[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 12, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6143-S6144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.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-580. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Maine; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                      ``Joint Resolution No. 1381

       ``Whereas, President Nixon stated, `No qualified student 
     who wants to go to college should be barred by lack of money. 
     That has long been a great American goal.'; and
       ``Whereas, each subsequent President, including President 
     Clinton, has reaffirmed this policy; and
       ``Whereas, a dollar invested in the federal educational 
     grant programs will return $4.30 in additional tax revenue 
     over a student's lifetime; and
       ``Whereas, full-time college students work an average of 25 
     hours a week to support themselves; and
       ``Whereas, college-aged youths from the highest income 
     families are more than 3 times as likely to be enrolled in 
     college as those from the lowest income families; and
       ``Whereas, under current Congressional proposals, 212,000 
     college students will lose state grants and an additional 
     150,000 needy students will lose student loans; and
       ``Whereas, Congress has proposed reducing student grants 
     for college by eliminating Pell grants for 400,000 students; 
     and
       ``Whereas, Congress has proposed to penalize colleges and 
     universities for serving needy students by instituting a tax 
     on schools equal to 2% of loan volume; and
       ``Whereas, educational programs that will receive no 
     funding under the current congressional continuing resolution 
     include: law-related education, cooperative education, 
     Douglas Teacher scholarships, innovative community service 
     projects, drop-out prevention demonstrations, state 
     vocational education councils and art programs; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       ``Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully 
     recommend and urge the Congress of the United States to 
     maintain aid for higher education; and be it further
       ``Resolved, That duly authenticated copies of this Memorial 
     be submitted by the Secretary of State to the Honorable 
     William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the 
     President of the Senate, the Majority Leader of the Senate 
     and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
     Congress of the United States and to each Member of the Maine 
     Congressional Delegation.''
                                                                    ____

       POM-581. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Tennessee; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                   ``Senate Joint Resolution No. 323

       ``Whereas, the Center for Applied Science and Technology 
     for Law Enforcement (CASTLE) successfully completed six 
     months of pilot operation in September, 1995; and
       ``Whereas, the laudable mission of the CASTLE program is to 
     understand and solve critical needs of the United States law 
     enforcement and corrections community through the application 
     of unique or specialized technology; and
       ``Whereas, the CASTLE program is committed to serving law 
     enforcement and corrections in a fourteen (14) state 
     Southeastern region, and transferring its lessons-learned, 
     methodologies and technologies nationally; and
       ``Whereas, serving as a partnership of key Southeastern law 
     enforcement professionals, universities, private sector 
     companies and the Oak Ridge scientific complex, CASTLE has 
     demonstrated its ability to identify the real needs of grass 
     roots law enforcement, develop new forensic capabilities, 
     apply advanced technology to crime fighting and improve 
     police officer safety; and
       ``Whereas, CASTLE has the potential to be a significant 
     contributor to national security; and
       ``Whereas, CASTLE is proactive, innovative and tireless in 
     its service to national security through technology for 
     better, safer and less costly law enforcement; and
       ``Whereas, to date, the CASTLE program has provided 
     invaluable technical and research services to numerous 
     Tennessee state and local law enforcement agencies that have 
     sought access to specialized technology beyond their scope 
     and means via CASTLE's expert assistance; and
       ``Whereas, the excellent support provided by CASTLE in 
     these instances has been instrumental in solving several 
     murder cases and other sensitive, high profile cases; and
       ``Whereas, the centerpiece of the next phase of CASTLE, as 
     identified in its Strategic Plan, will be the establishment 
     of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as the lead 
     laboratory for a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 
     sponsored virtual National Forensic Center; and
       ``Whereas, if adequately funded by the federal government, 
     CASTLE will be a leader in solving critical needs of grass 
     roots law enforcement through innovative management and 
     selective application of advanced technology; and
       ``Whereas, the recent budget impasse in Washington, D.C. 
     has threatened the continuation of adequate federal funding 
     for the next phase of the CASTLE program; and
       ``Whereas, it would indeed be devastating to the public 
     safety and welfare if the unique, advanced technology, 
     innovative methodologies and tireless professionalism of the 
     CASTLE program were to be sacrificed in the interests of less 
     worthy components of the federal budget; Now, therefore, be 
     it
       ``Resolved, by the Senate of the Ninety-Ninth General 
     Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the House of 
     Representatives concurring, That this General Assembly hereby 
     memorializes the President of the United States, the U.S. 
     Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice to secure 
     adequate federal funding for the implementation of the next 
     phase of The Center for Applied Sciences and Technology for 
     Law Enforcement (CASTLE) as identified in its Strategic Plan 
     dated October, 1995, and to maintain adequate funding for the 
     CASTLE program at its present level of operation; be it
       ``Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Senate is directed 
     to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the 
     Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States; the 
     Honorable Janet Reno, Esquire, U.S. Attorney General; the 
     Speaker and the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; 
     the President and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate; and to 
     each member of Tennessee's congressional delegation.''
                                                                    ____

       POM-582. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Tennessee; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                    ``House Joint Resolution No. 525

