mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2023-3-8

across the country, people are experiencing the ramifications and women are feeling the pain of Roe v. Wade being overturned and having lost fundamental rights and freedoms overnight. prgtoken In my home State of Wisconsin, women are living with dire, real-life consequences. Two constituents, Erica and Scott, have been trying to get pregnant for years--something many Americans can relate to--and, finally, they were successful. prgtoken But 13 weeks into her pregnancy, Erica learned the heartbreaking news that the fetus had a rare condition that caused the skull not to fully develop and the fetus could not survive--an absolute nightmare for expecting parents. prgtoken Instead of being able to get immediate care and mourn their loss, Erica and Scott had to figure out the logistics of how to get the healthcare they needed--an abortion--out of State. Let me say that again. Expecting parents learned that they lost the baby they had tried years to conceive, and instead of being able to mourn their loss, they had to navigate a complicated legal and medical landscape and play travel agent. prgtoken They had a challenge even to get somebody on the phone and struggled to find an appointment sooner than 2 to 3 weeks out. In the end, Erica was forced to stay pregnant for a week with a fetus that she knew could not survive. prgtoken She said: Every day I was still pregnant was just an ongoing reminder of our loss. prgtoken Sadly, Erica is not alone. One Wisconsin woman bled for more than 10 days from an incomplete miscarriage after emergency room staff said they would not treat her. Another, whose water broke at 17 weeks, was sent home without the abortion care she needed, only to return 2 days later with a life-threatening infection. prgtoken All of this is because Wisconsinites have really been sent back to the year 1849. What do I mean by that? In 1849, Wisconsin's 1-year-old legislature banned abortion, making it a felony to provide abortion care in almost all circumstances. At the time of the vote, exactly zero women were present to debate that misguided law, let alone vote for or against it. In fact, it would be 70 years before women even had the right to vote. prgtoken Yet, 174 years later, an activist Supreme Court ripped away the constitutional rights of millions of Americans, and, last year, this abortion ban in Wisconsin that predates the Civil War went back into effect, denying hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites the right and freedom to control their bodies. prgtoken This archaic law has doctors and medical professionals afraid to administer the lifesaving care they are trained to provide for fear that they might be prosecuted. In fact, lawyers are now deciding what care can and cannot be provided. This law is leaving women with no good options and wondering how, in 2023, they could have found themselves in a position with fewer rights than their mothers and their grandmothers. <
PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Mr. Chair, I just want to echo the very important point you just made. We have a sequence of trivial amendments that have been added by the majority, and they refuse to consider what I think is the central amendment that this legislation would need in order for it not to be an utter disaster for America if this legislation were to pass. prgtoken Now, they concede implicitly by their legislation that there is a problem with saying we are not going to allow any government officials to get in touch with the social media, because they create an exception for certain things: for child pornography, for human trafficking, and for drug dealing. And I agree with all of those. But are those more important and more grave than the national security interests of the United States itself? prgtoken What about assaults on our elections, which go right to the heart of national security? What about assaults on our energy security structure? What about assaults on our power structure? Not only do they not build that into their bill; they will not even allow us to put it on the floor for an open vote among all of our colleagues in Congress. prgtoken Why won't they do that? Well, because if there is a national security exception to their Putin protection act, at that point, the exception swallows the rule, because the rule is let's let Putin and Xi and every autocrat, theocrat, and dictator on Earth run amuck on our social media and not allow our government officials to say anything about it. That is the effect of this legislation. prgtoken I thank Mr. Goldman for yielding.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2023-3-8

