mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
INTRODUCTION OF THE DEMOCRACY RESTORATION ACT OF 2018
Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-7-26

today I am pleased to introduce the Democracy Restoration Act of 2018. This legislation will serve to clarify and, in some cases, expand the voting rights of people with felony convictions, the next logical step in restoring their full participation in civic life. prgtoken The United States remains one of the world's strictest nations when it comes to denying the right to vote to citizens convicted of crimes. An estimated 6.1 million citizens are ineligible to vote in federal elections due to their status as ex-offenders. More than four and a half million of these disqualified voters are not in prison, but are on probation, parole, or have completed their sentence. Due to differences in state laws and rates of criminal punishment, states vary widely in the practice of disenfranchisement, demonstrating a critical federal interest for uniform standards. prgtoken Clarification of the law on restoration of ex-offender voting rights is a critical next step in criminal justice reform. In 2007, President signed the Second Chance Act into law, signaling a bipartisan awareness of the importance of enacting policies that assist in the reintegration of ex-offenders into their communities. Recent public opinion research has also shown that a significant majority of Americans favor voting rights for people on probation or parole, who are currently supervised in their communities, as well as for individuals who have completed their sentences. This legislation both captures the bipartisan spirit of the administration and is consistent with evolving public opinion on rehabilitation of ex- offenders. prgtoken From a constitutional basis, the Democracy Restoration Act is a narrowly crafted effort to expand voting rights for people with felony convictions, while protecting state prerogatives to generally establish voting qualifications. The legislation would only apply to persons who are not in prison, and would only apply to federal elections. As such, our bill is fully consistent with constitutional requirements established by the Supreme Court in a series of decisions upholding federal voting rights laws. prgtoken Since this legislation was first introduced in 2008, the Sentencing Project reports 27 states have amended felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility. These reforms have resulted in an estimated more than 800,000 citizens regaining their voting rights. Yet, despite these reforms, the overall rate of ex-offender disenfranchisement has not abated and continues to have a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Many of the state reforms still rely on lengthy waiting periods or clemency and several feature burdensome procedural hurdles that have proven difficult to navigate for persons seeking to restore their voting rights. As a result, approximately 50 percent of the entire disenfranchised population is clustered in 12
CONGRESS FOR DUMMIES
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-7-26

. Ah, so what that means is Congress could actually subpoena the translator who was in the private 2-hour meeting between the President and Vladimir Putin of which Americans have no idea what was discussed. prgtoken Let me give an example of why that is bad for our country. Recently, the Russians attacked a U.S. general. Congressman Gallego and I both served on Active Duty in the military, and they are criticizing this U.S. general for allegedly not doing something that was discussed in that private, 2-hour meeting. It is certainly possible the U.S. general was wrong. It is also possible the Russians were making stuff up. We have no idea. prgtoken Congress needs to exercise its proper oversight authority so we understand what is happening between the United States and the Kremlin.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2018-7-26

I rise again to read letters from West Virginians about the concerns and fears they have over the ongoing lawsuit being led by 20 U.S. attorneys general, including West Virginia's own attorney general, that threatens to once again allow insurance companies to deny coverage to West Virginians with preexisting conditions. prgtoken In my State, 800,000 West Virginians, including 90,600 children, have a preexisting condition. Let me go over some of the things that qualify as a preexisting condition and insurance companies can rate you on: organ transplant, anxiety, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, epilepsy, anemia, depression, lupus, obsessive compulsive disorder, pregnancy, anorexia, diabetes, kidney disease, sleep apnea, obesity, bipolar disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, bulimia, asthma, and tuberculosis. prgtoken I have always said that our Nation's current healthcare system is in need of repair, but every West Virginian deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare, and I am very concerned that our country is at risk of moving backward instead of forward. prgtoken When people ask why I voted against repealing the healthcare law, I always say that it is because we need to make sure that those with preexisting conditions don't go bankrupt paying for basic healthcare. prgtoken What is happening today is an unfortunate political move. The only reason this lawsuit is moving forward is because they have failed to repeal the law through this process here in the Senate. Congress has voted more than 50 times to repeal, and it has not passed. So what you are telling us loud and clear is to fix it, repair it. It can be fixed and made better for everybody. prgtoken What makes this worse is that we do have this bipartisan compromise led by Senator Lamar Alexander, a from Tennessee, and Senator Patty Murray, a from the State of Washington, with 12 s and 12 . I am proud to say that I am one them. prgtoken This bill includes important steps that will help to reduce healthcare costs for West Virginia families, and this agreement shows what is possible when we put people before politics. Shame on us for not voting on that. prgtoken This is impacting real people. Last week I asked West Virginians to share their stories with me, and my office has been flooded with stories. I am going to share just a few of these stories with you today. prgtoken This is Whitney from Morgantown, WV: Dear Senator Manchin, Please protect our pre-existing conditions. In August 2016, my then 15 year old child suffered a stroke as a result of a brain AVM. He had to have emergency brain surgery which left him in a medically induced coma for several months. When he woke up, he was unable to walk or talk. He had to have continuous medical care including expen
HONORING BOY SCOUT TROOP 221
Val Butler Demings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-7-26

