mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN RECOGNITION OF J. WARREN STEMBRIDGE
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2018-3-7

I rise today to recognize the work and service of a dedicated public servant, Mr. J. Warren Stembridge. Mr. Stembridge will be honored at the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Headquarters in Langley, Virginia on Monday, March 12, 2018. He will be awarded the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, which is given to an individual whose cumulative record of service reflects a pattern of increasing levels of responsibility, strategic impact, and distinctly exceptional achievements. prgtoken J. Warren Stembridge was born in Cordele, Georgia to Mr. W. Asbury Stembridge, Sr. and Mrs. Charlotte W. Stembridge as one of two sons. At the age of ten, his family moved to Macon, Georgia, where he was enrolled in the Bibb County School System. After graduating from Central High School, he went on to earn prgtoken a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia in 1985. Shortly after receiving his degree, he began his illustrious career with the CIA. prgtoken For over three decades, Mr. Stembridge was a well-respected leader at the CIA. He built quite an impressive career, which was amplified in 2005 when he entered into the Senior Intelligence Service. During his tenure in the Senior Intelligence Service, he held several leadership roles including Deputy Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs and completed several overseas tours in areas of conflict. In December 2016, after serving for over 31 years, Mr. Stembridge retired from the CIA. prgtoken He currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Intelligence over the National Security Solutions unit of Pacific Architects and Engineers (PAE) and works directly with domestic and foreign government agencies within the intelligence community. prgtoken Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Life's most persistent and urgent question is, `What are you doing for others?' '' Mr. Stembridge undoubtedly lives by this philosophy. From his extensive work with the CIA to protect our nation's security to his efforts to provide service to the global community, his work has made a tremendous impact on the lives of many. prgtoken J. Warren Stembridge has achieved much success in his life, but none would have been possible without the enduring love and support of his wife, Laurel; and their children, Ben, Julie, and Lindsay. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife, Vivian, and the more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District, in extending our sincerest congratulations to Mr. J. Warren Stembridge for receiving the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, and thanking him for an outstanding career of public service.
SATISFYING ENERGY NEEDS AND SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT ACT
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2018-3-8

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , coal-fired electric generation has been the subject of many costly regulations, and we are already seeing an economic impact on conventional coal facilities. But, today, we are focusing on a relatively small number of very unconventional facilities that take environmentally damaging waste coal, burn it to produce electricity, and then use the resulting ash to remediate the land. prgtoken The more you learn about H.R. 1119, the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment, the SENSE, Act, the more you will agree that these facilities are worth saving, which is what this bill does Keith Rothfus from Pennsylvania, for sponsoring this innovative measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. prgtoken Decades of coal mining in Pennsylvania, and other States, have led to a legacy of massive piles of waste coal that contributes to water and air pollution in communities where they are located. prgtoken The cost of eliminating this waste coal has been estimated at $2 billion for Pennsylvania alone, so absent a massive new program, it almost certainly won't get done. prgtoken Fortunately, coal refuse-to-energy plants have been developed and built in several communities with waste coal. These plants burn waste coal to produce electricity, and the resulting ash is then used to remediate the land. Thus far, these plants have eliminated 214 million tons of waste coal and restored thousands of acres and 1,200 miles of rivers and streams. prgtoken The electricity and the jobs created by these plants are really just a bonus compared to the tremendous environmental benefits; nonetheless, coal refuse-to-energy plants are now under threat. Although these plants utilize a specialized process, EPA has decided to treat them no differently than conventional coal-fired power plants. As a result, the Agency has jeopardized the continued operation of these facilities by setting standards that are not appropriate for them. prgtoken The SENSE Act addresses the problem by providing an alternative compliance mechanism for the compounds regulated under the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, which is commonly known as the MATS. The bill still requires stringent emission reductions at these waste coal-to- energy plants, but ones that are achievable at these facilities. prgtoken I should note that earlier versions of the SENSE Act also included changes to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, or CSAPR, but those provisions have been taken out of the version we are voting on today. prgtoken The result of this bill would be that these coal refuse-to-energy plants can continue operating, which would be a big win for the environment as well as for jobs in the communities in Pennsylvania and other States where they are located. prgtoken , .
HONORING THE HEROIC SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF BOONE COUNTY DEPUTY JACOB PICKETT
Susan W. Brooks (Republican, IN) \u2014 2018-3-8

