[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 60 (Monday, May 16, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 16, 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-475. A resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors 
     of the County of Charlotte, Virginia relative to tobacco; to 
     the Committee on Finance.
       POM-476. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona; to the Committee on Finance.

                   ``Senate Concurrent Memorial 1004

       ``Whereas, Americans are facing ever-increasing costs for 
     health care coverage; and
       ``Whereas, most existing forms of health insurance coverage 
     limit the policyholders' role as a consumer and decision 
     maker, thus displacing the normal discipline of the 
     marketplace; and
       ``Whereas, a major reason for high and rising health costs 
     is consumers' lack of direct financial responsibility for 
     their health related decisions; and
       ``Whereas, allowing Americans to have more direct 
     involvement in paying for routine health care will motivate a 
     greater level of consumer awareness and responsibility; and
       ``Whereas, an excellent vehicle for inserting consumer 
     responsibility into health care decisions is the medical care 
     savings account; and
       ``Whereas, Congress can set tax policy to make medical care 
     savings accounts a viable option for individuals and 
     employers that provide employee health benefits.

     Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       ``1. That the United States Congress amend federal tax law 
     to allow: (a) Individuals and businesses on behalf of 
     employees to fully deduct contributions, up to a determined 
     maximum dollar amount, to an individual medical care savings 
     account. (b) Individual medical care savings account holders 
     an exemption from income taxes on either contributions to the 
     account or on interest earned on account balances as long as 
     account withdrawals are for eligible medical expenses.
       ``2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives and to each Member of the Arizona 
     Congressional Delegation.''
                                  ____

       POM--477. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Washington; to the Committee on Finance.

                       Senate Joint Memorial 8029

       ``Whereas, Owners of real property may not be aware of a 
     United States Internal Revenue Service lien against the 
     owner's property; and
       ``Whereas, Without proper notice of such liens, property 
     owners may be unduly or erroneously burdened when they 
     attempt to sell property against which there is a federal tax 
     lien;
       ``Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that 
     the United States Congress enact a law allowing states that 
     impose notice requirement on state tax liens to impose a 
     similar notice requirement on Federal tax liens.
       ``Be it resolved, That copies of this Memorial be 
     immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, 
     President of the United States, the President of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
     and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.''
                                  ____

       POM-478. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Idaho; to the Committee on Finance.

                    ``SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 109

       ``Whereas, the goal of all public assistance programs 
     ideally is to move individuals toward self-sufficiency; and
       ``Whereas, individuals struggling to stay out of the system 
     and off public assistance are already exercising self-
     sufficiency; and
       ``Whereas, Aid to Families with Dependent Children was 
     established to provide a minimal, basic level of support for 
     our nation's children, not to punish individuals who choose 
     not to accept public assistance; and
       ``Whereas, a case such as that of June Reid of Post Falls, 
     Idaho, a woman who chose not to accept AFDC and therefore was 
     pursued for child support payments, highlights a narrow, 
     inappropriate interpretation of the true purpose of AFDC and 
     a bureaucratic fascination with rules for the sake of rules; 
     and
       ``Whereas, the hands of the states are bound by federal 
     regulations so that we lose vital funding if we act humanely 
     and appropriately in a case like June Reid's; and
       ``Whereas, the full effects of the current public 
     assistance system must be comprehended and injustices 
     redressed in any federal proposal for welfare reform.
       ``Now, therefore, Be it resolved by the members of the 
     Second Regular Session of the Fifty-second Idaho Legislature, 
     the Senate and the House of Representatives concurring 
     therein, That we petition Congress, the President, the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, to 
     amend 42 U.S.C. Section 654 to allow states the latitude to 
     determine that child support need not be collected from a 
     parent eligible to receive AFDC who has chosen not to accept 
     public assistance where such support collection efforts would 
     not be in the best interests of the children for whom support 
     is owed.
       ``Be it further resolved That the Secretary of the Senate 
     be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a 
     copy of this Memorial to the President of the United States, 
     Bill Clinton, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
     Donna Shalala, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of 
     the House of Representatives of Congress, and the 
     congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in 
     the Congress of the United States.''

       POM-479. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Idaho; to the Committee on Finance.

                    ``Senate Joint Memorial No. 110

       ``Whereas, the grain producers in the state of Idaho are 
     suffering from a deluge of Canadian barley and wheat into our 
     traditional markets; and
       ``Whereas, Canadian barley imports are projected to reach a 
     record 35 million bushels and Canadian wheat imports are 
     projected to reach a record 90 million bushels in marketing 
     year 1993/94; and
       ``Whereas, these Canadian imports are having a negative 
     effect on Idaho grain producers' income and the rural 
     economy, as well as interfering with U.S. farm policy and 
     making farm programs more costly to the American taxpayer; 
     and
       ``Whereas, Idaho grain producers face unfair Canadian 
     trading practices, such as monopolistic grain board and 
     transportation subsidies.
       ``Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the 
     Second Regular Session of the Fifty-second Idaho Legislature, 
     the Senate and the House of Representatives concurring 
     therein, That we do hereby urge the administration to 
     exercise the Section 22 emergency action clause, which would 
     impose immediate tariffs on Canadian barley and wheat 
     shipments into the United States.
       ``Be it further resolved That we do hereby encourage the 
     administration to maintain these Section 22 emergency tariffs 
     on barley and wheat until the unfair trading practices of our 
     Canadian trading partners are corrected.
       ``Be it further resolved That the Secretary of the Senate 
     be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a 
     copy of this Memorial to the President of the United States, 
     the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
     President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation 
     representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United 
     States.''

