[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 4 (Friday, January 28, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-348. A resolution adopted by the Board of Commissioners 
     of Iron County, Michigan relative to unfunded mandates; to 
     the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
       POM-349. A resolution adopted by the City Council of Dana 
     Point, California relative to unfunded mandates; to the 
     Committee on Governmental Affairs.
       POM-350. A resolution adopted by the Intercounty 
     Association of Western New York relative to the English 
     language; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
       POM-351. A resolution adopted by the City of Plains, Texas 
     relative to unfunded mandates; to the Committee on 
     Governmental Affairs.
       POM-352. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Governmental 
     Affairs.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 3

       ``Whereas, the American Revolution and War for Independence 
     was ultimately declared citing the principle ``taxation 
     without representation is tyranny,'' and there are nearly 
     650,000 taxpaying American citizens in the District of 
     Columbia who have no federal voting representation in 
     Congress; and
       ``Whereas, of the 117 countries in the world with elected 
     national legislatures, the United States stands alone in 
     depriving the residents of its capital a voice and a vote in 
     our national legislative body; and
       ``Whereas, District of Columbia residents pay more federal 
     income tax per capita than the residents of 48 states, and 
     more in local taxes than the residents of any state in the 
     country; and
       ``Whereas, the District of Columbia's per capita income is 
     $32,000, exceeding the national average by 42 percent and is 
     well positioned for growth as a leader in a number of service 
     industries, for example, law, business services, 
     communications, and tourism; and
       ``Whereas, District of Columbia residents serve 
     disproportionately in the military; have served in all wars 
     since the War for Independence and during the Vietnam War, 
     had more casualties than 10 states and more casualties per 
     capita than 47 states; and
       ``Whereas, The District of Columbia sent more soldiers to 
     the Persian Gulf than 20 states (more per capita than all but 
     four states), and yet had no voting representation on the 
     floor of the House of Representatives or Senate when Congress 
     approved military involvement; and
       ``Whereas, There is no constitutional prohibition against 
     creating the State of New Columbia out of nonfederal parts of 
     the District of Columbia, and the District of Columbia meets 
     all statehood requirements traditionally imposed by Congress; 
     and
       ``Whereas, The District of Columbia has 639,000 residents, 
     nearly as many or more residents than six states: Wyoming 
     (465,000), Alaska (552,000), Vermont (565,000), North Dakota 
     (641,000), Delaware (669,000), and South Dakota (699,000) 
     with each state possessing two Senators; and
       ``Whereas, Historically, statehood has been granted when 
     three criteria were met: (1) the people, through some 
     democratic process, express their desire to become a state; 
     (2) the people accept the republican form of government 
     required by the United States Constitution and practiced in 
     the United States; and (3) there are sufficient people and 
     economic resources to support a state; and
       ``Whereas, District of Columbia residents have 
     democratically expressed their desire to become a state 
     through passage of a statehood referendum (November 1980); 
     approval of a Constitution by district delegates (May 1982); 
     transmittal of the Constitution and a petition for statehood 
     (September 1983) to Congress; and in the tradition of 
     Tennessee in 1796, election of their petition for admission 
     to the Union as the 51st state; and
       ``Whereas, Statehood will provide District of Columbia 
     residents with federal voting representation, as well as 
     local legislative, budgetary, and judicial autonomy; now, 
     therefore, be it
       ``Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully memorializes the President and 
     Congress to extend statehood to Washington, D.C.; and be it 
     further
       ``Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President 
     of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.''
                                  ____

       POM-353. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Illinois; to the Committee on Governmental 
     Affairs.

                    ``House Joint Resolution No. 63

       ``Whereas, The number of unfunded federal mandates imposed 
     upon the states by the United States Congress has been 
     increasing at an alarming rate in recent years; and
       ``Whereas, While many of the programs have worthy goals, 
     the failure of the Congress to provide adequate means to 
     implement them has placed state governments in a vice that 
     threatens to squeeze state resources beyond their limits; and
       ``Whereas, In the short run, these unfunded mandates have 
     placed Illinois and other states in the position of 
     attempting to fund the federal requirements with diminishing 
     amounts of available revenue or, by failing to do so, 
     jeopardizing state eligibility for certain federal funds; and
       ``Whereas, The states and the United States Congress should 
     engage in earnest discussions to resolve the difficult 
     position that states have been forced into by their efforts 
     to carry out increased numbers of unfunded federal mandates; 
     and
       ``Whereas, If unchecked, this trend could eliminate state 
     flexibility to effectively deal with local problems as 
     limited state resources are diverted to funding mandated 
     programs; and
       ``Whereas, Our representatives in Washington, D.C., must 
     display their understanding of this dilemma and work with 
     state governments to either provide relief from unfunded 
     federal mandates or to appropriate adequate resources to 
     carry them out; and
       ``Whereas, The members of the General Assembly wish to 
     personally communicate with the members of the Illinois 
     delegation to the United States Congress so that our 
     representatives in Washington, D.C., may fully understand the 
     effects that the actions of the federal government have on 
     the State of Illinois, especially the difficulties they 
     impose upon the General Assembly in its efforts to allocate 
     resources to a number of pressing needs; therefore be it
       ``Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-
     eighth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, the Senate 
     concurring herein, That we hereby invite the members of the 
     Illinois congressional delegation to address a joint session 
     of the General Assembly regarding unfunded federal mandates; 
     and be it further
       ``Resolved, That a copy of this preamble and resolution be 
     forwarded to each member of the Illinois congressional 
     delegation as a symbol of our earnest desire to work together 
     to reach a solution that will benefit the citizens we all 
     serve.''
                                  ____

