mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REFORMING DISASTER RECOVERY ACT OF 2019
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-11-18

the balance of my time. prgtoken Those who oppose this bill, the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act, they oppose it because HUD involvement has been involved in disaster recovery. Their opposition is so strong that they would allow waste, fraud, and abuse to continue to overrun the program instead of codifying and reforming it. prgtoken Their opposition is purely philosophical, . It is not practical. HUD has been charged with administering this program since 1993 under and Presidents, under and s. No matter the composition of the House or the Senate, this program has continued. prgtoken I have seen no national movement to end this program and bring the gentleman's theoretical vision into being. Meanwhile, the program continues to generate waste, fraud, and abuse. The gentleman would justify this waste and abuse because they believe some day they will successfully convince both Chambers in Congress and the President to pass legislation that would make FEMA the sole distributor of disaster funds. prgtoken The gentlemen have articulated no feasible path toward ending the program. The gentlemen have no interest in reforming or fixing the program, and they have no jurisdiction, . prgtoken During the 115th Congress I served as the chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee. I worked with committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, a conservative through and through, to draft this legislation with my good friend and colleague, Mr. Green, and address the flaws in this program. prgtoken We must pass this bill in order to end the waste and abuse, and to ensure that funding goes quickly to those who need it, and to recapture the unused funds responsibly. I am dismayed that my colleagues in opposition will continue to waste taxpayer dollars simply because they have an interagency disagreement that falls outside of their jurisdiction. prgtoken This legislation places greater accountability and controls on taxpayer money spent after disaster through codification, a clawback provision, duplication of benefit reforms, minimum procurement standards for States, and other very important provisions. prgtoken This bill, , is effective and responsive policy, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this piece of legislation. .
Ted Stevens Arctic Center for Security Studies (Executive Session)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-11-18

it was several weeks ago--actually, October 23--that here in the Senate we had the opportunity to recognize a friend of so many of us; a mentor, certainly, to me; and a leader in Alaska. We recognized the life and contributions of Senator Ted Stevens. prgtoken The Alaska congressional delegation was able to join with members of the Stevens family, many of his friends, his congressional colleagues, and a lot of former staff. We were able to unveil a portrait of Senator Stevens that had been commissioned for him as the President pro tempore of the Senate. It was a lovely ceremony and a great occasion, and now his portrait hangs back in the hall, behind where the Presiding Officer is sitting. prgtoken It was a great occasion to be remembering the contributions of Ted Stevens. He represented my State from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest serving Senator in Senate history at the time that he left office. prgtoken He left office with considerable policy legacies. Those in the fishing industry remember the work he did with Senator Magnuson in creating the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which really has become the framework for our sustainable fisheries. It is something we continue to look to. He also worked in sports with the creation of the U.S. Paralympics. We remember his encouragement and all that he did with women and girls in sports regarding title IX. prgtoken We all know his background and his history. He was a pilot in World War II. Certainly, here in the Senate, he was a staunch advocate for our veterans and for all of our military. He worked hand in glove with his Senate brother and friend, Senator Daniel Inouye, chairing not only the Appropriations Committee itself but also the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations. In that role, he helped to advance so many of our national priorities. prgtoken Today is Ted Stevens' birthday. If he were alive today, he would be 96 years old. Later this evening, there is going to be a gathering. It is an annual gathering on November 18, when friends of Ted gather to raise a glass to a wonderful man, a strong leader, a great Alaskan, and truly a friend of mine. prgtoken I think today Ted Stevens would be smiling at what Senator Sullivan, Congressman Young, and I were able to observe this morning. prgtoken The three of us--the full Alaska delegation--were in Fort Worth, TX, at the Lockheed Martin plant, and we were able to participate in the signing as we seek to roll off the line the first F-35 that will be based there at Eielson Air Force Base. It will be the first of two squadrons with there being a total complement of 54 F-35s. It was a reminder to all of us of all we have done in the State of Alaska in our focusing on Alaska's geostrategic position, not in the country but in the world. prgtoken Ted Stevens clearly recognized that. He was a visionary in so many areas, and he was certainly a visionary when it came to understanding the promise but also the
INVESTOR PROTECTION AND CAPITAL MARKETS FAIRNESS ACT
Bill Huizenga (Republican, MI) \u2014 2019-11-18

