mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Rural Broadband (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-8-2

August is Rural Broadband Month at the Federal Communications Commission. The Commerce Committee just today put forward nominees for the Commission, and the Commission does matter. But I want to talk today specifically about highlighting the importance of broadband in rural America and rural Missouri. prgtoken In January of this year, I joined a number of my Senate colleagues on a bipartisan letter to President regarding the importance of broadband and expanding its access to all of the country and, particularly, the parts of our country that are not currently served. prgtoken As part of any infrastructure legislation that the Congress is talking about, I think we and the administration need to consider policies that advance infrastructure not just solely in terms of roads, bridges, and ports, which are important, particularly where the Presiding Officer and I live, in Arkansas and Missouri. That transportation network means so much to us, but also important is how people are able to communicate and compete. High speed internet access cannot be overlooked as we consider what our infrastructure should look like going forward. prgtoken Broadband can be delivered by wireless or wireline technology. It can be brought to customers by traditional communications companies in rural areas. Often, now, rural electric co-ops show great interest and capacity to do this, as do others. Following the significant steps that Congress took to deregulate the market as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the broadband industry has really responded. They invested a lot of money. In fact, they invested $1.5 trillion of private money to deploy better and faster networks. If you have access to one of those networks, you know what a difference it makes. prgtoken In 2015 alone--that is the last number I have access to--the investment by traditional wireline companies, wireless companies, and cable providers was $76 billion. All of that is really good, except that there is a real divide between the rural areas of my State and the rural areas of the country and the other more populated areas. prgtoken Some people say: Oh, that is just a myth; there is no digital divide. I would have them look at any number of articles. One article in the Wall Street Journal in June made the point that 39 percent of the United States' rural population lacks access to broadband. That sounds like a pretty big divide to me--that 39 percent of the entire rural population of the country doesn't have broadband, and 61 percent of rural Missourians lack access to broadband. These numbers are not acceptable. prgtoken Most private investment has been directed, as you would assume it would be, toward high populations, highly populated and easily accessed areas, and future customers. This is like the same problem the country had 100 years ago transitioning to telephones. It was hard to get a telephone to a house that was 5 miles away from th
Tribute to Bill Reed (Executive Session)
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-8-2

I rise today to recognize Bill Reed, an Arkansan who is retiring after more than 34 years of dedicated service at Riceland Foods, the world's largest miller and marketer of rice. prgtoken Bill is a member of the company's senior management team whose responsibilities include government affairs, public relations, and the Riceland Sustainability Initiative. His interest in agriculture at a young age led him to pursue degrees in this field. Bill earned a bachelor's degree with honors in plant and soil science from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Wisconsin. prgtoken In 1976, he moved to the Natural State to work as a State specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. He has continued his commitment not only to Arkansas but to Arkansas agriculture for more than 40 years. prgtoken Bill is recognized as one of the most passionate advocates on behalf of the Arkansas rice industry. Bill is constantly looking out for the rice farmers and businesses by promoting policies to grow the industry and pushing for expanding markets. His advocacy extended beyond the boundaries of agriculture. He was always ready to lend a hand to me or to my staff on any issue important to Arkansas. prgtoken He shares his passion for agriculture throughout the State, country, and the world as a representative of Riceland on numerous boards and trade associations, including the USA Rice Federation and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. In addition, Bill serves as chairman of the Associated Industries of Arkansas, vice president for agriculture of the Arkansas State Council on Economic Education, and vice chairman of the board of visitors of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. prgtoken He is a faithful servant of Jesus Christ and is leading his life as Christ calls us to do. In recent years, Bill began seminary school, and his retirement from Riceland will allow him to pursue the ministry full time and help people in need. prgtoken I appreciate Bill's friendship, and I am confident that he will excel in this role, just as he had done as an advocate for Arkansas rice. I wish him well in all of his future endeavors and look forward to the great work he will continue to do in helping the great State of Arkansas. prgtoken . prgtoken .
Great Lakes Environmental Sensitivity Index Bill (Executive Session)
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-8-2

