mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN CELEBRATION OF MARY N. LONG'S 76TH BIRTHDAY
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today to extend my sincerest congratulations and Happy Birthday wishes to an extraordinary nurse, activist, advocate, and pioneer, Ms. Mary N. Long, who is celebrating her 76th birthday on Monday, June 26, 2017. On this day, there will be a celebration at Paschal's Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. prgtoken Mary N. Long was born in Guthrie, Kentucky in 1941. She moved to Atlanta in 1960 to attend the Grady Memorial Hospital's School of Nursing and went on to graduate in 1963. Soon after, Mary embarked on what would become a distinguished career. Starting as an ambulatory care nurse at Grady, she gained extensive experience while volunteering at Atlanta's free clinics and assisting local health organizations. She soon became an influential figure at Grady, developing the hospital's satellite clinics while at the forefront of Grady's participation in Economic Opportunity Atlanta's health affairs to reach the greater Atlanta community. prgtoken In 1971, Mary developed and became the first Coordinator of the Central Referral Department at Grady. This program provided both information resources for those unfamiliar with the hospital system and advocacy within the community regarding policies and procedures so that proper treatment was readily available for patients. Her dedication and devotion built the program from the ground up and her work reflected such. prgtoken While working at Grady, she became involved with the Georgia Nurses Association (GNA), and its philanthropic organization, Georgia Nurses Foundation (GNF). As an active member and chairperson of GNA's Government Affairs Commission, Mary became the first minority woman to be their advocate at the Georgia legislature. In 1981, Mary was the first African American to be elected as the President of GNA where she served two terms. As a member of the City of Atlanta's Homeless Task Force, she was instrumental prgtoken in the partnership between GNF and the city that led to the establishment of Atlanta's first clinic for homeless. prgtoken In 1985, Mary Long became the Vice President for Legislative Affairs for the Arthritis Foundation and was later promoted to the Foundation's Group Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy in 1996. In addition, she was elected to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Board of Directors and served as ANA's Second Vice President. prgtoken While Mary has made tremendous contributions to health care issues, she also made great strides in other areas. For example, she was active in the movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in Georgia. She has an extensive record of service at the local, regional, and national levels. Her work has transcended through organizations such as the YMCA, Atlanta Food Bank, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, and the Atlanta Women's Foundation. She has received numerous awards for her groundbreaking innovation, actions, and creative thoughts. As an active member of her church, Trinity Unite
ACCELERATING INDIVIDUALS INTO THE WORKFORCE ACT
Suzanne Bonamici (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-6-23

a number of State programs leverage Federal Work-Study funds to help TANF recipients who are enrolled in community college programs meet work requirements and get real-world experience in jobs that reinforce what they are studying. prgtoken Additionally, the Government Accountability Office has recommended improving coordination between employment and training programs, and the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines on helping TANF recipients succeed in career pathways makes recommendations for using the Federal Work-Study program in conjunction with TANF to boost the attainment of industry-recognized credentials. prgtoken There is precedent and widespread support for improving the coordination of programs that help low-income individuals gain work experience to subsidize employment. Again, our amendment does not require States to devote funds from TANF-subsidized employment programs to low-income student parents, but it does ask States to consider how they are using subsidized employment--whether through TANF or Federal Work-Study--in concert to give more people the opportunity to earn a higher education degree or credential and, thereby, a significantly improved chance at finding a long-term, living-wage job. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, and .
COMMENDING THE WORK OF GEORGE AND GLORIA SMITH
Cheri Bustos (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today to commend George and Gloria Smith for all of the great work they have done in our community to raise awareness and funds for mental health research. prgtoken After the tragic loss of their son, Adam, the Smiths established AdamFest in their son's honor--an annual event to raise awareness and resources for mental health research. The Smith's steadfast beliefs and courage in a time of tragedy has inspired strength within our community, and for that I am very grateful. As a mother of three sons, my heart aches for the Smith's loss--and I deeply admire and share their resolve to ensure that no other family endure the pain they have felt. Their story is the reason awareness and research for mental illness is essential, and why events such as AdamFest are so important. prgtoken I am extremely grateful to be a part of such a strong community and I hope that we can continue to come together and share our support for one another again I want to formally thank George and Gloria Smith for all of the great work they have done for our community.
HONORING KENNEDY ALLYSA WRIGHT
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today to honor a goal oriented student at Madison Shannon Palmer High School in Marks, Mississippi. prgtoken Kennedy Allysa Wright is eighteen years old and a senior at Madison Shannon Palmer High School. She was born in Clarksdale, MS, but she grew up in Marks, MS. She has two siblings, Shadrick Wright, IV and Kaitlyn Wright. Her dad, Shadrick Wright, III works for a local factory and her mother, Cathy Wright, is an LPN II. When she graduates from high school, she plans to attend Mississippi State University and obtain a master's degree in Biological Sciences. prgtoken Throughout her tenure at Madison Shannon Palmer High School, she has participated in many organizations and a sport. She has held leadership positions such as President of the FCCLA, Vice President of the Student Council in her eleventh grade year, President of the Student Council in her twelfth grade year, and Treasurer of the Beta Club. She has also participated in other clubs and sport such as the Science Club and Powerlifting. prgtoken Along with her participation in various clubs and organizations, she has received many awards for her impressive academic standing and citizenship. She has received many academic awards, such as Highest Average, Superintendent's List, and Perfect Attendance. She has also placed second and third in many of the powerlifting competitions. For her Citizenship Award, she participated in many volunteer and community service projects. She has packed lunches for the needy, donated blood and clothing items, and helped the elderly. She has also been assisting her peers in applying for college. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Kennedy Allysa Wright as a student who is goal oriented and making a difference in her community.
ACCELERATING INDIVIDUALS INTO THE WORKFORCE ACT
Danny K. Davis (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-6-23