I rise today in support of H.R. 4344, the Investor Protection and Capital Markets Fairness Act. prgtoken In June of 2017, as has been discussed, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the Kokesh v. Securities and Exchange Commission that the SEC's disgorgement remedy constitutes a penalty, and, as a result, the Supreme Court found that the SEC's disgorgement authority--in other words, their ability to go collect those dollars--was subject to a 5- year statute of limitations. prgtoken That may be how the law is currently reads. That is why we are here today to try to change that. prgtoken As a result of the Kokesh case, the Supreme Court decision has significantly limited the SEC's ability to obtain disgorgement in certain long-running frauds. prgtoken According to the most recent SEC enforcement division's annual report, it is estimated that due to this Kokesh ruling, the SEC is forced to forgo more than $1.1 billion in ill-gotten gains from wrongdoers at the expense of Main Street investors. prgtoken H.R. 4344 would grant the SEC the authority to seek and for Federal courts to grant disgorgement within 14 years. Additionally, the bill would further clarify that disgorgement may not be construed as a civil fine, penalty, or forfeiture. Lastly, the bill requires the SEC to submit a report to Congress on the length of certain fraud actions that they have encountered, including the 10 longest-running frauds that led to Commission action. prgtoken So ideally, I would like to see a shorter statute of limitations. There was discussion about matching it with some other Federal statutes, but I also recognize that many securities frauds are complex and take significant time to uncover and investigate. For example, in this particular case, Charles Kokesh, over the course of nearly 14 years, quietly committed well concealed and elaborate fraud by misappropriating nearly $35 million. And to add insult to injury, because of the Supreme Court decision, Kokesh was allowed, the fraudster was allowed to keep nearly $30 million of what he stole from small-dollar Main Street investors. I don't think any of us can look at that and feel good about that current situation. prgtoken This bipartisan bill attempts to strike a delicate balance by ensuring that the SEC has the necessary resources and tools to go after bad actors and to make sure that these sophisticated fraudsters may not keep any of the money that they have stolen from everyday investors like teachers and military service personnel, the elderly, and religious-affiliated groups. prgtoken SEC Chairman, Jay Clayton stated, ``H.R. 4344 is an important response to real harms suffered by innocent victims of the worst types of securities frauds. These are frauds that undermine the public confidence in our markets that the 4,400 women and men of the SEC strive to preserve every day.'' prgtoken I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. McAdams), for close
HONORING THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF CULPEPER
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-11-18

. Madam , I rise today in tribute to the Islamic Center of Culpeper on the occasion of the ground breaking of their new mosque. prgtoken Culpeper, Virginia is home to a growing, close-knit Muslim community known as the Islamic Center of Culpeper, (ICC). For many years the ICC community has been worshiping in a very small space lacking proper heating in the brutal winters and air conditioning in the scorching summers. The facility even lacked an adequate washing facility to perform ablution before prayers. The ICC searched for nearly five years before finding and purchasing a parcel of land in January of 2016. Immediately, they made plans to begin constructing a brand-new mosque to serve as a place of worship and a place for community. prgtoken The ICC had no idea of the challenges they would face. prgtoken Since 1995, every pump and hall permit application submitted to the Culpeper County Government by a house of worship had been approved, but in April of 2016, the County denied ICC's permit application. prgtoken The County also ordered a moratorium on any new pump and haul applications, which barred ICC from any attempts to re-apply, and in advance of one of the local zoning hearings, protesters hung a banner stating, ``NO ISLAMIC CENTER!'' in big black letters. prgtoken The ICC fought back. prgtoken Muslim Advocates and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer filed a lawsuit against the County on behalf of ICC, following a lawsuit by the Department of Justice and one month later, the ICC and the County reached a settlement. The ICC could move forward with their plans to build a mosque, and the County issued a statement welcoming the ICC and compensated the community for their expenses. prgtoken Please join me in honoring the ICC and their resilience as they celebrate this milestone project.
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2019-11-18

