[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 17, 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-617. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation.

                          Joint Resolution 40

       ``Whereas, The United States Passenger Services Act allows 
     only United States-flagged ships to sail between United 
     States ports, while foreign-flagged vessels are permitted to 
     sail between California ports only as part of a longer 
     journey; and
       ``Whereas, Historically, United States-flagged cruise lines 
     were prohibited from offering gambling on board their 
     vessels, while foreign-flagged vessels have always had 
     gambling on board their vessels; and
       ``Whereas, The United States-flagged cruise industry has 
     had difficulty in competing with foreign-flagged cruise 
     lines; and
       ``Whereas, In order to level the playing field, in 1992 
     Congress amended the federal Johnson Act to allow United 
     States cruise ships to offer gambling; and
       ``Whereas, Congress left the right to regulate or prohibit 
     gambling on voyages or segments of voyages that are 
     intrastate to the individual states, and
       ``Whereas, California's efforts to prohibit gambling 
     cruises to nowhere have had the effect of prohibiting 
     gambling on cruise ships traveling between California's 
     ports, even as part of a longer journey; and
       ``Whereas. Cruise ships are declining to visit California 
     ports, citing a ban on cruise ship gambling; now, therefore, 
     be it
       ``Resolved, by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California jointly, That tourism is an important and vital 
     industry to California, and that passengers disembarking from 
     cruise ships in California ports add significantly to our 
     economic base; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That California memorializes Congress to amend 
     the Johnson Act to remove California's authority to regulate 
     gambling on cruise ships traveling to foreign ports or on 
     segments of voyages going to another state or country; 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-618. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                         ``Joint Resolution 52

       ``Whereas, Providing the American people with safe and 
     wholesome drinking water has long been an important national 
     objective; and
       ``Whereas, State and local water suppliers have attained 
     this national objective by developing water systems that 
     provide some of the safest drinking water in the world; and
       ``Whereas, The water suppliers of this country have worked 
     with state and federal officials to ensure this safe water at 
     a reasonable cost; and
       ``Whereas, Water treatment techniques applied in this 
     country have eradicated waterborne organisms that have 
     historically resulted in widespread disease and death; and
       ``Whereas, Federal legislation and legislation enacted by 
     many states aims to ensure that the quality of drinking water 
     remains at a level that will protect the public health and 
     safety from the threats posed by contaminants, both naturally 
     occurring and those introduced by human activity, with 
     particular legislative emphasis on significantly reducing 
     public exposure to substances that may cause cancer of birth 
     defects; and
       ``Whereas, The federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300f et seq.) is the foundation for this nation's drinking 
     water protection, including an aggressive federal regulatory 
     program administered in most states by the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, in states that 
     have qualified for ``primacy,'' by state regulatory agencies; 
     and
       ``Whereas, The technical ability to detect and monitor the 
     presence of substances in drinking water has, in some cases, 
     outstripped scientific understanding of the impact of those 
     substances on public health and safety; and
       ``Whereas, On at least one occasion, in commenting on 
     proposed federal regulations regarding radon in drinking 
     water, the EPA's own Science Advisory Board criticized the 
     regulatory principles that the EPA has relied on in 
     promulgating regulatory requirements, questioning whether 
     those requirements will significantly improve the public 
     health; and
       ``Whereas, Increasing regulatory requirements and 
     concomitant costs threaten to make water a very expensive 
     commodity, with the potential to place a significant 
     financial burden on many Californians; and
       ``Whereas, The use of financial resources to promulgate and 
     enforce water quality regulations, some of which may be of 
     minimal protective value, occurs at a time when the people of 
     this country, particularly those in California are having 
     difficulty providing funding for many government programs and 
     for needed improvements in our public infrastructure; and
       ``Whereas, National and state water organizations, 
     associations of public health officials, the National 
     Governors Association, and the National Association of State 
     Legislatures, have proposed amendments to the federal Safe 
     Drinking Water Act that will both maintain a program to 
     protect the public health and minimize some of the negative 
     regulatory impacts on the water systems and the water 
     consumers of this country: 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 of the United States, when the federal Safe Drinking 
     Water Act is reauthorized, to adopt amendments to that act 
     that will preserve the federal requirements that ensure the 
     protection of the public health and safety but will reduce 
     the regulatory burden on drinking water providers and, in 
     turn, reduce the financial burden on the citizens of this 
     nation; and
       ``Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully memorializes 
     the President and Congress to adopt amendments to the federal 
     Safe Drinking Water Act recommended by various state and 
     national water organizations, associations of public health 
     officials, and the National Governors Association, that do 
     all of the following:
       ``(a) Revise present law that requires the EPA to establish 
     water quality standards for 83 specified contaminants and 
     requires the EPA to establish standards every three years 
     thereafter for 25 additional contaminants, to, instead, 
     require standards to be established in addition to the 
     original list of 83 contaminants only when it is determined 
     that a substance present in drinking water poses a potential 
     public health risk.
       ``(b) Require the EPA to revise the list of regulated 
     substances or the standards applicable to those substances if 
     new scientific findings indicate that a regulated substance 
     does not pose a threat to the public health or safety or does 
     not require as stringent a standard.
       ``(c) Revise monitoring requirements so that the frequency 
     of routine testing and reporting is reduced to a minimum when 
     a public water system demonstrates that a substance is not, 
     and has not historically been, present in its water supply.
       ``(d) Replace existing public notification requirements 
     that may cause undue public concern with more flexible rules 
     that allow for adjusting the content of a public notice to 
     the degree of health risk present.
       ``(e) Recognize that, while some substances that pose a 
     health hazard, such as radon, may be present in water, 
     remediation efforts should be more heavily focused on the 
     medium that poses the greatest risk of exposure, such as 
     indoor air in the case of radon exposure, where those 
     remedial efforts are more likely to provide the greatest 
     public health benefits; 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 the 
     Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.''
                                  ____

