mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STRENGTHENING THE HEALTH CARE FRAUD PREVENTION TASK FORCE ACT OF 2019
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-2-25

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 525, the Strengthening the Health Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2019. This bipartisan bill would authorize the Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership, and improve and expand the task force's ability to fight waste, fraud, and abuse throughout our healthcare system. prgtoken The Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership is a public-private partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, insurance companies, Federal and State law enforcement agencies, and State healthcare agencies. The partnership aims to improve the detection and prevention of healthcare fraud by facilitating the exchange of data and information between the public and private sectors on fraud trends and successful antifraud practices. prgtoken The legislation we are considering today would authorize the partnership, require the partnership to report regularly to Congress, and give the agency new tools to enhance and expand its capabilities. prgtoken We must continue to work on a bipartisan basis to enhance our fraud detection capabilities. prgtoken I support this legislation and I urge my colleagues to continue to work together to find meaningful solutions to root out fraud, waste, and abuse in our healthcare system. prgtoken , . House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, February 25, 2019. Hon. Frank Pallone, Chairman, Energy and Commerce Committee, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Pallone: In recognition of the desire to expedite consideration of H.R. 525, Strengthening the Health Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2019, the Committee on Ways and Means agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means. The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation. Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 525. Sincerely, Richard E. Neal, Chairman
REINTRODUCTION OF THE RESTORING THE PARTNERSHIP FOR COUNTY HEALTH CARE COSTS ACT OF 2019
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-2-25

. Madam , I rise today to introduce a bill to restore the partnership between the federal government and counties for the health care costs of inmates who have not been convicted of a crime. This legislation will provide some relief to our nation's local economies, while strengthening the fundamental principles of our justice system. prgtoken In almost all states, a person who is incarcerated in a county jail or juvenile detention facility loses their Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or SSI benefits even if they have not been convicted of a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the 8th Amendment requires government entities to provide medical care to all inmates. As a result, local governments are burdened with the expense of providing health care to thousands of men, women, and children currently awaiting trial. prgtoken Providing health care for inmates constitutes a major portion of local jail operating costs. Requiring county governments to cover health care costs for inmates who have not yet been convicted of a crime places an unnecessary prgtoken burden on local governments, which have their fair share of widespread budget deficits and cuts to safety net programs and other essential services to deal with as it is. prgtoken Terminating benefits to inmates who are awaiting trial undermines the presumption of innocence, which is a cornerstone principle of our justice system. The current practice does not distinguish between persons who are awaiting disposition of charges and persons who have been duly convicted and sentenced. Moreover, this reality disproportionately affects low-income and minority populations who are often unable to post bond, which would enable them to continue receiving benefits. prgtoken Madam , my legislation addresses this problem by prohibiting the federal government from stripping individuals of their Medicare, Medicaid, and SSI benefits before the inmate has been convicted of a crime. It preserves the partnership between the federal and local governments and ensures that local governments are not burdened with an unfair share of meeting the constitutional mandate to guarantee medical coverage. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense bill that addresses a problem affecting communities all across the nation.
BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED-- Resumed
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-2-25

I rise today, in commemoration of Black History Month, to recognize, honor, and pay tribute to five Pennsylvanians who have committed themselves to creating innovative solutions to our Nation's most pressing problems. prgtoken For 13 years, I have stood on this floor on this Monday, every year, to pay tribute to Pennsylvanians. Sometimes it has been one individual, and sometimes it has been more than one, but today we have five honorees. prgtoken While these innovators hail from different backgrounds and have each mastered a different craft, they share one thing in common, and that is a commitment to their communities and to improving the lives of others in groundbreaking ways. prgtoken Today, we will honor the individual work of the following people. I will list them for you first and then talk about each of them in succession: first, the Reverend Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake; second, Joan Myers Brown; third, Sulaiman Rahman; fourth, Rakia Reynolds; and fifth, Omar Woodward. You will hear more about each of them in a moment. There is no one way, of course, to make a difference in our society. I hope the stories of today's honorees will help to inspire the next generation of leaders. These honorees are with us here in Washington today, and we are grateful to have the chance to spend a couple of minutes talking about each of them. prgtoken Let me start with the Reverend Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake, someone I have known for a long time. This is the story of a woman who has spent her life working to build healthier communities by advancing the conversation on issues like the opioid crisis and health disparities in our Nation, just to mention two things. prgtoken Lorina Marshall-Blake's life began in West Philadelphia, alongside her sister and three brothers. She excelled in her education, earning degrees from Antioch College and the University of Pennsylvania. prgtoken Today, Lorina is vice president of community affairs for Independence Blue Cross and also president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation. Lorina has spent the better part of 30 years working to improve access and healthcare outcomes for those across prgtoken the region of Southeastern Pennsylvania, which is Philadelphia and the counties and communities around the city of Philadelphia. Her faith- driven work continues outside of the office, where she serves as an associate minister at the Vine Memorial Baptist Church. prgtoken Lorina is affiliated with over 30 professional and civic organizations. I will just mention a few: The United Negro College Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Urban Affairs Coalition. While the health and well-being of our Nation is not perfect, it is in great part thanks to women like Lorina Marshall-Blake that the future of healthcare and the future of access to healthcare is only brighter. prgtoken The second individual we are honoring is Joan Myers Brown. We all know that art itself has
THANKING KAREN L. HAAS FOR HER SERVICE AS CLERK OF THE HOUSE, AND WELCOMING CLERK-DESIGNATE CHERYL L. JOHNSON
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-2-25