today the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Marvin Kaplan to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board, NLRB. I am glad that we are moving this nomination because the National Labor Relations Board needs to function as intended. prgtoken The board hasn't been full in nearly 2 years. I am certainly not the only one of us who thinks a full Board is important. One ic senator said at a hearing on May 16, 2013: ``I strongly support a fully functioning NLRB with five members. I think confirming the entire slate will ensure that the NLRB is working for American workers and American employers.'' prgtoken Another said at the same hearing: ``What we don't need now--the last thing we need here in Washington or across the country--is more rancor, more division, more ideology, at a time we need this Board fully functioning. We need five people to get confirmed here. Any Senator who is standing in the way of getting five people confirmed and having a functioning Board has a lot of explaining to do . . .'' prgtoken Then-Chairman Harkin said in September 2014: ``Keeping the NLRB fully staffed and able to do its work will send a strong message to the American people that yes, Washington can work, and our government can function.'' prgtoken The National Labor Relations Board has five members with 5-year, staggered terms, and a general counsel with a 4-year term. There is no statutory requirement regarding party affiliation, but the tradition has been for the President to appoint members on a 3-2 ratio favoring the administration, with nominations for the two minority seats recommended by the Senate minority leader. prgtoken While we may often disagree with the opinions of the nominees for the other party's seats--many of us have ensured they had an up or down vote. For example, since 2013, I have voted for cloture for two board members and the current general counsel who I then voted against confirming. prgtoken Marvin Kaplan has been nominated for a position that has sat vacant for 23 months since President declined to nominate a for the then-minority seat. My hope is that this nominee will help restore some balance to the labor board. prgtoken After years of playing the role of advocate, the Board should be restored to the role of neutral umpire. Board partisanship didn't start under President , but it became worse under him. When the Board is too partisan, it creates instability in our Nation's workplaces and does not serve the intent of the law--which is stable labor relations and free flow of commerce. prgtoken For example, under President , the Board took three harmful actions, including the joint employer decision--which threatened to destroy the American dream for owners of the Nation's 780,000 franchise locations; the ambush elections rule, which can force a union election before an employer and many employees have a chance to figure out what is going on; a
RACE FOR CHILDREN ACT
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-8-2

I come to the floor today to voice my support for the FDA Reauthorization Act. Within this legislation is a very important measure that will support the development of innovative and promising cancer drugs--the RACE for Children Act, prgtoken which is a law that I introduced with Senator Michael Bennet of the State of Colorado. prgtoken RACE for Children is sorely needed, as it would close a loophole that exists in current Federal law and prompt companies--pharmaceutical companies--to examine the safety and the efficacy of powerful cancer drugs and how they work on children. This, in turn, will provide doctors with the necessary information to properly treat children battling cancer. prgtoken Pediatric cancer is a leading cause of death by disease among children. A startling statistic: One in every 285 children is diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20. While the good news is that researchers are continuing to make significant advances to treat and cure cancer for adults, the progress to develop safe drugs for pediatric cancer sadly lags far behind. prgtoken One of the problems is that current law, the way it is today, directs pharmaceutical companies to study the safety and the efficacy of adult drugs on children. So if you develop a drug on diabetes or heart disease or anything for adults, it also requires you to do some of that on children because you want to make sure that it works on both populations and you don't want to keep a drug out of the market for children that could work for them. Of course, this requirement is only in place if the FDA believes that there is a pertinent need--in essence, a condition that children suffer from. There are some conditions that are unique to adults; there are few, if any, pediatric populations who have that disease, so maybe they would decide it wasn't pertinent to require it. prgtoken However, this provision in the law specifically exempts cancer drugs. In essence, it says to a pharmaceutical company: If you are going to study the safety and the efficacy of a drug on adults, if there is a pertinent need, if there is a real population out there that suffers from the same condition in children, you have to test it on children, as well, except if it is a cancer drug. One of the reasons that exemption is in there is because technology--medical technology at the time that law was put in place--didn't allow researchers to target the genetic structure of cancer. In essence, at the time, it didn't allow them to say: We can go in and find the genetic markers of a specific cancer and test against it. That is why it didn't have that requirement. prgtoken Now, however, we do have that capability. Today, the technology exists to pinpoint the similarities in adult and childhood cancer genomes. So the technology has now reached a point where you can treat the specific genome of a cancer whether it is in an adult or in a child. That is how far the technology has
TRIBUTE TO BETTY JENEL OLSEN CARR
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2017-8-2