today I rise to honor Boy Scout Troop 221 of Apopka, Florida. They truly exemplify of the Scout values of duty, service, character, leadership, and self-reliance. prgtoken Last year, they led the Central Florida Council in community service. Together, they volunteered over 4,000 hours of their time. One project was a memorial to the victims of the September 11th attacks created by Eagle Scout Christian Lamphere in honor of the first responders who died in the attacks. prgtoken Christian wanted his community to know the risks that our first responders take every day. For that project, Christian won the Central Florida Eagle Scout Project of the Year. prgtoken This week, I had the honor to meet with Troop 221 here in Washington. I am proud of all of our Scouts, thankful for all they do for the community, and I can't wait to see what they do next.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2018-7-26

I want to briefly add my personal thanks to the Senators from Wyoming and Pennsylvania, who just spoke. Their work on getting this bipartisan solution to the Perkins CTE reauthorization is nothing short of admirable. I have worked with the Senator from Florida, Mr. Rubio, for 7 years on an education demonstration program called the American Dream Accounts. Both of these terrific Senators were gracious in including it in this bill. prgtoken This is a bill that is going to make possible programs all over this country that will smooth and clear the pathway toward meaningful employment for young Americans. I wish more people knew about this kind of work, this kind of effort that these two Senators have made to move forward the sort of bipartisan, responsible solutions to the real problems facing Americans, which we need, and I just wanted to take one moment and thank them both for their tireless work to achieve this good result today. prgtoken . prgtoken .
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2018-7-26

over the years I have been on the Senate floor many times bringing up the challenges of rural America, whether it is delivering quality healthcare or investing in vital infrastructure that supports our businesses or connecting our schools to the 21st century. I have worked hard to make sure that rural States like Montana have a voice in the Senate. prgtoken That is why I am so frustrated by the recent comments made by National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro. Mr. Navarro last week characterized the economic uncertainty that tariffs are causing to the American farmer and rancher as nothing more than a ``rounding error.'' prgtoken Mr. Navarro has an important position. He is a trade adviser, and he is a strategist for the President of the United States. He believes the tariffs that are harming Montana producers equate to nothing more than a ``rounding error.'' This statement is inaccurate, it is insulting, and it is dismissive of rural America. If Mr. Navarro truly believes that his comments are true, he has a lot to learn about what is going on across this country. prgtoken I am willing to bet that he hasn't been to a farm, a ranch, a stockyard, or a grain elevator facility recently--maybe ever--and I am sure he hasn't picked rock in North Central Montana. I don't think he would call the administration's trade war a ``rounding error'' if he met with Montana's homebuilders, construction workers, small business owners, farmers, and ranchers, prgtoken who are being squeezed by the rise of the cost of doing business now because of these tariffs. prgtoken I urge Mr. Navarro to leave the swamp, and come to Billings, Fort Benton, or Dutton, MT, and get an accurate perspective of how these tariffs are impacting family farms, ranches, and businesses across my great State. If he or anyone else in Washington were to speak with the folks who are most impacted by their trade policies, here is what they will hear. In ag country, they will say: Do you know what? Our commodity prices weren't that cherry to begin with, and now we are seeing them drop even more. We are seeing our input costs go up. prgtoken The head of the Montana grain growers, a lady by the name of Michelle Erickson Jones, testified recently that they didn't buy a grain bin. A grain bin is a facility that is made out of steel that stores grain. The costs went up on that very simple structure by 20 percent over the last year. prgtoken Forterra, in Billings, MT, builds bridges and has seen bridge component structures such as I-beams and rebar go up double digits just recently. In fact, in Missoula, MT, where they are building a new library to export information out of--a very good thing for that community, and for any community, as far as that goes--they passed a bond issue. Their costs went up more than $700,000 just because of the increased cost of steel. Those are the input costs. prgtoken We have been working for generations and generations
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 5515, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-7-26

