mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROTECTING MILKWEED MILE
Haley M. Stevens (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-9-15

I rise today to recognize the incredible efforts of the Thelander and Zarate families, who have spearheaded a conservation and awareness program for thousands of beautiful monarch butterflies that began their lives as caterpillars in Michigan's 11th District before attempting the 2,000-mile migration to central Mexico every year. prgtoken A couple of years ago, Maecy Zarate, who was then just 8 years old, petitioned the Highland Township board to establish the Milkweed Mile, a beautiful stretch of land along highway M-59 in Highland Township that provides a sanctuary for monarchs. prgtoken Along this stretch of road, which is designated as a no-mow zone, milkweed is left to grow and thrive freely, creating an ideal environment for monarch caterpillars to complete their lifecycle. prgtoken Each summer, these conservation efforts culminate in the Highland Monarch Butterfly Festival, an annual celebration of these amazing butterflies, in an effort to raise awareness of this species that has seen their global populations plummet in recent years. prgtoken I was honored to visit the Highland Monarch Butterfly Festival in August of 2019, and it was so inspiring to meet young Michiganders passionate about conservation and biodiversity in our great State. prgtoken This is also part of the work that we are doing on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, to protect and to promote biodiversity throughout the world. prgtoken The Thelander family also tags and releases hundreds of monarchs every year. One butterfly, named Jeronimo, was tracked all the way from Michigan's 11th District to central Mexico last year, beating the odds and completing a grueling 1,900-mile journey over 3 months. prgtoken This is significant and symbolic. It is symbolic because of the journey that we are on as a Nation right now in somewhat uncertain and troubling times but with an end goal to reach the other side. prgtoken The monarch sanctuary along Milkweed Mile provides a special opportunity for young people to get involved in real conservation efforts right in their backyard. As Maecy says, ``If there's no milkweed, there's no monarchs.'' prgtoken I look forward to working with monarch lovers all over Michigan to protect Milkweed Mile as a sanctuary for years to come. prgtoken I ask this Chamber to join me in recognizing the inspiring efforts of the next generation of conservationists who are making a difference in our community through their passion and dedication for these beautiful butterflies. I could not be more proud of their efforts, and I look forward to learning more about their progress in next year's Highland Township Monarch Festival.
HONORING THE LIFE OF DANIEL C. HOLLOWAY
Grace F. Napolitano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-9-15

. Madam , I rise with great sorrow to honor the life and long career of public service of City Council Member Daniel C. Holloway of La Puente, CA. prgtoken Dan was an outstanding leader for his community of La Puente, where he served in many capacities over the years. He was a local activist fighting to keep Workman High School open and was a writer of community news with his column in the Highlander Newspaper called, ``The La Puente Lookout.'' Dan was on the planning commission, where he served as Chairman twice, and he had been on the City Council for the past 13 years receiving the highest vote total of any council member multiple times. He served as Mayor three times and Mayor Pro Tern four times. Dan was a staunch advocate for his city serving on many regional boards and commissions, including the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the National League of Cities. prgtoken Dan was a hero to our country having served in the Navy. He would later join the American Legion, and he designed the La Puente Veterans Memorial at La Puente City Hall. prgtoken Dan was a mentor to many and a great champion of our students. Most recently, Dan participated in the Life Experiences About Democracy (LEAD) program which teaches community and civic engagement by giving students real life experiences participating in government meetings, interacting with public officials, and working on volunteer projects in La Puente. prgtoken Dan was a great friend to me and so many who knew and respected him. I met Dan before he ran for office when he was a constituent advocating for improvements to our schools, healthcare system, and public services on behalf of his children, including his late daughter Kimberly, and all of our children. He was known for his kindness, honesty, and integrity, and that is why he was beloved by so many. prgtoken Madam , I extend my deepest sympathies to Dan's wife of over 50 years Hilda, his children Jennifer, Christopher, and Shannon, his family and friends, and his colleagues. The City of La Puente has lost one of its greatest leaders and champions. And we have all lost a great friend.
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF MRS. BERNICE TODD
Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2020-9-15