I would like to also acknowledge the work that another Member of Congress, Max Rose, does in mental health related to veterans. We know so many of those veterans are, in fact, African American, coming back home after having served this country, facing already racial disparities, facing issues of race in America, as well as the trauma of what they have been through in serving us. prgtoken We are grateful for that support to those veterans so that they can sustain themselves, get back to being productive in this country. I want to thank the gentleman for that work that he has done. prgtoken But I just want to close with letting people know about some statistics and then giving them a charge. prgtoken According to the American Psychiatric Association, African Americans are less likely to receive guideline-consistent care, less frequently included in research, and more likely to use emergency rooms or primary care rather than mental health specialists. Only one in three African Americans who need mental healthcare receive it. prgtoken Plaguing issues of poverty, mass incarceration, and financial hardship have increased mental illness and suicide in the African American community. prgtoken I just want to give people a charge: Start the conversation about mental prgtoken health with your peers. Show compassion. Do not be judgmental. Your language matters. prgtoken Advocate, if not for yourself, for your family, for your community. Write down all the things that make you upset, for example, media, police brutality, poor perception/narrative of African Americans. Write it down and embrace your voice. prgtoken In the Black community, more people promoting solidarity are talking about their struggles publicly, but we need more people to share their experiences. We are at our best when human connection and connectivity happen. Share your story. prgtoken I thank the men and women who, across the Nation, are fighting to end the stigma, do the research, and make mental health treatment more accessible in the Black community, including our own, in the Virgin Islands, Dr. Janis Valmond, deputy commissioner for health promotion and disease prevention, who has provided a lot of the information I had tonight. prgtoken The Congressional Black Caucus uses this Special Order hour to let America know what is happening in our community. prgtoken , .
TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-11-18

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership on this issue. prgtoken , I rise in strong support of H.R. 4634, which would reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, or TRIA, for 7 years. prgtoken , I thank Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry for working together to reach a compromise on this critically important bill that can get broad bipartisan support. I also thank my colleagues, Congressmen Clay and Cleaver, for holding field hearings and for their tremendous support. prgtoken This issue is deeply personal to me because I represent New York City, and I remember all too well the terrorist attack of 9/11. After that terrible attack, the market for terrorism insurance completely shut down. Without terrorism insurance, all construction stopped, and thousands of jobs were lost. We could not insure anything. prgtoken In response, Congress came together in a bipartisan way and passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which provides a government backstop for terrorism insurance. The goal of TRIA was to make terrorism insurance both available and affordable. That is exactly what has happened because of this bill, and all of this has come at no cost, not one cost whatsoever, to our taxpayers. prgtoken This bill would reauthorize TRIA for 7 years without any changes to the underlying program. I am pleased that there is broad agreement that the program doesn't need any additional changes. prgtoken , I include in the Record a letter with a listing of over 300 major business leaders from every State in our country that are supporting this important legislation. September 17, 2019. To the Members of the United States Congress: The undersigned organizations, representing a wide variety of business interests, urge Congress to work swiftly to pass a long-term reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) which is currently set to expire at the end of 2020. The tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, fundamentally changed the landscape for insuring against the risk of terrorism in the United States. Struck with an inability to model frequency, location, and the potentially devastating scale of modern terrorism, insurers were forced to pull out of the marketplace, and in the months following the attacks, the inability of insurance policyholders to secure terrorism risk insurance contributed to a paralysis in the economy, especially in the construction, travel and tourism, and real estate finance sectors. Since its initial enactment in 2002, TRIA has served as a vital public-private risk sharing mechanism, ensuring that private terrorism risk insurance coverage remains available to commercial businesses, educational institutions and non- profit organizations at virtually no cost to the taxpayer. According to a 2019 Mars
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Brenda L. Lawrence (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-11-18

