[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6035-S6037]
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-449. A resolution adopted by the St. Augustine Beach 
     City Commission relative to funding of a shore protection 
     project; to the Committee on Appropriations.
       POM-450. A resolution adopted by the Nevada Legislature's 
     Committee on Public Lands relative to the Interior Columbia 
     Basin Ecosystem Management Project; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.
       POM-451. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of New Hampshire; to the Committee on Environment 
     and Public Works.

                       House Joint Resolution 23

       Whereas, the state of New Hampshire has continued to 
     decrease air pollution emissions in accordance with the 
     federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990; and
       Whereas, certain regions of the country, including the 
     state of New Hampshire, are currently victims of air 
     pollution emitted upwind from the region, but are being held 
     responsible for that pollution by the federal Clean Air Act; 
     and
       Whereas, section 126 of the federal Clean Air Act allows 
     states to petition the Administrator of the federal 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to find that any 
     stationary source or group of stationary sources emits any 
     air pollutant in amounts which significantly contribute to 
     levels of air pollution in excess of the national air quality 
     standard outside of the state; and
       Whereas, the state of New Hampshire filed a petition to 
     section 126 before the EPA in August 1997; now therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in 
     General Court convened:
       That the New Hampshire Senate and House of Representatives 
     support the section 126 petition filed by the state of New 
     Hampshire in August 1997; and
       That the federal Clean Air Act should be amended so that 
     section 126 petitions may refer not only to stationary 
     sources and groups of stationary sources, but also to non-
     stationary sources and groups of non-stationary sources; and
       That the EPA should exercise its duty under section 110 of 
     the federal Clean Air Act to require states to submit plans 
     consistent with attainment of the national air standards in 
     their own state and in all areas downwind from them; and to 
     refuse to accept plans containing emissions which 
     significantly contribute to non-attainment of the national 
     air standards in areas downwind, by determining what total 
     reductions are needed to attain the standards and then 
     apportioning the responsibility for reductions in a cost-
     effective equitable manner among all states that contribute 
     significantly to non-attainment; and
       That copies of this resolution be sent by the hours clerk 
     to the President of the United States, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, the chairpersons of committees of the 
     United State Congress having jurisdiction over the Clean Air 
     Act, the Administrator of the United States Environmental 
     Protection Agency, and each member of the New Hampshire 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-452. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Tennessee; to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                       Senate Resolution No. 132

