mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SENATE SHOULD ACT ON HOUSE-PASSED BILLS
Debra A. Haaland (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2019-12-9

I reflect on all that House have done for the people this year and how much harm the grim reaper of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has done by purposefully stalling our legislative agenda. prgtoken Our ic House majority has worked relentlessly for the people to prgtoken strengthen the health, economic security, and well-being of every family in every community, and we have made real progress. prgtoken We ended the government shutdown, which inflicted needless pain and chaos into the lives of our fellow Americans and New Mexicans whose paychecks, financial security, health, and well-being were held hostage by the President. prgtoken We stood strong and prevailed for the American people and did not give him the immoral, illegal border wall. prgtoken To improve the safety of our communities, we sent to the Senate commonsense, bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation that would make our children safer. prgtoken As vice chair of the ic Women's Caucus, I am proud that we have worked to strengthen women's personal and financial security by passing a strong reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure equal pay for equal work. prgtoken To bolster the paychecks and retirement security of working families, we passed the Raise the Wage Act to increase the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, giving a raise to 33 million Americans, including 20 million women. We also passed the Butch Lewis Act to protect the pensions of more than 1 million workers and retirees. prgtoken To live up to the promises that we made to our veterans, we have passed dozens of bipartisan bills, including fixes to end unjust and unfair taxes on military families; expanded benefits for blue water Navy Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange; and legislation to reduce barriers for women veterans to access the VA, including an antiharassment initiative. prgtoken To address our climate crisis, we passed the Climate Action Now Act and multiple bills to protect our public lands for generations to come. I have introduced legislation myself to promote natural solutions to climate change, such as H.R. 4269, the Climate Stewardship Act, and for the adoption of clean energy, H.R. 5221, the 100% Clean Economy Act. prgtoken I am especially proud to have led the bipartisan effort on House passage of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act to protect my ancestral homeland from oil and gas drilling. prgtoken We have fought for those who have been the targets of hateful rhetoric and policies of this administration. We passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, to help Dreamers stay right here in the United States, their home, the only country they know. prgtoken have taken a stand to end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans by passing the historic Equality Act, H.R. 5. prgtoken To stand up for human rights, we passed bipartisan
UYGHUR HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY ACT OF 2019
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-12-9

I include in the Record an exchange of letters between me and the Chair of the Committee on Intelligence on S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, December 2, 2019. Hon. Adam B. Schiff, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Washington,
HONORING QUILLA TALMADGE
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-12-9

. Madam , I rise today to honor East Orange City Councilwoman Quilla Talmadge. Councilwoman Talmadge has served the citizens of East Orange with distinction for 30 years. prgtoken Her political career started as president of her third ward neighborhood. It continued with her active leadership as a member of her local Parent Teacher Association, local NAACP, and the National Council of Negro Women, among many others. prgtoken She has won numerous awards for her community and church involvement. prgtoken Recently, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities inducted her into the Elected Officials Hall of Fame. prgtoken Councilwoman Talmadge is retiring from the city council this year, but she has left a legacy that will be remembered for many years to come. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me and the residents of East Orange in commending her service to her community.
IDENTIFYING OUTPUTS OF GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORKS ACT
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-12-9

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 4355, the Identifying Outputs of Generative Adversarial Networks Act. prgtoken Deepfake technology, which manipulates photos, videos, or audio clips to produce content that seems real but is not, has become increasingly commonplace in recent years. This increase in prevalence has been spurred, in part, by increases in computing power, widespread availability of images and other data, and the use of artificial intelligence. prgtoken In many cases, the applications of this technology may be benign, but bad actors can also use this technology to spread disinformation and cause great harm to individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. prgtoken During the Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on online imposters and disinformation earlier this year, one of the witnesses showed us a demonstration of a deepfake video in which he swapped the likenesses of two Members of Congress at the hearing. prgtoken Despite the spread and potential harm of deepfake technology, there are currently no sure-fire methods of identifying and distinguishing manipulated content from authentic content. The ability to differentiate between manipulated and authentic content is essential to maintaining our national and economic security and protecting against malicious use of these technologies. prgtoken H.R. 4355 leverages the strengths of the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology by directing these agencies to support research on manipulated or synthesized content in order to help develop the standards and other tools necessary to detect this content. prgtoken I commend my colleagues Representatives Gonzalez, Stevens, and Baird for their excellent leadership on this bipartisan legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to join in passing this bill. prgtoken , .
INLAND WATERS SECURITY REVIEW ACT
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-12-9