       POM-619. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                         ``Joint Resolution 51

       ``Whereas, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern 
     California, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water 
     District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District, San Gabriel 
     Valley Municipal Water District, and the Main San Gabriel 
     Basin Watermaster jointly studied conjunctive use as a means 
     to control the migration of groundwater contamination in the 
     Maine San Gabriel Groundwater Basin; and
       ``Whereas, The Federal Environmental Protection Agency 
     published the Baldwin Park Operable Unit Feasibility Study 
     Report and Proposed Plan; and
       ``Whereas, The feasibility study includes an analysis of 
     four project design alternatives to remedy contaminated 
     groundwater in the Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin, with 
     two of the four project design alternatives incorporating the 
     elements of conjunctive use; and
       ``Whereas, The federal Environmental Protection Agency 
     selected an alternative in the Proposed Plan that did not 
     incorporate conjunctive use as the plan's preferred remedy; 
     and
       ``Whereas, The Region IX Administrator of the Environmental 
     Protection Agency is scheduled to sign the Record of Decision 
     (ROD) for the Baldwin Park Operable Unit Cleanup Project in 
     late March or early April; and
       ``Whereas, Following the signing of the ROD, negotiations 
     to compel the responsible parties to design and construct the 
     selected remedy will begin; and
       ``Whereas, The Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water 
     District of Southern California has committed financial 
     support for a Baldwin Park Operable Unit Cleanup Project that 
     incorporates conjunctive use; and
       ``Whereas, Public Law 102-575 authorizes 25 percent cost 
     sharing from the Bureau of Reclamation for a Baldwin Park 
     Operable Unit Cleanup Project that incorporated conjunctive 
     use; and
       ``Whereas, The combined funding provided by the 
     Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the 
     federal Bureau of Reclamation could potentially provide cost 
     savings for the responsible parties; and
       ``Whereas, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern 
     California and the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, the 
     court-appointed entity having the responsibility for managing 
     the Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin, are working to 
     develop the Conjunctive Use and Basin Cleanup Agreement to 
     govern the operation and management of conjunctive use in the 
     Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin; and
       ``Whereas, The incorporation of conjunctive use into the 
     remedial design would accomplish the objectives of 
     controlling the migration of groundwater contaminants and 
     maximizing contaminant removal; and
       ``Whereas, The California Legislature concludes that the 
     incorporation of conjunctive use into the remedial design 
     would provide broad benefits to the Main San Gabriel 
     Groundwater Basin and the affected region that are superior 
     to those that would be realized by the alternative selected 
     by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in the 
     Proposed Plan; and
       ``Whereas, The California Legislature believes that the 
     incorporation of conjunctive use into the remedial design 
     would be the preferred means by which to remove significant 
     contamination and to augment the region's water supply: 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 Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency to incorporate conjunctive 
     use into the remedial design for the purpose of remedying 
     groundwater contamination in the Main San Gabriel Groundwater 
     Basin; 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 the 
     Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.''
                                  ____

       POM-620. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Finance.

