[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 97 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7209-S7210]
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-166. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the General 
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                               Resolution

       Whereas, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the 
     largest integrated health care provider in the United States, 
     with more than 200,000 employees and an annual budget of over 
     $16,000,000,000; and
       Whereas, the VHA is under scrutiny by the President and the 
     Congress of the United States to become a more cost-efficient 
     health care delivery system; and
       Whereas, as a group, VHA patients are older, sicker and 
     poorer than persons using private health care facilities; and
       Whereas, Medicare is not presently reimbursable to the VHA; 
     and
       Whereas, providing for Medicare reimbursement for health 
     care services at a VHA facility would offer veterans more 
     options and reduce the amount of other Federal funding 
     utilized by the system; and
       Whereas, United States Representative Bob Stump of Arizona 
     has introduced House Resolution 1362 which would establish a 
     demonstration project to provide for Medicare reimbursement 
     for health care services provided to certain Medicare-
     eligible veterans in selected facilities of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs; and
       Whereas, Pennsylvania has the fifth largest veteran 
     population in the United States and would be a statistically 
     significant choice for a demonstration program; and
       Whereas, Veterans Integrated Service Network Number Four 
     (VISN 4) includes all of the Veterans Administration Medical 
     Centers in Pennsylvania and two Veterans Administration 
     Medical Centers in states contiguous to Pennsylvania; 
     therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania memorialize 
     Congress to select VISN 4 to participate in the demonstration 
     project provided for in House Resolution 1362 and to 
     participate in all demonstration programs for Medicare-
     eligible veterans; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each 
     member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
                                                                    ____

       POM-167. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                               Resolution

       Whereas, the Federal Unified Gift and Estate Tax generates 
     a minimal amount of Federal revenue, especially considering 
     the high cost of collection and compliance, and has been 
     shown to decrease those Federal revenues from what they might 
     otherwise have been; and
       Whereas, this ``death tax'' has been identified as 
     destructive to job opportunity and expansion, especially to 
     minority entrepreneurs and family farmers; and
       Whereas, this ``death tax'' causes severe hardship to 
     growing family businesses and family farming operations, 
     often to the point of partial or complete forced liquidation, 
     thereby depriving state and local governments of an important 
     ongoing source of revenue; and
       Whereas, critical state and local leadership assets are 
     unnecessarily destroyed and forever lost to the future 
     detriment of the community through relocation or liquidation; 
     and
       Whereas, local and state schools, churches and numerous 
     charitable activities would greatly benefit from the 
     increased employment and continued family business 
     leadership; therefore be it
       Resolved (the House of Representatives concurring), That 
     the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge 
     the Congress of the United States to immediately review the 
     Federal Unified Gift and Estate Tax and to act either to 
     repeal the law, or to give special exemptions to family owned 
     farms and businesses, or to raise the

[[Page S7210]]

     unified credit against the Gift and Estate Taxes, or to defer 
     estate tax payments over a period of time; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the President of the United 
     States Senate, the Secretary of the Treasury of the United 
     States and to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.

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