I am pleased to be on the floor today with my colleagues expressing my strong support for protecting women's access to basic healthcare and reproductive rights. prgtoken Since the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs, we have seen our worst fears realized. A wave of abortion bans have been passed by State legislatures and signed by Governors. These bans put at risk, as we have heard so eloquently from those who have spoken, the health of women across this country. prgtoken We have to look no further than my home State of New Hampshire, where our Governor has ensured that women are banned from accessing an abortion after 24 weeks. Our doctors face jail time for helping women access an abortion. Our family planning providers can't make ends meet because elected officials continually block access to Federal and State funding that is vital to ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to care. That care includes basic reproductive education, breast cancer screenings, and sexually transmitted disease treatment--all of which are at risk because those family planning clinics are in financial difficulty because the legislature and the Governor continue to deny them funding. prgtoken Just today, representatives in New Hampshire's State Legislature are considering new abortion bans--bans that are so early that most women don't even know they are pregnant. These bans don't include exceptions even for rape or incest. prgtoken The Women's Health Protection Act ensures that a woman's access to care is not unnecessarily restricted by where she lives. I want to thank Senators Baldwin and Blumenthal, Senator Murray, and so many others who have been such strong supporters over the years for their leadership in drafting this legislation. prgtoken I know you know, , and certainly all women know that one of the most important personal decisions a woman faces in her lifetime is if and when to start a family. That decision should be made by a woman with her family, with her medical provider, and with whomever else she wants to include in that decision, but it should not be made for her by her State representative, by her Governor, by a Member of Congress, by her President, and certainly not by any unelected jurist. That decision belongs to a woman and a woman alone. It is time for us to restore that right to women all across this country. prgtoken .
PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-3-8

. This bill does not deal with free speech. This bill is a gotcha bill, and I ask my friends if we can, in a coordinated manner, discuss some of the important issues of the day that really need addressing. prgtoken I know that we will do the debt ceiling in months to come, but I would argue that we should protect the First Amendment, give everybody a right to freedom of speech and freedom of what they hear. prgtoken If they would join me on that, I would welcome their support in what true free speech is. We can hear, and we can speak. That is important.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2023-3-8

I have had the opportunity now to listen to all of my colleagues as they rightfully come to the floor here to, really, talk about the erosion of women's rights in this country by the far-right extreme. prgtoken I have to thank Senators Baldwin and Blumenthal and so many of my colleagues--Senator Murray and so many--who have been on the forefront of protecting women's rights and freedoms. prgtoken Let's not mistake this. This is about women's freedom. That is what this is about. It has been less than a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and it has been a dark time for women in America since then, because, by dismissing 50 years of precedent that protected women's freedom, the Supreme Court emboldened far-right s to go after women's rights in increasingly extreme ways. One of the first things some of these leaders did in Congress after the Dobbs decision was to work on legislation to ban abortion nationwide. Until they can pass that legislation denying States their ability to keep abortion legal, they will continue their attacks on reproductive freedoms and make it as difficult as possible for women to access essential reproductive healthcare. prgtoken In Texas, Arizona, Wisconsin, and other States with strict abortion bans, doctors who provide women with reproductive care could be prosecuted, heavily fined, or imprisoned--and in some cases, all three. These States have threatened to revoke providers' medical licenses, putting their politics over what is best for patient health. prgtoken For women, confusion and fear over abortion bans have led to denied access to necessary and potentially lifesaving reproductive care. Imagine the distress, the burden these women and their families carry. Pregnancy decisions are deeply personal. It is not a legal debate up for discussion in the courts. prgtoken We must do everything we can to ensure that women have the tools they need so they can decide what is best for their lives, for their health, and for their families. prgtoken Since the Court overturned Roe, women have begun traveling, as you have heard today, to pro-choice States like Nevada for the abortion care they need, but that is not enough because anti-choice policymakers are working on ways to take that freedom away. States' rights aren't enough. prgtoken Their latest attack on women's rights is through a lawsuit to restrict nationwide access to the abortion pill, even for women in States where medication abortion is one of the few legal options left. prgtoken Extremist s' war on reproductive freedom didn't stop with overturning Roe, it didn't stop with punishing doctors, and it won't stop with going after medication abortion. prgtoken Let's get one thing clear: For the far right, this is about controlling women. prgtoken I trust women, and so do a majority of Americans, including Nevadans. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe women should have the right
PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT
Daniel S. Goldman (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Mr. Chair, such time as I may consume. prgtoken Mr. Chair, part of the problem with having a redundant amendment on the floor is that there were so many important amendments that the offered that were not even allowed to come to the floor, notwithstanding the purported open rules that s have been so proudly championing this Congress. prgtoken One of those amendments would have included in the category of exceptions to this unnecessary bill coordinating between law enforcement and social media companies about neo-Nazis inciting anti- Semitic violence on social media. That amendment was offered in the committee and was unanimously rejected by my colleagues, who apparently believe that neo-Nazis should incite violence against Jews unchecked and unfettered on social media. prgtoken Unfortunately, that amendment was also offered and rejected at the Rules Committee last night, and so, therefore, we don't have it here to argue about, and we will not be able to vote about it on the floor. Instead, we are voting on this redundant, unnecessary, and confusing amendment that does nothing to meaningfully change this bill but, instead, is an opportunity to rail against union workers. prgtoken For that, , I oppose this amendment, and .
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-3-8

