show where visitors, including Hazel, were able to fly on the planes. I am honored to recognize their combined service to our country as they celebrate over 67 years of marriage.
ADVANCED NUCLEAR FUEL AVAILABILITY ACT
Bobby L. Rush (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-9-9

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 1760, the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act introduced by my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Flores from Texas and Mr. McNerney from California. prgtoken This legislation, , will help facilitate the availability of high-assay low-enriched uranium, the fuel required for most advanced nuclear reactor design there is no existing commercial market for this fuel. prgtoken In order to ensure that this fuel is available for advanced reactors in the United States when they are fully licensed and ready to provide consumers with electricity, the Federal Government will need to coordinate efforts among agencies and within the commercial nuclear sector to ensure that high-assay low-enriched uranium can be licensed and transported safely. prgtoken , we must develop a domestic market for the fuel needed to power these advanced nuclear reactor projects that are coming into the market in the near future. prgtoken , I want to thank my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, both Mr. Flores and Mr. McNerney, for developing this thoughtful and much-needed proposal. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1760, and .
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-9-9

I am pleased to be introducing the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Workforce Act with Senator Cassidy. This critical legislation would provide funding for the Title VII pediatric subspecialty loan repayment program. prgtoken The Title VII health professions programs have a longstanding history of increasing the supply of health care professionals, expanding access to care in rural and urban underserved areas, and developing a workforce that reflects the Nation's diversity and the needs of patients. These education and training programs guide current and aspiring health professionals to high-demand careers in areas of greatest need. Pediatric subspecialty care is one such shortage area. prgtoken According to the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there are currently only 8,300 child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) in the United States--many of whom are not practicing full time--far short of the estimated need of over 30,000 CAPs. On average, patients wait almost two months to see a CAP, a startling concern given that the incidence rates of mental illness and behavioral disorders among children in the United States continue to grow. Fifty percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin at age 14; seventy-five percent by age 24. prgtoken This legislation would take an important first step in incentivizing more health care professionals to go into pediatric subspecialties and increase the supply of these professionals to ensure more children have greater access to the health care they need. I look forward to working with stakeholders supporting the legislation including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Arthritis Foundation, the American College of Rheumatology, and the Child Neurology Society, as well as my colleague, Senator Cassidy, to pass the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Workforce Act, and to strengthen all of the Title VII health professions programs.
Business Before the Senate (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-9-9

let me first welcome my colleagues back from the August State work period. As usual, it was an opportunity to travel in our States and meet with constituents and to hear from them about the issues that matter most in their lives. prgtoken These are some of the things I heard: Middle-class families are struggling with costs that keep going up while wages barely budge. Recent college graduates are saddled with crippling college debt and are worried about their future and their ability to buy a home and do the things they want for their children. Families and seniors are worried about rising healthcare costs, particularly prescription drugs. And voters asked if we are doing enough to keep our elections safe from foreign interference. prgtoken I spent time talking with educators in Upstate New York about teacher shortages, with farmers about the future of agriculture production, with homeowners about improving flood insurance policies, and with middle-class families about keeping more of their earnings in their pockets after the s repealed the State and local tax deduction. I heard from New Yorkers in every corner of my State, and the overwhelming consensus was that Washington has work to do and has to do more to shore up the middle class and those struggling to get there. prgtoken Typically, with Congress out of session, the President can spend the month of August highlighting issues and building support for laws, initiatives, and programs to help working Americans--but not this President, not President . As we all could have predicted, he spent the month of August sowing discord and division at home, comforting our adversaries and alienating our allies abroad, and spreading recrimination and self-aggrandizement on Twitter. prgtoken Twenty years ago, if you read what the President had done this August, you would say that is fiction. Unfortunately, it is true. Although we have become a bit inured to the President's volatility, it is hard to recall a President having a more destructive or bizarre summer. prgtoken On the world stage, President canceled a planned trip to Denmark because they refused to consider selling us Greenland. He released a reportedly classified satellite image on Twitter and suggested inviting Putin to return to the G7, hoping, of course, that he could host the next one at, of all places, his own private resort in Florida. prgtoken Here at home, the President called the Chairman of the Federal Reserve an enemy, continued to attack the FBI, again falsely claimed he won the popular vote, and called Jews who voted for disloyal. prgtoken On the issue of policy, the President began the month vacillating wildly on support for gun safety measures, despite three mass shootings, and ended the summer by diverting funds intended for our Nation's defense and for our soldiers and their families and taking that money away from them for the construction of a bo
REMEMBERING CHARLES C. MYERS
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-9-9