America is home to over 3 million miles of lakes, rivers, and streams, including more than 25,000 miles of navigable waters. prgtoken It is critically important that we have a complete picture of the security and criminal threats that inland waters face. H.R. 4402 would do just that. prgtoken , I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for introducing this legislation, and .
Introductory Statement on S. 2997
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-12-9

I am pleased to be introducing the Title VII Health Care Workforce Act of 2019 with Senator Enzi. This critical legislation would reauthorize funding for the Title VII health professions programs to help strengthen the distribution, quality, and diversity of the health professions workforce so it is better prepared to meet the Nation's evolving and emerging health care needs. prgtoken The Title VII health professions programs have a longstanding history of increasing the supply of primary care professionals, expanding access to care in rural and urban underserved areas, and developing a workforce that reflects the nation's diversity and the needs of patients. At a time when the Country is facing health provider shortages, it is critical that we continue to support the programs that advance our health care workforce, such as: scholarships for disadvantaged students, public health and preventive medicine, geriatrics training, area health education centers, oral health training, and primary care medicine. prgtoken These education and training programs guide current and aspiring health professionals to high-demand careers in areas of greatest need, and this legislation will take an important step in ensuring that these programs can continue to serve students and patients for years to come. I look forward to working with stakeholders supporting these efforts, including the American Association of Medical Colleges, as well as my colleague, Senator Enzi, to pass the Title VII Health Care Workforce Act of 2019, in addition to the bipartisan Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act I introduced with Senator Cassidy, as these bills proceed though the legislative process.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES AUTHORIZATION ACT
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-12-9

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time and for her outstanding service as a member of this august body. I would also like to thank my friend from Louisiana, my home State, for his outstanding presentation as it relates to this piece of legislation. prgtoken Seated next to the gentleman from Louisiana is our dear friend, who is cosponsoring this piece of legislation, Mr. Taylor I thank Mr. Taylor for all that he has done to bring this to fruition. And, of course, we could not do this without saying a word about the chairperson of the full committee, Mr. Thompson. I want to thank Mr. Thompson for not only bringing this legislation to my attention but, also, allowing it to get to the floor, such that we might have this opportunity for passage. prgtoken I would like to address immediately the concern that my friend raised about this piece of legislation not being perfect, and I confess that it isn't. I do think it is good legislation, but I want to allay any consternation that Members may have. prgtoken , I have already spoken to staff, and I have agreed that we should be flexible in trying to work to make sure that what we present to the Senate and what we ultimately get from the Senate will be something that we can all agree to. Just as we have been able to bring this to the floor with bipartisan support, I would like to see bicameral support and continue this bipartisan relationship. I think it is an imperative for us if we are going to do this in an effective way. prgtoken One thing to talk about very briefly, of course, is the subpoena power. I think this is a thing that some people are afraid might somehow be abused. I am concerned. I believe that this type of authority should be handled with the greatest degree of sensitivity. prgtoken , we pledge to you to do all that we can to make sure that, as we move forward, that level of sensitivity is something that we embrace in a holistic way so that all parties concerned will ultimately conclude that we have come up with the perfect formula to get this to the President for his signature. prgtoken I would like to say this, finally: This piece of legislation is something that I think is sorely needed. What it does is it will confer upon the CRCL officer the same authorities granted to DHS privacy officers. That same level of authority is something that I believe would be of great benefit to the Department and to the people that the Department will embrace by way of their services. prgtoken , I thank all of my friends and colleagues, and I am going to be as pithy as I can be and simply say ``amen'' to what has been said.
TRIBUTE TO JULLIANE FRAZIER
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-12-9