       Whereas, This General Assembly acknowledges the importance 
     and emerging dependence of business, government and society 
     on the Internet as a growing part of our system of 
     communications and commerce; and
       Whereas, The members of this legislative body also 
     recognizes that the Internet as a medium of free speech 
     contains, in addition to its many salutory features, 
     potential dangers for society and especially our youth, in 
     that it can provide uncontrolled and instantaneous access to 
     obscenity, child pornography and other adult-oriented 
     materials that are harmful to youth; and
       Whereas, in 1996 Congress attempted to place restrictions 
     on the Internet to curb these dangers by the passage of the 
     Communications Decency Act of 1996, which was declared 
     unconstitutional in part by the United States Supreme Court 
     in the case of Reno v. ACLU; and
       Whereas, The Internet is in a developing stage and software 
     developments and other market forces may eventually allow 
     Internet providers to provide clean Internet services or 
     products that will protect children from the harms of the 
     Internet and permit users to block out offensive materials 
     and services without compromising the beneficial aspects of 
     the Internet; and
       Whereas, The technology currently exists to more readily 
     control these problems by the use of a designated top-level 
     domain site for web sites that contain pornographic and 
     adult-oriented materials and services which, if employed, 
     will expedite and facilitate the development of clean 
     Internet materials and services by the lawful classification 
     of web sites; and
       Whereas, In October of this year, the United States 
     Department of Commerce plans to set up a private not-for-
     profit corporation whose directors will create five new top-
     level domains that will register web sites by subject type; 
     and
       Whereas, A federal requirement that an adult-oriented 
     domain site be created and that all adult-oriented web sites 
     be registered to such domain would greatly aid Internet 
     users, parents and teachers in shielding America's youth from 
     the harms of pornography and adult-oriented materials and 
     services that are available and proliferating on the 
     Internet, and
       Whereas, The states are somewhat limited in the regulation 
     they can provide in this area because of the federal Commerce 
     Clause; and
       Whereas, Congress and the Executive Branch are the 
     appropriate governmental branches to provide leadership in 
     this area and may lawfully act to resolve quickly this issue 
     in a responsible manner that comports with the ideals of the 
     First Amendment; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the One-Hundredth General 
     Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That this Body hereby 
     urges the United States Congress to establish and maintain a 
     uniform resource locator system that contains a top-level 
     domain for all Internet web sites providing pornographic or 
     adult-oriented materials or services so as to facilitate and 
     assist Internet users, service providers and software 
     developers to manage the problem of uncontrolled access to 
     obscenity, child pornography and other adult-oriented 
     materials and services via the Internet. Be it
       Further Resolved, That this Body respectfully urges the 
     President and Vice President of the United States and the 
     Secretary of the Department of Commerce to use their offices 
     and considerable influence to bring about the aims of this 
     resolution by the means of executive order or department 
     regulation, or the promotion of federal regulation, as they 
     deem appropriate. Be it
       Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate deliver 
     enrolled copies of this resolution to each member of the 
     Tennessee delegation, to the United States Senate and the 
     United States House of Representatives, to the Chairmen of 
     the United States Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation 
     Committee and the United States House Commerce Committee, and 
     to the President and Vice President of the United States and 
     the Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce.
                                  ____

       POM-453. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the State of Michigan; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                        House Resolution No. 212

       Whereas, Housing credits are the primary state-federal tool 
     for making affordable rental housing available for low-income 
     people. Since 1987, state agencies have allocated housing 
     credits that have helped finance nearly 900,000 apartments 
     for low-income families; and
       Whereas, The cap on the amount of housing credits was set 
     ten years ago. Over the past decade, less and less housing is 
     becoming available. As a result of the impact of inflation, 
     demand for this highly successful program exceeds supply by a 
     three-to-one ratio; and
       Whereas, The Congress of the United States is considering 
     two bills that would rectify the problem of inadequate 
     housing credits by adjusting the cap to reflect inflationary 
     growth. These bills, H.R. 2990 and S. 1252, will reopen doors 
     to more low-income housing. In Michigan, it is estimated that 
     the legislation will result in enough credit authority to 
     create another 1,000 units of much-needed housing. Another 
     key to the bills is a provision to index the cap for housing 
     credits to reflect inflationary change. This is an 
     appropriate strategy to ensure the continuing availability of 
     low-income housing; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact 
     legislation to increase the cap on low-income housing 
     credits; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-454. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Michigan; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                       Senate Resolution No. 171

       Whereas, The Internal Revenue Code is beyond repair; and
       Whereas, The Internal Revenue Code is the core of the 
     distrust of government the American people feel; and
       Whereas, the current tax code is 7 million words, compared 
     to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 269 words and the 
     Declaration of Independence, which is 1,337 words; and

[[Page S6036]]

       Whereas, The IRS's ``simplest'' return, the EZ Form 1040, 
     has 33 pages of instructions, and the IRS Form 1040 has 76 
     pages of instructions; and
       Whereas, Individual taxpayers spend 1.7 billion hours and 
     American business will spend 3.4 billion hours each year 
     simply trying to comply with the tax code. That effort is 
     equivalent to a ``staff'' of 3 million people working full 
     time, year round, just on taxes; and
       Whereas, Taxes are too high, but any steps to lower taxes 
     by modifying the existing tax code would make it even longer 
     and more confusing; and
       Whereas, A proposal to abolish the Internal Revenue Code by 
     December 31, 2001, embodies a prudent method and provides 
     adequate time for developing a new tax code; now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of 
     the United States to enact legislation to abolish the 
     Internal Revenue Code by December 31, 2001, and replace it 
     with a new method of taxation. The new tax code must:
       --Lower taxes--to create job opportunities;
       --Foster growth--by encouraging work and savings;
       --Be fair--for all taxpayers;
       --Be simple enough for all taxpayers to understand;
       --Be neutral--allowing people, not government to make 
     choices;
       --Be visible, so people know the cost of government;
       --Be stable, so people can plan for the future; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That we request the other states to urge Congress 
     to enact this proposal; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, to members of the 
     Michigan congressional delegation, and to the legislatures of 
     the other states.
                                  ____

