mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING STEVEN M. DYL
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2020-11-17

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Mr. Steven Dyl in celebration of his decades of work as a father, Fire Chief, and leader in the Town of Kearny and the County of Hudson. I am proud to have such a dedicated and hardworking individual in the Ninth Congressional District of New Jersey. A lifelong resident of Kearny and a product of the Kearny school system, Steven Dyl dedicated his life to the safety and security of his hometown. prgtoken Steven's commitment to serve started at a very young age. With the gumption to hold regular meetings with then Mayor Henry Hill, Steven advocated for the establishment of an emergency rescue squad in the Town of Kearny, resulting in the creation of the Kearny Emergency Ambulance squad, an organization responsible for protecting tens of thousands of people. Furthermore, prior to his career in fire safety, Mr. Dyl worked for the McCabe Ambulance in Bayonne and as an EMT for University Hospital in Newark, formally beginning his career in public safety. prgtoken Appointed to the Kearny Fire Department (KFD) on October 6, 1984, Steven Dyl would start his thirty-five-year long career with the department. Rising through the ranks from Fire Captain, to Deputy Fire Chief and then Chief in 2007, Steven has a long history of hard work and commitment to reflect upon as he retires. Present for many of the department's greatest challenges such as the attack on 9/11 and the economic downturn in 2008, Steven's leadership would play a key role in many of the major initiatives enacted by the Kearny Fire Department. I know his guidance and strong force of character will be missed by everyone at the department. prgtoken Working closely with other members of his community, Steven has raised money for the people of Kearny and firefighters across New Jersey. While titles may come and go, Mr. Dyl displays the intrinsic qualities that make him a leader irrespective of the title he holds. Regardless of how Steven chooses to spend his retirement, I know he will remain a firefighter in spirit. Retirement means a transition into a new phase of life, and I have every confidence that Steven will make this new phase a wonderful, productive and exciting time. prgtoken As the representative for New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District, I have the great honor of representing the residents of Kearny in Congress and it gives me great pride to recognize one of their native sons who has spent his life serving the public. I can say with confidence that Steven is not only a good leader, but an incredible public servant--the kind who can be counted on both in good times and in bad times. prgtoken The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is rewarding, yet nothing compares to working with and recognizing the efforts of individuals like Mr. Dyl. prgtoken Madam , I ask that you join our colleagues, friends, family, and the residents of New Jersey in recognizing Steven Dyl for his outstanding work, as
VOTE EXPLANATION
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2020-11-17

I was necessarily absent, but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 225, on the Motion to Invoke Cloture on the nomination of James Ray Knepp II to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio. prgtoken I was necessarily absent, but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 226, on the Confirmation of James Ray Knepp II to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio.
COMBATING PANDEMIC SCAMS ACT OF 2020
Ann M. Kuster (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2020-11-17

I rise in support of H.R. 6435, the Combating Pandemic Scams Act of 2020. prgtoken , I was proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill with my colleague Buddy Carter in April, and I appreciate the support of our colleagues on the side of the aisle. I would like to take a moment to commend Buddy for his leadership on this important topic. prgtoken During these challenging times for our country, I have constantly been impressed by Americans' commitment to helping their neighbors pull through this crisis. Sadly, where many see an opportunity to lend a helping hand, others see a chance to make a quick buck. prgtoken Scammers have posed as medical researchers, offering opportunities to participate in clinical trials. They have attempted to sell nonexistent PPE. They have even tried to trick seniors into buying fake COVID-19 test kits. These shameful acts must not only be condemned, but Congress must take action to crack down on these scams and inform the American people of these devious efforts. prgtoken Our bipartisan legislation will help stop COVID scams by directing Federal agencies and departments to inform Americans about these criminal schemes so they can stay alert and keep themselves safe. By aggregating data and providing the public with information on mail, telemarketing, and robocall fraud schemes, Americans can defend themselves and their families. prgtoken , this bill is an important step forward, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Climate Change (Executive Session)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-11-17

