mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HOLDING FOREIGN COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE ACT
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-12-2

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I will speak longer than I usually do on these bills because I both want to persuade people to support the bill and also provide important information to the entire House that will be part of the legislative history of this bill and is designed to guide the SEC in issuing appropriate regulations. prgtoken , I rise in strong support of S. 945, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. I thank Chairwoman Waters and her staff for working with my office, and all the members who have been involved in this bill and making this issue a priority. prgtoken , I believe this will be perhaps the most significant piece of investor protection legislation that the Congress adopts this Congress because it applies to some 224 publicly traded companies and assures investors of the financial statement integrity that they expect from all companies that are traded in the United States. prgtoken , let's go back in history a bit. For well over a century, investors in corporations have insisted that the financial statements they get are audited by an independent auditor. But at the beginning of this century, we learned that that was not enough. We saw Enron and WorldCom. We passed the Sarbanes-Oxley bill, and created the PCAOB so that we have a system where not only are the companies' financial statements audited, but the audit is subject to being audited by a governmental entity. That is essential in this century to have investors adequately protected. So when we are dealing with 224 public companies with $1.8 trillion in capitalization, we need that level of protection. prgtoken , from Ohio (Congressman Gonzalez) for joining me in leading on this issue in the House. I thank my good friend and cochair of the bicameral, bipartisan CPA Caucus, Mike Conaway, who has been working on these issues for many years. And I thank Senators Kennedy and Van Hollen for their leadership in advancing this bill. prgtoken , currently the PCAOB, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, is unable to inspect the audit work and practices of certain audit firms in a handful of jurisdictions. Today, that includes Belgium and France to some degree, but, primarily, the issue is China. In most cases, audit firms in those jurisdictions cite local laws related to data protection or national security as a reason for being unable to provide the PCAOB with the information they need. prgtoken Accordingly, as I mentioned before, the PCAOB has noted that the auditor for some 224 U.S.-listed companies with a combined total capitalization of $1.8 trillion is not subject to the enhanced oversight that this Congress has insisted upon since 2002. prgtoken Since it was created, the PCAOB has established a formal cooperative relationship with foreign audit regulators that have allowed it to conduct inspections of firms in more than 59 U.S. jurisdictions. However, the PCAOB and the Securities Exchange
Tribute to Lamar Alexander (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-12-2

I have learned in my time in the Senate that if you want to get something done across the aisle, you really need the following: You need someone on the other side who is just as committed to working together as you are, and that Member needs to have the trust of Members on your side of the aisle and on his own, and you both need to be willing to set aside egos and listen and get a realistic understanding of whether the person on the other side of the negotiating table can reach an agreement with you that upholds your principles without compromising his own. prgtoken Now, what I have laid out might not sound that unusual or rare, but it is actually pretty tough to find these days. I have been very lucky that the Senator whom we honor today on the floor--my colleague and friend, Chairman Lamar Alexander, of Tennessee--is someone who has managed it time and again. prgtoken I don't think anyone, least of all Senator Alexander himself, would be surprised to hear me say that we are as likely to disagree as to agree on many matters. I bring my Washington State values to the table, and he brings his Tennessee values, so you can imagine how that has gone from time to time. Yet, despite our different perspectives and our different approaches we take to policymaking, we have also been able to see where our values and the interests of our States and our country converge. prgtoken We both understood that the broken No Child Left Behind law needed to be fixed. Lamar listened to me, which I so appreciated, when I told him we should write a bill together rather than to amend the bill that he had begun working on. With our HELP Committee members, we were able to write and pass a new K-12 public education bill that fixed the most broken parts of No Child Left Behind. It included Federal guardrails so we could understand how all of our students perform. It dedicated resources to improving the schools that needed it the most. It also allowed for historic steps forward on early education. prgtoken We laid the groundwork together for new investments in lifesaving biomedical innovation and research through the 21st Century Cures Act, including the Beau Cancer Moonshot. prgtoken We worked together to pass landmark legislation to boost our response to the opioid epidemic, to strengthen our public health preparedness programs, and to permanently fund historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. We not only passed each of these bills, but we did so time and again with huge majorities from this Senate. Now, even still, Chairman Alexander and I, along with our colleagues in the House, are working to get legislation across the finish line to finally ban surprise medical bills. prgtoken What I have just laid out is by no means a full list at all of Senator Alexander's accomplishments as chairman. It doesn't even include quite a few things he is still trying to get done as we
UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2020
David Scott (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2020-12-2

I thank the gentleman very, very much for yielding. prgtoken , I have served in this body for 18 years, and throughout those 18 years, I have had a man that I am convinced was sent by God enter my life at a critical time, and that man is the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson. prgtoken I am here to certainly ask everybody to make sure you vote unanimously on the bill. prgtoken But I am here to express a great friendship, a heartfelt gratitude. And I say, as so many of my colleagues, you cannot have gone through this tremendous challenge of being an elected official without God having sent people your way to help you, to guide you. Such a man is Collin Peterson and let me tell you why. prgtoken When I came to Congress 18 years ago, I was assigned to the Agriculture Committee, and I was the only African American on that committee for several years. Sometimes, when you are going into the crevices and the corners of life where you have not been before, God sends somebody along to give you a helping hand. Such a man in my life is Collin Peterson. prgtoken Not only that; he took me under his wing and guided me. Not just on one committee did he have me chair, several, starting with livestock, moving on to credit, energy, the commodities, and now the financial exchanges; daring to move me into areas where I did not know that he had faith in me. And so I wanted to take this moment to say thank you. prgtoken Now, as you mentioned, , thanks to your good right hand, you have opened a way that I might become the next chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. No man, nothing, has helped me more to be in this position than my friendship with this great man, Collin Peterson.
WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS FOR FRANCOIS GENARD AND CHRISTINE SASTRI
TJ Cox (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , I rise to recognize and congratulate Mr. Francois Genard and Ms. Christine Sastri on their upcoming wedding in September of 2021. I would not be here today as a Member of Congress but for Francois' efforts, talent and capabilities. I am honored to call him a friend and colleague. Together with Chrissy, they serve as an example of the character, capability and professionalism that serves our nation well. prgtoken As the Chief of Staff, Francois has shown great skill in leading our team to best serve the interests of the Central Valley. His tireless work serving all our communities is invaluable, and his strong leadership and foresight should be emulated by all. Francois' efforts have turned our office into a family, and our team is grateful for all he has done. prgtoken I offer my warmest congratulations and best wishes to Francois and Chrissy as they begin this new chapter in their lives. We all join their family and friends in celebrating this wonderful milestone. I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in celebrating this couple as they continue to build a happy, healthy life together.
Tribute to Lamar Alexander (Executive Session)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-12-2

I rise today to honor Senator Lamar Alexander, a friend and a colleague who has served in this body for some 18 years now. I have had the pleasure of serving with this Senator on both the Rules Committee and the Appropriations Committee, and we sat next to each other as chairman or ranking member on two Appropriations subcommittees--first Interior and then Energy and Water. We have done that since 2009. It has been through these experiences that I truly have come to appreciate Senator Alexander's fairness, his interest in solving problems, and his bipartisanship. prgtoken Most of all, I so appreciate your friendship and the time we have had to talk together. prgtoken I do believe that the Senate is going to be diminished by the absence of this Senator. prgtoken Working closely as chair and ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, we have always been able to find agreement on the annual appropriations bill. That is because we shared a willingness to find common ground. And that is no small thing. We have consistently held comprehensive subcommittee hearings on a wide range of issues, from nuclear power and nuclear waste to dam safety, to devastating droughts in the West and the future of renewable energy. prgtoken We were also often among the first, if not the first subcommittee to negotiate our bill, draft it, and get it marked up by the full committee, and that includes 4 years of record-level funding for clean energy, the National Laboratories, supercomputing, and water projects. The focus has always been on a fair, open process that seeks compromise. And that track record speaks to the value we place on the process. prgtoken But more than anything, Senator Alexander will be remembered as someone who dedicated his life to serving the people of Tennessee. Between his 8 years as Governor and 16 years as a Senator, he served longer than any Tennessean who has held both jobs. That doesn't include the 2 years he served as President George H.W. 's Secretary of Education. prgtoken His priorities have always been of great importance to Tennessee, whether Army Corps of Engineers funding for inland waters, particularly his favorite, Chickamauga--this is the first time I ever heard the word pronounced--Chickamauga Lock, which he often talks about in our hearings, or updating the way musicians are paid for their work. prgtoken He also led efforts to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, which President called a ``Christmas miracle.'' prgtoken As we hear promising news about coronavirus vaccines, we are reminded of the 21st Century Cures Act. That is Senator Alexander's landmark 2016 bill that streamlined the drug and device approval process to bring treatments to market faster. He has a long record of work he can be proud of. prgtoken Lamar, you have been a great colleague and a dear friend all these years in the Senate. I am proud of what we have achieved together.