       POM-455. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California; to the Committee on Finance.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 65

       Whereas, The California Legislature and the Governor, on a 
     bipartisan basis, enacted Assembly Bill 1126 and other 
     conforming legislation to establish the Healthy Families 
     Program; and
       Whereas, The Healthy Families Program embodies the 
     Governor's vision of providing private insurance to the 
     children of working parents whose employers do not provide 
     dependent health insurance coverage and whose family income 
     is insufficient to purchase private health care coverage for 
     their children; and
       Whereas, It was the Legislature's intent, in enacting the 
     Healthy Families Program, that children of low-income parents 
     who work receive the same beneficial treatment, with regard 
     to income disregards, as families applying for Medi-Cal; and
       Whereas, The state government expressly requested the use 
     of income disregards to establish eligibility for the Healthy 
     Families program, similar to the disregards applied to low-
     income persons applying for Medi-Cal coverage for their 
     children; and
       Whereas, The federal government accepted the plan developed 
     by the administration, including the provisions of the plan 
     which protect against crowd out; and
       Whereas, The delay and potential elimination of families 
     who want and need to participate in the program, since they 
     do not have the means to purchase insurance without financial 
     assistance, would place a great hardship on these families 
     and their children; 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 federal Health Care Financing 
     Administration, and the Congress and the President of the 
     United States to preserve the state plan to implement the 
     Healthy Families Program in its current approved form; 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 the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services, and to each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-456. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Colorado; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation.

                     House Joint Resolution 98-1036

       Whereas, The Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997 
     pending in the federal congress would require all aircraft 
     maintenance facilities, whether domestic or abroad, to adhere 
     to the same safety and operating procedures; and
       Whereas, The Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997 
     would provide for more stringent standards for certification 
     of foreign aircraft repair stations by the Federal Aviation 
     Administration and would revoke the certification of any 
     repair facility that knowingly uses defective parts; and
       Whereas, There are over five hundred fifty persons with a 
     combined annual income of over twenty-nine million dollars 
     employed in the aircraft repair industry in Colorado whose 
     jobs are at risk of being moved out of the United States 
     unless foreign aircraft repair stations are required to 
     adhere to our safety and operating procedures; and
       Whereas, On January 9, 1997, House Resolution No. 145 was 
     introduced in the House of Representatives of the United 
     States by Representative Robert Borski; and
       Whereas, On July 30, 1997, a companion bill, S. 1089, was 
     introduced in the Senate of the United States by Senator 
     Arlen Specter; and
       Whereas, H.R. 145 and S. 1089 both propose to enact the 
     Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-first 
     General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate 
     concurring herein: That the General Assembly requests the 
     United States Congress to enact and the President to sign the 
     Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997, be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to 
     the President and Vice-President of the United States, the 
     President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives of the United States Congress, and to each 
     member of the Congressional delegation from Colorado.
                                  ____

