mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE FRAUD PREVENTION ACT OF 2019
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-2-5

I would like to begin by thanking Congressman Meadows for partnering with me on the bill, as well as our Chairwoman Maloney and her incredibly strong and talented staff for their leadership and for the continued support of the work that we have to do on behalf of our residents at home. prgtoken I also want to thank our forever chairman, the late Chairman Cummings, who is looking down on us from above, for his mentorship and for working with us on this bill that would help some of our most vulnerable retirees. prgtoken We all know that no one deserves to be scammed out of their money, but that is especially true for our retirees. This bill, the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act, is a bipartisan effort to protect those retirees who are recipients of Federal benefits. prgtoken Retirees who have been declared mentally incompetent or have another qualifying disability can have their monthly benefits paid on their behalf through a representative, frequently referred to as the representative payee. In recent years, what we have seen in our country is there has been a sharp increase in the number of representative payees who have taken advantage of their position and committed fraud, hurting many of our residents. prgtoken We need to hold them accountable, and this bill does that. The bill would expand protection to over 2 million workers all across the United States. prgtoken In my home State of Michigan, there are nearly 40,000 Federal retirees who are currently unprotected from this crime, impacting their quality of life. They are supposed to be living in peace during their retirement years. They are becoming targets instead, and we need to push back together, in a bipartisan way. prgtoken I hear firsthand from our senior residents about their concerns, from feeling neglected in the assisted living facilities to unaffordable drug prices, and I want to ensure that our older Americans have one less worry about financial predators who will misuse their hard-earned money. prgtoken For far too long, this lack of Federal protection has left some of our, again, most vulnerable civil servants without legal recourse when they are taken advantage of and their retirement funds are misused. We must ensure that the most impacted communities are protected on every front. prgtoken That is what this legislation will do. It will prevent those who have committed representative payee fraud from serving as representative payees in the future and hold them accountable to their victims. prgtoken Let's really ensure that our public servants and our civil servants who have dedicated their lives to serving our country are protected against this fraud. prgtoken Again, I want to thank my beloved Chairman Cummings for coming to myself and my colleague, Congressman Meadows. When he did, we couldn't say no to him, so we worked together in trying to resolve this issue for so many folks, again, 2 million Federal employees across the count
REMEMBERING THOMAS J. McKENNA
Haley M. Stevens (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-2-5

. Madam , I rise today in memory of Tom McKenna, who passed away on December 11th after a courageous battle with two rare forms of leukemia at the age of 78. Tom was born on August 11, 1941 in Chicago to Charles and Dorothy McKenna. He was a proud south-sider, an avid Notre Dame and Chicago Bears fan, and a passionate golfer. Tom is survived by his wife Karin of 36 years, daughter Mary Kate Battles, son Matt McKenna, grandson Max Battles, son-in-law Joseph Battles, daughter-in-law Maggie Shine as well as his brothers Chuck, Dan and Jim, and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind many dear, wonderful golfing friends at Sand Creek Country Club and the many work friends he made over his 40-year career in the steel industry. Tom will be remembered for being a fiercely loyal companion, father, grandfather and friend, and for his positive outlook on life. ``Every day is a good day'' was a phrase he said each day, which is a memory that will continue to inspire everyone who knew him.
GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE ACT OF 2019
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-2-5

I thank the chairwoman from California for yielding and for all of her hard work on this bill. prgtoken I rise in strong support of H.R. 4031, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative--or the GLRI, as we all call it--Act of 2019, which will reauthorize the GLRI for 5 years and increase authorized funding for the program to $475 million, annually, by fiscal year 2026. prgtoken Through the GLRI program, we have been able to clean up and delist environmental areas of concern. We have been able to restore coastal wetlands, as many of my colleagues have talked about, mitigate harmful algae blooms, combat invasive species, and do much more to help protect, restore, and maintain the Great Lakes ecosystems and strengthen our regional economy. And, as people have seen on the floor today, this issue has shared strong bipartisan support at all times. prgtoken , s for helping to educate the President on the importance of the GLRI. prgtoken The Great Lakes are not only a treasured natural resource, but a way of life that supports communities and jobs throughout the region. They are 21 percent of the world's freshwater supply. prgtoken Building on what my colleague from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) was talking about, my colleague, Ms. Tlaib, and I were able to kayak on the Rouge River on the 50th anniversary of its having caught on fire. We were surrounded by industry, but we also saw bald eagles and herons, and she got the most beautiful picture of a painted turtle. prgtoken , as co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I am proud to be an original cosponsor, and s, Representatives David Joyce and Marcy Kaptur, for their great leadership on this issue. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill to ensure our Great Lakes are protected for all future generations.
FEDERAL RISK AND AUTHORIZATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-2-5