I thank the gentleman from Maryland, the Terrapin from Maryland, for yielding. prgtoken I want to say, first, we are going to miss Karen Haas. Karen Haas served this body so well, as the majority leader talked about, and in such a fair way, treating all Members with the dignity and respect that they all deserve as we all carry out the work of the people's House. prgtoken When you think about the different roles that she has played, serving this Chamber, this body, for decades in a number of different roles, but, of course, most notably to all of us, twice as Clerk of the House. She was actually here once before, left, realized just how much fun it is to be in this House and work for this great body, and came back. prgtoken We thank you for coming back again and for your great service during these times. prgtoken So much work goes into the operations of the House. The things that we do on a daily basis, whether it is a Member filing a bill, when you go down to drop your bill in the hopper, it is Karen and the entire team that she has put together at the Office of the Clerk that receives the bills, that processes the bills. prgtoken When we all vote for and sometimes against the Journal, it is the Clerk that puts together the Journal of the House to make sure that the things that we do are properly recorded throughout time for people to go review. prgtoken It is an important job. But it is the work that she has done that we all see on a daily basis that we are going to miss. prgtoken As Cheryl Johnson takes her place, best of luck to you as well. We wish you all the best, but we are going to miss Karen. prgtoken We wish you the best in your next endeavor. You can come visit us from time to time. prgtoken Karen, thank you so much for the work that you have done on behalf of not just us as Members of Congress, but on behalf of all the American people who count on this institution to function properly, for helping us make sure that it is done in a proper, efficient, fair, and impartial way. Best of luck to you, Karen.
THE GREEN NEW DEAL
Dan Newhouse (Republican, WA) \u2014 2019-2-25

I rise this evening to lead a Special Order alongside my colleagues to discuss, frankly, a reckless and misguided and radical proposal recently introduced by some of my ic colleagues, the Green New Deal. prgtoken Tonight, together with many of my fellow members of the Congressional Western Caucus, we will be taking the time to share with the American people the details of the ill-advised and bizarre provisions included in this green manifesto and the grave impacts that they would have on our Nation's economy. prgtoken We will also share what we, as s in the people's House, believe when it comes to our national strategy to innovate, diversify, and strengthen America's energy sector. prgtoken , the Green New Deal is a bad deal for the American people. This so-called deal calls for cutting of greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in only 10 years. prgtoken And while many studies are still working to grasp the perilous impacts and the enormous costs of this proposal, one independent estimate, led by a team of Stanford engineers, suggests it would cost our Nation in the neighborhood of $7 trillion to convert all of America's power to renewable power sources. prgtoken To quote the former Secretary of Energy under President , Ernest Moniz, he said: ``I'm afraid I just cannot see how we could possibly go to zero carbon in the 10-year timeframe. It is just impractical.'' prgtoken , the Green New Deal goes much further than just the energy sector, however. It also mandates the guarantee of a job for everyone, paid vacations for everyone, free college for everyone. It dictates that every existing building in this country must be upgraded and retrofitted for ``comfort.'' prgtoken It calls for a drastic overhaul of our transportation systems across the country, threatening not only our trucking and airline industries, but also the daily lives of the 85 percent of Americans who drive every morning or evening to get to work. prgtoken , while calling for all of these implausible mandates, the Green New Deal would also insert the Federal Government into seemingly every aspect of our daily lives. prgtoken By expanding our Federal bureaucracy far beyond anything we have ever seen in history and undermining the federalist principles our country was founded upon in the Constitution, this proposal would jeopardize the future of America as we know it. It would sacrifice the American energy, manufacturing, and transportation sectors; jeopardize businesses small and large across the Nation; and lead our country down the path of socialist nations like Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba. prgtoken As the Senate ic Whip Dick Durbin said after reading the proposal: ``What in the heck is this?'' prgtoken , I couldn't agree more. prgtoken My State, the great State of Washington, consistently ranks among the top of the list of States with the cleanest energy production. Do you know why that is? It is because of t
FLOODING IN KENTUCKY
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-2-25

