mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Texas Church Mass Shooting (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-11-7

I come before this body a second day in a row to talk about an event that the Senator from Connecticut has been referring to that has shocked all of us. It has rattled us to the very core and shocked the conscience of the entire Nation. prgtoken I didn't get a chance to hear everything he said about this today, but I was encouraged to hear him make comments about fixing the background check system, which I think failed us terribly here, and it failed, of course, the 26 people who lost their lives and the 20 more who were injured in this terrible shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX, during a Sunday morning church service at First Baptist Church. prgtoken Of course, at times like these, we need to respect the right and the need of people to mourn and to grieve their loss and to express our solidarity with those families who were torn apart. One woman who has lived in Sutherland Springs for nearly 70 years described the community as a place where ``everybody knew everybody.'' She said that before Sunday, most people didn't even keep their doors locked because the town never experienced any significant crime. Well, now that has changed. prgtoken Sutherland Springs has suffered at the hands of a man whom initial reports have described as having a known history of violence, a man whose victims included his own grandmother-in-law as well as the visiting pastor of the church. No community finds it easy to deal with unexpected heartbreaking prgtoken losses like this, but the fact that this crime involved so many tightly knit friends and neighbors and occurred in a house of worship on a Sunday morning and harmed so many innocent children makes the task much harder. prgtoken As each new detail emerges from what is still an ongoing investigation, we need to study the whole puzzle and ask ourselves how this happened, why so many lives were lost, and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it. We know, for example, that the gunman was court-martialed by the Air Force and convicted of seriousness domestic abuse, fracturing the skull of his own son. Under the relevant Federal law, the Gun Control Act of 1968, this should have prohibited him from ever purchasing a gun in the first place, but we know it didn't in this instance. This critically important information from the suspect's criminal history was not uploaded into the relevant background check databases even though a Federal law clearly requires that it be done. prgtoken Finally and most troublingly, we know what happened next: Mr. Kelley unlawfully purchased four firearms after passing Federal background checks that did not turn up his Air Force convictions. Of course, the shooter lied on his paperwork. He was asked about these convictions-- that is part of the background check system--but because there was no record of it, he was able to lie his way into getting these firearms. This is very clearly a problem, and the Air Force has now admitted
TRIBUTE TO JOANI SLAWSON AND JAMES YAQUES
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-11-7

I often praise the talents and goodwill of Floridians across my home State, and today is no different. Ms. Joani Slawson, a music teacher at Saturn Elementary in Brevard County, and Mr. James Yaques, of Palm Beach Central High School, have been nominated for a Grammy award. Their passion for teaching coupled with their musical talent is rightly being recognized as they are both semifinalists for music educator of the year. prgtoken As the Grammy process continues, I, along with my fellow Floridians, will be rooting for Ms. Slawson and Mr. Yaques. I wish them, their respective schools, and their students all the best.
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2017-11-7

we are getting close to making tax relief for Americans a reality. Last week the House released its tax reform bill, and this week we expect the Senate Finance Committee to release our version. In the coming days, the tax committees in both Houses will review the bills, and then we will debate them on the floor and develop a final version. prgtoken After years of economic stagnation, Americans are ready for relief. They are ready to keep more of their hard-earned money. They are ready to finally see a real pay increase, and they are ready for access to more economic opportunity. That is what our tax reform bill is going to provide. prgtoken To start with, our bill is going to put more money in Americans' pockets by lowering their tax rates and doubling their standard deduction. Under our bill, a family making $24,000 a year or less will not be paying any taxes, and families making more than $24,000 a year will be paying significantly less than they are paying today. We are also going to help families by substantially increasing the child tax credit, and we are going to simplify and streamline the Tax Code so that it is easier for Americans to figure out what benefits they qualify for so they don't have to spend a lot of time and money filing their taxes. prgtoken But that is only the beginning. Americans don't just want to keep more of their hard-earned money. They also want to be making more of it, but Americans have had a hard time doing that lately. Wages have been stagnant for years, and new opportunities have been hard to find. prgtoken So in addition to reforming the individual side of the Tax Code, we are going to reform the business side so that we can give Americans access to the kinds of jobs, wages, and opportunities that will set them up for a secure future. In order for individual Americans to thrive economically, we need American businesses to thrive. prgtoken Thriving businesses create jobs, they provide opportunities, and they increase wages and invest in their workers. Right now, though, our Tax Code is not helping businesses thrive. Instead, it is strangling both large and small businesses with high tax rates. Small businesses are incredibly important for new job creation. They play a huge role in the economy in my home State of South Dakota and other States all across the country, but the high tax rates that too many small businesses currently face can make it difficult for them to even survive, much less thrive and expand their operations. prgtoken So we are going to lower taxes for small businesses so that they can grow and hire new workers. We are also going to allow small businesses to recover their capital invested in things like inventory and machinery more quickly, which will free up capital so they can use that to expand and create jobs. Right now it can take small businesses years, or in some cases even decades, to recover the cost of their investments in equipment a
SAVE LOCAL BUSINESS ACT
Francis Rooney (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-11-7