I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3941) to enhance the innovation, security, and availability of cloud computing services used in the Federal Government by establishing the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program within the General Services Administration and by establishing a risk management, authorization, and continuous monitoring process to enable the Federal Government to leverage cloud computing services using a risk-based approach consistent with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 and cloud-based operations, and for other purposes, as amended.
IMPEACHMENT
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2020-2-5

considering whether to convict a President of the United States on Articles of Impeachment is a solemn and consequential duty, and I do not take it lightly. Even before we had a country, our Founders put forward the notion of ``country first,'' pledging in the Declaration of Independence their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor--a pledge they made to an idea, imagining and hoping for a country where no one was above the law, where no one had absolute power. prgtoken My dad, a World War II veteran, and my mom raised me to understand that this is what made our country the unique and indispensable democracy that it is. prgtoken My obligation throughout this process has been to listen carefully to the case that the House managers put forward and the defenses asserted by the President's lawyers, and then to carefully consider the constitutional basis for impeachment, the intent of our Founders, and the facts. prgtoken That is what I have done over the past few days. The Senate heard extensive presentations from both sides and answers to the almost 200 questions that Senators posed to the House managers and the President's advocates. prgtoken The facts clearly showed that President abused the public's sacred trust by using taxpayer dollars to extort a foreign government into providing misinformation about a feared political opponent. prgtoken Let me repeat that. The President of the United States used taxpayer money that had been authorized, obligated, and cleared for delivery as critical military aid to Ukraine to try to force that country to interfere in our elections. He violated the law and the public trust. And he put our national security, and the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines of Russian aggression at risk. prgtoken Although the country was alerted to the possibility that the President had crossed a critical line because of revelations about his now-infamous July 25 phone call, it is not the phone call alone that led to the President's impeachment. Instead, the phone call was a pivotal point in a scheme that had started earlier, spearheaded by President 's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. prgtoken Mr. Giuliani has acknowledged that he was doing the President's personal and political bidding when he engaged with the Ukrainian government. prgtoken As the newly elected anti-corruption Ukrainian Government came into power, in need of recognition and support from the United States, President forced officials from Ukraine and the United States to negotiate through Mr. Giuliani, conflating his personal and political interests with the national security and diplomatic interests of our country. prgtoken And then, as President Zelensky resisted the request that he concoct and announce a fake investigation into the s, the President and Mr. Giuliani increased the pressure. Suddenly, and without explanation or a legally required notification to Congress, the President orde
PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2019
Paul A. Gosar (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-2-6

