mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STILL I RISE
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2020-3-3

and still I rise, proud to be an American, proud to be a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. prgtoken I rise today because I refuse to accept the notion that we should get back to bigotry as usual in the House of Representatives. I am one who has fought bigotry most of my life, and I will continue to fight it for the rest of my life. prgtoken Today, I want to talk about bigotry, not only within the country, but I also want to talk about those who aid and abet bigotry in the House of Representatives. Right here in this House there are people who aid and abet bigotry. prgtoken I spoke last on the floor about a Newsday report. It concerned an investigation that took place in the State of New York. And within this investigation it was uncovered that, with reference to real estate agents, after having tested them, it was uncovered that 19 percent of the time Asian Americans were treated unequally when compared to White Americans. Thirty-nine percent of the time Hispanic Americans were treated unequally. And 49 percent of the time African Americans were treated unequally. prgtoken We sought to do something about this in the Financial Services Committee. We have a piece of legislation that will provide for testing and expand the testing that was started in this country by President Ronald Reagan. prgtoken President Reagan gave us the paradigm which we seek to enhance, which we seek to expand because that is the means by which we can eliminate this kind of invidious discrimination. It is not a question of way; it is a question of whether we have the will to challenge it and take it on. prgtoken I want to tell you that in my committee there were those who would aid and abet. They came up with specious arguments, fallacious contentions, the notion that we can do without, without saying we can do without the improvements. prgtoken I believe this kind of aiding and abetting is the reason we still have this level of invidious discrimination in this country. There are people in this Congress who aid and abet racism and discrimination. We have to call this out. We cannot continue to pretend that it does not exist right here in the Congress of the United States of America. prgtoken I plan to come back to this podium, and I am going to say more about what happened and who caused it to happen. Those who tolerate bigotry and racism perpetuate bigotry and racism. I refuse to be among those who tolerate it.
MALALA YOUSAFZAI SCHOLARSHIP ACT
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-3-3

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , when we break down the barriers holding women back, they lift up entire communities. Top economists back this up. The World Bank says that financing girls' education has the highest return on investment in the developing world. We know that the impact isn't just economic. When girls have access to education, they can inspire millions, empower their communities, and change the world. prgtoken Look at Malala Yousafzai. Malala bravely put her education to use by blogging about the brutality of Taliban rule in her hometown and advocating for girls' rights to education. prgtoken The Pakistani Taliban tried to silence her with a violent attack on her life. She survived, and she didn't back down. Malala's continued commitment to advancing women's rights and expanding access to education has resonated with millions of people and spurred action around the world. prgtoken When we look at Malala, we see an inspiring source of strength, of dedication, and of bravery. We also see what women are capable of when they have the opportunity to go to school and use their voices. So, I am pleased that we are moving forward this bill named in Malala's honor that will strengthen the United States' investments in educational opportunities for Pakistani girls. prgtoken The Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act will require that at least 50 percent of USAID's Merit and Needs-Based Scholarships in Pakistan are awarded to women. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague and friend from New York (Mr. Jeffries) for introducing this excellent measure. I am proud to support it, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in doing so. prgtoken , .
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-3-3

the bill before us supports clean energy and emerging technologies, so this is the perfect opportunity to update an outdated aspect related to a legacy energy source. prgtoken Senator Udall of New Mexico and I have an amendment that will close a loophole in Federal energy policy. I want my colleagues to know--and I think they do--of my long support for renewable and alternative sources of energy, and so I agree with the aims of the Murkowski-Manchin Energy bill. prgtoken The amendment Senator Udall and I have introduced is the same as the bipartisan bill we introduced last week. The title of that bill is the Fair Return for Public Lands Act. This bill was introduced 100 years to the date of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920. prgtoken This amendment would increase the royalty rates on Federal lands from 12.5 percent to 18.75 percent. Everybody here knows that a royalty is what the oil company will pay to a mineral owner--in this case, the mineral owner is the American taxpayer--and that royalty is paid for the right to extract oil and natural gas from the lands of the United States. The legislation modernizes the public lands leasing system, and it does this for the first time since royalty rates were set in 1920. prgtoken The legislation increases both the share of royalties taxpayers receive from public lands leasing as well as the rental rates. The new rental rate we are offering in this amendment reflects the current fair market value, while the bill also establishes minimum bidding standards to lease public lands that will stay in line with inflation. This bill is a simple fix by making Federal leasing rates the same whether you are on land or offshore. prgtoken The royalty rate the bill offers is very comparable to what current leases are for oil-producing States on their State-owned land. We use the State of Texas as an example. Texas charges a 25-percent royalty on its State lands, while States in the Rocky Mountain West charge royalties that are somewhere between 16-\2/3\ percent and 18\3/4\ percent. The royalty rate on Federal public lands is more than one- third lower, at 12\1/2\ percent; hence our amendment--the same as our bill--updating this and bringing more parity between State rates and Federal rates and, of course, absolute parity with offshore drilling. prgtoken The current regulatory system allows companies to get a sweetheart deal on Federal public lands. Senator Udall and I are asking our colleagues to fix this for the American people. prgtoken According to studies done by the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office, modernizing public lands royalty rates for oil and gas could increase Federal revenues by as much as $200 million over the next decade and do it with little to no impact on production. prgtoken It is time--hence our amendment--for my colleagues in Congress to end this oil company loophole and bring oil leasing into the 21st century. prgtoken
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-3-3