. Madam , I rise today with profound joy, deep admiration, and endless blessings to recognize the 100th birthday of Mrs. Bernice Todd. One cannot tell the story of America without telling the story of Kansas City Jazz, and one cannot tell the story of Kansas City Jazz without telling the story of Bernice Todd. prgtoken Mrs. Bernice Todd was born September 8, 1920, and has made significant contributions to the Jazz music and culture of the 18th and Vine District of Kansas City. She performed with many of the big bands and Jazz greats of her day, both as a stellar singer and as a skilled dancer. However, Jazz was not only a career for Mrs. Todd. It was also a family affair. Her husband, Oliver Todd, was a trumpet player and bandleader who would go on to become a fixture of the burgeoning Jazz scene in Kansas City, playing with everyone from Count Basie to Duke Ellington. And when a certain young virtuoso named Charlie Parker still carried his makeshift horn in a cloth sack, he would often come over to the Todds' home to eat lunch and play some music. Mrs. Todd was actually just one week younger than the Bird, and the three of them became close friends. Often, Parker would leave his horn in their living room and ask them to bring it to his performance the next night. Needless to say, the horn bought them free admission. prgtoken Mrs. Todd is a mother, a grandmother, and a friend to many. She has also been a loyal member of the St. James United Methodist Church, where I was a pastor for thirty-seven years. From personal experience, I can attest that Mrs. Todd keeps us all laughing. Mrs. Todd is also a caretaker of our Jazz history, as well as our Jazz musicians, through her involvement with the Coda Jazz Fund, which pays funeral and burial expenses for area Jazz musicians whose families cannot afford them. As I have said before, a gift is never truly received until you acknowledge the giver. Mrs. Todd has honored so many determined artists with that sacred acknowledgement as they enter the coda of their life. It is an honor to be able to acknowledge Mrs. Todd's legacy while her chorus is in full swing. prgtoken Since I began thinking about this momentous occasion, there's a song that's been stuck in my head. It is from an old compilation of Jazz standards released December of 1945, just a little over a year after I was born. The album sleeve must have weighed ten tons with heft of the names which graced it: Jay McShann, Nat ``King'' Cole, and of course, Oliver Todd. The song, by McShann, with Mrs. Todd's late husband on trumpet, is an instrumental version of an old standard. Nevertheless, I remember the lyrics well: ``I used to walk in the shade,'' it went, ``With those blues on parade / But I'm not afraid / This rover crossed over / If I never have a cent / I'd be rich as Rockefeller / Gold dust at my feet / On the sunny side of the street.'' prgtoken Now, as we stand not only at Mrs. Todd's centennial, but Cha
Bureau of Land Management Acting Director William Pendley (Executive Calendar)
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2020-9-15

I appreciate very much my colleague from Nevada. prgtoken Let me start by welcoming the Presiding Officer back to the Senate. We are glad that you are here and that you are feeling better. prgtoken from New Mexico, my neighbor, the senior Senator from New Mexico, Senator Udall, for organizing this today. This is, I know, a matter that is very close to his heart. Thanks in large part to Senator Udall's leadership and the leadership of the Senator from Arizona and others, we have worked really hard to not have public lands be a partisan issue in the Senate, and I think that reflects the way it is out West, where our public lands really are the foundation of our economy and who we are. They make us who we are. They are a cultural touchstone for all of us in the West. prgtoken Instead of comprehending this, President , as he has done in so many other areas, has pursued a public lands agenda that is way outside the mainstream of conventional American thought. Few decisions better capture how extreme that position is and how frenzied his agenda is than his decision to hire William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management. prgtoken As we have heard today, Mr. Pendley doesn't even believe in the idea of public lands. He has argued that the Founding Fathers intended for all Federal lands to be sold. Think about what that would have meant if we had sold off the public lands of the United States. prgtoken They are the envy of the world. They are the envy of the world, and all of the work that Teddy Roosevelt and others had done to make sure that our generation would be able to benefit would have been lost if Pendley's constitutional interpretation had controlled. prgtoken Asking someone like that to manage our public lands, including 8.3 million acres in Colorado, is like asking somebody to be Secretary of Education who doesn't believe in public education. Given the track record of this administration, I guess it is not that surprising that he would put somebody in charge of public lands who believed that they are actually illegal or unconstitutional. prgtoken Mr. Pendley is by far the most extreme anti-public lands nominee in my lifetime. You have heard the Senator from New Mexico talk about his attacks on people of color. You have heard about the fact that he doesn't believe in climate change. Pendley's ideology on public lands, on climate, and on so many other issues doesn't look anything like the consensus we have worked so hard to try to establish in Colorado. prgtoken I think fundamental to this is that his extreme ideology does not perceive or conceive the economic reality in Colorado or New Mexico or Nevada or Arizona or Montana, where public lands sustain local businesses and climate change is undermining our farmers and ranchers. prgtoken Since the BLM moved to Colorado, sort of, we have had a front row seat to this extremist agenda. This spring, Pendley signed off
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY ACT OF 2019
Norma J. Torres (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-9-15