. Mr. Chair, today I will be opposing H.R. 2474, the PRO Act. Unfortunately, my colleagues are bringing legislation to the floor that will continue finding ways to pick winners and losers between special interests and businesses in America. Additionally, the legislation puts the heavy hand of government in between the contracts between workers, unions and their employers. prgtoken There are ways that we can build up working families in America, protect workers in their workplaces, and advance the growing gig economy in America, but this bill does none of that. Therefore, I cannot support this legislation. prgtoken But I want to be clear, I support America's workers. prgtoken Yesterday, as Chairman of the Western Caucus I hosted a job forum focusing on the creation of hundreds of union jobs in Northern Minnesota. Union jobs that are strongly opposed by members from St. Paul. If you want to fight for more union jobs then join us in supporting the development of the Twin Metals mine and the hundreds of Project Labor Agreement Jobs that will be filled as a result of what could be the largest project in the history of Minnesota. prgtoken I support the development of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline which will bring 2,000 to 4,000 union construction jobs to West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina but is strongly opposed by representatives and governors up and down the path. prgtoken I support the construction of the Appalachia Petrochemical Complex; a $6 billion ethylene cracking plant being built in Pennsylvania with union workers. A project made possible only by the development and advancements of hydraulic fracturing technology and the natural gas boom made possible by that technology. A technology that Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a parade of other presidential candidates want to ban the minute they gain power. prgtoken I support the modernization of the ESA and NEPA because we need to get America back to building large projects in a timely fashion. Right now, in America, billions of dollars of investment is held up in long permitting times from Offshore wind in the Atlantic, to mines in Arizona, to pipelines in New York, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. prgtoken If we want to support American workers, we need to free our people to invest in American jobs and infrastructure. For too long my colleagues have attempted to promote heavy handed government intervention, like this legislation, rather than freeing Americans to build pipelines, mines, create jobs and build economic opportunity. Rather than siding with radical environmentalists for who no mine anywhere is acceptable or climate change activists who insist that not a single mile of new pipe be built. I am choosing to side with America's workers, union and private.
PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2019
Ron Wright (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-2-6

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2474, the next in the long line of job-killing legislation that we have considered this Congress. prgtoken Dubbed by the National Retail Federation as ``the worst bill in Congress'' and referred to by the Chamber of Commerce as a ``major threat'' to American jobs, the bill's faults are almost too numerous to count. Repealing state right-to-work laws, codifying harmful and burdensome -era regulations, and violating employee privacy are truly just the tip of the iceberg. prgtoken are selling this legislation as pro-worker, but, in fact, it's the opposite. This bill is anti-worker choice and freedom. They would like you to believe that while they need secret ballot elections to choose their own Party leadership, workers do not deserve that same fundamental American right when voting to unionize. prgtoken To see the potential effects of this legislation look no further than California. AB5 is already wreaking havoc on small business and independent contractors across the state. Workers are having to reevaluate their careers and livelihoods. The PRO Act includes all of AB5's flaws but none of its numerous carveouts. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote no on H.R. 2474.
PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2019
David P. Roe (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-2-6

. Mr. Chair, my commonsense amendment to the PRO Act is very simple. It would require union elections to be conducted by a secret ballot, like every election in the country is. prgtoken Look, anybody who wants to in this country has the right to belong to a union. I was raised in a union household. My dad, after World War II, worked for 30 years in a factory as a union member. prgtoken In fact, this is so simple that in April of 2019, over 80 House , including 12 on the Committee on Education and Labor, signed a letter to Ambassador Lighthizer demanding the same protections for workers in Mexico as part of the USMCA. I happen to agree with that. If I had been asked, I would have signed this letter. prgtoken If House believe a secret ballot is essential for Mexican workers, why don't they want the same rights for American workers? prgtoken Mr. Chair, 47 years ago I put on a uniform. I left my family, I left this country to serve in the United States Army in the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, about 11 miles south of the DMZ, to guarantee those rights for every American citizen to vote by a secret ballot. prgtoken My wife tells me she votes for me by secret ballot, but I don't know that for a fact because it is a secret ballot. prgtoken Secret ballots are the pillar of our democracy. It is a right that--I don't care if you are a billionaire or you don't have two wooden nickels to rub together; you have that power when you go in the voting booth because no one, no one has the right to intimidate you in a secret ballot. You are free from any threat of retribution. prgtoken Guaranteeing the right of a secret ballot for union representation is not just the right thing to do, it is also wildly popular on the political spectrum. According to 2015 polling from Opinion Research Corporation, 79 percent of union households, 81 percent of , and 81 percent of Independents support the right to a secret ballot for union organizing campaigns. prgtoken This amendment eliminates the so-called ``card-check'' automatic certification in which a union can organize workers by potentially harassing, intimidating, or misleading them into signing authorization cards. prgtoken Over the years, in our committee, we have heard firsthand testimony in the Committee on Education and Labor from several witnesses about being pressured to sign a card check by union organizers. Under the card check system, the union organizers are free to harass a worker over email, the telephone, at their homes, in public, into signing the union authorization card. That is just not right. prgtoken Congress is elected, everybody in this body is elected by a secret ballot. House and Senate want a Mexican worker to have that right. I completely agree with that. prgtoken So why aren't American workers being granted the exact same freedoms that are being demanded and granted abroad? prgtoken Furthermore, you are going to hear supporters of car
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.RES. 826, EXPRESSING DISAPPROVAL OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S HARMFUL ACTIONS TOWARDS MEDICAID; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2474, PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO...
Steve King (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-2-6