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I strongly support H.R. 2842, the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act, which is better known as TANF. prgtoken This important bill modernizes the TANF Contingency Fund to promote effective job training programs, such as subsidized jobs, career pathways, and apprenticeship programs. Research is clear. Subsidized employment, career pathways, and apprenticeship programs successfully engage people in employment, especially those who have been unsuccessful in finding paid employment through their efforts. prgtoken Further research on past TANF subsidized employment programs document that these initiatives increase employment and earnings both while individuals worked in a subsidized job as well as after the program ended. Also, studies show that States operated these programs that provided tremendous benefit at very reasonable cost. prgtoken Many States used the TANF Emergency Funds to establish effective subsidized employment programs. Using these TANF Emergency Funds in Illinois, former Governor Pat Quinn implemented the very successful Put Illinois to Work program that directly created over 26,000 jobs, helping close to 5,000 employees in Illinois. Nationally, the TANF Emergency Funds created 260,000 jobs. prgtoken Good subsidized employment programs have three characteristics that make them an attractive part of TANF: they are able to increase employment quickly; they help some of the individuals who face the greatest challenges enter the workforce and stay there; and, when funded on a large scale, they can help boost local economies. For these reasons, have proposed subsidized employment within TANF for years. prgtoken My friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Gwen Moore, initially proposed allowing subsidized employment in TANF via her RISE Act many years ago. I embraced her idea in my Responsible Fatherhood bill, and I am pleased to join with Representative Curbelo on this effort. prgtoken If we are truly committed to helping families work their way out of poverty, we will need to do much more to strengthen TANF. We will need to ensure that States actually spend TANF money on TANF recipients. We need to improve access to education and training, critical changes that both and ic witnesses have emphasized over and over again. We need to improve childcare so parents can actually go to work. prgtoken This bill is a good bill. It makes a small, positive step forward on our path to more comprehensive improvements to TANF. I strongly support it. prgtoken .
ACCELERATING INDIVIDUALS INTO THE WORKFORCE ACT
Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-6-23