on Friday, December 31, 2019, Julliane Frazier, a lifelong resident of Maryland, will retire from Amtrak after an extraordinary 40 years of service. prgtoken Julie joined Amtrak in December 1980 when President Jimmy Carter was just leaving the White House and Ronald Reagan was about to be sworn in. In May of the following year, Amtrak celebrated its 10th anniversary. The number of current Amtrak employees with 40 or more years of service is fewer than 20; the number of retirees is not much more. Julie therefore joins a small but elite group of Amtrak employees who have been the founders and builders of America's passenger railroad. prgtoken Over the years, Julie has seen the growth and maturity of an organization whose existence was born of great uncertainty. For most of her career, she served as the senior executive assistant for the Government Affairs Department, serving and assisting the vice presidents who guided and managed Amtrak's relations with the Federal Government and with Congress. Amtrak's CEOs, who worked in their Union Station offices next door to government affairs, often relied on Julie as well because she was quick to complete assignments and was loyal to her colleagues in pursuit of Amtrak's important mission. While it would appear at first blush that the vice president of government affairs runs the office, it was clear to anyone who spent time there that Julie was really the one in charge. She is the consummate professional. prgtoken Julie has said that while she will miss the pace of work, she will miss the people she worked with most of all. Having spent 40 years in the organization and having celebrated good times while coping with hard times, Julie formed many close and deep friendships. She will be truly missed by all who worked with her, but her service will be appreciated for years to come. prgtoken I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Julliane Frazier for her service and wishing her many happy and healthy years in retirement with her husband Phil and her sons Zack, Max, and Austin.
VIRGINIA BEACH STRONG ACT
Terri A. Sewell (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2019-12-9

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in strong support of the Virginia Beach Strong Act, a bill authored by my friend and colleague from Virginia, Congresswoman Elaine Luria, to ensure that donations to the victims of the Virginia Beach shooting are tax deductible. prgtoken , the Virginia Beach community experienced unspeakable tragedy earlier this year when a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center resulted in the deaths of 12 people. prgtoken In the face of this terrible tragedy, leaders throughout the city came together and quickly established a fund to support victims, survivors, and their families. The outpouring of support from the community was profound, with over $4 million in donations to the fund. prgtoken , unfortunately, these donations are arguably not considered tax deductible charitable contributions because they are divided among specified individuals rather than an organization. A technical fix in the Tax Code would address this issue. This legislation before us today would fix this issue for the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund and ensure that these donations are tax deductible. prgtoken While nothing can reverse the pain of this terrible tragedy, the bipartisan, commonsense bill before us today is an important step toward helping the victims and their families and incentivizing further contributions to the fund. I am proud to stand with the Virginia Beach community in support of this legislation. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation, and .
TRIBAL COASTAL RESILIENCY ACT
Kathy Castor (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-12-10

. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Hawaii for yielding the time. prgtoken I rise today in support of the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act, H.R. 729. I also rise as a proud Floridian and as the chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Our select committee is tasked with developing a climate action plan in the coming months. prgtoken Communities across America are grappling with the rising costs of the climate crisis. Here in Congress, we are working to be good partners with our neighbors and communities back home and provide the tools they need to take care of America's diverse and vital coastal communities. prgtoken That is why, last month, I visited two of my colleagues in south Florida, Congresswoman Donna Shalala and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel- Powell--they are in the Florida Keys and Miami Beach--to see how their communities are responding to climate change. Here we are with Lad Akins of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. They are doing a lot, but we have to do more. prgtoken Across the Keys and Miami Beach, and all across this great country, local officials are taking bold action to adapt to sea level rise and make their communities more resilient, but they need our help. prgtoken That is why Congress must ramp up bold climate legislation, like this bill, which includes 10 separate measures to help coastal communities become more resilient. prgtoken One of these bills will create a grant program for coastal communities to create living shorelines. Another will expand the use of climate data, which is so vital to determining how we are going to mitigate and how we are going to adapt. prgtoken This Congress will continue to act on the climate crisis. Next spring, our select committee will release a bold climate action plan, which will serve as a roadmap for committees to take additional action. prgtoken But Chairman Grijalva and the Natural Resources Committee are ahead of the game, and I want to thank him and his committee members and professional staff for their deep commitment to America and the places we hold dear as we work to tackle the rising cost of climate.
MULLICA TOWNSHIP ACES PROGRAM
Jefferson Van Drew (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-12-10

today I want to acknowledge the Mullica Township ACES program, a school district initiative in south Jersey. It is an initiative started by Barbara Rheault that provides academic aid and enrichment to students after school hours. prgtoken The ACES program started in Mullica Township, south Jersey, 12 years ago thanks to grant funds for a 21st Century Community Learning Center from the New Jersey Department of Education. prgtoken This after-school program is vital to south Jersey because it provides after-school care to students that balances academic opportunities and recreational activities. At ACES, students have time to complete their homework and participate in sports or other games and activities, which cultivates both their academic and social development. prgtoken ACES also offers additional tutoring, counseling, and health-safety education so every student has access to whatever they need to achieve success. prgtoken I thank the ACES program, Barbara Rheault, and the Mullica Township School District for providing this educational experience for our youth. I am proud of them.
EXECUTIVE SESSION--Continued
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-12-10