the military burns their trash, including computers, plastic, and medical waste, in open-air burn pits, creating smoke with toxic chemicals like metals and carcinogens that pose serious health risks to our troops. prgtoken Our servicemembers and veterans are developing severely debilitating pulmonary diseases, like pulmonary fibrosis and constrictive bronchiolitis, leaving them oxygen-dependent. And other young veterans are dying from rare cancers in the brain, pancreas, blood cells, and other locations. prgtoken I am an emergency medicine physician and a public health expert. In public health and in medicine, it is practice that if there is a high enough suspicion of a harm that causes a severe enough illness, then we need to act on that suspicion, remove the harm, and treat the person. prgtoken We can't wait 10 or 20 years for the perfect research study. We must act now. We must do that by simultaneously and immediately addressing these 4 points: First, stop our troops' exposure to dangerous burn pits out in the battlefield. prgtoken Second, educate doctors, veterans, and servicemembers to help doctors understand the risks of being exposed to burn pits, and to help veterans and servicemembers understand the early signs of potential serious illness so they can get treatment early. prgtoken Third, take care of burn pit exposed veterans and servicemembers at the VA and DOD, and ensure illnesses caused by burn pit exposure are recognized in their claims for disability benefits. prgtoken Fourth, do more research that is needed to identify all the different health impacts exposure to burn pits can cause. prgtoken The conference report for Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act includes two of my amendments prgtoken that will help address the first 2 points: Stopping the use of burn pits. And educating veterans and their caregivers about the health risks that could be connected to exposure to burn pits. prgtoken My first amendment directs the Department of Defense to conduct a feasibility study on ending the use of dangerous burn pits by using incinerators and other technology. prgtoken My second amendment requires the Department of Defense to conduct an annual education and outreach campaign to veterans exposed to burn pits and who are qualified to enroll in the burn pit registry. prgtoken The burn pit registry will improve our understanding of the different health effects of exposure to burn pits and help our ability to communicate with veterans and increase their awareness of subtle changes in their health so that they could understand the early signs of potential serious illness. prgtoken The Government must acknowledge the dangers of burn pits and the suffering of burn pit exposed veterans with severe illnesses. The Government has a responsibility to immediately provide them with the care and benefits they have earned while defending our freedoms. prgtoken I want to thank the conferees and the ranking mem
STATEHOOD FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2018-7-26