in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education unequivocally asserted that segregated schools are inherently unequal. When Thurgood Marshall argued this landmark case before the Supreme Court, he thought it would take just 5 years to integrate schools nationwide. Sadly, 60 years later, schools are more segregated now than any time since the early 1970s, and school segregation is occurring at alarming rates nationwide. prgtoken In order to address increased school segregation, we must address one of the root causes of the problem: residential segregation. Housing segregation leads to school segregation. That is why I am taking an initial step to address the link between housing and school segregation by offering an amendment to the Strength in Diversity Act to prioritize grant recipients that coordinate with local housing agencies to integrate schools. prgtoken My amendment will make sure that all grants have a meaningful reduction in racial and economic isolation for children in schools. Segregation in schools is propagated by housing segregation, and my amendment will work to address this underlying issue. prgtoken , .
CORONAVIRUS (Executive Calendar)
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2020-9-15

we are fast approaching nearly 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus. But the moral and physical injury done to our country during the pandemic will never be contained in just one number. As that number continues to climb, so too do the frustration and the pain and the outrage of the American people. prgtoken We know that recognized the threat of the coronavirus and deliberately downplayed it for his own political gain. He is in large part responsible for these deaths. prgtoken We now have 31 million workers who have either received or applied for unemployment benefits. Since March 15, Massachusetts alone has seen more than 2 million claims to our unemployment programs. In Massachusetts, we have the highest unemployment rate in the United States. prgtoken Families across the country are facing devastating choices. Cities and towns are struggling to keep programs running and employees at work. We know the s recognize these threats, and they are choosing to ignore them. They are, in part, responsible for the suffering. prgtoken After 4 months of callous calculations, when they chose to respond, the s put out on the floor a coronavirus package that was insulting to Americans who have been awaiting relief. The extent of the misery facing our families is unimaginable. Yet s and Leader McConnell responded by designing a bill so intentionally weak and insufficient that it was destined to fail. prgtoken It is all just a game to the Party, but for Americans, this economic and public health crisis is a matter of life and death. We need a robust, comprehensive response right now that matches the scale of this crisis, and we have an opportunity to deliver some real justice to working Americans and their families. prgtoken First, we need to give Americans a monthly cash payment of $2,000 so that they have the funding to able to pay their bills. A single check is not sufficient for households. Families need more than just one payment. prgtoken Providing recurring monthly payments is the most direct and efficient mechanism for delivering economic relief to those most vulnerable, for lower income families, immigrant families, and our gig and service workers. prgtoken I see these families suffering today. They are the same kinds of working families I grew up with in Malden. I know that $2,000 each month would mean the world to them--so that they can sleep at night; they can pay the rent; they can pay the electricity bill; they can buy the medications they need. prgtoken A monthly payment is the kind of big policy that provides relief on the scale that is needed. Our government needs to tell our families: We are here for you. We will not let you down during this crisis. prgtoken Second, we need at least $4 billion for my E-rate Program to connect every student to the internet at home. The pandemic has shown a bright light on the homework gap being experienced by th
CONSERVATISM DURING COVID
Ted Budd (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise today to set the record straight. prgtoken The American people are wondering what Congress is doing to help folks who are still struggling from the effects of COVID-19 on their health and on all of our economy. They see no movement in negotiations, and I have had folks back home ask me, What are you all doing up there? Well, sadly, the answer is, Not much, really. prgtoken Some in this Chamber claim that it is us, the s, who have no solutions on COVID. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me just speak for myself. I have introduced more than a dozen bills with my colleagues. Some of these bills are bipartisan, and they apply time- tested conservative principles to help people impacted and hurt by COVID-19. prgtoken These are bills that expand healthcare access. They support workers. They incentivize telework. They assure safe public housing. They simplify PPP loans they stop stimulus payments to dead people, of all things. They explore temperature checks at airports. They establish flexible funding for States and localities; a bill that holds China accountable, and helps incentivize a safe reopening of our country, and much, much more. Each and every one of these bills has been denied a vote in this House. prgtoken , I understand the politics of being less than 50 days away from an election. And I get the political calculation that has been made. The started this year--right there--by ripping up the President's State of the Union. And she seems intent on ending it by smearing s as enemies of the State and blocking any meaningful bills to help hardworking Americans. prgtoken But the American people deserve to know that my colleagues and I, we stand ready to govern and ready to pass commonsense conservative policies that will help them make it through this pandemic.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-9-16

a special little girl named Zoey is celebrating her first birthday on September 28, 2020. In recognition of this day, Spencer County Judge Executive John Riley is declaring it as Zoey's Congenital Cataract Awareness Day. It is the hope of her parents that every primary care clinician in Spencer County, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and beyond, is aware of this rare cause of blindness that can be surgically treated when diagnosed early enough. As an ophthalmologist, I have had the privilege of participating in these surgeries and know how life-changing early intervention can be. Fortunately for Zoey, after three surgeries, she has a very promising prognosis. I am honored to help make Zoey's birthday wish come true by sharing her story and thereby raising awareness for the early detection and treatment of congenital cataracts.
RECOGNIZING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-9-16

