mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-7-25

such time as I may consume for purposes of closing. prgtoken , once again, let me thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), my friend and partner, for his partnership. prgtoken This legislation really does represent the product of close bipartisan work on this committee since the start of this Congress. So I wish to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) and other members of the committee, both and s. prgtoken And, again, I hope with this bill's passage today, the House is turning over a new leaf I am committed to making sure authorizing legislation for the State Department is something we do regularly and is something that this body considers as a must pass. prgtoken I am proud of our work on this bill. I want to thank my staff. I want to thank the staff on the minority side, as well. I am very proud of all of us working together as a team. prgtoken I urge all Members to support this, and, again, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul). prgtoken , .
INTRODUCTION OF THE BIKESHARE TRANSIT ACT OF 2019
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-7-25

. Madam , America is in the middle of a micromobility revolution, with bikeshare and scooters changing the way that people get around. First introduced in the United States in 2010, more than 100 communities now have bikeshare systems, supporting a network of more than 100,000 bikes. Since bikeshare's launch in the United States, riders have taken more than 100 million trips, with the number of trips and systems increasing each year. prgtoken My community recently celebrated the third anniversary of its BIKETOWN bikeshare launch. Since then, Portlanders and visitors have taken nearly 900,000 trips, covering more than one million miles and removing untold numbers of automobiles from city streets. The system's success has already led to its expansion, giving more communities access to efficient, carbon-free transportation. prgtoken The increased commercial investment around bikeshare stations and networks is driving economic development across the country. Systems are opening in communities of all sizes from Los Angeles and Cleveland to Topeka and Birmingham. While some existing bikeshare programs received federal dollars to develop their systems, the lack of an established funding source has proved an impediment to many other projects. Since the term ``bikeshare'' is not defined in U.S. code or described by law as a form of transit, existing bikeshare systems and departments of transportation are forced to operate in a gray area, creating challenges for funding, maintaining, and administering these programs. prgtoken Today, I am reintroducing the Bikeshare Transit Act of 2019, legislation that will eliminate this gray area by defining bikeshare in statute and making bikeshare systems eligible to receive funding to enhance related public transportation service or transit facilities. The bill allows federal funding to be used for acquiring or replacing bikeshare-related equipment and constructing bikeshare facilities. Bikeshare systems will also be listed as eligible projects under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. prgtoken The Bikeshare Transit Act will remove significant barriers facing new and existing bikeshare projects applying for federal funding while underscoring that bikeshare programs drive economic development and add value to America's transportation system.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-7-25

I rise today to introduce the Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement Act of 2019. from North Carolina, Senator Tillis, for working with me on this important piece of legislation, which serves as a first step to closing the diversity gap in our patent system by collecting demographic data on patent applicants. prgtoken Women and racial minorities have made some of the most significant inventions in this country's history. The $75 billion home security industry grew from an initial home security system invented by Marie Van Brittan Brown. The computer would never have become the multimedia device it is today without the microcomputer system invented by Mark Dean. The genetic revolution would still be science fiction if not for the CRISPR gene-editing tool discovered by Jennifer Doudna--raised on Hawaii's Big Island. prgtoken We should celebrate these inventors and the many others like them who have contributed to innovation in this country. But we must also recognize the hard truth that women, racial minorities, and many other groups are greatly underrepresented in the U.S. patent system. prgtoken The Patent and Trademark Office's recent report on women inventors shines a spotlight on one part of this problem. The PTO found that only 21 percent of U.S. patents list a woman as an inventor and that women make up only 12 percent of all inventors. This is true even though women held 43 percent of all full-time jobs in 2016 and 28 percent of STEM jobs in 2015. prgtoken Other reports highlight racial and income patent gaps. For example, a report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research found that the percentage prgtoken of African American and Hispanic college graduates who hold patents is approximately half that of their white counterparts. Another report found that children born into families with incomes below the median U.S. income are 90 percent less likely to receive a patent in their lifetimes than those born into wealthier families. prgtoken Closing these gaps would turbocharge our economy. According to a study by Michigan State University Professor Lisa Cook, including more women and African Americans in the ``initial stage of the process of innovation'' could increase GDP by as much as $640 billion. Another study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that eliminating the patent gap for women with science and engineering degrees alone would increase GDP by over $500 billion. prgtoken It's simply good policy and good business to want to fully integrate people of all types into our innovation economy. prgtoken But if we have any hope of closing the various patent gaps, we must first get a firm grasp on the scope of the problem. prgtoken Studies of the demographic makeup of patentees, like the ones I described, are few and far between. The reason is a simple one. A lack of data. The PTO does not collect any data on applicants beyond their first and last names
VENEZUELA TPS ACT OF 2019
Darren Soto (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-7-25

