{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2136-4", "2006-12-08", 109, 2, null, null, "ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DEMOCRACY AND CONGRESS IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "ALLOTHER", "E2136", "E2137", "[{\"name\": \"Patrick J. Kennedy\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "152 Cong. Rec. E2136", "Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Pages E2136-E2137]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n  ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DEMOCRACY AND CONGRESS IN TAIPEI,\n                                 TAIWAN\n\n                                 ______\n\n                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY\n\n                            of rhode island\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006\n\n  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, on December 8\nand 9 in Taiwan, there will be an important gathering of legislators\nfrom Pacific Rim nations to discuss the role of congresses or\nlegislatures in the growing number of democracies developing across\nAsia.\n  The meeting has been convened by the Pacific Congressional Caucus, an\narm of the Democratic Pacific Union, DPU, a regional organization of\nPacific Rim democracies.\n\n[[Page E2137]]\n\n  Legislative leaders from 20 nations, including Canada, Australia, New\nZealand, Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the\nPhilippines, and the host Taiwan are expected to participate. It is\nunfortunate that, because of our legislative schedule, no member of\nthis House or of the other body are able to attend.\n  However, Mr. Speaker, I did want to take note of this important\nmeeting that will focus on the role of Congress in the various\ndemocratic governing models, such as the parliamentary system and the\npresidential system. Another important set of discussions will focus on\nthe issue of legislative elections in various democracies, how they are\nconducted, and how they are financed.\n  I congratulate Taiwan's political leaders who were instrumental in\ncreating the DPU and the Pacific Congressional Caucus. Taiwan's Vice\nPresident Annette Lu was the prime mover in bringing the DPU into\nexistence and the Speaker of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, Wang Jin-Pyng,\nwas instrumental in establishing the Pacific Congressional Caucus and\nin organizing such meetings as the one this weekend.\n  This effort in Taiwan has been truly bipartisan, with Vice President\nLu a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and Speaker\nWang a key leader of the Nationalist Party, known as the KMT.\n  Because Taiwan is one of Asia's most dynamic democracies, it is\nfitting that Taiwan has been instrumental in forming the DPU and the\nCaucus and in organizing this symposium. I congratulate Taiwan and wish\nall the participants a rewarding series of meetings.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2136-4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 84.90735408850014, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}