I thank Chairman Foxx and Subcommittee Chairman Byrne for bringing forth this important legislation, the Save Local Business Act. prgtoken Construction is a major employer in the U.S. economy, with over 6 million employees, 650,000 employers, creating over $1 trillion worth of construction every year. prgtoken Building a project involves a complex web of subcontractors, vendors, and consultants all working together in a spirit of teamwork to accomplish a difficult task. prgtoken I have been in this business for 40 years. The general contractor has to put control terms in its subcontracts and purchase orders to make sure that the subcontractors and vendors execute the work safely, on schedule, and in coordination with the other trades on the project. Lastly, they have to follow all the fitness-for-duty provisions to make sure that they pass drug tests and deal with smoking and health safety issues like that. prgtoken These requirements run right into this Browning-Ferris standard. There is no way that you could follow the literal words of those court cases and this horrible rule and not have the argument made to you that all these subs and vendors are part of a common enterprise. prgtoken Now employers, including myself and my employees, are left in a big quandary as to their status under Browning-Ferris, under the rule. I can see a scenario where a batch plant located clear across town from a construction project could have a hazardous waste problem. Because of this ridiculous rule, my job or someone else's job using that batch plant to supply concrete could be linked to them. How perverse is that? prgtoken So the Save Local Business Act will fix this abuse and be beneficial not only to the American economy, but to the safety and well-being of American workers. I urge my colleagues to support this practical fix to this egregious action, and I thank Chairman Byrne for introducing this legislation.
SAVE LOCAL BUSINESS ACT
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2017-11-7

I rise today in support of the bipartisan H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act, and the 1.7 million jobs it would save on enactment. prgtoken This common-sense legislation, which I cosponsored, restores the proper relationship which served small business owners for decades-- providing stability for employers and employees. prgtoken By enacting this legislation, small business owners in Northern Virginia can again exercise control over the operations of their business rather than dealing with additional legal complexity layered on by the National Labor Relations Board. prgtoken With all members' support for this legislation to help Main Street, Congress can correct the misdirected regulatory policies of the past which were overly harmful for business operators, restrictive on entrepreneurs, and resulted in increased cost's for consumers. prgtoken There are over 2,000 locally owned franchise businesses in my district. After hearing the concerns of many of them at Abrakadoodle headquarters in Sterling this past year, I am proud to stand up for these job creators and support this legislation today. prgtoken I will continue to advocate for policies which promote local ownership and control--and permit my constituents to strive for the American dream. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to do the same--support the rule and vote in favor of the underlying bill, H.R. 3441. prgtoken I commend the distinguished gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Byrne, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce for their work on this great bill.
RISK-BASED CREDIT EXAMINATION ACT
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-11-7

I thank the chairman of the Capital Markets, Securities, and Investments Subcommittee, my friend and colleague, Mr. Huizenga, for his support. prgtoken , first, I also wish to thank the ranking member and Congressman Foster for his support of this issue both in the 114th Congress and the 115th Congress. prgtoken H.R. 3911, the Risk-Based Credit Examination Act, makes the criteria required in annual reporting by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, or NRSROs, just that: risk based. prgtoken In 2008, the financial crisis taught us many lessons. It also highlighted how NRSROs regularly gave high ratings to mortgage-backed securities. As we now know, these mortgage-backed securities led to one of the largest financial collapses, which some economists have put on par with the Great Depression of the 1930s. prgtoken In 2010, with the passage of Dodd-Frank and in an attempt to prevent previous mistakes, these organizations were hit with new requirements aimed at enhancing their disclosures and transparency. Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all annual reporting requirements mandated under section 932 of Dodd-Frank placed unnecessary burdens and compliance costs on small NRSROs that were in no way the cause of the financial crisis. prgtoken Contrary to what some might believe, more regulation doesn't solve everything; in fact, it doesn't solve most things. prgtoken After the Office of Credit Ratings was created in 2012 and the new requirements were put into place, smaller NRSROs found it difficult to enter the marketplace. Ironically, the large credit rating agencies-- which, again, had a hand in the financial crisis--are getting bigger, driving out small credit rating agencies and making it clear that these new regulatory requirements missed their intended mark and placed unnecessary requirements on smaller NRSROs. prgtoken , a move to a risk-based model will alleviate the burden on small NRSROs and provide competition while continuing to maintain oversight and transparency over the industry. The marketplace needs this fix. As the chairman noted in a 2013 letter, SEC Chairman Mary Jo White concurred with these conclusions. prgtoken Let's be clear. This bill does not eliminate reporting requirements for credit rating agencies; instead, it simply makes the criteria required in annual reports risk based. Credit rating agencies will still be held accountable, while allowing real competition in the market. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support this legislation that is both bipartisan and commonsense, something we don't often see in Washington, D.C.
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-11-7