       POM-480. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the Commonwealth of Virginia; to the Committee on Finance.

                   ``Senate Joint Resolution No. 165

       ``Whereas, for the purpose of Medicare reimbursement, the 
     Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into five geographical 
     zones which are not based on the actual cost of medical care 
     delivery; and
       ``Whereas, there is an uneven distribution of physicians in 
     Virginia, due in part to inadequate reimbursement levels by 
     third-party payers such as Medicare; and
       ``Whereas, many commercial insurance carriers follow the 
     same practice as Medicare; and
       ``Whereas, the reduced reimbursement for rural physicians' 
     services presents a disincentive to practice in rural areas; 
     and
       ``Whereas, there is a shortage of over 270 physicians in 
     rural areas of Virginia and the shortage is increasing; and
       ``Whereas, the basis for reimbursement for many areas is 
     more than 13 years old and does not account for inflation and 
     actual overhead costs; and
       ``Whereas, the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians and 
     the Medical Society of Virginia support converting the 
     Commonwealth of Virginia into one geographical zone for more 
     equitable Medicare reimbursement for rural areas; now, 
     therefore,
       ``Be it Resolved by the Senate, the House of Delegates 
     concurring, That the President of the United States, the 
     United States Congress, and the United States Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services be urged to (i) update the 
     Geographical Practice Cost Index (GPCI) for the Resource 
     Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) for Medicare reimbursement 
     for rural areas of Virginia, (ii) request the Health Care 
     Financing Administration (HCFA) to correctly estimate the 
     costs of rural and urban practice in Virginia, and (iii) 
     convert the Commonwealth of Virginia into one geographical 
     area for Medicare reimbursement; and,
       ``Be it Resolved further, That the Clerk of the Senate 
     transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the Senate of the United 
     States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the United States Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services, and the members of the Virginia Delegation to 
     the United States Congress so that they may be apprised of 
     the sense of the General Assembly on this matter.''
                                  ____

       POM-481. A resolution adopted by the Town of Orangetown, 
     New York relative to Northern Ireland; to the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations.
       POM-482. A resolution adopted by the Thirty-Sixth Infantry 
     Division Association relative to commemoration of World War 
     II; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
       POM-483. A resolution adopted by the House of Legislature 
     of the Commonwealth of Kentucky; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                       ``House Resolution No. 107

       ``Whereas, the noble people of Ethiopia have developed and 
     nourished a proud and distinguished culture that has endured 
     for three millennia; and
       ``Whereas, Ethiopia has had a long and productive 
     friendship with the United States of America; and
       ``Whereas, over the past two decades, the brave and gentle 
     people of Ethiopia have been devastated by famine and civil 
     war; and
       ``Whereas, the people of the United States have responded 
     generously and magnificently to the plight of Ethiopian 
     famine victims through the provision of humanitarian aid; and
       ``Whereas, a glimmer of hope and peace sparked recently due 
     to the lessening of military conflict in that beautiful 
     country; and
       ``Whereas, Ethiopia is poised at a crucial juncture in its 
     history since it is making a transition from military rule to 
     democracy; and
       ``Whereas, the winds of democratic change have blown 
     dramatically and ferociously across the former Soviet Union, 
     Eastern Europe, Latin America, many parts of Africa, and now 
     to Ethiopia; and
       ``Whereas, the people of Ethiopia are aspiring to resolve 
     their complicated problems through the formation and 
     utilization of democratic institutions and maximum citizen 
     input; and
       ``Whereas, the basic underpinning of democratic 
     institutions in the new Ethiopia should be the supremacy of 
     the will of the people and the guarantee of the rule of law; 
     and
       ``Whereas, the Ethiopian Transitional Government should 
     adhere to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights which encourages freedom of speech, assembly, 
     religion, and press, as well as guarantees all basic human 
     rights and discourages ethnocentric politics and ethnic 
     reservations; and
       ``Whereas, it is crucial that the diverse voices, opinions, 
     and philosophies of the people be expressed in promoting 
     political, economic, and social progress and justice in 
     Ethiopia; and
       ``Whereas, a multiparty government may be the most 
     egalitarian, feasible, and productive political arrangement 
     in providing universal suffrage and in overcoming monumental 
     obstacles; and
       ``Whereas, the President and the United States Congress 
     will play a crucial role in promoting the peaceful resolution 
     of the immense problems of war ravaged Ethiopia; and
       ``Whereas, the implementation of a democratic, multiparty 
     government in Ethiopia should be a long-range foreign policy 
     goal of the United States government; now, therefore,
       ``Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the 
     General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
       ``Section 1. That this Honorable House of Representatives 
     continue to encourage the formation of democratic 
     institutions, multiparty participation, progressive social 
     change, and a respect for human rights in Ethiopia.
       ``Section 2. That the President and the United States 
     Congress be encouraged to reexamine the foreign policy 
     towards Ethiopia and to promote an active foreign policy 
     which serves to help achieve these laudable goals.
       ``Section 3. That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to 
     President Bill Clinton, the leadership of the United States 
     Congress, the Kentucky Congressional Delegation, Secretary of 
     State Warren Christopher, and His Excellency Ethiopian 
     Ambassador Berhane Gebre-Christos.''

                          ____________________