. Madam , it doesn't stop in the House. It goes over to the Senate. prgtoken But one of the reasons I have been able to get these antidemocratic riders off is that the Senate has helped me even though the Senate is controlled by s, not . And the reason I think the Senate has been more open is that, unlike the polarized House--and, sure, the Senate is polarized as well--the Senate, by its very nature, represents a broader cross-section of the American people and, thus, represent s and and has to think about how far it wants to go with making itself a target by trying to overturn somebody else's legislation. So we are able to get most of these antidemocratic riders off there. prgtoken I note that Senator Ted Cruz also needs to devote more attention to his own constituents from Texas because, in the Senate, he is trying to do what Representative Palmer is doing: to get rid of the District's healthcare mandate. prgtoken Again, Senator Cruz represents a large State. He is not doing his best for them as long as he is meddling in the business of another city, another jurisdiction, the District of Columbia. prgtoken It is the height of hypocrisy for s to spend so much time trying to overturn the laws of the District of Columbia because local control is a core belief of s in the House and the Senate. We are going to hold them to that core belief when it comes to matters affecting the District of Columbia. prgtoken Meddling in the business of the District of Columbia can and has cost the District of Columbia actual dollars. The District of Columbia just had another bond market report and an upgrade of its rating by one of them to AAA. Yet one of the bond markets, Standard & Poor's, said: ``[W]e continue to have concerns about the role of the federal government in future District budgets. We view this as an ongoing . . . factor that has a negative effect on the District's finances and as a slight offset to the District's otherwise very strong management practices . . .'' prgtoken What S&P is saying is, essentially, there is an unknown here. There is an actor. It is the Congress of the United States meddling in the business of the District of Columbia. So it is hard to judge the District of Columbia as long as somebody can come from left or right field and try to change parts of its business. prgtoken Essentially, what you have is S&P and other bond markets calling for Congress to let the District be the District so it can be judged by what the District alone does. Look at what they say when the bond markets look at what the District alone does. Look at what the bond markets say. prgtoken Let's look at Moody's, who has just given the District a AAA rating, given its bonds a AAA rating: ``The dynamism of the District's economy has led to the largest population in 40 years and strong growth in the tax base. Financial governance is exemplary. Reserves are robust . . .'
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2018-7-26

I am proud to be here this morning to talk about a legislative matter that has taken many years to come to fruition. We were able to work together in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and make important updates that will support high-quality programs, foster innovation, and improve access for all students. I am very proud to be joined by Senator Enzi, who worked for years on this issue. I will say more about Senator Enzi in a moment. prgtoken Perkins CTE--``CTE'' standing for ``career and technical education''--is critical to creating jobs and growing wages and ensuring our workers have the tools to outcompete wth anyone in the world. This legislation will empower States and local districts to create programs that provide better outcomes for all students, educators, and our economy. prgtoken Since the last reauthorization in 2006--you heard that right, 2006-- there have been significant changes to both technology and our economy, and we have a growing skills gap. In Pennsylvania, for example, jobs requiring some postsecondary education and training but not a B.A. account for 54 percent of Pennsylvania's labor market; however, only 43 percent of workers in the State are trained to fill these jobs. This bipartisan legislation will help to close the skills gap by allowing programs to better align with industry needs, ensuring that programs serve as a pipeline to the high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand jobs of today as well as the jobs of tomorrow. prgtoken In addition, this legislation creates more alignment with Federal laws, such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act--known around here by the acronym WIOA--which deals with our workforce, and better alignment with the Higher Education Act, as well as better alignment with the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was the elementary and secondary education law passed in 2015. All of that will help to ensure that our education and workforce programs indeed work together. prgtoken Similarly, this legislation improves collaboration between secondary schools, institutions of higher education, employers, and other community partners. It increases stakeholder engagement and ensures we have a workforce to support high-quality programs by increasing recruitment of and improving professional development for CTE--career and technical education--educators. prgtoken I am particularly proud of provisions in this bill that will promote equity and ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, have access to high-quality programs. prgtoken I am also pleased that provisions in the bill will allow for more career and technical education exploration in both middle and secondary grades. Exposing students to different career and academic pathways early gives them more options and opportunities to succeed. prgtoken We have come together and passed a strong bill that is responsive to the need
TRADE ASSISTANCE FOR FARMERS
Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2018-7-26

I rise today and ask my colleagues to join me in supporting my bill, H.R. 6483, the Trade Assistance for Farmers Act. prgtoken As a member of the House Agriculture Committee and a proud representative of Delaware, where 99 percent of our farms are family owned and 1 in 4 acres are permanently preserved for farmland, we have seen firsthand the impact of retaliatory tariffs. prgtoken Over the past 60 days, soybean and corn farmers across the country have suffered over $13 billion in losses, and, according to the Delaware Department of Agriculture, our soybean and corn farmers have lost $28 million. prgtoken Delaware is a microcosm of the country, with beautiful beaches, thriving cities, and sprawling farms. We know how important agriculture is to our country and our communities. prgtoken My bill would create a permanent fix so that all farmers impacted by retaliatory tariffs can have the tools they need to stay competitive, regardless of who is in the White House. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support my bill.