                          ``Joint Resolution 1

       ``Whereas, The closing of Norton Air Force Base in March of 
     1994 will result in the loss of more than 4,000 jobs in the 
     San Bernardino area; and
       ``Whereas, The site of Norton Air Force Base is ideally 
     suited for the location of a foreign trade zone center and 
     the existing base airport and surrounding facilities could be 
     easily adapted to accommodate a foreign trade zone; and
       ``Whereas, Foreign trade zones are designated sites 
     licensed by the Foreign Trade Zones Board under the United 
     States Department of Commerce that permit domestic 
     transactions involving foreign products to take place as if 
     those transactions were conducted outside United States 
     Customs territory, thus offsetting trade advantages available 
     to foreign producers who export in competition with United 
     States producers; and
       ``Whereas, Foreign trade zones facilitate and expedite 
     international trade, assist in state and local economic 
     development efforts, and create new employment opportunities; 
     and
       ``Whereas, A foreign trade zone center at Norton Air Force 
     Base, in addition to the Lockheed Corporation facility and a 
     proposed Department of Defense Finance Accounting Center, 
     would serve as anchor tenants employing nearly 10,000 people: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved by the Assembly and the 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 and the Foreign Trade Zone 
     Board under the United States Department of Commerce to 
     designate the airport located at Norton Air Force Base in San 
     Bernardino County as a foreign trade zone center; 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, the Secretary of Commerce, the Chairman 
     of the Foreign Trade Zone Board, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.''
                                  ____

       POM-621. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Finance.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 69

       ``Whereas, the lingering recession has hit California 
     families hard through the loss of jobs and deflation of the 
     housing market; and
       ``Whereas, many Californians have had sizable amounts of 
     money invested in their homes; and
       ``Whereas, many Californians have suffered from deep 
     depreciation in the value of their homes and are being 
     forced, by circumstances, to sell their homes for a loss; and
       ``Whereas, the Internal Revenue Code treats nonreinvested 
     profits from the sale of a home as capital gain; and
       ``Whereas, the same tax code makes no comparable allowance 
     for those who realize a capital loss on the sale of a home: 
     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 of the United States to provide tax relief to 
     homeowners caught in the largest housing market depression in 
     many years by providing for the recognition of a capital loss 
     on the sale of a principal residence; 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-622. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Finance.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 70

       ``Whereas, the federal income tax burden during the past 
     four decades has increased by more than 300 percent as a 
     share of family income; and
       ``Whereas, measuring average after-tax per capita income, 
     families with children are the lowest income group in 
     America, with average after-tax income below that of elderly 
     households, single persons, and couples without children; and
       ``Whereas wage stagnation and an ever-increasing tax burden 
     has forced a growing number of families to rely on two wage 
     earners to make ends meet; and
       ``Whereas, in 1948, a family of four at the median family 
     income level paid just 2 percent of its income to the federal 
     government in taxes; and
       ``Whereas, in 1989, that same family paid nearly 24 percent 
     of its income to the federal government in taxes; and
       ``Whereas, the personal exemption for children was intended 
     to help offset the costs of raising a child; and
       ``Whereas, in 1948, the personal exemption was six hundred 
     dollars ($600), or roughly 20 percent of the median income 
     for two-parent families, and for a family of four shielded 80 
     percent of personal income from taxation; and
       ``Whereas, to have the same value to families today as it 
     did in 1948, the personal exemption would have to be raised 
     from two thousand three hundred fifty dollars ($2,350) to 
     eight thousand dollars ($8,000) and continue to be indexed to 
     inflation; and
       ``Whereas, the effect of this ever-shrinking exemption 
     penalizes the most vulnerable members of our society, our 
     children; and
       ``Whereas, our children are the most likely members of our 
     society to live in poverty, in part because their parents are 
     not able to keep enough of their wages after taxes to 
     properly feed, clothe, and shelter their children; and
       ``Whereas, in 1948, as much as 80 percent of personal 
     income was exempt from federal income taxation, and this 
     relatively low level of taxation helped to fuel the growth of 
     the strongest economy in the world; and
       ``Whereas, our economy would be strengthened by returning 
     substantial tax dollars to our citizens; and
       ``Whereas, American families are struggling to make ends 
     meet; and
       ``Whereas, the fact that an increasing number of our 
     children grow up in single-parent households makes it all the 
     more imperative that we relieve the tax burden on their 
     parents: 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 reduce the tax burden on 
     children and families by restoring the inflation-eroded value 
     of the personal exemption by increasing that exemption from 
     two thousand three hundred fifty dollars ($2,350) to eight 
     thousand dollars ($8,000), and continuing to index the 
     exemption to inflation; 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, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.''
                                  ____