       POM-457. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 13

       Whereas, the Republic of Poland is a free, democratic, and 
     independent nation with a long and proud history, being the 
     first nation in Central Europe to stand up for democratic 
     values and to undergo a systematic transformation; and
       Whereas, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is 
     dedicated to the preservation of freedom and security of its 
     member nations; and
       Whereas, Poland and its Central European neighbors the 
     Republic of Hungary and the Czech Republic recognize their 
     responsibilities as democratic nations and wish to exercise 
     such responsibilities in concert with members of NATO; and
       Whereas, Poland will bring to the alliance its defense 
     potential, its stabilizing role in the region, and its good 
     relations with its neighbors; and
       Whereas, Hungary and the Czech Republic have also shown 
     their commitment to democracy and its preservation throughout 
     the world; and
       Whereas, the Republic of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
     Republic desire to become a part of NATO's efforts to prevent 
     the extremes of nationalism and to spread democracy and 
     stability; and
       Whereas, the security of the United States is dependent 
     upon the stability of Central Europe. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does 
     respectfully urge the United States Senate to support the 
     establishment of a timetable for the admission of the 
     Republic of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Be it
       Further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the president of the United States Senate, to 
     each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation, and to 
     the ambassadors of the Republic of Poland, the Republic of 
     Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-458. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 33

       Whereas, the Republic of Poland is a free, democratic, and 
     independent nation with a long and proud history, being the 
     first nation in Central Europe to stand up for democratic 
     values and to undergo a systematic transformation; and
       Whereas, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is 
     dedicated to the preservation of freedom and security of its 
     member nations; and
       Whereas, Poland and its Central European neighbors, the 
     Republic of Hungary and the Czech Republic, recognize their 
     responsibilities as democratic nations and wish to exercise 
     such responsibilities in concert with members of NATO; and
       Whereas, Poland will bring to the alliance its defense 
     potential, its stabilizing role in the region, and its good 
     relations with its neighbors; and
       Whereas, Hungary and the Czech Republic have also shown 
     their commitment to democracy and its preservation throughout 
     the world; and
       Whereas, the Republic of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
     Republic desire to become a part of NATO's efforts to prevent 
     the extremes of nationalism and to spread democracy and 
     stability; and
       Whereas, the security of the United States is dependent 
     upon the stability of Central Europe. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, that the Legislature of Louisiana does 
     respectfully urge the United States Senate to support the 
     establishment of a timetable for the admission of the 
     Republic of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Be it
       Further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, to 
     each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation, and to 
     the ambassadors of the Republic of Poland, the Republic of 
     Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-459. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana;

[[Page S6037]]

     to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 41

       Whereas, congress, through the Federal Agriculture 
     Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (FAIR Act), mandated that 
     the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture 
     consolidate the then existing thirty-two federal milk 
     marketing orders into not less than ten nor more than 
     fourteen orders by April 4, 1999; and
       Whereas, the FAIR Act also authorized the Secretary of the 
     United States Department of Agriculture to review and reform 
     the pricing and other provisions of the consolidated orders; 
     and
       Whereas, on January 23, 1998, the Secretary of the United 
     States Department of Agriculture issued proposed rules for 
     federal milk order consolidations and reforms; and
       Whereas, these proposed rules included two options for 
     pricing milk used in Class I (fluid milk products), which are 
     noted and referred to as Option 1A and Option 1B; and
       Whereas, Option 1A is similar to the present geographic 
     price structures; however, Option 1B would reduce the minimum 
     federal order prices in Louisiana by more than one dollar per 
     hundredweight; and
       Whereas, while demand has been rising due to increasing 
     population, milk production in Louisiana and the entire 
     Southeast has declined during each of the past seven years; 
     and as a result, larger quantities of milk are imported from 
     other regions at higher cost than local milk; and
       Whereas, implementation of Option 1B, even with the highest 
     transition option, would aggravate the loss of dairy farms 
     and local milk production; and
       Whereas, such loss will be devastating to the dairy farmer, 
     the rural communities, and the consumers. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United Stated to support, and urges and 
     requests the United States Secretary of Agriculture to 
     incorporate, Option 1A as the pricing procedure in all 
     federal milk marketing orders in his final decision on 
     consolidation and reform of these orders. Be it
       Further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America, each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation, and the Secretary of the United States Department 
     of Agriculture.

                          ____________________