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise in support of my bipartisan amendment. I would like to thank my good friend, Congressman Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, for helping me to introduce this amendment. prgtoken Right now what is being taught in classes doesn't necessarily align with what is needed to get a job. Yesterday, the House passed a bipartisan bill unanimously that would make sure that there is stronger alignment and collaboration between career and technical education programs and the employers that will be hiring. prgtoken Our amendment would require that States report the percentage of subsidized individuals whose jobs match their previous experience. Incentivizing States that opt into this pilot program expands on yesterday's bill to ensure that resources are being used as efficiently as possible by guiding students towards the jobs they were trained for. prgtoken , I hope everybody will support passage of our amendment, and .
MODIFICATIONS OF CREDIT FOR PRODUCTION FROM ADVANCED NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today in support of H.R. 1551, which improves the Section 45(J) nuclear production tax credit (NPTC), as authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation and thank Congressman Rice of South Carolina and Congressman Blumenauer of Oregon for their leadership on this issue. prgtoken The NPTC encourages the development of advanced nuclear power plants that make strides in safety and reliability but is limited to the first 6,000 megawatts of new generating capacity constructed by 2020. Since passage of the Act, more advanced reactors, including small modular reactors (SMRs), have moved steadily through the research and development stage and could be ready for commercial deployment by the middle of the next decade. prgtoken Once approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), these technologies will provide reliable, carbon-free baseload electricity with safety features that nearly eliminate the possibility of a radiological release. The first SMRs in the United States will most likely be in the West. Arizona energy providers like the Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service are both evaluating the potential use of small modular reactors as they replace aging generation capacity. prgtoken When the NPTC expires in 2020, it will likely do so without reaching the megawatt cap. H.R. 1551 makes the remaining credit available beyond 2020, providing a powerful incentive for the next generation of advanced nuclear and SMR projects. I strongly support these efforts and encourage you to consider the positive impact these changes would have on incentivizing a new generation of safe, reliable, and carbon-free advanced nuclear power. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and to move America toward energy independence.
SENATE REPUBLICANS SHUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OUT OF AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today in strong opposition to the recently unveiled Senate healthcare repeal legislation. The s have shut the American public out of their debate and, with this bill, they aim to shut them out of affordable healthcare, too. prgtoken This bill sets us on a dangerous path backwards, back to a time when cancer patients could be kept out of coverage or kicked off of their insurance because the cost of their care was too high, and to a time where pregnancy could be considered a preexisting condition. prgtoken Congress must work collaboratively to bring down insurance premium costs and work together toward insuring every American, but denying millions of people access to insurance by repealing protections for individuals with preexisting conditions, gutting Medicaid, and threatening the solvency of prgtoken the Medicare trust fund all in order to give the wealthiest Americans a tax cut is wrong. prgtoken I urge my colleagues in the Senate to reject this misguided proposal.
RECOGNIZING MASTER SERGEANT SCOTT FORBES
Katherine M. Clark (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today in recognition of Master Sergeant Scott Forbes from Melrose, Massachusetts. On June 27, 2017, Master Sergeant Forbes will retire from the Air Force Reserve after 22 years of service to his country and his community. prgtoken During his service, Scott was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He most recently served with the 58th Aerial Port Squadron at Westover Air Base as an air transportation craftsman. prgtoken Scott, his wife Susan, and their children Abygail and Jackson are valued members of our Melrose community. Scott and Susan grew up in Melrose, where they both attended high school. As a young man, Scott decided he would continue the tradition of service passed on by his late father Bill Forbes, who fought for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The Forbes family tradition of service extends beyond their military contributions. Today, just as his father before him, Scott continues to serve families in our community as an alderman in Melrose. prgtoken Scott, Susan, and the entire Forbes family exemplify the contributions of generations of service members and military families who have protected our country and continue to make our communities great places to live, work and raise a family.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHECHNYA
Jimmy Panetta (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-23

during this Pride Month, I rise today to speak out about the human rights violations occurring in the Russian republic of Chechnya. prgtoken It has been reported that in that country, men are kidnapped, detained, tortured, and even murdered just because of their sexual orientation. Families have been shamed by these kidnappings and have resorted to taking their own sons' lives. prgtoken In April, I, along with 48 other Members of Congress, signed and sent a letter to Secretary of State Tillerson asking him to raise the issue of this horrible violence against innocent men with the Russian officials, but to date, neither Secretary Tillerson or President or anybody else in the administration have committed to taking action on this issue. prgtoken The United States must speak out about this atrocity, and Russia must investigate such human rights violations so that there is accountability for an end to these senseless crimes. prgtoken During this Pride Month, we here in the United States celebrate our equality. However, every month we must say and act for the men in Chechnya as we fight for equality across the globe.
ACCELERATING INDIVIDUALS INTO THE WORKFORCE ACT
Susan A. Davis (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-23