       POM-623. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.
       POM-624. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 75

       ``Whereas, the President of the United States and the 
     President of Mexico signed an agreement on August 14, 1993, 
     entitled `Agreement Between the United States of American and 
     United Mexican States in Cooperation for the Protection and 
     Improvement of the Environment in the Border Area'; and
       ``Whereas, the Board of Supervisors of Imperial County and 
     the Mexican State of Baja California Norte, on December 14, 
     1993, entered into a memorandum of understanding concerning 
     environmental matters; and
       ``Whereas, the recent approval of the North American Free 
     Trade Agreement (NAFTA) strengthens the economic and 
     environmental ties between Mexico and the United States; and
       ``Whereas, the New River, which originates in Mexico and 
     flows northward across the international boundary into 
     California's Imperial County, is the most contaminated river 
     in the United States, and is aesthetically repulsive to the 
     residents of, and visitors to, Imperial County; and
       ``Whereas, the Governor, on October 6, 1993, documented the 
     health and public safety dangers associated with the 
     unregulated discharges into the New River in a state of 
     emergency proclamation; and
       ``Whereas, due to the international nature of this problem, 
     it is the obligation if the United States, on behalf of the 
     residents of the State of California and Imperial County, to 
     implement adequate measures to correct the contamination of 
     the New River caused by discharges within the Republic of 
     Mexico; and
       ``Whereas, the contamination of the New River is caused by 
     uncontrolled discharges of raw and inadequately treated 
     sewage, highly toxic industrial, chemical solid and 
     geothermal waste and seepage from major garbage dumps 
     slaughter houses, and industrial refuse within or near the 
     City of Mexicali into the New River; and
       ``Whereas, the contaminated waters of the New River flow 
     into the Salton Sea, which discharges are incompatible with 
     the ecological, recreational, and other beneficial uses 
     associated with the Salton Sea; and
       ``Whereas, Federal, state, and local public officials have 
     documented the clear and present danger that the contaminated 
     New River presents to residents of, and visitors to, Imperial 
     County; and
       ``Whereas, immediate action to clean up the New River is 
     essential for the health and safety of the public: 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 implement measures in 
     cooperation with the Republic of Mexico and state and local 
     public officials, to correct the contamination of the New 
     River caused by discharges within the Republic of Mexico; 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, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States, the 
     Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, and the Governor of 
     California.''
                                  ____

       POM-625. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 77

       ``Whereas, the prison system in California is seriously 
     overcrowded and is currently operating at 180 percent 
     capacity; and
       ``Whereas, approximately 16,000 or 15 percent of all prison 
     inmates who are imprisoned in California are undocumented 
     aliens who have been convicted of felony offenses under state 
     law; and
       ``Whereas, the cost of imprisonment in California is 
     twenty-two thousand dollars ($22,000) per prison inmate per 
     year, which totals approximately three hundred fifty million 
     dollars ($350,000,000) per year to imprison undocumented 
     alien criminal offenders; and
       ``Whereas, the federal government is responsible for 
     immigration policy and should bear the cost of imprisonment 
     for undocumented alien criminal offenders; and
       ``Whereas, the Congress of the United States is considering 
     the construction of 10 new regional federal prisons as part 
     of the Omnibus Crime Bill: 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 immediately enact 
     legislation to construct new federal prisons and to transfer 
     undocumented alien criminal offenders who are presently 
     imprisoned in state prisons to the new federal facilities as 
     a first priority in order to relieve California and other 
     states from the financial burden of imprisoning dangerous 
     convicted criminals who have entered the country illegally; 
     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, the Attorney General of the United 
     States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each 
     Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of 
     the United States.''
                                  ____