I thank the chairwoman from California for her time and her leadership on this issue. prgtoken , I think that Congress understands at this point that Venezuela is in crisis; that its people are in crisis under the evil fist of a tyrannical dictator who has stayed in power through fraudulent elections. prgtoken That is why the United States recognized Juan Guaido as interim President in a bipartisan fashion, from President and leaders in the Senate, to leaders in the House, including our , Nancy Pelosi. prgtoken And that is why we have come together in a bipartisan fashion to file and pursue the passage of the Venezuela TPS Act. It was cointroduced with bipartisanship in its heart with Congressman Diaz-Balart, who has joined me here today to try to get the job done and to get everybody together. prgtoken We have been joined by such amazing leaders like Congresswoman Shalala--who we will hear from in a second--who helped on the Rules Committee; or with the help of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who helped to work with leadership; and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Congresswoman who helped us guide it through the Judiciary Committee, along with Congresswoman Lofgren as well. prgtoken The administration has said positive statements about this. Just this past week, Secretary Pompeo said that this could happen. And we had Vice President in Florida saying that we need to act to help the Venezuelan people. prgtoken So I think we are going to have a second chance. We are going to have a chance tonight to vote on this again where we won't need a two-thirds vote, but it would say a lot about saying that the Socialist regime that Maduro has in Venezuela needs to go, and that we, as a Congress, stand together as and s to condemn that; and to allow people who are here, over 170,000 in Florida, and over 1 million throughout the United States, to have a second chance. prgtoken , I really hope the House can come together and show our very best tonight with the vote. prgtoken According to USCIS, Venezuelans have become the largest group of asylum seekers applying for refuge in the U.S. Venezuelans made up one- third of all asylum claims, ahead of people from Central America, China, and all other countries. That is really significant considering the humanitarian crisis that all parties have recognized is at the border right now. prgtoken Only Venezuelans already in the United States who pose no risk to the safety or security of our country are eligible for TPS. The program already contains the most stringent criminal and public safety bars in all of immigration law, so we make sure that there are only those who are worthy. prgtoken Lastly, temporary protective status is the current law of the land.
INTERFERENCE WITH ELECTIONS ACT
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-7-25

I would like to speak about the Prevention of Foreign Interference with Elections Act, which I introduced in June. prgtoken The bill is cosponsored by all 10 ic members of the Judiciary Committee, plus Senators Markey and Smith. This bill is necessary because we know foreign actors are working to influence our elections. The Mueller report showed us how Russia interfered in 2016, and we can expect it to happen again in 2020. The bill's goal is to provide enhanced criminal penalties to prevent foreign interference in our elections. The bill makes five changes to current law in order to accomplish that. prgtoken First, it explicitly makes it a crime to work with foreign nationals to interfere in U.S. elections. prgtoken Second, the bill prohibits Americans from helping foreign nationals funnel illegal contributions or donations into U.S. elections. prgtoken Third, the bill expands restrictions on foreign-financed election ads. Notably, it restricts foreign-financed issue ads and foreign- financed digital ads. prgtoken Fourth, the bill creates a civil action so that when the Attorney General learns of foreign interference, the Justice Department can immediately get an injunction. prgtoken And fifth, the bill modifies immigration law so if a non-U.S. citizen is convicted of interfering in our elections, they would be inadmissible into the United States. prgtoken Unless we take action, Russia or another foreign power will interfere with our elections. It is not a question of if, it is a question of when. prgtoken We need to make clear that such interference will result in criminal punishment, and we must update our election laws to combat these new cyber attacks. prgtoken This bill accomplishes both. Thank you.
HONORING THE LIFE OF ANTHONY MARTINEZ
TJ Cox (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-7-26

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the life of Anthony Martinez, Sr a true leader in Delano, California and the Central Valley, who dedicated his life to helping others. prgtoken Tony was born in Santa Paula, California and grew up in Hanford where he graduated from high school and then went on to pursue higher education at Bakersfield College, San Jose State, and Porterville College. prgtoken A selfless leader, Tony proudly served in the California National Guard and the United States Air Force. prgtoken Among his many jobs in life, Tony managed a Thrifty's Drug Store, but then with the support of his wife Pat, accomplished a lifelong dream by opening the renowned Tony's Pizza in Delano, and also founded the Anthony Martinez Farmers Insurance Agency. prgtoken During his impressive 40-year business career, Tony volunteered countless hours to his community and served in elected roles as both a city councilmember and as Mayor. prgtoken Tony passed away on June 20, 2019, but he leaves behind a legacy that will live on. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Anthony ``Tony'' Martinez. May he rest in peace and may we always remember his dedication to Delano, the Central Valley and our great nation.
HONORING DR. MARY BETH MUSKIN
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-7-26