it is timely that I should be giving my ``Time to Wake Up'' speech with the distinguished Senator from Louisiana presiding because I am going to be talking about sea level rise, and seeing him in the chair reminds me of a recent report on what sea level rise is doing to the great State of Louisiana, ``the sportsman's paradise,'' in which a scientist from Tulane University--a Tulane University geologist--was asked about the report about what the State had to look forward to from sea level rise, and he said: ``What it says is we're screwed.'' NOLA, the news website in New Orleans, in Louisiana, ran that headline. So I know the Senator is sympathetic to it. prgtoken But today, all eyes are on Georgia, which for the first time in generations voted for a ic Presidential candidate, and the two Senate races are headed for runoff elections, which will decide the balance of power in this body. prgtoken Georgians of every race and background turned out to reject the politics of fear and division that came from the White House for the last 4 years and to reject the disdain for facts and science that has cost Americans so much in battles like COVID and climate change. prgtoken Perhaps buried in the election outcome in Georgia was Georgia's knowing the threat of climate change. For people along Georgia's coast, climate change is no Chinese hoax; it is a clear and present danger. prgtoken In the spring of 2014, I took a climate trip along the coast of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. I met with scientists and students, outdoorsmen, faith leaders, and State and local officials, who cherish their coastal communities, as Louisianans do and as Rhode Islanders do. They saw the seas rising and acidifying due to carbon pollution. Georgians told me how deeply they care about their coast. That caring has powered them through some tough battles. They fought hard against fossil fuel development off Georgia's shores, and they won. prgtoken It is not hard to understand why Georgians fight for their coasts against fossil fuel pollution. Near Savannah, I visited Fort Pulaski and Tybee Island. NOAA has a tide gauge at Fort Pulaski. It has been measuring sea level since 1935. The tide gauge takes straightforward measurements--clear, irrefutable facts. That tide gauge showed sea levels up over 8 inches since it was installed. For low-lying areas, those 8 inches of sea level rise are a problem already, but it is going to get worse. prgtoken Climate change worsens coastal flooding in two ways. First, it raises the level of the sea as glaciers and ice sheets melt into the sea and as warmer oceans expand. Second, climate change powers up stronger and more frequent hurricanes, which send those higher seas as higher storm surges farther inland. So it is important to look at how far and how often sea level rise and storm surges will flood coastal areas. prgtoken This is the map of Georgia's coastal area around Savannah. Her
SUPPORT FOR H.R. 2466, THE STATE OPIOID RESPONSE GRANT AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2020 AND H.R. 2281, THE EASY MEDICATION ACCESS AND TREATMENT FOR OPIOID ADDICTION ACT
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-11-17

. Madam , I rise in support of H.R. 2466, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2020 and H.R. 2281, the Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act. I'm proud to have advanced these bipartisan bills through my Health Subcommittee and I'm pleased to support them on the Floor today. prgtoken According to the most recent CDC data, in 2018, 67,000 Americans died of a drug overdose. Overdoses in 2018 alone killed more Americans than the Vietnam War. This is a national crisis. prgtoken In 2016 Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act and CARA, and in 2018 the SUPPORT Act was signed into law to stem the tide of addiction and devastation that the opioid crisis has created. prgtoken Yet, despite our legislative efforts to increase access to medication-assisted treatment or MAT, according to a 2019 National Academies of Science report, more than 80 percent of the 2 million people with opioid use disorder are not receiving MAT and families prgtoken and children affected by the opioids crisis also are not receiving the care they need. prgtoken That's why it is so important to pass the Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act. The Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act requires the Drug Enforcement Agency to revise regulations to allow a practitioner to administer up to a three-day supply of narcotic drugs to an individual at one time for purposes of relieving acute withdrawal symptoms while the individual awaits arrangements for narcotic treatment. This will reduce unnecessary medical visits and increase access to a safe and important treatment. prgtoken H.R. 2466, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act authorizes $1.5 billion per year through grants to help states and tribal organizations build out their responses to the opioid crisis through provision of additional treatment beds, hiring the workforce necessary to expand treatment and recovery options, bridging gaps identified in systems of care, and supporting robust prevention campaigns. prgtoken These are common sense bills that will save lives and I urge all my colleagues to support these bills.
AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION REFORM AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-11-17