I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for her leadership. It is imperative that we use our platform as Members of Congress to highlight the crisis of mental illness. prgtoken So often when we talk about gun violence, it leaves the crisis of gun violence and goes to mental illness; but we have not, as America, taken the steps we need to take. prgtoken Black and African American communities, we are seeing 13.2 percent of the U.S. population who are identified as Black or African American; of those, 16 percent has a diagnosed mental illness in the past year. prgtoken I had a friend of mine, she is a therapist, and we had a roundtable in the community that I hosted on mental illness. The T-shirt she wears, says: ``I'm an African American. I go to church. I believe in God. And I see my therapist.'' prgtoken So often in our community you hear the words, ``just pray about it and God will fix it.'' But you don't say that to someone who has heart disease. Yes, we pray and, yes, we believe in God, but we also must get the healthcare we need. Mental health is an issue that we are facing. prgtoken And when we talk about women, we just had this amazing, informative dinner tonight, and the stress, the abuse, the separation, and they were giving us examples: at 3 in the morning, hearing the weeping and crying of women who have not seen their children, would just love to put their arms around them, those who are in prison and have no clue why they are in there, and to have the guards tell them that they have to perform sexual acts if they want to see their children, and if they fail to do it, they deny them access. prgtoken When these women come out of prison, they are broken and they are wounded. And the major issue that we need to confront, when you talk about women surviving and their mental health, the number one criteria for a woman to be reunited with her children is housing. prgtoken If a woman has been imprisoned, she has no income. She comes out homeless. She is living in a shelter, and she cannot provide the housing, and so she is still not joined together with her child. And she is confronting her children, being a free woman, who are crying, saying: Mommy, when are we going to go home together again? prgtoken And another issue, think about in Washington, D.C a two-bedroom apartment, and the law requires that, if you have a boy and a girl, you have to have at least a three-bedroom apartment. Can you imagine the costs? And how can a woman afford that? prgtoken We have so many historical issues that have impacted the socioeconomic resources, the economic resources, that there are disparities by African Americans today. The socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health. prgtoken People who are in prison, people who are homeless, incarcerated, or have substance abuse problems are at a higher risk for poor mental health. And putting people who are mentally ill in prison has become the norm
WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-11-18

the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims commemorates the millions of people killed and injured on the world's roads. It is also a day to thank emergency responders for their role in saving lives; to reflect on the impact of road deaths on families and communities, to draw attention to the need for improved legislation, awareness, infrastructure, and technology to save more families from the tragedy of losing a loved one. prgtoken Since the United Nations recognized the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, its observance has spread to a growing number of countries on every continent. The day has become an important advocacy tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties, and the theme of this year's World Day of Remembrance is ``Life is not a car part.'' Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 calls on governments and their stakeholders, including NGOs and private citizens, to address the personal medical, and financial burdens associated with road deaths and injuries. More than 1 million people die prgtoken from road crashes every year, and tens of millions are seriously injured. Road traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of young people aged 15-29 and the eighth leading cause of death among all people worldwide. prgtoken Rochelle Sobel, president of the Association for Safe International Road Travel, highlighted the gravity of this issue and the imperative to fix it: Every 27 seconds somewhere in the world a person dies in a road crash. Those of us who have lost loved ones in a crash know only too well the ongoing pain and devastation that this tragedy causes families and communities. Road crashes are preventable. We must all work together so that the hopes and dreams of our loved ones are not shattered in the roads of the world. prgtoken We all need to do our part to take action to prevent these avoidable tragedies and to save lives.
TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-18

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I am so pleased and so proud that we are on the floor today on a bipartisan bill, and I certainly expect the support from both sides of the aisle. prgtoken America stands united against terrorism and the hatred and violence that it represents, and we are stronger as a country when we take steps to ensure that our country can quickly respond to terrorism. By reauthorizing TRIA, we are helping to do just that. prgtoken Again, I thank Ranking Member McHenry for working with me on this important bill, as well as all of the members on the committee who have shown real leadership on this issue. We heard from some of them today, particularly Representative Maloney, who has worked for a long time on this legislation. This was so important to her. prgtoken Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clay, and Mr. Meeks have contributed mightily to the organizing of this bill, to work on any difficulties that we may have had, and I am very pleased about that. prgtoken Once again, I must say to Mr. McHenry, we have shown that it is possible. Despite the fact that we may not agree on a lot of other things, we came together on this legislation. We agreed, we worked together, and we provided leadership and inspiration to others, understanding that this was possible. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation, and .