today I wish to mark a wonderful occasion, a birthday that many do not live to celebrate. Today we honor the 95th birthday and wonderful life of Betty Jenel Olsen Carr, born in Kimberly, ID, on August 2, 1922. Her early life was very much what you would expect from rural Idaho in the 1920s, and in many ways, rural life there now still has some of these echoes of a strong work ethic and family values. prgtoken Betty grew up with seven siblings in a family that learned self- sufficiency and self-reliance on an 80-acre farm. Edith, Andy, Lamoin, Melba, Phil, Vera, Nina, and Betty lived cozily together with their parents, Hannah Marie Sandberg and Neils Albert Olsen, in a small, white wooden farmhouse that had no electricity or running water when Betty was a child. However, the home did have a black potbelly cast iron stove that kept everyone warm and fed. prgtoken Education figured prominently in Betty's goals, as she graduated at the top of her Kimberly High School class, even though she skipped her final year of high school to start college. She fostered her love of reading through editing the school newspaper. She also played flute in the marching band and, improbably, at just 5 feet, 4 inches tall, played forward on the girls basketball team. She headed off to college at what was then called the Southern Branch of the University of Idaho--now Idaho State University--and studied journalism, but most importantly, she followed through on something she said in high school. She had been looking through her older sister's college yearbook and spotted the photo of a handsome young man. She declared, ``When I get to college, I am going to go out with that guy.'' She did indeed--she met and married Taylor Henry Carr a couple of years into college. Taylor served 3 years in World War II, and a family treasure is the love letters the two sent to each other during that difficult time that they were separated by his wartime service. prgtoken When Taylor returned home, he completed his education at the medical school at the University of Utah with the help of the GI bill and became a surgeon. Betty and he raised their seven children in Idaho Falls, ID. Each of those children has become remarkable in their own right, contributing to their communities, States, and country -- Katherine Ann, Taylor Douglas, Phillip Olsen, Jan Elizabeth, Kenneth Wright, Steven Edward, and Gregory Curtis. Their home was filled with love, education, and adventure. prgtoken From a personal perspective, there has never been a better child psychologist or wiser parent and aunt. Betty is my mother Melba's youngest sister--my beloved Aunt Betty, who was a second mother to me. She understood teenagers in a unique manner and knew just when to encourage me at those times when young people need to hear advice from someone who loves them and is not a parent. Growing up, I always knew I would find welcoming arms and a warm shoulder just a few
SENATE RESOLUTION 243--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT JOSEPH LEON GEORGE SHOULD BE HONORED FOR HEROISM AT PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, ON DECEMBER 7, 1941
Jeff Flake (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2017-8-2

recently, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to host several veterans who survived the sinking of the USS Arizona in the attack on Pearl Harbor. prgtoken I would like to briefly share an incredible story they told me about a true American hero named Joe George. prgtoken On December 7, 1941, Joe was a 26-year-old Boatswain's Mate Second Class aboard the repair ship USS Vestal in Pearl Harbor, HI, moored alongside the USS Arizona. prgtoken At 7:48 a.m many sailors, including Joe, had finished their breakfast when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked Pearl Harbor. As we know, the Arizona suffered a direct hit by a Japanese bomb that detonated in the ship's powder magazine. The resulting explosion sank the ship and claimed the lives of 1,177 servicemembers. prgtoken During the unimaginable chaos and carnage, Joe George displayed stunning composure and courage. Joe spotted six sailors trapped in the control tower of the sinking Arizona. These men were severely burned, and they were searching for a way to safety. The six wounded sailors were Seaman First Class Harold Kuhn, Seaman First Class Russell Lott, Gunner's Mate Third Class Earl Riner, Boatswain's Mate Second prgtoken Class Alvin Dvorak, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton, and Fire Controlman Third Class Lauren Bruner. prgtoken Upon seeing the men, Joe threw a heaving line between the Vestal and the Arizona to rescue the wounded sailors from the sinking ship. Suspended 40 feet in the air, the six sailors climbed 70 feet hand over hand across the rope to safety onboard the Vestal. These sailors did all this while enduring injuries so severe that two would succumb to their wounds in the weeks following the attack. prgtoken As they struggled across the heavy line, Joe George remained close by, all the while encouraging the men to push on. prgtoken The four sailors who survived their injuries each returned to serve with honor during World War II and then went on to live long lives. prgtoken I spoke with two of them, and hearing about the injuries they had and that they still were able to return to service in the Second World War was amazing. prgtoken Joe George's legacy of heroism will remain alive forever in the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the four sailors who survived the infamous day, thanks to Joe George. prgtoken Joe George was never awarded a medal for his role in the rescue of the six sailors, although his commanding officer commended his courageous actions. When I met with one of the Arizona survivors who was rescued by Joe, he told me, ``Joe George was never awarded anything for his bravery. He is no longer with us, but I believe in his memory he should be awarded the Navy Cross.'' prgtoken Lauren Bruner was another survivor whom Joe saved. He said to me: The six of us would not have survived except for his courage, in spite of being at high risk himself. He fully deserves high commen
FDA REAUTHORIZATION BILL
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-8-3