       POM-354. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Nebraska; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

                      ``Legislative Resolution 283

       ``Whereas, state appropriations for federally mandated 
     services and activities increase annually and the Legislature 
     needs to be apprised of any forthcoming federal activities 
     that require state funds; and
       ``Whereas, the state congressional delegation shall 
     personally report to and invite dialog from the Legislature 
     regarding and federal legislation that reduces federal 
     funding for any existing federally mandated activity or 
     service; and
       ``Whereas, such a report shall address any federal law that 
     requires a new activity or service of the state that is not 
     funded by federal appropriation. Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved, by the Members of the Ninety-third Legislature 
     of Nebraska, second session:
       ``1. That Nebraska's congressional delegation be invited to 
     report annually to the Legislature on federal initiatives 
     requiring a legislative response.
       ``2. That copies of this resolution be sent to the Speaker 
     of the United States House of Representatives, the President 
     pro tempore of the United States Senate, and each Nebraska 
     member of the United States House of Representatives and the 
     United States Senate.''
                                  ____

       POM-357. A resolution adopted by the Common Council of the 
     City of Rockport, Indiana relative to permanent replacement 
     workers; to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
       POM-358. A resolution adopted by the House of the General 
     Assembly of the State of Illinois; to the Committee on Labor 
     and Human Resources.

                      ``House Resolution No. 1527

       ``Whereas, The occurrence of violent crime in our 
     communities continues to rise; the assistance of the federal 
     government is therefore summoned; and
       ``Whereas, Considerable resources have been spent by the 
     Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in an attempt to keep illegal 
     drugs out of American society; and
       ``Whereas, Drugs and violence continue to plague our 
     communities; and
       ``Whereas, Research shows that the State and federal 
     governments could save substantially if the emphasis of the 
     war on drugs was switched, in some cases, from incarceration 
     to treatment; and
       ``Whereas, Facts provided by the Chemical Dependency 
     Services Network which support this claim show 3 out of 4 
     offenders test positive for alcohol and/or drugs at the time 
     of arrest; and
       ``Whereas, Illinois pays $17,250 per offender per year in 
     prison while treatment costs only $1,500 to $12,000 per 
     person per year; and
       ``Whereas, If 2% of the State's 33,000 inmates received 
     treatment instead of prison, over $16 million would be saved; 
     and
       ``Whereas, Arrest rates for 74% of the offenders are 
     reduced when the offender undergoes substance abuse 
     treatment; and
       ``Whereas, For every $1 invested in treatment, the State 
     saves $11.64; and
       ``Whereas, The abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs 
     is responsible for $1 of every $5 Medicaid spends on hospital 
     costs; and
       ``Whereas, Alcohol and other drug abuse costs Illinois $7 
     billion a year in decreased productivity; and
       ``Whereas, With the State's scarce resources, we cannot 
     afford to continue the ``revolving door'' for offenders who 
     re-enter the criminal justice system on drug-related charges 
     because their addiction has not been treated; and
       ``Whereas, Treatment is not an easy sentencing option as 
     treatment programs demand that clients make tough changes, 
     forcing them to face their addiction and end their criminal 
     activities; treatment is an important part of, as well as a 
     practical and cost-effective alternative to, incarceration; 
     and
       ``Whereas, In Illinois, a study was conducted by Treatment 
     Alternatives for special Clients (TASC) in several counties 
     throughout the State from 1990 through 1991; and
       ``Whereas, The recidivism rates for TASC clients are much 
     lower than non-TASC clients, and, of the 1,460 TASC clients 
     placed in treatment Statewide in FY 1993, only 5% were 
     terminated for rearrest during their TASC sentence; and
       ``Whereas, A nation-wide study by the National Institute of 
     Drug Abuse found that TASC clients under legal coercion tend 
     to remain in both residential and outpatient drug-free 
     treatment modalities six to seven weeks longer than voluntary 
     clients, a finding usually associated with better treatment 
     outcomes; and
       ``Whereas, With the facts clearly proving the savings to 
     State and federal governments, an attempt should be made to 
     treat those people who can be helped thus opening more prison 
     space for violent offenders and ultimately saving money; 
     therefore be it
       ``Resolved, By the House of Representatives of the Eighty-
     Eight General Assembly of the State of Illinois, that we 
     summon the Illinois congressional delegation to work with the 
     Clinton Administration to redirect some of its federal funds 
     to enhance local drug treatment centers; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That suitable copies of this preamble and 
     resolution be presented to President Bill Clinton and to each 
     member of the Illinois congressional delegation.''
                                  ____

       POM-359. A resolution adopted by the House of the General 
     Assembly of the State of Illinois; to the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs.