       POM-626. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 84

       ``Whereas, the Armenians, among us, have contributed to the 
     progress and betterment of life through agriculture, 
     commerce, teaching, the professions, churches, and community 
     and worldwide organizations; and
       ``Whereas, the United States of America has repeatedly gone 
     on record in support of human rights around the world; and
       ``Whereas, it is well documented that approximately 
     1,500,000 Armenians were massacred in Turkey during the years 
     1915 to 1918, although this genocide has been consistently 
     denied by the Turkish government; and
       ``Whereas, by their own resolute Christian faith and will 
     to survive and live again, and the generosity of many in the 
     United States of America resulting in relief operations, a 
     fraction of the survivors were rescued and subsequently 
     immigrated to this country; and
       ``Whereas, the Armenians in some other countries must 
     continue to endure daily acts of oppression, such as denial 
     of their basic human rights, confiscation of their churches 
     and schools, and punishment for speaking their native 
     language openly; and
       ``Whereas, April 24, 1915, is the date historians have 
     marked as the beginning of the massacre and consequently this 
     day should be a day of reflection by all Armenians and other 
     Americans; 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 designate April 24 as 
     ``National Day of Remembrance'' and requests the President of 
     the United States to issue a proclamation calling upon the 
     people of the United States to observe that day as a day of 
     remembrance for all the victims of genocide, especially those 
     of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide 
     perpetrated in 1915, and in whose memory this date is 
     commemorated by all Armenians and their friends throughout 
     the world; 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-627. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 78

       ``Whereas, Congress has proposed to create the `Public 
     Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1993,' 
     establishing a program of grants and assistance to the states 
     for a period of six years for the hiring and rehiring of 
     additional career law enforcement officers; and
       ``Whereas, the purpose of this program is to increase 
     police presence, to expand and improve cooperative efforts 
     between law enforcement agencies and members of the community 
     to address crime and disorder problems, and to otherwise 
     enhance public safety; and
       ``Whereas, the ability of state and local law enforcement 
     agencies to qualify for these grants is dependent on their 
     ability to provide matching funds; and
       ``Whereas, these nonfederal matching funds must provide 25 
     percent of costs of the program, project, or activity 
     provided under a grant; and
       ``Whereas, for a grant for a period exceeding one year for 
     hiring or rehiring career law enforcement officers, the 
     federal share shall decrease from year to year for up to five 
     years when state or local grant recipients shall be required 
     to fully fund the program, project, or activity provided 
     under a grant; and
       ``Whereas, the State of California has been experiencing a 
     severe, persistent, and continuing recession that has 
     resulted in four successive years of contraction of the state 
     and local budgets; and
       ``Whereas, as a result of the recession, most California 
     law enforcement agencies have seen a reduction in their 
     budgets; and
       ``Whereas, declining revenues will make it impossible for 
     many California law enforcement agencies to meet the matching 
     funds requirement contained within the proposed `Public 
     Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1993' 
     without impacting existing programs; and
       ``Whereas, those California communities suffering the most 
     severe budget shortfalls are experiencing the greatest impact 
     of crime and would benefit most from access to the federal 
     grant program; 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 include in the `Public 
     Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1993' an 
     exemption for California law enforcement agencies from 
     meeting the matching funds requirement; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That if no exemption for California law 
     enforcement agencies is forthcoming, the President and the 
     Congress should give the Attorney General broad authority to 
     waive the matching funds requirement; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That local officials should also be permitted 
     to use the funds in the most flexible manner so that they may 
     be applied to the most pressing local needs, which include 
     using the funds to keep existing police officers on the 
     streets longer, for improved communications technology, and 
     for necessary equipment; 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-628. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                         ``Joint Resolution 46