IN HONOR OF MRS. GRACE VIRGINIA RICHARDSON HUMPHREY CUTTS
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to pay tribute to an inspiring woman, respected community leader, and a transgenerational pillar in Dawson, Georgia--Mrs. Grace Virginia Richardson Humphrey Cutts. Sadly, Mrs. Cutts passed away on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at the remarkable age of 108. But she leaves behind a legacy of impact upon countless people whose lives she touched. Her funeral service was held on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, at 11 am at the Adoration Temperance Obedience Charity (ATOC) African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Dawson, Georgia. prgtoken Mrs. Grace Virginia Richardson Humphrey Cutts was born on March 2, 1912, in Dawson, Georgia, to the union of Walter Revenna Richardson and Clara Louise Cochran Richardson. prgtoken Mrs. Cutts was a person who overcame many obstacles to make a difference in the lives of others. She was raised in a time during which African Americans were limited in their opportunities to better themselves. But, Mrs. Cutts was undeterred and set out on a path to overcome all obstacles that would prevent her from carrying out God's calling upon her life. prgtoken She graduated from Allen Normal and Industrial High School and enrolled in Georgia Normal and Agricultural College--now Albany State University, graduating in 1949. prgtoken She served as a teacher for 45 years, using her gifts to impact the lives of thousands of young people who went on to achieve in no small part because of her influence. Even after she retired, she continued to make a difference in the lives of young people through tutoring and mentoring. prgtoken The course and the direction of her life were set by the name she was given at birth--Grace. She was proud of her character and used that character to exhibit grace and compassion to all with whom she came in contact. She kept God as the center of her life and the captain of her ship. She was a member of the ATOC AME Church for an astonishing 102 years. Besides being the Mother of the Church, she served during various times as the church pianist, secretary, and Stewardess. prgtoken In addition to being dedicated to her church and her community, she was a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her family was always supportive and through the years, allowed her to give her time and treasure to God and her community. She was married to the late Calvin Homer Humphrey and the late Sammie Lee Cutts; was the loving mother to the late Calvin Walter Humphrey; and she was a doting grandmother and great grandmother. prgtoken Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once said that ``If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.'' We are so thankful that Mrs. Grace Cutts always brought a folding chair and used her life's work to make a difference. 1 Peter 4:10 says, ``Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.'' Mrs. Cutts exemplified that grace because of her fa
RECOGNIZING ALAN JENNINGS
Susan Wild (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , I rise to recognize Alan Jennings, a constituent of mine and a very good friend, who has spent decades working to weed out hunger and poverty in my community. prgtoken Alan joined the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, CACLV, as a young man in 1980. For the past 30 years, he has served as the executive director of the agency, touching countless lives, challenging barriers of race and bias, and working to expand diversity in the nonprofit sector. prgtoken Now Alan is stepping down to get some much-needed rest after a lifetime of hard work. prgtoken Under Alan's leadership, CACLV's funding has increased 30-fold. His entire life's work has been about building a just and equitable society for all. prgtoken From providing food to hungry families to raising funds for low- income and working-class kids to be the first in their families to go to college, Alan has lived the mission of community action every single day. prgtoken Alan, on behalf of the people of the Seventh District, thank you for your extraordinary leadership. We are so grateful to you. As you begin a new chapter, I join people in every corner of our community in wishing you the very best.
EXPIRING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROVISIONS
Steven Horsford (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , this global pandemic has devastated Nevada's economy, forcing thousands of Nevadans to be laid off from work. prgtoken Nevada's unemployment rate was last reported to be 11.8 percent. My hometown of North Las Vegas reported the State's highest unemployment rate at 14.6 percent. prgtoken Nevada's families are hurting. prgtoken Constituents contact my office every single day about their unemployment insurance concerns, especially regarding the Federal unemployment compensation benefits which expire at the end of this month. prgtoken Now that this pandemic is ravaging our country again, many States and localities are considering more stay-at-home orders. prgtoken We in Congress must act to make sure Americans who are unable to work because of this virus receive the Federal unemployment compensation that they need to survive until we get a vaccine that is free and available to everyone. prgtoken It is my hope that any COVID relief package that becomes law provides extended unemployment insurance benefits, direct cash payments, and additional State and local funding so that we can provide support to people who need it the most.