first, today I would like to turn attention to the severe weather that is afflicting communities throughout my home State. prgtoken Nearly 20 counties from one end of the State to the other have declared states of emergency in response to historically high water levels. Just moments ago, Governor Matt Bevin put prgtoken the entire Commonwealth under a state of emergency to mobilize resources where they are needed most. Many families are evacuating toward safety. Approximately 2,400 people in eastern and southern Kentucky are still without power. Mudslides have closed roads. Bridges are flooded, and emergency personnel have been deployed to rescue stranded drivers and others in danger. prgtoken I want to express my gratitude to the first responders working around the clock to keep their communities safe. It may be a difficult road to recovery, but Kentuckians are already pitching in to help their neighbors in need. prgtoken My staff and I are ready to work with emergency management officials and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED-- Resumed
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-2-25

I first thank my colleague from Montana for his powerful message. I can assure him that I believe strongly in the same approach as he does with regard to life. prgtoken I rise to discuss an issue of vital importance to our society, and that is the intrinsic value of human life. Very shortly, every Senator will have an opportunity to stand up for human dignity and condemn infanticide when we vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This should not be a difficult vote for any of us. prgtoken I believe in the value of every innocent human life, beginning at the moment of conception to natural death. Life is a gift from God that should be respected and treated with dignity from the very beginning to the very end. prgtoken I have worked to enact pro-life policies throughout my time in public service based upon this principle. While working as Governor, I signed legislation to ban abortions in South Dakota, except when necessary to save a mother's life. ``Humanae Vitae,'' written by Pope Paul IV and later expanded upon in ``Evangelium Vitae,'' written by Saint Pope John Paul II the Great, teaches that there can be no true democracy without a recognition of the dignity of every person. It goes on to teach that respect and dignity must be given to each human life for true peace and freedom to exist. prgtoken We must demand respect for the rights of all. This includes those in the womb, as well as mothers carrying a child who are facing difficult challenges. Both deserve our utmost compassion and care. While this should be common sense to everyone, we recognize that in this country there are individuals who are pro-life and individuals who are pro- choice. prgtoken While I and millions of other pro-life Americans continue to work to end all abortions and support measures that strengthen the dignity of life, recent actions at the State level have been deeply troubling. Pro-choice individuals are actually now supporting measures that will allow doctors to commit infanticide even after a baby has been born alive. For example, last month, the State of New York repealed section 4164 of the State's public health law which provided protections for an infant born alive after a failed abortion. Subsequently, in Virginia, legislation has been introduced that would legalize abortion up to term and even after the birth has begun. In Rhode Island, the Governor has vowed to sign legislation legalizing abortion even after the child is viable. prgtoken These examples of abortion extremism at its worst--radical, abhorrent acts of infanticide--should horrify all of us. While I am troubled by the thought of any baby being killed at any stage, at a bare minimum every one of us should be able to agree that infanticide--or the killing of a baby after it has been born alive--is unacceptable. This is a separate issue from abortion, which is abhorrent in itself. prgtoken In the history of the world, the true tes
BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED-- Resumed
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-2-25