it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of an outstanding public servant, Boone County Deputy Jacob Pickett, who served his city and country with principle and integrity. Tragically, Deputy Pickett was killed in the line of duty on March 2, 2018. prgtoken Deputy Pickett, or ``Jake'' as he was known to his family and friends, served in law enforcement for the last eight years. Jake made the decision every day to put his life on the line to make Indiana a safer place. A true Hoosier, Jake graduated from Brownsburg High School and then graduated from the Marion County Sheriffs Office Training Academy in 2010. In 2014, he was a member of class 202 and completed training with the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy as a pistol expert. prgtoken Jake served with the Boone County Sheriff's Office for three years. Before joining the Boone County Sheriff's Office, he served as a Deputy with the Tipton County Sheriff Department. Jake also worked in the Marion County Jail. Although, I did not have the good fortune of knowing Deputy Pickett, I am incredibly proud of his heroic and brave actions to protect his fellow Hoosiers. prgtoken On March 2, Jake pinned on his badge and went to work on what he thought would be an ordinary day on the job. He was out on patrol, and joined officers from the Lebanon Police Department in pursuit of three suspects. Deputy Pickett was on foot in pursuit of the suspects when he was fatally shot. Jake laid down his life to protect his community from a dangerous individual. His last moments demonstrate the bravery, commitment, and sacrifice that he and his brothers and sisters in uniform display every day while working to make Indiana a safer and better state. Each and every day, officers like Jake put their lives in harm's way to protect us. prgtoken For the last two years, Jake led the Boone County Sheriff's Department K-9 team. His partner was Brik, a brown and black German shepherd-Belgian Malinois. They began working together in March 2016, and Brik rarely left Jake's side. On Tuesday, when Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen and prosecutors held a news conference to announce charges against the man accused of fatally shooting Jake, Brik was there with Sheriff Nielsen. prgtoken I join with Sheriff Nielsen and all of Boone County in mourning Jake's loss. As Sheriff Nielsen said, ``There will forever be a loss felt in our community for him. He was a warrior, and he died laying down his life for you. He will never be forgotten.'' prgtoken Day after day, Jake displayed the compassion and integrity of a true public servant. In uniform, Jake would greet children at school. When off-duty, Jake spent time saving rescue animals. Jake's selflessness extended in death. He was an organ donor, and his heart saved the life of another patient at St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis. prgtoken Jake and his wife, Jennifer, were married for ten years and have two young sons. Jake was a bel
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-3-8

let me tell you about Farmers State Bank of Allen, OK. I know exactly where Allen, OK, is. I bet a bunch of folks in this room do not. It is a small town, and this a small bank. There is $43 million in total assets in that bank. That is a pretty small bank, as banks go. It is located in a town of about 900 Oklahomans in total. The town has a number of small business owners, farmers, and ranchers--folks that some people in this room fly over. There are good families who live in that great town. Many of them have great credit scores and have a good family history of repayment back to the bank when they have taken loans, because that is the bank in town. They have been longtime customers of this bank. In many instances, the bank employees and the people in the bank have grown up together. They know each other, but they also understand seasonal income. prgtoken When you are a farmer and rancher who doesn't come in with a W-2 every single week or every month--it comes in seasonally--they understand the credit restrictions there. prgtoken A banker, named Debbie, at the Farmer State Bank of Allen wrote me this and said: Between the Ability to Repay and Global Cash Flow analysis, particularly for a bank of this size, these new rules take our time away from doing what needs to be done--caring for our customers. We have 12 employees and we're treated the same as JPMorgan Chase, or Goldman Sachs--both of which have an entirely different business model of operating. They do not operate in towns of 900 [people]. . . . That's not their business model or their kinds of markets One of our key employees now spends most of her time on compliance issues. Total costs for this employee, together with the cost of the annual compliance audit [and everything that goes with it is], now exceeds $100,000 annually. prgtoken Again, folks in big towns may not think it is a big issue to have $100,000 in appliance costs, but the total net income of this bank for the year is right at $500,000 a year, and $100,000 of it is now spent on compliance. prgtoken How did this happen? This happened when Congress decided in 2010 to pass something called Dodd-Frank. Dodd-Frank was a bill signed into law in July of 2010 to deal with the financial crisis that happened in 2007 and 2008, which was real. The largest banks in our country took some incredible risks. It caused a financial domino effect all over the country, and it caused great risk for our international markets. prgtoken In response to that, Congress rose up with a strong ic majority, and President ran to it and said: We need to do something. prgtoken They looped together as many different financial restrictions as they could. They created a new thing called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with no oversight at all. They created a whole litany of new regulations and said: This will onl
REMEMBERING MATT NIEMEYER
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-3-8