as I mentioned yesterday as we were preparing to vote on the motion to proceed to the American Energy Innovation Act, there is much to like and much to support in this energy reform legislation we have proposed. prgtoken We are in the early stages here of legislating, and I think it is probably fair to say that perhaps we are a little rusty. As we have told Members, we hope to have a process that allows for amendments from both sides, that gives us an opportunity to debate these important and timely issues. prgtoken As we legislate and as we move through each step, it does require a level of cooperation. Again, as I mentioned, we haven't been legislating on a weekly basis, so when it comes to just the process and the procedure of how this all comes together, maybe we are still in a little bit of a learning curve. prgtoken I have had an opportunity in previous Congresses to be that first legislative vehicle that we have really taken on in a period of time. We have worked through some of them successfully before--one, famously unsuccessful. I don't want this to fall into the ``famously unsuccessful'' category, so I am encouraging Members to look critically at the bill we have introduced, the American Energy Innovation Act, and work with us through this amendment process. We have received a number of what I would put in the ``noncontroversial bucket'' category that I am hoping we will be able to accept, and I am hoping we can work together to incorporate those into our underlying measure. prgtoken I wanted to take just a few minutes this afternoon to highlight why the innovation title within the American Energy Innovation Act is so important and what this bill will do to help support and increase innovation in America. prgtoken When you think about who we are as Americans, what we are built on, we are built on a foundation of ingenuity and innovation. We pioneered the electric grid system. We pioneered nuclear energy. We pioneered horizontal drilling. These are many of the life-, economy-, and world- changing technologies that you think of in this energy space, and the United States has led in these areas. But the policies underlying Federal energy R&D have not been updated now in more than 12 years--a dozen years since we have last updated, refreshed, modernized. So the question is whether they fully reflect the range of opportunities and challenges that we have, and I would submit to you that they do not. We haven't kept pace with everything that is happening around us. It is important--it is incumbent upon us to look to our policies. prgtoken Modernizing our energy laws will support the scientific work undertaken by the Department of Energy, by our National Laboratories, and by our universities. It will also support the men and the women who dedicate their careers to scientific pursuits, individuals who truly form the backbone of American R&D and are a tremendous asset to our country. prgtoken
RECOGNIZING HEAD COACH ULYSSES HAWTHORNE
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-3-3

I rise today to recognize Alfred E. Beach High School Head Football Coach, Ulysses Hawthorne, who is retiring from the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools system after 21 seasons. prgtoken Coach Hawthorne is a stalwart in the Savannah athletics scene. At the time of his retirement he was the dean of all the coaches in the area, but, most importantly, he has always been an exceptional role model to his players. Players he coached remember that he pushed them to become leaders on and off the field. Many of his players are now playing at the next level in college. prgtoken As a unit, his teams were successful against schools from across the State of Georgia. In 2011, Coach Hawthorne took Alfred E. Beach High School to its first appearance in the State playoffs since 1993. During his tenure at Beach, he accumulated 76 wins. prgtoken I am so proud to have someone like Coach Hawthorne in the First Congressional District of Georgia shaping the lives of young people.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-3-3