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise in support of H.R. 8408, the bipartisan Aircraft Certification Reform Accountability Act, today because a U.S. commercial airplane manufacturer and, candidly, the Federal Aviation Administration broke the public trust. 346 innocent people died on two Boeing 737 MAX airplanes in October 2018 and March 2019. prgtoken Despite the crashes, both Boeing and the FAA found that the certification of the 737 MAX was compliant with FAA regulations. It was compliant with regulations, yet 346 people died. I believe that that shows that there are problems with the regulatory system that need to be addressed. prgtoken Ranking Member Graves, Aviation Subcommittee Chair Larsen, Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Graves, and I actively worked on this bill over a number of months. I think I can speak for all of us when I say our intent is to ensure a U.S.-manufactured airplane never again crashes due to design issues or regulatory failures. prgtoken The Boeing 737 MAX has been grounded since the second crash, that of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 on March 10, 2019. This has been the longest grounding of a transport plane in the history of commercial aviation and will likely end this week when the FAA judges that Boeing's modifications to the deadly system that caused the crashes are sufficient. prgtoken The FAA and Boeing have spent the last 20 months doing what they should have done before the 737 MAX ever entered service, so consideration of this bill is timely. prgtoken There is a long litany of negligence, recklessness, corporate greed-- particularly at the executive level--and errors in the design and certification of the 737 MAX that culminated in the crashes of Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 and, ultimately, this legislation. prgtoken I am not going to go over all of the stunning acts and omissions within Boeing and the regulatory capture that prevented the FAA from detecting and correcting those acts and omissions because they have been laid bare in numerous reports since the accidents, including those of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which recently concluded the longest and most comprehensive investigation in the committee's history with a nearly 250-page report on the technical and regulatory failures in this story; the Joint Authorities Technical Review, a team of U.S. and international safety regulators who assessed the design and certification of the 737 MAX; the National Transportation Safety Board; a special committee convened by the Department of Transportation to evaluate the FAA's certification process with respect to the 737 MAX; the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee, which investigated the crash of Lion Air flight 610; and the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, which investigated the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302. prgtoken Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian flight 302 crashed, ultim
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-11-17

the United States surpassed 11 million COVID-19 cases this past week. This comes just 6 days after our Nation recorded 10 million cases--1 million added to the 10 million in 6 days--making it the fastest transmission of 1 million new cases since the pandemic began. Nearly a quarter of a million Americans have died. This runaway crisis is alarming, it is deadly, and it demands action. prgtoken The city of Chicago began a stay-at-home advisory to help encourage people to contain the virus in our communities. Across Illinois, more than 5,000 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19 each night for the past week. We have shattered new infection records nearly every day this month. Illinois has now experienced more than 597,000 cases, and we have sadly lost 10,875. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one. prgtoken In addition to trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe from the virus, Americans have also been struggling to deal with economic uncertainty, job loss, food insecurity, childcare--the list goes on and on and on. Here we are just days before Thanksgiving, and many of our neighbors are trying to pick the right day to go to the food bank so they can feed their families on this day of thanks. prgtoken Where is the sense of urgency on Capitol Hill when it comes to providing another round of economic impact payments, enhanced unemployment benefits, funding for the food stamps--the SNAP program? Our country is in desperate need of help, and they are counting on us. prgtoken You would think a crisis of this scale would be the first order of business for the -controlled Senate this week. Yet, while this pandemic continues to rage, too many s in Congress refuse to even come to the table to negotiate a comprehensive, bipartisan relief bill. There are those who will, and I commend them. It takes real courage. Instead, their leader, Senator McConnell, has scheduled votes this week on six barely qualified judicial nominees. The average age of this week's judicial nominees is 38. prgtoken You see, these are lifetime appointments. If you get somebody with the right answers to their political questions, then they will give you 20, 30, or more years while you have control of that court, and control of the court is more important, obviously, than coronavirus. prgtoken The youngest one of these nominees is Kathryn Mizelle. She is 33 years old. The American Bar Association took a look at her record and judged her ``not qualified.'' This is the 10th nominee for a lifetime appointment to the Federal court who has been judged ``not qualified'' by the American Bar Association. You might say: I am sure that happens. Well, it didn't happen at all in the 8 years of the Presidency. Not a single nominee who was judged ``unqualified'' was sent to Congress. prgtoken Another nominee, Stephen Vaden, who has been nominated for a lifetime position at the Co
IN RECOGNITION OF TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR BRIAN LOFTUS
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-11-17