I want to recognize and celebrate the life of a friend, a colleague, and a trusted adviser whom we tragically lost last week. prgtoken That is what Matt Niemeyer was to me, but Matt would say that he was a husband and a father first. Everything else was secondary. Matt leaves behind his beloved wife, Amy, and their two beautiful children, Anna and Peter. prgtoken I first met Matt in 2005 when he was an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative. He was well known in the trade community, and he stood out as a substantive expert in his field. Matt would say that his time at USTR was the most fun he had ever had in government. That says a lot as Matt also worked on Capitol Hill for the National Congressional Committee and as a congressional liaison for a number of private companies and organizations throughout his life. prgtoken Matt played a key role in our successful efforts to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement. He was a happy warrior in that he loved trade, USTR, and getting things done. I think his thick skin and constant hopefulness was a credit to his upbringing as a long-suffering and then long-celebrating Boston Red Sox fan. He always found a way to get his mission accomplished and always had a quick wit. prgtoken I was lucky to remain close with Matt after our time together at USTR had ended. He would go to any length for his friends, and he was always thoughtful, kind, and jovial. He never passed at the opportunity to joke about one of his earliest experiences in politics, when he worked for the first primary opponent I ever faced. He would generously tell me how happy he was that, for one of the only times in his career, he wasn't successful in that job. prgtoken While Matt is no longer with us in person, his memory lives on through his family who love him dearly and friends and colleagues like myself who will forever cherish his impact on our lives.
SATISFYING ENERGY NEEDS AND SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT ACT
Keith J. Rothfus (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-3-8

. Madam , I want to talk about some burdens, burdens like uncontrolled release of toxins into the air when these piles catch fire, uncontrolled seepage into rivers. prgtoken This subset of plants, my colleague from Pennsylvania makes the point about some of these plants are in compliance. There is such a thing as economies of scale. And when any business is in operation, you are looking at costs prgtoken and expenses. You are looking at revenue. And when the costs and expenses exceed the revenue, you go out of business. prgtoken Unless we are able to do a customization for these handful of plants, they will close. Hundreds of people will lose their jobs. The cleanup they are doing will stop. While some other plants may continue to operate and continue the good work, that is great, but it is going to go at a slower pace. It is going to cost taxpayers more because less will be cleaned up. prgtoken This industry, so far, has cleaned up 200 million tons of waste coal in Pennsylvania, and that is just the start of the work that needs to be done. My hope is that it is all going to be cleaned up in our lifetimes. prgtoken So, no, this isn't forever. This isn't forever. prgtoken This, again, is taking a look at a situation we have in Pennsylvania, that we want to recognize the good work that is going on there and, again, when you look at the EPA under the administration, talking of the unique environmental benefits that these plants provide and that they warrant special consideration. prgtoken Again, I just urge my colleagues to come up. Let's get out of our trenches. Let's take a look, meeting, you know, in the middle here. Support this legislation. Save these jobs. Save these union jobs. Let these plants stay open, and let's continue to clean up western Pennsylvania.
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-3-8

I guess I have to give my friend, the Senator from New York, credit. Once he made his bed, he decided he had better lie in it. prgtoken made a risky gamble when they bet against the American people in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that we passed in December. No supported it--none--and now I think they are beginning to worry that it is actually working. Otherwise, I don't understand why the ic leader, the minority leader of the U.S. Senate, would say: We need to raise your taxes because we can spend your money better than you can. I guess he means that we also need to eliminate the doubling of the standard deduction, which makes sure that the first $24,000 earned by a married couple is tax-free--zero tax rate. I guess he thinks we ought to repeal the doubling of the child tax credit. prgtoken As much as he rails about corporations, the fact is, what we did on the business side with taxes has made the United States more competitive globally. It is the same argument that he, President in a State of the Union speech, and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Wyden--it is the same argument they made that we embraced. prgtoken We got a little more aggressive than they did in terms of the rate. We lowered it, not to 25 percent, as Senator Wyden had proposed, but to 21 percent; thus, we made ourselves roughly average in the industrialized world, making America more competitive. We were seeing people going overseas and investing because they had better tax rates than we had here in America. prgtoken Who owns the stock? You have heard the ic leader talk about stock buybacks. He said: Well, these corporations are using this money to buy their own stock back. Do you know who owns stock in America? I am not sure of the exact percentage, but a huge percentage of it is owned by retirement funds and pension funds of firefighters, teachers, and others who want to see that their retirement is not only safe but also grows. What they have seen since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in December is the value of their retirement funds go through the roof. The stock market is at an all-time high--or thereabouts. It has set huge records. prgtoken I know our friends on the other side of the aisle are worried because they made a dangerous gamble against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but the fact is, all the polling is showing that as people are seeing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act actually being implemented, they are seeing more money in their paychecks. Because the withholding tables were changed to reflect lower tax rates, people are seeing more take-home pay. And as the economy continues to grow, there is going to be more competition for workers. prgtoken Unemployment claims are the lowest they have been since 1969. As there is more competition for workers, that is going to force employers to pay more wages, so everyone is going to benefit from a growing economy
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2018-3-8