                      ``House Resolution No. 1509

       ``Whereas, the Congress of the United States enacted Public 
     Law 93-43 on June 18, 1973, which provides that ``the remains 
     of (any veteran, and certain others) may be buried in any 
     open national cemetery in the National Cemetery System''; and
       ``Whereas, through this Public law, all veterans, by virtue 
     of their service to their country, have a right to be 
     interred in a national cemetery; and
       ``Whereas, it has been reported that the national 
     cemeteries in Illinois have the following numbers of spaces 
     available: Alton, 10; Camp Butler, 6,712; Danville, 8,209; 
     Mound City, 1,201; Quincy, 70; and Rock Island, 2,168; and
       ``Whereas, there are millions of Illinois veterans who have 
     the right to interment in a national cemetery; and
       ``Whereas, after the remaining 18,000 cemetery spaces in 
     Illinois are used, the families of Illinois veterans will 
     have to go out of the State to find space in a national 
     cemetery; and
       ``Whereas, when a deceased veteran is interred a long 
     distance from home, the veteran's family will face additional 
     hardship in reaching the burial site and may be unable to 
     visit the grave and show their respect; and
       ``Whereas, the families of veterans in the State of 
     Illinois are aggrieved that there is no national cemetery 
     near the Chicago area, where millions of veterans live with 
     their families; and
       ``Whereas, there is an existing army cemetery at Fort 
     Sheridan which would accommodate the needs of the veterans 
     who are desirous of a national cemetery in the Chicago area; 
     therefore be it
       ``Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-
     Eighth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, that we 
     respectfully urge our federal government leaders to work 
     together to designate the cemetery at Fort Sheridan a 
     national cemetery for use by all veterans; and be it further
       ``Resolved, that suitable copies of this preamble and 
     resolution be forwarded to President Bill Clinton and to each 
     member of the Illinois congressional delegation.''
                                  ____

       POM-360. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 4

       ``Whereas, the federal medicaid program, California's 
     version of which is known as Medi-Cal, provides various 
     health care services, including nursing home services, 
     through a combination of state and federal funds; and
       ``Whereas, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 
     1990 (Public Law 101-508) and Public Law 102-568, reduced the 
     pension benefits for single Medi-Cal-eligible veterans in 
     nursing homes providing services to Medi-Cal recipients from 
     $1,015 per month to $90 per month; and
       ``Whereas, In annual terms the pension was reduced from 
     $12,180 per year to $1,080 per year; and
       ``Whereas, Title VI of Public Law 102-568 states, ``(5) The 
     provisions of this subsection shall apply with respect to a 
     surviving spouse having no child in the same manner as they 
     apply to a veteran having neither spouse nor child''; and
       ``Whereas, For Medi-Cal-eligible widows of veterans in 
     nursing homes providing services to Medi-Cal recipients, 
     Public Law 102-568 reduced the pension from $680 per month to 
     $90 per month, an annual reduction from $8,160 per year to 
     $1,080 per year; and
       ``Whereas, With respect to a veteran or widow who uses his 
     or her pension to pay for nursing home care, Public Law 101-
     508 and Public Law 102-568 effectively shift the cost of the 
     veteran's and widow's care from the veteran's pension to 
     Medi-Cal; and
       ``Whereas, Since the State of California pays 50 percent of 
     the Medi-Cal costs for nursing home care, these federal 
     provisions effectively shift these costs from the federal 
     budget to California's budget; and
       ``Whereas, The federal provisions that reduced the 
     veteran's and widow's pension benefits of those receiving 
     Medi-Cal-funded nursing home services is not scheduled to 
     sunset until September 30, 1997; and
       ``Whereas, The pension reduction for veterans costs state 
     taxpayers approximately $18,000,000 per year and the pension 
     reduction for approximately 9,000 widows of veterans will 
     cost the taxpayers an additional $30,000,000 per year, thus 
     costing the veterans and widows and the other taxpayers of 
     this state approximately $48,000,000 per year; and
       ``Whereas, These pension benefit reductions may become 
     applicable to many of this state's 2,800,000 veterans in 
     future years; and
       ``Whereas, These federal veteran's and widow's benefit 
     reduction provisions are believed by the Legislature to be 
     unfair to all the citizens of this great state; and
       ``Whereas, In accordance with the views expressed by 
     Abraham Lincoln who stated, ``Now, is the time to care for 
     the widows and orphans of those who have borne the battle,'' 
     the sunset date of these federal provisions should be changed 
     from September 30, 1997, to September 30, 1993; and
       ``Whereas, This change would provide comfort and aid to 
     both the veterans and their widows who are in nursing homes 
     by returning their pension rights provided for many years by 
     Congressional action, now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully memorializes the President and the 
     Congress of the United States to terminate the pension 
     benefit limitation provisions for Medi-Cal-eligible veterans 
     and widows in nursing homes on Sepember 30, 1993; and be it 
     further
       ``Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President 
     of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, to each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States, and to each 
     member of the House and Senate committees on veterans' 
     affairs.''

                          ____________________