I don't know where to begin. I want to speak about the tax reform proposal but will start by responding to my colleague from Maryland--and he is a colleague and friend--to say that he must be talking about a different tax reform proposal than we are talking about because, frankly, so much of what he said is not consistent with the legislation that I have seen the House proposing and certainly not consistent with the legislation we are talking about here in the Senate. prgtoken Let me start with his claim that there is a $1.5 trillion tax cut for big corporations. That is simply not true. You can look at the House proposal because it is now out. You can see the fact that it does have tax relief, and it has tax relief targeted at middle-class families. He is right about the fact that it has a lower rate for our multinational businesses, but he also knows that our current system is absolutely broken, and what is occurring is precisely what he is suggesting might occur if we were to change the code, which is companies and jobs and investment are going overseas. prgtoken He talked about the fact that we haven't had hearings. Since I got elected to the Senate in 2010, we have had 70 hearings in the committee I serve on, which is the Finance Committee. I would encourage people to look at what we did 2 years ago. We set up five bipartisan task forces on tax reform. I cochaired one of them. It was actually on the very topic my colleague was talking about. prgtoken I would encourage him to look at the working group paper on international tax reform and the need for us to go to a lower rate--20 percent--to be competitive, to get just below the other industrialized countries, and then to have the opportunity to go to a new type of tax system that enables us to bring back the money that is locked out overseas. Unbelievably, there is $2.5 trillion to $3 trillion of earnings that are overseas. Much of that could be brought back, and that is what this tax proposal does. prgtoken Significantly, that report my colleagues will see was coauthored by two Members of this body, one and one , because all of these task forces, these working groups, were bipartisan. My colleague in that effort was a Senator from New York by the name of Chuck Schumer, who now happens to be the ic leader. prgtoken So I think there is a consensus, at least in the real world, about the fact that our current Tax Code is hopelessly broken and we have to fix it. And if you are against helping our companies to stay American companies, that must mean that you believe that they ought to become foreign companies, which is exactly what is happening. To me, it is an outrage that the U.S. Congress is allowing this to happen. prgtoken Ernst & Young, which is a public accounting firm, recently came out with a study showing that 4,700 companies that have become foreign companies over the past 13 years would still be American co
VETERAN URGENT ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTHCARE ACT
Mike Coffman (Republican, CO) \u2014 2017-11-7

as we approach Veterans Day, our Nation is still faced with the epidemic of veteran suicide. And while the VA has made it a priority to address this problem, there are still many combat veterans left without access to VA mental healthcare services. prgtoken Here is what we know. An average of 20 veterans commit suicide daily. VA evidence suggests a decrease in suicide risk among those who have received VA healthcare services. In May 2017, the Government Accountability Office found that 62 percent of the over 91,000 servicemembers who were separated for misconduct from 2011 to 2015 had been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or other conditions that would be associated with misconduct. prgtoken Of those veterans, 23 percent, or 13,282, received an other than honorable discharge, leaving them without access to VA's critical mental healthcare services. prgtoken As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I like to live by the rule that we never leave anyone behind. Unfortunately, the military routinely used the other than honorable discharge to rid itself of combat veterans who were designated as having disciplinary problems and who often had documented medical histories of PTSD, rather than providing them with the treatment and rehabilitation they so desperately needed. prgtoken While the correlation between their mental health condition and minor misconduct could be linked, this fact made no difference to their character of discharge. prgtoken , my legislation, H.R. 918, the Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act, seeks to correct this. Historically, a veteran with an other than honorable discharge has been able to seek VA care for a service-connected disability. However, due to the way these combat veterans were discharged and because of a failure to connect the dots between their minor misconduct and their mental health condition, the Department of Defense has failed to recognize this as a problem. prgtoken H.R. 918 will stay with tradition and correct this disconnect by authorizing mental healthcare services for these other than honorably discharged combat veterans. This bill also requires an initial mental health assessment and directs the VA Secretary to establish a formal character of service determination process to trigger reviews of their discharges for potential eligibility for VA benefits. prgtoken , before the rate of veteran suicides increases any more, it is time to right this wrong and permanently authorize mental healthcare services for some of our Nation's most vulnerable veterans. When someone puts on the uniform, they take an oath to defend our freedoms. We, in turn, as a nation, promise to make sure they receive the care and the services they need after returning from the battlefield. prgtoken As we approach Veterans Day, I encourage my colleagues to keep that promise for these combat veterans with other than honorable discharges and to prgtoken support the passage of H.R. 918. I thank Chairman Roe a
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-11-7