as we have recognized here today with our speakers the importance of law enforcement to maintaining our rights and the safety of our neighborhoods and communities, I am reminded that it was just a little over a month ago, late July 2020, when the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives said about antifa, as the city of Portland was being burned by antifa, he said it is a myth. It is a myth. prgtoken And then what has happened is an internal email from the Department of Homeland Security revealed Monday that the violence in Portland was not opportunistic but, rather, organized by the antifa organization. prgtoken We have got to see that our Attorney General--I urge him, I urge the FBI to investigate and the Attorney General to take every action that the law allows, whether it is civil RICO or prosecution of these individuals, because, if you want to bring our society back into order, you take people who are violent, rioting, looting, causing mayhem and murder, you arrest them. You charge them, you prosecute them, and you convict them. prgtoken We know there are law enforcement who do a great job, but right now, in many places around this country, it will take a law enforcement officer 5 or 10 minutes or longer to get to a home or a business that is under attack by a criminal. When that happens, if they are under attack, these individuals need to have the right, as they do under the Second Amendment, to protect themselves. That right must be protected and maintained. prgtoken So I am kind of surprised--I am going to give you a fact here. In Pennsylvania alone, this year, you have had an increase in new gun owners by more than a quarter of a million. More than a quarter of a million people in Pennsylvania own guns today who didn't own them at the beginning of the year. Why? Because of what is going on in our streets, whether it is in Pennsylvania, Oregon, or wherever else it may be. prgtoken A mob circles a home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; an individual holds up a shotgun inside as this mob surrounds his home. What does the mob do, the antifa folks? They call the police to have this man arrested for having a gun on the ready to protect himself from that very mob. That is backwards. prgtoken , we thank the police. The purpose of the police is to protect the weak and the rights of all. prgtoken When our leaders in places like Portland, Minneapolis, you name it, castigate the police or celebrities castigate the police, what they are really saying is: We are content with mob rule. That can't be the case. prgtoken We have heard this tonight from my colleagues who have said this so well. We support the police, and we support the thin blue line that protects our rights. This rioting and this mayhem must end tonight. prgtoken , .
HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF BILLIE FRANCES POLK
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-9-16

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life of Billie Frances Polk, a lifelong native of Woodville, Texas who passed away recently at the age of ninety. Mrs. Polk was a retired Director of the Woodville Housing Authority. prgtoken Billie was born on December 24, 1929 to Oscar and Lilla Chambless Fortenberry in Woodville, Texas. She spent her life growing up and working in Tyler County. Billie was the recipient of the James E. Wheat Award which recognizes truly exceptional leaders. She unselfishly gave of her time and talents to the Tyler County Dogwood Festival, a festival that celebrates the traditions and beauty of East Texas. prgtoken Mrs. Polk was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She frequently reminded her loved ones of what her father often said, ``All we have is what we give away.'' She lived her life in this way, continuously giving to others, without any strings attached. prgtoken Billie is remembered by her friends and family as a great example of Southern grace and hospitality. Whether it was enjoying her family or gathering with her friends for bridge, she wanted to recognize others. Her delight came from opening her home to friends and strangers alike. prgtoken In facing life's obstacles, Mrs. Polk would remind others, ``All we need in times like these is just a closer walk with Thee.'' Billie gave of all she had, and because of that she was very rich. Indeed, she had a closer ``walk with Thee.'' prgtoken Billie was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar and Lilla Fortenberry; husband, Alford Lee Polk; sister, Bobbie Jean Swinney; and brother, Lloyd C. Fortenberry. prgtoken Mrs. Polk is survived by her daughters, Cindy Green and husband, Greg of Woodville, Jennifer Balbuena and husband, Arturo of Houston and Nancy McNally and husband, Billy of Woodville; brother, Cecil Fortenberry and wife, Margie of Woodville; sister, Jayne Best and husband, Bertis of Woodville; grandchildren, Jill Nichols and husband Reece, Josh McClure and wife Christa, Jinger Fowler and husband Kris, Holly Douglas and husband Josh, Melissa Howe and husband Matt, Will McNally and wife Kelli and Cheryl Marshall and husband Derek and 16 great grandchildren. prgtoken Madam , I would like to thank Mrs. Billie Polk, for her many years of faithful service to her community. My thoughts and prayers remain with her family and friends during this difficult time.