it has been interesting to hear the debate today about how heartless it would be to protect the life of a child. The debate from the other side has come out fast and furious, saying that S. 311 is about a child who is not viable and that somehow we are going to put a mom through more torment with a child that is not viable. prgtoken The plain text of this bill could not be clearer. This is not about abortion. This is about a child who has been born alive and who is a viable child. prgtoken Here is the interesting conversation. Many people in this country argue about abortion--rightfully so. We are talking about the life of a child. This, in particular, though, has a clear argument. What if an abortion is botched, and instead of the child being killed in the womb, they are actually delivered? Now a child is on the table who is crying, with pink skin, 10 fingers and toes wiggling, and is reaching out. What happens now? That is the question with this bill. prgtoken Interestingly enough, it is not the first time it has come before the Senate. In 2002, this same issue came before the Senate. The Senate, the House, and the President all agreed that if an abortion was botched and the child was delivered, that child is a child. By definition, that is a child. In 2002, what that bill did not do is define what happens next if the life of that child is then taken after they are born. prgtoken This wouldn't be an issue because it is clearly defined in law except for the fact that a few weeks ago, the Governor of Virginia made a public statement saying that we need to have a law to say that we could deliver a child, make it comfortable, and then decide what to do with that baby. Suddenly, this becomes a national conversation. prgtoken We thought this was a resolved issue in 2002, but it is not. There is still debate from the other side saying: Deliver the child and then decide what to do with the life of that child. prgtoken This is not just an issue that has no consequence as well. After that bill was passed in 2002, the CDC started analyzing birth certificates to determine if this happens and how often it happens. prgtoken It doesn't happen often, but in a few number of States where the CDC gathered information from, it determined there were 143 babies who were born alive after an attempted abortion and who then died with no record of how it happened. prgtoken Just in 5 months in 2017, the State of Arizona reported that 10 babies were born alive after an attempted abortion. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen, and the question is, Who are we as a nation and what are we going to do with a child who is in front of us who is alive? prgtoken Medical professionals are called to do no harm--the Hippocratic Oath. It is interesting to see medical professionals provide care to every person everywhere they go. If there is a car accident, it doesn't matter if it is their patient. They pull over and help. Interes
RECOGNIZING PATIENT ADVOCATE BILL HAHN AND THE MANY SELFLESS AMERICANS WHO WORK ON BEHALF OF THOSE STRUGGLING WITH KIDNEY DISEASE
Bill Posey (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-25

. Madam , on March 5, 2019, Citizens from across the country will gather in our nation's Capital to help raise awareness about kidney disease and advocate for public policy solutions as part of the National Kidney Foundation's Annual Patient Advocacy Summit. In all my years of service, I have yet to meet more caring and tireless advocates. prgtoken Their advocacy is important because of the number of people kidney disease affects--nearly one in three adults are at risk of developing kidney disease. Nearly thirty million Americans have kidney disease and approximately ninety percent don't even know it. It sneaks up on you and that's why raising awareness is a key component to combating this disease and ultimately saving lives. prgtoken Sadly, on October 10, 2018, we lost one of our great advocates and champions--our friend Bill Hahn of Rockledge, Florida, passed away. Bill was one of those unspoken heroes who got up every morning and fought to keep going, for himself, and so many other people struggling with kidney disease, recovering from transplant surgery and waiting to receive the special gift of life. prgtoken From an early age, Bill believed in physical fitness and leading a very active and healthy life. As a young man he was a male model and later a professional surfer with the famous Salick surf team winning numerous awards. A graduate of Florida State University, he owned and operated a successful health fitness business selling exercise equipment in Melbourne, Florida. Even with his dedication to a daily exercise regiment, at the age of twenty-six, Bill was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. prgtoken Living with Diabetes can be a difficult struggle, even for someone as physically fit as Bill Hahn. Over time the disease began to take a toll on Bill's health as he suffered from many of its complications including blindness, nerve damage and even coma. Unfortunately, Bill suffered renal failure at age fifty-one, but his physical routine never stopped. When Bill was on dialysis, he was walking ten miles a day. And because of his fitness level, he was a good candidate for transplant surgery. On New Year's Eve 2008, Bill received a true gift of life--a new kidney and pancreas. prgtoken Since his surgery, Bill dedicated his life to helping patients struggling with kidney disease and other serious medical conditions. In 2012 he joined with surfing legend and fellow transplant recipient Rich Salick and co-founded the annual Cocoa Beach ``Footprints in the Sand'' Kidney Walk. Katie and I have been involved in the Kidney Walk each year and it continues to grow and draw participation from all over Central Florida thanks in large part to Bill's work and other volunteers from our community. prgtoken Bill was a constant advocate for this cause, especially in the last years of his life. And, if you knew Bill Hahn, helping others is what prgtoken kept him going. He worked closely with my office on various projects through