I wish to speak on the importance of maintaining a strong Food and Drug Administration. Today we approved the user fee reauthorizations for the FDA. We have done the important work of passing these essential user fee agreements out of the committee and have now debated and passed them on the Senate floor. prgtoken The HELP Committee is filled with strong personalities. These personalities reflect the passion and diversity of opinion of millions across our nation today. While we may disagree on certain policies, most of us can agree that funding the drug, device, and biologic centers of the FDA is essential. prgtoken Our future scientific endeavors require a strong FDA that communicates openly with the industry that it regulates, and this agreement sets up protocols to achieve that goal. A strong FDA also requires clear steps for product review, and only through such deliberative actions can we bring more competition and clarity to our drugs, devices, and biologic products. prgtoken I have championed multiple provisions in this bill, but there are two I would like to highlight today. First, there is the counterfeit and diverted drug language. This language makes importation neither harder nor easier. In fact, it doesn't change importation laws at all. Rather, it protects and strengthens the drug supply chain by prgtoken simply increasing penalties for criminals that choose to divert drugs into the United States or sell counterfeit drugs. prgtoken Current penalties for illegally diverting drugs in the United States change arbitrarily based on the location where the drugs are manufactured. Our bill addresses this disparity by enforcing the same penalties for diverting drugs made outside the United States as for those made inside the United States. To ensure public health and to enhance consumer confidence, it is critical that Congress eliminate these differing penalties for certain types of diversion and counterfeiting. prgtoken The second provision I wish to call attention to is a bipartisan proposal from Senators Bennet, Burr, and Casey. These fine Senators have joined together to address how clinical trials are designed early on in their development. By offering guidance on how to include the intended patient population, especially those with rare diseases, drug sponsors can craft trials that generate useful data for health professionals and patients to review. prgtoken This bill builds upon the success of other expanded access provisions that put the patient at the heart of the healthcare system. FDA does consummate work when reviewing products for market, but including a wider patient mix, when appropriate, will enable phase I, II, and III trials to be more complex. I strongly believe that accurately portraying the intended patient population in a clinical trial is key to ensuring that drugs are both safe and effective. prgtoken I support this bill, but I also feel compelled to speak for a moment
Veterans Legislation (Executive Session)
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-8-3

I rise for a moment to reflect on what was a great night for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Government, for the population of our country but most importantly for those who served as veterans in the military. prgtoken Last night, the Senate agreed to significant legislation on three fronts to make the VA better and more responsive to our veterans. prgtoken Ranking Member Tester and I have spent the entire year working toward making sure we dealt with the needs the VA has so all these stories we see on the front page of papers, stories about there being unsafe conditions, stories about people being mistreated, stories of people having to wait so long for their appointments--we want to put an end to all this, and we have given the Secretary the tools to do exactly that. prgtoken I was telling the ranking member this is called ``no excuses day.'' Secretary Shulkin will have no excuses for any mistakes to be made. Every tool he needs in his toolbox to see that the Veterans' Administration is responsible to the veterans of the United States of America passed in this Senate, passed in the House. There were six major bills the first 7 months of this year, a remarkable achievement, a testimony to teamwork, to staff, and to the leadership of the and the ic Parties. The majority and minority leaders of this Senate made it possible for that to happen last night. I am eternally grateful to both of them for their support and help. prgtoken I am not going to read all the names of the staff now because we are in limited time. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that the names of every staff member who worked with the VA Committee to make it the best year ever be printed in the Record. prgtoken Credit is given to captains, Presidents, and people with titles. Senator Tester and I have the titles, when it comes to the VA Committee, but the reason the VA Committee was successful in accomplishing every single goal, was because of every ranking file member, or ic. We took our labels off, we put our armor on, and we plowed ahead. We didn't say no to problems that looked like they were too hard. We said yes to solutions that looked like they made sense. prgtoken Veterans of the United States of America have better healthcare, better educational benefits, and a modern VA to deal with in the years ahead. I am proud to have been a part of it. I want to commend Senator Tester for his contribution.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-8-3

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record; and that the Senate then resume legislative session.