       ``Whereas, the operations of predecessor federal agencies 
     and the past and current operations of the U.S. Department of 
     Energy now require the control and abatement of legacy 
     environmental hazards and also require ongoing waste 
     management activities which, together, involve more than 130 
     sites and facilities in over 30 states and territories; and
       ``Whereas, the research and production missions of 
     predecessor agencies and of the U.S. Department of Energy 
     have been essential to the national defense; to development 
     of safe, economical and reliable energy sources; and to many 
     fields of scientific research which have enriched our nation; 
     and
       ``Whereas, since 1942, the Oak Ridge Reservation in 
     Anderson County, Tennessee, and in Roane County, Tennessee, 
     has hosted missions and programs contributing to national 
     security, national energy supply, national environmental 
     enhancement, and national economic competitiveness; and
       ``Whereas, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a national 
     asset with world-class recognition and capabilities in 
     energy, environmental materials, computer science, research 
     and development that contributes to Tennessee's and the 
     nation's economic competitiveness; and
       ``Whereas, the Environmental Management Program of the U.S. 
     Department of Energy is responsible for control and abatement 
     of environmental problems on the Oak Ridge Reservation; and
       ``Whereas, the Environmental Management Program of the U.S. 
     Department of Energy is

[[Page S6144]]

     further responsible for essential support of ongoing national 
     security and national scientific research missions on the Oak 
     Ridge Reservation through provision of waste management 
     services and through technology development activities; and
       ``Whereas, appropriations for the defense environmental 
     management, non-defense environmental management, and uranium 
     decontamination and decommissioning funds for the Oak Ridge 
     Reservation Environmental Management Programs have been 
     reduced significantly for federal fiscal year 1996; and
       ``Whereas, the Oak Ridge community and the East Tennessee 
     region now host a world-class community of over 100 
     environmental management and service companies which are 
     demonstrating that environmental problems and ongoing waste 
     management activities can be accomplished with greater 
     efficiencies and effectiveness within the constraints of 
     reduced budgets; and
       ``Whereas, the need to address environmental management 
     challenges exists on the Oak Ridge Reservation and the talent 
     and technological capability to address such challenges 
     reside in the surrounding region; Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-
     Ninth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the Senate 
     Concurring, That the General Assembly finds that stable and 
     adequate funding of the DOE Environmental Management Program 
     for the Oak Ridge Reservation is essential to the health, 
     safety and general welfare of the citizens of Tennessee and 
     essential to the protection of the environmental quality 
     of the State of Tennessee; be it further
       ``Resolved, That the General Assembly memorializes the 
     committees of the United States Congress with jurisdiction 
     for both program authorization and for appropriation of funds 
     to the DOE Environmental Management Program to provide 
     authorities and funding to this program for federal fiscal 
     year 1997 sufficient to assure Tennessee citizens that:
       ``(1) Oak Ridge Reservation contaminants are controlled to 
     prevent situations where it would cost more at a later date 
     to control the spread of contamination;
       ``(2) workers on the Oak Ridge Reservation are not exposed 
     to undue risks;
       ``(3) wastes that are produced in the ongoing defense and 
     scientific research missions on the reservation are 
     characterized and managed in such a way as to prevent a 
     future environmental liability;
       ``(4) wastes receive appropriate treatment and are moved on 
     to final disposal, thus avoiding the continuing costs of 
     interim storage where disposal capacity is now available;
       ``(5) nuclear materials and facilities stabilization and 
     decontamination and decommissioning of facilities are 
     accomplished expeditiously by funding such projects now to 
     reduce the overall life-cycle costs to taxpayers and to allow 
     industry to take advantage of the infrastructure, technology, 
     and capable work force;
       ``(6) U.S. Department of Energy programs are able to comply 
     with state and federal law to the same extent that private 
     business and industry are required to comply with state and 
     federal law;
       ``(7) local governments and area citizens are fully 
     involved in shaping the environmental management programs 
     which will determine future uses and the environmental 
     conditions appropriate for such future uses of the Oak Ridge 
     Reservation; and
       ``(8) existing agreements made in good faith and in the 
     spirit of cooperation and progress by the State of Tennessee 
     with the U.S. Department of Energy are honored to the fullest 
     extent applicable by law; be it further
       ``Resolved, That enrolled copies of this resolution be 
     transmitted to the respective chairs of the Energy and Water 
     Development Appropriation Subcommittees of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives and the U.S. Senate; the Speaker and the 
     Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; the President and 
     the Secretary of the U.S. Senate; and each member of 
     Tennessee's Congressional delegation.''
                                                                    ____

       POM-583. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Utah to the Committee on Appropriations.

                     ``House Joint Resolution No. 1

       ``Whereas the constitutional role of the United States 
     military is to protect the life, liberty, and property of 
     United States citizens and to defend our nation against 
     insurrection or foreign invasions;
       ``Whereas the United States is an independent sovereign 
     nation and not a tributary of the United Nations;
       ``Whereas there is no popular support for the establishment 
     of a world sovereignty of any kind either under the United 
     Nations or under any world body in any form of global 
     government; and
       ``Whereas global government could lead to the destruction 
     of our United States Constitution and corruption of the 
     spirit of the Declaration of Independence, our freedom, and 
     our way of life: Now, therefore, be it
       ``Resolved That the Legislature of the state of Utah urge 
     the United States Congress to cease the appropriation of 
     United States funds for any military activity not authorized 
     by the Constitution, to cease engagement in any military 
     activity under the authority of the United Nations or any 
     world body, and to cease any support for the establishment of 
     any form of global government; be it further
       ``Resolved, That the Legislature urge the United States 
     Congress to refrain from taking any further steps toward the 
     economic or political merger of the United States into a 
     world body or any form of world government; be it further
       ``Resolved, that copies of this resolution be sent to the 
     President of the United States, the President of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, and Utah's congressional delegation.''

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