. Madam , I appreciate the gentleman from Texas yielding to me. prgtoken I rise in opposition to this rule. And I have a whole stack of things that I will raise, but in the time that is available, I will say this: We watched as the Medicaid program was opened up more and more under President . And when that happened, it caused a significant amount of turmoil in my State and many States across the country. prgtoken And so President has stepped in and decided that he is going to offer an opportunity to have the equivalent of block grants going back to the States and let them make the decision, let them write the regulations because the States know best. prgtoken This great experiment in Federalism that we have, where the closer to the people that the decision can be made, the more effective that decision is and the more effective the resources of our taxpayers are. That is the attempt and the endeavor on the part of President , and I regret that so much politics have been churned into this, we have a hard time focusing on the policy. prgtoken When I see what happened at the prayer breakfast, and when I listened to the statement that has been made by the publicly in a conference a little earlier today, it spills forth upon this. Some of her words essentially show up in this document. prgtoken Madam , it is time for us to take a deep breath. Impeachment is over. Let's focus on policy.
PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2019
Kevin Hern (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-2-6

. Madam , this motion is the final opportunity to amend the legislation and would do so without any delay in passage. prgtoken This amendment ensures that labor unions are not using illegal foreign labor to expand their region to the American workplaces and collect more union dues. prgtoken Under current law, an employee can sign a union authorization card to count toward the showing of interest in union elections regardless of whether that worker is authorized to work in the United States. Illegal immigrants should not be working at American companies, let alone used by labor unions to organize workplaces. prgtoken This motion to recommit ensures that unions cannot communicate with employees for organizing purposes if the employee is not legally authorized to work in the United States. prgtoken Because of the success I have worked for in life, not many people know that my life began very differently. prgtoken My family was dependant on food stamps for most of my youth. My stepdad never worked, and my siblings and I paid the price for it. prgtoken I knew from a young age that I would not let that be my life. From the moment I could start working, I did whatever it took to earn financial security: hog farming, welding, computer programming, and the list goes on. prgtoken If it weren't for the McDonald's Franchisee program, I wouldn't be here today. After 11 years working in the restaurants, I was able to work my way into the franchisee program and purchase my first franchise location, then build a successful company with over 20 locations; a program that allowed a person that came from a place like I did to achieve the American Dream. prgtoken I have lived a true American story. And my mission in life is to help every child who grew up like me, wondering where their next meal would come from, unsure if their lights would be on when they got home from school; I want those kids to know that our country is a place of opportunity and a place of hope for those who will work for it. prgtoken We shouldn't be here discussing this bill today. It is not worthy of this Chamber. But since we are, I must do everything I can to show my disapproval in the strongest terms. prgtoken The change we are proposing here is simple. We are asking that unions be barred from contacting individuals who are not eligible to work in this country. prgtoken If an employer cannot hire someone in our country illegally, a union should not be allowed to organize those individuals. Believe it or not, this is not currently outlawed. prgtoken If my colleagues insist on moving forward with legislation that empowers union bosses and strips independence from our workers, they should not do it in a way that encourages illegal immigration. prgtoken This motion to recommit would make the PRO Act pro-American worker, rather than just pro-union bosses. prgtoken I have been doing my research a long time. I spent 34 years as a business owner before coming to Congress. I