       ``Whereas, An estimated 18,000 illegal aliens who are 
     convicted felons are being housed and fed in California's 
     state prisons, five times more than any other state, have 
     cost California taxpayers more than one billion dollars in 
     the last five years, and will cost a projected $375 million 
     during the 1994-1995 fiscal year; and
       ``Whereas, California's prisons are overcrowded at 180 
     percent of capacity; and
       ``Whereas, California's current inmate population is over 
     120,000 inmates as of March 1994, which is nearly double the 
     system's design capacity; and
       ``Whereas, The state prison population is projected to grow 
     to at least 141,000 by 1997-1998; and
       ``Whereas, California is suffering from a severe fiscal 
     crisis; and
       ``Whereas, The United States Congress is making trade 
     agreements with other countries: 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 negotiate with countries to 
     whom the United States gives foreign aid or with whom the 
     United States enters into trade agreements, for an agreement 
     to require that nationals convicted of felonies in the United 
     States, when they have entered the United States illegally, 
     serve their prison sentences in their country of origin and 
     that the term of each sentence to be served in a country of 
     origin shall be comparable to the sentence imposed in the 
     state within the United States wherein the crime occurred; 
     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-629. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                         ``Joint Resolution 81

       ``Whereas, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-
     California) has introduced a bill (S. 1522) which would 
     direct the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate 
     guidelines or amend existing guidelines to provide sentencing 
     enhancements of not less than three offense levels for hate 
     crimes; and
       ``Whereas, United States Congressman Charles E. Schumer (D-
     New York) has introduced a bill (H.R. 1152) which would 
     direct the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate 
     guidelines or amend existing guidelines to provide sentencing 
     enhancements of not less than three offense levels for hate 
     crimes; and
       ``Whereas, Those two bills combine to make up the ``Hate 
     Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act of 1994''; and
       ``Whereas, The Sacramento area has witnessed and is still 
     recovering from a series of racially motivated violent 
     incidents, including the firebombings of the local National 
     Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
     headquarters, the Japanese-American Citizens League 
     headquarters, the office of the Department of Fair Employment 
     and Housing, the home of City Councilman Jimmie Yee, and the 
     B'Nai Israel Synagogue; and
       ``Whereas, California is a multiracial, multicultural state 
     which expects to have a majority of communities of color by 
     the year 2010; and
       ``Whereas, The Legislature has demonstrated repeated 
     dedication to the abolition of hate crimes by passing major 
     pieces of hate crimes legislation that have come before them: 
     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 swiftly pass and sign into 
     law the ``Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act of 1994''; 
     and be it further
       ``Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and the 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-630. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                         ``Joint Resolution 60

       ``Whereas, Persons who lawfully reside in the United 
     States, whether they be American citizens, immigrants, or 
     persons working or studying in the United States on a visa, 
     have traditionally been assured their spouses and children 
     could also lawfully reside in the United States; and
       ``Whereas, Family unity has always been a cornerstone of 
     American immigration policy; and
       ``Whereas, The spouses and children of persons who have 
     become permanent residents, through the amnesty provisions of 
     the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) 
     do not enjoy the same derivative rights; and
       ``Whereas, The result is that the spouses and children of 
     many of the nearly 1.5 million persons in California who have 
     become permanent residents of the United States are subject 
     to deportation as undocumented persons even though their 
     spouses or parents may lawfully reside and work in the United 
     States; and
       ``Whereas, The federal Immigration and Naturalization 
     Service has deported or has begun procedures to deport the 
     spouses and children of persons who have in good faith 
     secured amnesty under the laws of the United States; and
       ``Whereas, It is a waste of taxpayer funds to commence 
     deportation proceedings, resulting in costly litigation, when 
     virtually all of the children and spouses of persons granted 
     amnesty under IRCA will eventually become lawful permanent 
     residents through petitions filed by their spouses or parents 
     within a few years; and
       ``Whereas, The two separate amnesty provisions of IRCA were 
     available to applicants for the period of May 5, 1987, to 
     November 30, 1988, inclusive, and thus, the persons and 
     families affected are necessarily limited in number; and
       ``Whereas, It would not be in the sense of fairplay and 
     justice to destroy families; and
       ``Whereas, It is nonsensical for American society to grant 
     amnesty to parents and leave their children subject to 
     deportation: 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 of the United States to do all of the following:
       (1) Review the actions of the Immigration and 
     Naturalization Service with respect to deportation procedures 
     for the children and spouses of permanent residents who were 
     under the amnesty provisions of IRCA and (2) amend Section 
     301 of the Immigration Act of 1990 to ensure that the spouses 
     and children of permanent residents who are legalized under 
     the amnesty provisions of IRCA are afforded family unity 
     protection; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That the President is strongly urged to issue 
     an executive order that will direct the Immigration and 
     Naturalization Service to cease any deportation actions that 
     it may be taking against the spouses and children of 
     permanent residents until the effective date of the 
     amendments to Section 301 of the Immigration Act of 1990 
     described above; 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-631. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Labor and Human 
     Resources.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 80