. Madam , I rise today to honor Dr. Mary Beth Muskin for her lifetime of exceptional service and dedication to our community. Dr. Muskin devoted nearly four decades to education and her impact on the Omaha community has benefitted thousands and is an inspiration for all Nebraskans. prgtoken Dr. Muskin received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska in Elementary and Pre-School Education. She went on to obtain her Master of Science in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University and returned to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to get her PhD in Philosophy, with an emphasis in Adult and Continuing Education. prgtoken Dr. Muskin began her career in education while teaching in the Baltimore Public Schools. One day, a man was trying to break into her classroom of thirty-six children. Dr. Muskin will always remember the moment when she knew she had to stop the invasion and slammed the window ultimately breaking his arm. That act of bravery marked the beginning of her incredible career serving inner city students and she has loved every minute of that service. prgtoken Dr. Muskin eventually moved back to Omaha to marry Bruce Muskin and together that have raised three outstanding children, all of whom who have a passion for education and social justice. Upon returning to Nebraska, she spent thirty-six years working for the Omaha Public Schools across the entire District, and the last six as Director of Counseling at Omaha South High School. prgtoken Following an extraordinary career in education, Dr. Muskin became the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League Plains States Region in 2015 and was excited to use her skills in classroom teaching to further the community education mission of the ADL. prgtoken The Anti-Defamation League Plains States region covers Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. Their mission is to Protect, Investigate and Educate and the ADL is committed to addressing the issues of prejudice and discrimination that affect all people. They work to ``secure justice and fair treatment of all citizens.'' prgtoken One of the programs of the Anti-Defamation League that Dr. Muksin proudly oversees is No Place For Hate. Dr. Muskin and her team have brought this program into schools across the region. Under her leadership, the ADL has worked tirelessly in metro Omaha schools, helping to reduce bullying in partnerships with students, parents, teachers, and administrators in our districts. In addition, Dr. Muskin has been a valued friend and counselor to my office and her wisdom regarding eucation and combatting hate has been vital with respect to our legislative efforts. prgtoken In her spare time, Dr. Muskin volunteers in South Omaha, is involved in voter education programs, and to date has registered over five hundred and fifty voters. prgtoken The impact of Dr. Mary Beth Muskin on our community and the surrounding states is broad and her passion is contagious. Through her example and leadership, she
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-7-29

yesterday President announced that after nearly 2\1/2\ years of dedicated service, our former Senate colleague Dan Coats would be stepping down from his post as Director of National Intelligence. prgtoken Director Coats has led the intelligence community during a turbulent time for our country, and with our country continuing to face persistent threats from rogue and hostile states, as well as the ongoing war against terror, he has done a magnificent job and one that deserves all the accolades we can possibly bestow upon him. We know he entered the job on the tail of a blatant attempt by the Russian Government to interfere with our Nation's elections, and he made it a top priority to ensure that the American people could cast a vote with confidence in 2018 and beyond. prgtoken I just happened to come in the Chamber, when the Senator from Ohio was continuing to question the majority leader's commitment to election integrity, and I must say that it is ironic to me that the Russian interference with the 2016 election was, by and large, met with inaction, really nothing that the administration did, even though they knew it was ongoing as early as the summer of 2016. prgtoken The truth is, as a result of this administration's and this Congress's efforts, the 2018 election was essentially interference free, and that is because of tremendous actions being taken by the Department of Homeland Security to work with our partners in the State election systems to provide sensors that can identify attempts to hack into their system as well as the movement of State election officials to move to paper ballots and the like. prgtoken We also know we have been much more aggressive attacking the cyber threats at their source, and while much of that is classified and can't be discussed in a public forum, suffice it to say that if we can just repeat the successes of 2018 during the administration in 2020, Americans can be confident their vote will be cast and be counted as it should be. prgtoken That is not to suggest for a moment that we shouldn't remain vigilant because we know the Russian Federation is going to continue to try to sow discord and cause us to question our own institutions. They are very good at it. They have been doing it a long time, but now they have additional tools like social media and propaganda as well as the complicity sometimes of the mainstream media in writing unverified and unsourced stories that create more and more and contribute more and more to this atmosphere in which we currently live. prgtoken Let me talk again about Director Coats because his remarkable career as a public servant included, at times, a Congressman, an ambassador to Germany, a U.S. Senator twice, and Director of National Intelligence. prgtoken I know I speak for others in this Chamber in saying that we are grateful for Dan Coats' dedicated service to our country, and I am honored to be one of those
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-7-29