I thank the ic whip for yielding time. I will be short here. prgtoken We are in a pretty good place in this country right now when it comes to energy. Our energy supply is abundant, and energy prices are generally affordable. We can't afford to become complacent. We are in a good place right now because of American innovation, because President , working with our majority in the Congress, took steps to expand our domestic energy supply and to lessen our dependence upon foreign oil. prgtoken If we want to keep American energy affordable and abundant, we need to make sure we stay on the cutting edge of energy innovation and continue to invest in our domestic energy supply, from oil and natural gas to renewable energy sources like hydropower and wind. We also need to make sure we stay on top of threats to our energy grid and our energy security. prgtoken Our colleagues at the Energy and Natural Resources Committee have spent a lot of time over the past months working on these issues, and yesterday we voted to move forward on bipartisan energy legislation put forward by Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Joe Manchin. The bill they put together, the American Energy Innovation Act, contains measures from more than 60 Senators focused on energy innovation--particularly, clean energy innovation--workplace development, and the security of our energy grid. prgtoken The American Energy Innovation Act invests in a wide range of clean energy technologies, from wind and solar to hydropower and geothermal. It also focuses on improving energy storage. Many modern clean energy technologies are intermittent or lack the reliability of traditional electric sources. The amount of energy produced from wind, for example, is dependent on the amount of wind on any given day. So it must be backed up by a traditional plant, often powered by natural gas. prgtoken Creating new ways to store clean energy will allow us to increase our reliance on renewable energy sources. The American Energy Innovation Act also focuses on improving research into carbon capture, and it directs the establishment of a research and development program to identify ways to use captured carbon. prgtoken The bill also invests in advanced nuclear energy research so that we can regain our edge in the use of this clean energy technology. prgtoken I plan to introduce amendments to the legislation to review where we can boost hydropower in the Upper Missouri River Basin and to develop ways to recycle the windmill blades used in wind energy generation. prgtoken Nearly half of the electricity generated in South Dakota is from hydroelectric, and we should explore building off of these investments through repowering existing dams and adding power generation to those without. prgtoken In addition to clean energy and innovation, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee's legislation focuses o
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2020-3-3

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unaminous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
TAIWAN ALLIES INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION AND ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE (TAIPEI) ACT OF 2019
John R. Curtis (Republican, UT) \u2014 2020-3-3

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today to support my bill, the TAIPEI Act, which does three important things. prgtoken First, it endorses a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement. prgtoken Second, it supports Taiwan's membership in international institutions. prgtoken Third, finally, this bill helps Taiwan maintain partners and allies around the world. prgtoken , when I was a young missionary living in Taiwan in 1979, I could hardly imagine that the day would come when I could stand here and help return the favor of 40 years ago of their friendship and kindness to me as a young man living amongst them. My time in the region gave me a unique understanding of the history and the culture of these great people. prgtoken The TAIPEI Act strengthens our relationship with our partner, Taiwan, and it does this without spending a single U.S. tax dollar. prgtoken I thank Senator Gardner, the Senate sponsor, for working with me on this bill, as well as the bipartisan group of 47 Representatives who cosponsored this important legislation. prgtoken , in closing, I again thank my colleagues for their support on the TAIPEI Act. It will make a powerful statement for us to pass this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. prgtoken , .
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2020-3-3

I rise in support of the American Energy Innovation Act--a compilation of energy-related measures that has been reported, with bipartisan support, by the Senate's Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. prgtoken Let me start by recognizing the tremendous efforts of the very committed and dedicated chairman of that committee, Lisa Murkowski, and of the ranking member, Joe Manchin, and their work in bringing this comprehensive energy package to the Senate floor. Under their leadership, the committee has worked very hard to craft a bipartisan package that seeks to lower energy costs for consumers, to diversify our energy portfolio, and to facilitate and encourage the use of cleaner energy sources. prgtoken The American Energy Innovation Act includes several bills that I either authored or cosponsored, including the Better Energy Storage Technology Act, known as the BEST Act, which supports energy storage research and development; the Weatherization Enhancement and Local Energy Efficiency Investment and Accountability Act, which reauthorizes the Weatherization Assistance Program; the Wind Energy Research and Development Act, which supports targeted investments in wind energy; and the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, as well as the Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act, which both promote energy efficiency. prgtoken I am particularly pleased that this agreement includes legislation I authored with Senator Heinrich. It is what is known as the BEST Act, the Better Energy Storage Technology Act. This bipartisan bill would support energy storage research and development, which would, in turn, advance the deployment of renewable energy. Federal investments in the research, development, and deployment of energy storage technologies would enable the expansion of renewable energy sources that are essential in combating climate change. prgtoken Energy storage systems actually provide a wide range of benefits. First, these technologies increase the reliability and resiliency of our electric grid by limiting potential disruptions. Energy storage allows for the better management of supply and demand on our Nation's power grid. prgtoken Second, this type of technology can decrease energy costs. In the State of Maine, the price of electricity can rise steeply during the coldest days of the year. In late 2017 and early 2018, very cold temperatures in New England led to higher energy costs that amounted to more than $1 billion being spent in the wholesale energy market in only 15 days. prgtoken The next generation of energy storage technologies could also help to transform our grid, meaning that we would no longer need to generate more expensive power to meet demand during the hottest and coldest days of the year. Instead, we could use more affordable sources of energy that have been stored for later use. prgtoken Finally, energy storage systems can allow for more intermittent renewabl
OPPOSITION TO THE NEW WAY FORWARD ACT
James Comer (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-3-3