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Brian Loftus and his years of distinguished service to Grosse Ile Township. His leadership and community impact are worthy of commendation. prgtoken In 2008, Brian Loftus became Grosse Ile Township Supervisor. In this position, Loftus has moderated the Board of Trustees, led the development of the township budget, overseen property assessment, and maintained township records. In addition, he has been a liaison to the Downtown Development Authority, served on the Elections Commission, and has appointed the members of a variety of other township commissions, among other tasks. Supervisor Loftus's leadership has come at a pivotal moment in our state's history. As communities across Michigan are grappling with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, Supervisor Loftus has remained committed to ensuring Grosse Ile Township continues to be a vibrant, diverse, and welcoming residential community for all. prgtoken Supervisor Brian Loftus's sense of dedication transcends Grosse Ile Township. Prior to serving Grosse Ile as township supervisor, Loftus served our nation in uniform. Loftus joined the Air Force in 1970 and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1974. He served on active duty as a pilot until being transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard in 1981, where he continued serving in several operation and staff duty positions until his retirement in September 2003. Over the course of 33 years of military service, Loftus has come to deeply understand the meaning of duty, sacrifice, and commitment to bettering one's community. Undoubtably, he applied these principles throughout his tenure as township supervisor. prgtoken In addition, Loftus has been an active member of several community organizations. He volunteers with the Grosse Ile Historical Society, Friends of the Detroit River, and the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Alliance, to name a few. Throughout all capacities, Loftus has been recognized as a humble and compassionate leader who strives to effect lasting change. He has been a strong voice for Grosse Ile Township and used his authority to bring the community together and positively impact the lives of countless residents. Loftus's impact will forever endure, and we are all grateful for his years of service to our community. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Township Supervisor Brian Loftus. We are proud to celebrate his work, accomplishments, and significant community impact. We thank him for his outstanding leadership and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF JAMES JENSEN
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2020-11-17

. Madam , I rise today to commemorate the life and career of James D. Jensen--a lawyer, assistant U.S. attorney, and a judge who resided for nearly two decades in our court systems. prgtoken Born in Denver, OH, Judge Jensen built an educational career as well as a professional career out of Ohio institutions. Graduating from Buchtel High School he pursued his bachelors at Wittenberg University then his law degree at the University of Toledo, where he later taught as a professor of law inspiring a new generation of public servants. prgtoken Jensen's career found its beginning in private practice and soon transformed into a public endeavor as an assistant U.S. attorney in Toledo, and in this position was appointed to senior litigation counsel. He then served a year at the Department of Justice as the assistant director for the attorney general Advocacy Institute, teaching courses at the institute prgtoken and at the FBI. After signing onto a firm for a span of his career he was appointed to a Common Pleas Bench in 1995 which propelled him to his eventual election onto the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals Bench in 2012 where he ended his career honorably. prgtoken His professional career was studded with honor and recognition of his valor and kind disposition. Just last month Judge Jensen was honored with the 2020 Thomas J. Moyer Award for Judicial Excellence, a high regard and an honor well deserved. prgtoken Judge Jensen exemplified passion in his legal tenure and is remembered by his peers as an authority on law like no other. He is remembered to have coined the phrase, ``I'd rather be right than affirmed''. These worded, often delivered in passing, reflect his sharpened deliberate demeanor on the courts and in his life. prgtoken Jensen's humility and joy in life were manifested with every court ruling, peer interaction, and opportunity to advocate for justice. He was commended for his quiet and intentional command of the court room, in delivering justice with a temperament that was even, consistent, and memorable. prgtoken Judge Jensen is survived by a loving family that continues his legacy of kindness and determined intelligence. His children, Tracy, Tammy, Tim, Dean, and Tyler look forward having a path of educational and professional achievement paved by their father. prgtoken Judge James Jensen's impact on the Toledo community as well our legal system as whole is nothing less than immeasurable. His memory and his stature will be remembered all, and especially those lucky enough to call him friend.
PANDEMIC EFFECTS ON HOME SAFETY AND TOURISM ACT
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-11-17

I thank the authors of this legislation, Representatives Cardenas and Davis. prgtoken As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens this winter, we must protect Americans who are spending more time in their homes. The pandemic has magnified risks associated with household consumer products. Children are particularly vulnerable, especially as parents are juggling their children while working from home. prgtoken Unsupervised children face greater risks from bikes, scooters, trampolines, and pools. Calls to the poison control centers for children ingesting hand sanitizer have increased this year as well. prgtoken This legislation will direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to study and report on injuries and deaths that are associated with consumer products during the pandemic. It will ensure Americans have up-to-date information about risks to safety as the pandemic continues. We will learn prgtoken about emergency safety threats more quickly so that action can actually be taken to protect consumers. prgtoken This legislation also deals with the issues that are being faced right now by the travel industry. This legislation directs the Department of Commerce to study and report to Congress on the impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism. prgtoken As Americans stay in their homes to protect themselves, travel and tourism have plummeted. The industry is an important part of our national economy, and over 15.7 million Americans work in the travel and tourism industries. These jobs are vital to many local communities. prgtoken The decline of travel and tourism has devastated many other parts of the economy. Live events, the arts, hotels, and restaurants have all felt the effect. We must understand the full impact of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry so that we can help the industry recover and come back strong.