there is a bad practice in pharmaceutical pricing called spread pricing. Spread pricing has historically siphoned money from the State Medicaid Programs and given it to pharmacy benefit managers or what we call PBMs. Drug payments and Medicaid should focus on the beneficiary, not the PBMs. prgtoken The bipartisan prescription drug legislation I introduced this month with Senator Wyden bans spread pricing. This will refocus the system on paying for costs associated with prescribing a drug instead of gaming the system to reap a profit at the expense of the taxpayers. prgtoken Medicaid funding should go to patients, not to the pockets of healthcare middlemen. prgtoken .
TRIBUTE TO THOMAS PENLEY
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-7-29

this week I have the honor of congratulating Thomas Penley of Helena, MT, for his hard work representing Montana at the 2019 meeting of Boys Nation. prgtoken The process to be a delegate at Boys Nation is highly competitive, with only a few students per high school allowed to receive a nomination. Mr. Penley successfully earned a nomination to attend the Montana Boys State meeting at Carrol College in Helena. At this meeting, Mr. Penley was one of the two attendees selected by the conference to represent Montana at the national meeting. prgtoken Mr. Penley's achievements do not stop at his nomination to be part of the Montana delegation at the Boys Nation meeting. At the assembly, Mr. Penley was elected by his peers to serve as vice president of the session. This tremendous honor speaks volumes to Mr. Penley's work ethic and leadership. In the 73 years of Boys Nation, only one other time has a Montanan been elected vice president. prgtoken I am proud to recognize Mr. Penley for his continued success and wish him the best. I look forward to following all the future accomplishments Mr. Penley will achieve.
Infrastructure (Executive Calendar)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-7-29

I rise today to congratulate Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Carper on their introduction of the EPW Committee's 5-year infrastructure bill, the America's highway infrastructure act. prgtoken Back in Indiana, as a member of the State Legislature, in 2017 we did what some States are doing and many haven't yet. We actually did a long-term road funding and bridge infrastructure bill. As a Main Street entrepreneur there in just my third year in the State Legislature, we accomplished things that nobody said could get done, because we made the case that for the crossroads of America, we needed to make sure our roads and bridges were going to be there in safe shape for future generations. prgtoken No matter where I go, I hear almost everyone unanimously wanting better roads and bridges. Ironically, even in a State like the Hoosier State, 70 percent of constituents wanted better roads but didn't want their taxes to go up. We had to make the case--and it wasn't hard for me to do as a fiscal conservative--that if you are in a State like Indiana and your comparative advantage is the crossroads of America, why wouldn't you want a tangible asset to be in good shape that everyone can enjoy? prgtoken We also did it from a position of strength. We run a balanced budget, generally with a surplus every year, and we passed a balance budget amendment. So it was not difficult to talk about investing in the future when you were doing it from a position of strength. In fact, this last year, we had almost a $400 million surplus and a cash balance of over $2 billion. Wouldn't it be nice if this place worked like that? prgtoken The bill introduced provides $287 billion to fix the Nation's aging roads and bridges--more than any bill in history. It includes new safety programs to incentivize States to lower fatalities of drivers and pedestrians. It codifies key elements of President 's ``One Federal Decision'' to cut redtape and to reduce the time that road projects spend in the permitting line. It instructs Federal highways to address resiliency, making sure that when a road is damaged by a natural disaster, we rebuild it with modern technology that will prevent similar damage in the future. prgtoken Most importantly, it contains incentives to urge States to put more skin in the game, just like we did in Indiana, taking ownership of their own infrastructure and making sure that in prgtoken States where balance sheets are clean and economies are healthy, they don't look to the Federal Government to lead on it and they lead themselves. prgtoken This bill contains a proposal I introduced last week called the Crossroads of America Act, to provide $150 million that will be competitively awarded to States that will bid for the highest State match for Federal dollars. This concept worked for us in Indiana. We called it the Community Crossings Program, and within 1 or 2 years, even after there was much complaining by ci
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-7-29

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Crapo), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Gardner), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Perdue), the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse), and the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan). prgtoken Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz) would have voted ``nay,'' the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Gardner) would have voted ``nay,'' the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) would have voted ``yea,'' the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse) would have voted ``nay.''