       ``Whereas, it is estimated that one of every nine women in 
     the United States will develop breast cancer, with more than 
     36,000 women in their 40s dying each year from this disease; 
     and
       ``Whereas, there were 175,000 new cases of breast cancer 
     diagnosed and 44,500 breast cancer deaths reported in 1991; 
     and
       ``Whereas, the five-year relative survival rate in women 
     whose breast cancer is detected early when the disease is 
     localized is over 90 percent, while the five-year relative 
     survival rate drops to 18 percent when the disease is not 
     detected early; and
       ``Whereas, breast cancer is a critical health concern for 
     women, not only because it threatens life itself, but also 
     because of its impact on the self-image and quality of life 
     of women; and
       ``Whereas, women are more likely than men to have no health 
     insurance because they are concentrated in small businesses 
     and low-wage, part-time, or temporary work and their health 
     needs and the illnesses that are more prevalent in women, 
     such as breast cancer, have historically been ignored in 
     clinical research: Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the state of 
     California memorializes the President and the Congress of the 
     United States to include the provision for mammograms and 
     other women's health care needs as an integral part of any 
     nationwide health care benefit reform package; and be it 
     further
       ``Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and the Vice 
     President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House 
     of Representatives, and each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.''
                                  ____

       POM-632. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Labor and Human 
     Resources.

                     ``Assembly Joint Resolution 44

       ``Whereas, today, over 37 million Americans and over 6 
     million Californians lack health insurance, constituting a 
     public crisis that adversely impacts the quality of our 
     health as well as our economy; and
       ``Whereas, title X of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget 
     Reconciliation Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-272) has brought relief 
     to approximately one million Americans every year who face 
     the loss of group health insurance through termination of 
     employment, the death of a spouse, or other qualifying event; 
     and
       ``Whereas, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation 
     Act of 1985 requires employers to offer, at the employee's 
     expense, the continuation of group health insurance at group 
     rates, to enrollees and their eligible dependents whose group 
     coverage would otherwise end due to termination of 
     employment, death of a spouse, or other qualifying event; and
       ``Whereas, the terminated employee, the spouse of a 
     deceased employee, or other dependent, may continue coverage 
     for 18 to 36 months after a change in work or family status; 
     and
       ``Whereas, the rate for coverage is not to exceed 102 
     percent of the applicable premium charged for that employee's 
     coverage for the applicable period preceding that employee's 
     termination of employment; and
       ``Whereas, a gap exists in this continuation coverage, to 
     wit, terminated employees or dependents of employees cannot 
     continue their COBRA coverage beyond 36 months; and
       ``Whereas, Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 who lose 
     group health insurance often have difficulty replacing it 
     with affordable insurance and are disproportionately affected 
     by this gap in COBRA coverage; Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Congress and President of the 
     United States are respectfully memorialized to extend the 
     federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 
     1985 (P.L. 99-272) to enable individuals 50 years of age or 
     older to continue participating in their employer provided 
     group health plan after a qualifying event until the 
     qualified beneficiary or beneficiary's spouse has attained 
     the age to qualify for Medicare, or a beneficiary's dependent 
     minor has reached the legal age of adulthood; and be it 
     further
       ``Resolved, Consistent with existing law, continuation 
     coverage shall provide for health care benefits at a rate not 
     to exceed 102 percent of the premium charged for that 
     employee's coverage for the applicable period preceding that 
     employee's termination of employment or change in work status 
     without medical qualification or exclusions for preexisting 
     medical conditions; 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, to the 
     Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and to the 
     United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.''
                                  ____

       POM-633. A resolution adopted by Board of County 
     Commissioners, Okaloosa County, Florida relative to Federal 
     mandates; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

                          ____________________