as many of my colleagues know, one of my favorite parts of the week is coming down to the Senate floor to recognize somebody special in my State, somebody we refer to as our ``Alaskan of the Week.'' It is one of the most fulfilling things I do all week, to get to talk about people who make my State very, very special. prgtoken I know many of you--people in the Gallery--have seen Alaska on TV or have read about it in the newspapers, but there is no substitute for being there. We want you all to come. It would be the trip of a lifetime, particularly now. prgtoken What is going on in Alaska right now, one of the highlights of the entire year, is the Iditarod--the ``last great race'' in the world-- which is in full throttle. When you visit, Alaska will change your life--the wilderness, the wildlife, the quiet, the sense of unbridled freedom, the liberty, and the majesty. It is all there. It is all there, so come on, come on and visit. prgtoken Also, when you visit, you will realize that Alaska is home to some of the most courageous, hard-working, and tenacious people in the world, many of whom have overcome tremendous odds and are determined to inspire others to live a full and healthy life. prgtoken , I would like to take you, take everybody listening, to Nome, AK, and tell you about Carol Seppilu, someone who I believe personifies determination and perseverance and who is an inspiration to us all and is this week's Alaskan of the Week. prgtoken Carol lives in Nome--a rugged, unique, and beautiful town in Alaska's northwest, about 500 miles from Anchorage. You might have heard of Nome. The reality show ``Gold Rush Alaska'' was filmed there, and it is also the finish for the Iditarod. prgtoken Pretty soon, if you are watching on TV--our best guess is early next week--the mushers and the dozens of dogs--that, by the way, love the race. They love the race--will begin to cross the finish line. People from all over our State, but really people from all over the world, will be there to greet them as they finish this incredible race, to greet them and congratulate them. We call it the ``last great race,'' and it finishes at Nome. prgtoken There is no place like Nome, we like to say in Alaska. If you live in Nome, you might have seen Carol running in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Carol runs through the streets and into the mountains surrounding Nome. It is one of the ways that she has found purpose in her life, which in turn she has used to help others, to inspire others. prgtoken Like a lot of us, Carol had big dreams when she was growing up. She was interested in science and space. She was actually interested in being an astrophysicist. Then, as sometimes happens to young kids, her life took a bit of a turn. She got in with the wrong crowd and started drinking and using drugs, and her life lost meaning. prgtoken This is a difficult subject to talk about on the Senate floor, but we must. W
REMEMBERING TOM BERNS
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2018-3-8

I rise, today, to remember Tom Berns, a friend and respected community leader, who passed away last month. prgtoken After graduating college, Tom established the firm Berns, Clancy and Associates, which has grown into one of today's premier engineering firms in the area. Over the course of his career, Tom was considered by many to be an expert in civil engineering. He found great joy in his profession and shared it with others through teaching. prgtoken However, Tom is, perhaps, most known for his impact on the community. He was a member of over a dozen clubs, boards, and civic organizations, many of which he served as president or chairman. He served as village engineer for five different central Illinois towns throughout his lifetime and was also actively involved in his congregation, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, for over 50 years. prgtoken In 2000, Tom became a Member of the Illinois House of Representatives, where he represented Illinois' 104th House District. prgtoken Tom knew what it meant to serve. He lived his life in a way that put others before himself, always looking for ways to help, to get involved, and to improve his community. prgtoken I am inspired by the legacy of Tom Berns and the numerous lives he touched throughout central Illinois. I pray for his wife, Jeannie, and their family during this difficult time.
Order of Business (Executive Session)
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2018-3-8

I would like to give an update to all of our colleagues about where we are on S. 2155. prgtoken We continue to be open and ready for amendments on our side. We have a number that we are ready to proceed forward with, and we so far have not received agreement from the other side to move forward. We hope that we can avoid this slowdown and start moving forward by setting votes on amendments as soon as we can, and we will continue to work to try to achieve that. prgtoken It is my hope that we will be able to get heavily engaged in and resolve the amendment stage of this legislation soon so that we can continue to move forward expeditiously. prgtoken . prgtoken . prgtoken .