today I rise to honor the life of Charles C. Myers, a proud American and a decorated World War II veteran. prgtoken While Charles is no longer with us, his legacy lives on. On behalf of the U.S. Senate and all Americans, I would like extend our deepest gratitude for his service to this Nation. prgtoken Charles was born on November 19, 1926, in Bismarck, AR. He grew up on his family's farm in Hot Springs County, where he was raised by his mother and father, alongside two sisters and three brothers. prgtoken Charles had an unyielding sense of adventure, spending his youth hunting squirrels and riding horses. He quickly earned a reputation as an avid horseback rider, watchful older brother, and dutiful son. prgtoken Like many young men during the war, the Myers boys felt a strong obligation to defend their country. All four brothers joined the military throughout the course of the war, including Charles, whose determination to enlist knew no bounds. He falsified his age on his enlistment papers, enrolling into the Army as a paramedic. For Charles, this was a critical moment that filled him with a burgeoning sense of loyalty and honor. prgtoken After Charles completed his training at Fort Bliss, he was sent overseas, where he served as a highly respected combat medic in the 5th Cavalry Regiment 1st Cavalry Division of the Army, operating in the Pacific theater. There, the cross on the back of a combat medic eventually served as a conspicuous target for the enemy. Charles made the ultimate sacrifice while saving others, giving his life for our Nation's freedom. prgtoken I now have the profound honor of presenting Charles' family with his set of military honors. For his bravery in line of duty, Charles C. Myers received the Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation, formerly Distinguished Unit Citation. These medals serve are a small token of our country's appreciation for Charles's service and his profound sacrifice. He is an American hero who has made our Nation proud.
400TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST ENSLAVED AFRICANS BROUGHT TO AMERICA
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-9-9

. Madam , I rise in recognition and commemoration of the first enslaved Africans who arrived in the United States 400 years ago. In 1619, the first recorded year of African slaves arriving in the land we now call the United States of America, did not know of our future. Our blood lines have continued in this country since that time. Our history in this country began 400 years ago when the first captured and kidnapped Africans were put on a boat from the Kingdom of Ndongo in Angola and landed in North America. prgtoken The African slaves who first landed in English North America didn't know that a whole new classification of black people, African Americans, would develop into strong advocates of equality, justice and freedom for people of all nations around the world. They didn't know about Martin nor Malcom; Mahalia nor Michelle; all they knew is that they had to survive. They knew they had to live to fight another day. And here we are still helping to build this great nation, today. prgtoken While those first 20 survived, millions of captured, kidnapped, and enslaved Africans did not, they drowned in horrible deaths in the Atlantic Ocean. This period of middle passage was devastating for African people. Those who survived were traumatized by the deadly voyage to a land of slavery, the opposite of freedom. Here in this magnificent Capitol, built by slaves, in this great city, built by slaves, in this great nation, built by slaves, we stand stronger than ever before. prgtoken To those who came before us, I honor your sacrifice and continue your fight for freedom. 400 years later, the fight for survival and freedom continues.
CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF GEORGE FRAHM
Pete Aguilar (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-9-9

today I rise to recognize the president of Stater Bros. Markets, Mr. George Frahm, who will retire at the end of October, after more than 47 years of service. prgtoken Under George's leadership, Stater Bros. has become the largest privately-owned supermarket chain in my district and a staple in our community for thousands of employees. prgtoken George began his career as a clerk's helper and janitor before rising to management and eventually being named the company's president. prgtoken In addition to his work in the community, he went on to lead the California Grocers Educational Foundation, helping to secure college scholarships for students throughout our State. prgtoken George will leave a legacy of hard work, vision, and service, and he will be missed by his Stater Bros. family. I would like to thank him for his tireless service to the Inland Empire community and our families, and I wish him all the best as he begins his retirement.
NELSON L. MELLITZ
Donald Norcross (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-9-9

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Col. Nelson L. Mellitz, a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. In 1970, Nelson enlisted in the United States Air Force where his first career field was as a Civil Engineer, Site Development Specialist and obtained the rank of Master Sgt (E-7). Throughout his 32-year military career, he supported U.S. war and peace-time operations from Vietnam through Afghanistan. He was a direct commission as a 2nd Lt in 1980 into the Acquisition and Contracting career field and after approximately 18 years he was promoted to Colonel (O-6). During Col. Mellitz's military career, he had assignments in Europe and 15 other locations in the United States, including the Pentagon (SAF/AQC). While he was assigned to Defense Contract Management Command (DCMA) in the Brigadier General Reservist slot, he managed over 3,000 Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine joint service staff and billions of dollars in supplies and services. Immediately after September 11, 2001, Col. Mellitz was assigned as the manager of the DCMA Headquarters Command Incident Mobilization Center and deployed troops and equipment in support of operations in Southwest Asia and elsewhere. In 2005, he volunteered to be recalled to active duty and was assigned to the United States State Department as a Senior Executive Service leader with the Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office in Baghdad, Iraq for 2005/2006. In addition to his military service, Nelson Mellitz is a retired federal employee with his last assignment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service as Northeast Area Chief Procurement Officer. Col. Mellitz has also obtained an Associate's Degree in Architecture and Building Construction Technology and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Organization and Personnel Management from Temple University, a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting from Point Park University, a Masters of Management in Acquisition from American Graduate University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in leadership from Walden University. In recognition of his valiant service to our nation, Col. Mellitz humbly received numerous medals and citations including: Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award w/1 OLC, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, recipient of the U.S. Ambassador to Iraqi, Meritorious Service Award and among many other medals and citations. Madam , I ask you to join me in honoring Col. Nelson L. Mellitz of Cherry Hill, New Jersey who is a constant reminder of the sacrifices that our men and women of the military made so that we can enjoy the liberties we do today.