. Mr. Chair, I am proud to support this amendment which would align the TANF program and the federal work study program. prgtoken TANF, or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, was created to help struggling families become self sufficient. prgtoken We know that the best way to achieve this goal is to give people the resources they need to find quality jobs. prgtoken This amendment would allow states to align employment efforts by coordinating with schools to help more students access work-study opportunities. prgtoken And we know that these students are not the 18 year olds of decades past--they are older students with children, dependent parents, and more financial responsibilities. prgtoken Helping these students elevates entire families; helping these families elevates entire communities. prgtoken I hope we can come together to support this amendment and support more working Americans.
RECOGNIZING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FERMI NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY
Bill Foster (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today to recognize Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last week. prgtoken Built on the prairies of Illinois, under the leadership of its first director, Robert Wilson, this national lab performs cutting-edge research in physics to help us understand the fundamental properties of matter. It is also where I spent most of my career as a high energy particle physicist before I ran for Congress. prgtoken The discoveries made in Fermilab's first 50 years will remain in the science textbooks forever. Experiments at Fermilab discovered three of the fundamental components of matter: the bottom quark, the neutrino tau, and the top quark, the heaviest known form of matter. prgtoken Unfortunately, the budget proposal of the administration threatens the legacy of Fermilab and national labs and scientific facilities throughout the country. prgtoken , scientific research is not like highway building that can turn on and off in any given fiscal year. Scientific teams and facilities that take generations to build can be wiped out in a single budget cycle by having their funding cut. prgtoken So, , I call upon you and your colleagues to show us a budget that will maintain our country's leadership in science and technology, because destroying our scientific facilities is no way to make America great again.
BRING BIPARTISANSHIP BACK TO BORING
Denny Heck (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-6-23

today I rise to tell you about a time when bipartisanship was alive and when Congress was, well, boring for most Americans. In fact, it wasn't that long ago. prgtoken It was just in March of 2015 that and s fixed the Medicare payment formula and funded the Children's Health Insurance Program. I was proud to be a Member of the body that day. prgtoken Did our bipartisanship dominate the headlines? prgtoken No. prgtoken Did it get a lot of attention at townhalls? prgtoken No, of course not. Because all of us getting along was, well, boring. prgtoken But these recent healthcare proposals, they are not boring. They have been developed in secrecy, they are completely partisan, and they take us backward. prgtoken I challenge my friends across the aisle, the s, to join us and fix the parts of the Affordable Care Act that need fixing because the Affordable Care Act has made a real difference for prgtoken millions of Americans, a positive difference. So let's get back to bipartisanship, back to boring, back to basics because that is what our constituents want most of all.
IN RECOGNITION OF JOEL GODDARD FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CAREER AND SERVICE WITH THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-6-23

I rise today to recognize Mr. Joel Goddard for his career with the United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Company. Mr. Goddard has been an effective advocate for working Americans and labor, and his work has resulted in significant gains for our nation's autoworkers. prgtoken Mr. Goddard began his career with Ford Motor Company in 1972, when he joined the company to work at one of the company's Ohio engine plants. He then moved to Rawsonville, Michigan, where he began as a diecast diemaker. Mr. Goddard earned his first position with the UAW as an Alternate Skilled Trades Committeeman in 1985. As a result of his knowledge of the auto industry and effective advocacy on behalf of his fellow workers, Mr. Goddard moved up in the UAW and served in a variety of high-ranking positions. He was Chairman of the Local 898 UAW branch at Rawsonville and was reelected nine straight times due to his strong leadership. Additionally, Mr. Goddard served as the UAW National Negotiating Committee's Chairman from 2002 through 2015, where he represented autoworkers in multiple high-level negotiations and won them lasting improvements in pay and benefits. prgtoken Mr. Goddard has been an advocate and leader for the UAW throughout his career, and his deep knowledge of the automotive industry and tenacity have served the workers he represented well. As a result of Mr. Goddard's 25 years of work, the Rawsonville plant continues to provide good-paying jobs to Americans and produce high quality parts for Ford Motor Company. His commitment to a fair deal for UAW workers made him one of the longest serving Plant Chairmen in UAW history, and he continued to deliver wins for the workers he represented in negotiations. Mr. Goddard's leadership and expertise will be missed as he retires from his current position, and it is my hope that the Rawsonville plant and its workers continue to build on his legacy. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Joel Goddard. His career with the UAW and Ford has helped preserve American jobs and protect our country's workers.