I rise today to express my firm opposition to the New Way Forward Act, a radical piece of legislation that would put American lives at risk in numerous ways. prgtoken Under this bill, heinous crimes committed by illegal immigrants would no longer result in immediate deportation, but, even worse, it would allow prgtoken those who have been deported to come back to the United States legally and on the taxpayer's dime--essentially allowing for the importation of violent and dangerous illegal immigrants into our country. I have yet to meet a single person who supports that idea. prgtoken The bill would also decriminalize illegal entry into the country, including for criminals who have already been deported. prgtoken This measure is a dream for those who seek to abolish ICE, throw open our national borders, and gut the rule of law in America. prgtoken I have heard from constituents who are outraged about this proposal-- and rightfully so. While sponsored by nearly a fifth of the House ic Caucus, the legislation stands little chance of advancing past President or a Senate. But it is, nonetheless, important for the American people to know the priorities of some Members of this body. prgtoken I will continue to stand strong against policies like the New Way Forward Act and any other legislation which would encourage illegal immigration and cripple the safety of American citizens. Honoring Bam Carney
SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK PRO-LIFE VOTE
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2020-3-3

the spread of the coronavirus and its dominance in the news has been at the top of my mind as well as for many Kansans. prgtoken While there is no reason to panic, it is prudent for all of us to be mindful of the ongoing challenging situation. As a physician and Congressman, I feel it is important that I convey the steps the Federal Government is currently taking to best respond. prgtoken First, we must demand more transparency from the Chinese and Iranian Governments. American experts must be allowed to get access to information on the ground in both China and Iran, particularly in Wuhan--ground zero of the outbreak. Unfortunately, these countries have a long history of misinformation and coverups, and we need to know the full truth to best protect Americans. prgtoken Some in the American medical industry are concerned about a shortage of supplies which are largely manufactured in China. Currently, the FDA is not aware of any national shortages of medical products. Federal agencies have been proactively reaching out to hundreds of manufacturers to assess potential shortages and to let manufacturers know they can provide assistance. That being said, this is an excellent time to review our supply chain for both American healthcare as well as all other industries. prgtoken I personally believe President and Vice President are doing everything in their power to protect Americans. Consulting with the top medical experts, this administration is moving to swiftly mitigate outbreaks of coronavirus here at home. prgtoken Attempts by the national media and in Congress to place blame on the President for these outbreaks are inexcusable--they are unprofessional; they are unnecessary; and they are actually very harmful. prgtoken Anything President can possibly do to expedite the development of testing, antivirals, and vaccines is already being done--and, I might add, is being accomplished in record time. prgtoken The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services have been preparing for outbreaks like this for years. We are the most prepared and the best equipped nation in the world to take on this coronavirus. prgtoken On the eve of a potentially global epidemic, this situation underscores how imperative it is for our country to be able to prevent unidentified individuals from entering this country. Border security is national security, and families in Kansas deserve a home safe from unvetted individuals who may knowingly or unknowingly be carrying contagious diseases. prgtoken I visited with the CDC over 5 weeks ago, asking what preventative measures they were taking when this virus was in the early stages of outbreak. I have been staying in close, constant contact with the White House, the CDC, and all agencies responsible for controlling the spread of this disease. The safety of Kansans is my top priority, and I will continue monitoring developme