UNITED STATES FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
Sean Casten (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , imagine that you are a banker reviewing a corporate loan application. Over the last decade, competition has eroded this company's market share. They slashed prices in response; they burned through their cash. 250 similar companies have gone bankrupt since 2014. prgtoken Would you make that loan? prgtoken This is today's U.S. fossil fuel industry. Since 2010, coal demand is down 45 percent. Natural gas prices are down 40 percent. Oil prices are down 45 percent. Shale producers have chewed through $342 billion of free cash flow. Exxon just wrote off $20 billion in value. Wells Fargo booked $121 million in sector losses. prgtoken And yet, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has recently proposed a rule to mandate that banks provide ``fair access to capital'' to this sector. They would force you to use your balance sheet to take on excessive risk without commensurate return. They would reduce our financial stability and raise our energy costs. prgtoken I look forward to a full-throated and bipartisan condemnation of the OCC's attempt to use, dare I say, socialist tools to prop up an industry that is unable to succeed in the rough-and-tumble world of free-market capitalism.
HONORING SARA WYFFELS AS ARIZONA'S 2021 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Greg Stanton (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , I rise to honor and congratulate Sara Wyffels for being named the 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Educational Foundation. Mrs. Wyffels has dedicated her 14-year career to serving her students and community as a Spanish teacher at Chandler High School. prgtoken Her selection for Teacher of the Year comes at a time when Arizona's educators face unprecedented challenges, yet Mrs. Wyffels has risen to the occasion each step of the way. Every day, Mrs. Wyffels puts her students first and strives to motivate and inspire through boundless enthusiasm, kindness, and compassion. Although this past school year was unlike any other for teachers throughout our country, she continued to bring new ideas and life to her classroom, both in-person and virtually. Her lessons immerse students in a new culture and emphasize the power of language in forming human connections. Mrs. Wyffels pulls from her own experiences as she teaches her students to listen and connect with one another and broadens their worldview, helping them reach their full potential. prgtoken In her work, Mrs. Wyffels has created more equitable conditions for teachers and students in the Chandler Unified School District, in our community, and throughout Arizona. Since she began teaching, her tireless devotion to students has served as an example of what can be accomplished when young adults are empowered with the tools to explore, discover, and achieve their highest aspirations. Mrs. Wyffels' students leave her classroom and enter the world with a greater appreciation for the differences that make us all unique, a deep respect for others, and a passion for creating positive change as global citizens. prgtoken I am proud to recognize Mrs. Wyffels for her extraordinary service and the difference she has made both inside and outside the classroom. She is a National Board-Certified Teacher and a member of the Chandler Education Association. Mrs. Wyffels chose to become a teacher to inspire and help change the lives of her students, and we are all grateful for her work as a teacher, role model, and mentor. I wish her the best as she continues to inspire her students to create a better and brighter future for Arizona.
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MS. SHEILA PAUL
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2020-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Ms. Sheila Paul. Sheila loved three things in her life: God, her family, and serving others. As a devoted member of the Usher and Diaconness teams for over 40 years, it is clear that Sheila's incredibly strong and caring soul made her a central part of her community. We have lost a great leader, a tremendous mother, and a dear friend. prgtoken Sheila dedicated her life to God and to others. She radiated a vibrant, tenacious spirit that made it known she was a child of God, drove her to serve, and that infected others. Her spirituality was present in everything she did and anyone that met her knew she was grounded in her faith. Her courage and determination was evident when she journeyed from Saint Louis du Nord, Haiti to Freeport, Bahamas and finally to the United States. She embodied the immigrant spirit and the American dream. Sheila carried her successful business to Fort Lauderdale, and expanded it into a thriving storefront and ventured into real estate, forever embedding her legacy in the community. prgtoken Sheila forged strong connections with everyone she met and exemplified what it means to be a child of Christ through her generosity and kindness. She would feed anyone who came to her house and extended her hand to anyone in need. She always went above and beyond to improve the lives of those around her. prgtoken To Sheila, family was of the upmost importance. She was the proud wife of the late Alberto Michael Joseph and the proud mother of eight biological children: Alberta, Duval, Rosianne, Ilinda, Ancelot (AJ), Guillene, Bernadette, and Carole. As an immigrant she faced many hardships and made great sacrifices for her children, and strove to improve the circumstances of all, so they may benefit from an education, an opportunity she valued immensely. In addition to her immediate family, she was the adopted mother to hundreds of children which she considered her own. Sheila was a caring and selfless mother to all who had the privilege to know her. She was a true trailblazer, a steady leader and caregiver, and lived her life the way we should all strive to, with an abundance of love. prgtoken Madam , Ms. Sheila Paul has indeed left an indelible mark on her loved ones and her community, and it will be present for future generations to come. She will be dearly missed.