I want to address some of the comments made by the chairman of the Banking Committee and start by saying that I have appreciated the conversations he and I have had on this legislation over the years. Let me just address some of the comments that were made. prgtoken One is to say that, currently, the CAATSA scheme is enough to deter future Russian interference in our elections. If that were true, you would not have had every single one of our intelligence agencies just a few weeks ago predict that Russia will interfere in our elections again, along with other foreign malign actors. prgtoken If the laws on the books could deter that interference, why did they predict just a few weeks ago that they are coming for us in the upcoming elections? prgtoken Second, this is not a partisan attack on President . This is a bipartisan bill. This bill not only has Senator Rubio as the chief author, coauthor of the legislation, there are a number of other and ic Senators on this bill as cosponsors. In fact, they are evenly matched on this legislation. prgtoken This has nothing to with President . In fact, this determination and this law would not even kick in until after the 2020 elections. I don't know who is going to be President then. This has nothing to do with President . This has to do with protecting our elections. Is it informed by what happened in 2016? You bet it is. We know--again, from all our intelligence committees and community agencies, every one of them headed by somebody nominated by President --that the Russians attacked us in 2016. A few weeks ago they said the same thing will happen in 2020, and that will happen especially if we don't raise the price. prgtoken The CAATSA legislation, as the Senator knows, was put in place by an overwhelming veto-proof vote in the U.S. Senate. It was required because the Russians interfered, but it was retrospective. So, yes, we punished some of the oligarchs who were close to Vladimir Putin, but that is not enough, clearly, to raise the price to Vladimir Putin from deterring him from doing it again. prgtoken Again, we just heard that from our own intelligence agencies. If you want to raise the price for future interference, you need to not just hit a few oligarchs, you need to let them know, some of those Russian Government banks are going to get hit; their energy sector is going to get hit. prgtoken By the way, there is actually more flexibility in this bill than I would like. As the chairman of the committee knows, the original bill Senator Rubio and I introduced did not have waiver authority for the President of the prgtoken United States. The version that is before us right now contains waiver authority for every single one of the sanctions if the President makes a national determination and says the waiver will not hurt our national security. prgtoken It has more flexibility than I would like because my view is yo
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ALAN BARRY WOLF
Tim Ryan (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-12-10

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life of Alan ``Big Al'' Wolf, originally of Malden, Massachusetts, who passed away on October 26, 2019 at the age of 86. Big Al's family would describe him as a simple man--not in a small way, but in a grand way. He was soft spoken, but you always heard him clearly. He said few words, but he always got his point across. Alan grew up in the Boston suburb of Malden, son to Joseph and Florence, and brother to his sister Barbara. The family had a house right on the beach near an amusement park and boardwalk. It was here where his family shared so many weekends, events, and summer barbecues. Alan worked in the family business at Wolf Syrup Corp. His family always took so much pride knowing their Dad's syrup was in the soda fountains at the local lunch counters and pharmacies they went to around Boston. Big Al was never a materialistic guy and only cared about a few things. He always had to drive a nice car--never flashy, but classy. His kids say he would brag about the Cadillac convertible that he drove around when he first started dating his wife, Dolly. He was similarly forever sharply dressed and always had to wear a nice tie, shoes buffed, and pocket square peeking out. The love Al had for his wife, Dolly, was indescribable. Dolly was his soulmate and their 66 years together was as Dolly would say, ``an experience of love and life.'' From the day they met when she was 15 years old, there was no one else for him. It is truly amazing how much he loved her. In his eyes she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he never stopped thinking that until the day he died. Coaching was a big thing for Al. He loved teaching the fundamentals of baseball and football and instilling a winning attitude. One thing that separated Al as a coach and person was that he would always look after the more disadvantaged kids. He felt that he could make a difference. Big Al loved his children and grandchildren. Alan, or Pappy as he was fondly called, was also known to give a few dollars each time he saw his grandchildren. His grandkids always knew that they had a friend and fan in Pappy Alan--and that he was always ready to offer a knuckle sandwich. Alan had many loves and many opinions, but above all, he loved his family. I am very blessed to be a great friend of his son, Robert. My deep condolences go out to Alan's family and to everyone whose lives he touched. We'll miss Alan.