last year, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I convened a bipartisan hearing on carjacking. It was the first-ever Judiciary Committee hearing on the subject. We heard from experts in law enforcement and the automobile industry. And since then, I have been working with Senator Chuck Grassley, from Iowa, on a bill we are going to introduce soon on the subject. prgtoken The Senator from Arkansas is a member of the Committee on the Judiciary. He did not attend our hearing, and he has never raised this issue with me. In fact, he introduced the bill we are considering at this moment yesterday. prgtoken Why now? Well, he is very open when he said on the floor and what he said in his press release. Later this afternoon, there will be a vote on the DC Criminal Code. One of the issues is carjacking. He is trying to hitch a ride on this train in terms of the discussion of the penalties for crime. It is no coincidence. prgtoken Senator Cotton has brought this bill to the floor because, today, we are voting on that resolution. The opponents of the resolution have focused on the bill's new sentence for carjacking, reducing the penalty from 40 years to 24, and ignored the fact that the resolution increases sentences for a host of other violent offenses and goes after crime guns--a source of gun crimes in many cities, including Washington and those I represent. prgtoken Don't take my word for it. The Senator's own press release explicitly links his new bill to today's vote. The Senator knows this bill is not going to pass today. He wants a to object so he can falsely claim we don't care about carjacking. prgtoken The reality is that the Senator's bill would not help prevent carjacking, and it would make our Federal prisons less safe. prgtoken Let me explain. The Senator from Arkansas' bill is called No Early Release for Carjackers Act. Catchy title. But it fails to recognize one basic fact: Carjackers cannot get early release from the Federal system. Like every other Federal sentence, it is measured in years. Carjacking sentences have a full-term release date and a good conduct release date. If you go to Federal prison, you earn 54 days a year of good conduct credit if you follow the rules. If you break the rules, they take away your good conduct time. That has been the standard in the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which abolished Federal parole. prgtoken Every Federal judge knows about good conduct time when they impose a sentence. Earning good conduct time isn't getting released early. It is getting released when you really expected to, so long as you behave and follow the rules. prgtoken I made it a point of visiting prisons regularly as a Member of Congress and Member of the U.S. Senate. I recommend it to all my colleagues. We spend a lot of time talking about criminal sentencing and criminals themselves and very little time actually visiting prisons to see what life is like
IRAN STUDENT POISONINGS
Katie Porter (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-3-8

schools aren't battle zones, but Iranian students are caught in the crossfire. prgtoken In recent months, a chain of chemical attacks have hit Iran's schools. Although the motive is unclear, girls and young women have been the clear target. Hundreds of schoolgirls have been poisoned, and an 11-year-old was killed. prgtoken As a mother, I share the anger and frustration of every parent too fearful to send their kids to class. prgtoken Iranians deserve answers and accountability, but their government remains silent. The regime cares more about covering up these attacks than stopping them. Iranian authorities have falsified medical reports and spread disinformation. They have even intimidated parents of victims to keep their stories from the press. prgtoken I stand with these parents demanding a full investigation and a quick end to these attacks. The United States must stand with them and every Iranian demanding a future free of violence.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2023-3-8