I rise today in adamant support of the rule and, in particular, of H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act. prgtoken Let me say for my good friend from Massachusetts, you know, the amendments that he is referring to that have been rejected, they have been rejected because they are against small business and they are for Big Government, which American voters have rejected and will continue to reject. prgtoken It may be cliche to say that small and local businesses are the backbone of our economy, but, at the end of the day, there is no denying that statement. Small businesses truly are the engine that keep our economy moving, and when they suffer, our whole economy suffers. prgtoken Just take the last 8 years with the minimal growth that we have had. Since 2015, when the National Labor Relations Board adopted an expanded definition of the joint employers standard, upending decades of precedent and redefining who an employer is, there has been much confusion and ambiguity. For example, since then, there have been over 65,000 letters sent to Congress expressing confusion and asking for clarity in the aftermath of this rule. prgtoken This is unacceptable. Locally owned franchises are America's unseen small businesses, and in my district alone, the Fifth District of South Carolina, there are roughly 2,000 establishments that provide over 15,000 jobs with an economic output of over $1 billion. prgtoken Small business development, economic growth, and entrepreneurs will continue to be hurt by the National Labor Relations Board's excessive broad definition of the term ``joint employer.'' Until Congress finds a concrete solution with this piece of legislation, it will continue to do so. prgtoken This bill, , provides clarity for small and local businesses as to what it means to be a joint employer, restoring necessary clarity for employers and employees alike. prgtoken I strongly encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill helping small businesses all across the Nation, and I congratulate the Congressman from Alabama for proposing this bill.
TAX REFORM
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-11-7

on another matter, our complex Tax Code is in desperate need of reform, and we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul it. We all want an economy that reaches for its full potential again. We all want to support small businesses and the middle class. Tax reform represents the single most important action we can take today to advance goals such as these. prgtoken I have heard from many Kentuckians calling out for relief from our outdated and burdensome Tax Code. Listen to this small business owner from Murray, KY, who wrote to my office about his struggles under our current Tax Code. This is what he said: I am writing to stress the importance of tax reform for small businesses. As a small business owner, I have been saddle[d] with tax burdens since I began my business over 8 years ago. Tax reform for small business and families need[s] to be done immediately [so] we can have some economic hope once again. prgtoken Small businesses just like this one are calling out for relief. So are families. So are middle-class workers all across our country. Instead of better opportunities, our Tax Code gives them a complicated web of schedules, deductions, and regulations, a byzantine system that is easy for the wealthy and well-connected to exploit and impossible for almost anyone else to understand. It is time for a system that actually helps the middle class succeed and actually encourages small businesses to grow, invest, and hire. prgtoken We want to help families plan for their future. We want to get the economy going again and growing again. Most of all, we want to take more money out of Washington's pockets and put more money in the pockets of the middle class. To accomplish these goals, both the House and the Senate are continuing to move forward to deliver tax reform. Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee completed its first day of discussing the House legislative proposal unveiled last week. That bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, builds upon the unified tax reform framework and reflects goals shared by President , s in the House, and our conference here in the Senate--priorities shared by Americans of both parties all across our country. prgtoken Later this morning, a group of Senators, administration officials, and tax reform advocates will highlight the benefits of relief for families, small businesses, and the American economy. They will share their constituents' calls for tax reform. prgtoken As they do, the Senate Finance Committee will continue its work on this important issue as well. Chairman Hatch will continue to lead the committee through an open process, giving members the opportunity to provide their input, offer amendments, and work together to take another big step forward. prgtoken I am grateful for the work of both Chairman Brady and Chairman Hatch to get us to this point. We still have a lot of work to do,