I appreciate the words of the Senator from Alabama and his conviction. I will say he said I am mistaken on the facts. prgtoken I think one thing you didn't hear was any dispute at all that this is the first time in American history that a U.S. Senator has held up the promotion of flag officers--the first time. It is the first time in American history that any of the more than 2,000 people that have served in this body--but less than 3,000 people--have seen fit to hold up the promotions of people at DOD. That is not a fact that is in dispute, , as we sit here today on the floor. prgtoken You know, I have spent a lot of time when I come down to this floor-- and I am on the floor listening to people's speeches, or I am thinking about my own--thinking about the history of America. And broadly speaking--it has not always been true at every moment or at every juncture--but broadly speaking, the American story has been a story of expanding freedoms and expanding opportunity for the American people. It is the story of one generation after another putting their shoulder to the wheel to make our country more democratic, more fair, and more free. prgtoken It can be easy, when you are on this floor, to think about those victories as ancient history, as old as the marble in this Chamber. But it was only 100 years ago, our grandmothers' generation--our grandmothers' generation--when women in America didn't have the right to vote. That is just 100 years ago. It took 100 years for the people that were fighting for women to have the self-evident right to vote to vote, and they didn't get it until 100 years after they fought. And it was only 100 years ago that they got it. prgtoken It was only when I was born in the middle of the 1960s that we attempted, finally--finally--after the Civil War in the United States, after Reconstruction and then the redemption that came after that, after the Jim Crow prgtoken laws and the redlining that had happened in the United States of America--it was only after that that we finally tried to secure the rights of African-American citizens to vote, a promise that had been made after the Civil War was over and never fulfilled. I would argue it hasn't been fulfilled to this day. prgtoken By the way, when I was born in 1964--I was at the African American Museum the day before I got sworn into this body, this time with my family, and I said to one of my nephews--we were walking through the slavery exhibit--I said, I was born in 1964, which, to him, admittedly, that seemed like ancient history. But the year I was born was just 100 years since the people in this country still enslaved human beings. Just two short lifetimes divided when I was born from when we still enslaved human beings. prgtoken It was even more recent in our country's history--just 50 years ago, --before we secured the constitutional right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade, putting an end to
HONORING THE 100 YEAR HISTORY OF CURWOOD CASTLE
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2023-3-8

today I rise to pay tribute to a full century since the construction of a legendary landmark on the banks of prgtoken the Shiawassee River in Michigan's 7th Congressional district, which today is known as Curwood Castle. It was March 14, 1923 when the great American author James Oliver Curwood broke ground on an impressive structure to serve as his writing studio. While Owosso, Michigan may not be the first place you'd expect to find a replica of a French chateau, I am so thankful Mr. Curwood felt most inspired by his beloved boyhood home and chose to build his beautiful treasure there. prgtoken At the time, Curwood was one of the most popular authors in the world, having just published his 24th novel, with dozens of Hollywood movies based on his stories. His best-selling adventure and wilderness stories were largely molded by his travels in Canada, the Hudson Bay area, the Yukon, and Alaska. But after a tour of Europe the author came home, inspired to write a different tale by building a castle similar to the ones he'd seen in the French countryside. prgtoken As a father of three children, Curwood longed for a quiet place where he could write and host guests. His mother sold him the piece of land next to his childhood home for one dollar, and with the help of Lansing architect Harold Child, Curwood designed a glistening yellow Norman- style chateau and adorned the facade of the building with rocks as a tribute to the piles of rocks he and his brother had made as children. Unfortunately, Curwood died just four years after his masterpiece was completed, but the building lives on as a testament to his creativity and love of adventure. prgtoken In addition to his prolific writing career, Curwood was a passionate environmentalist and served on the Michigan Conservation Commission. It's not surprising then that he wished for this beautiful building to have new life after his passing, and that he bestowed the castle to the city of Owosso in his will. Over the years, the castle served as a youth center and even housed the Owosso Public Schools Board of Education, but since 1970 it has been open to the public as a museum highlighting the career and legacy of James Oliver Curwood. Every year in early June, this beautiful castle serves as the center of Owosso's Curwood Festival, drawing thousands of visitors to this small community in mid-Michigan to celebrate the life and works of its cherished son, in the place he created. prgtoken In it's 100 year history, Curwood Castle has been many things: a writer's retreat; a Hollywood office; and the site of fabulous parties. Today it stands as a singular architectural treasure, the legacy of a remarkable life and a reminder of glorious days gone by. It has been inscribed in the National Register of Historic Places, and only fitting that I recognize its significance here today. Long may this Michigan castle stand.