[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 80 (Thursday, June 18, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6563-S6564]
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-481. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Alaska relative to compensation 
     of Holocaust victims by the Swiss banking industry; to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations.
       POM-482. A resolution adopted by the National Association 
     of the Physically Handicapped, Inc. (Okemos, Michigan) 
     relative to physician-assisted suicide; to the Committee on 
     Labor and Human Resources.
       POM-483. A resolution adopted by the National Association 
     of the Physically Handicapped, Inc. (Okemos, Michigan) 
     relative to non-profit hospital sales; to the Committee on 
     Labor and Human Resources.
       POM-484. A resolution adopted by the National Association 
     of the Physically Handicapped, Inc. (Okemos, Michigan) 
     relative to community health care; to the Committee on Labor 
     and Human Resources.
       POM-485. A joint resolution adopted by Legislature of the 
     State of Tennessee; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation.

                    Senate Joint Resolution No. 712

       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 
     recognize 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

[[Page S6564]]

     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 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, the House of 
     Representatives Concurring, 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, services providers and software developers to 
     manage the problem of uncontrolled access to obscenity, child 
     pornography and other adult-oriented materials and services 
     via 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 Chairman 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-486. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State 
of Tennessee; to the Committee on Finance.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 525

       Whereas, House Resolution No. 2912 of the 105th U.S. 
     Congress was introduced in 1997 to reinstate payments under 
     Medicare for home health services relating to venipuncture 
     for the express purpose of obtaining blood samples; and
       Whereas, the legislation also requires the Secretary of the 
     Department of Health and Human Services to study potential 
     fraud and abuse under the Medicare program with respect to 
     such services; and
       Whereas, the Department of Health and Human Services study 
     calls for an examination of critical aspects of the Medicare 
     program as it pertains to venipuncture services, along with 
     the cost to beneficiaries if payment under the Medicare 
     program is prohibited for such home health services; and
       Whereas, the Department is also directed under the 
     legislation to determine the costs to states through the 
     potentially increased use of personal care services and 
     nursing home placements as a result of Medicare not covering 
     venipuncture procedures; and
       Whereas, such services are vitally important in the 
     diagnosis and treatment of many catastrophic illnesses, which 
     if left undetected will result in increased future Medicare 
     expenditures; and
       Whereas, as citizens of this country continue to be 
     unreasonably burdened by spiraling medical costs, the 
     availability of adequate medical care is critical to their 
     well-being; and it is incumbent upon the members of this 
     Legislative Body to express our unflagging support for this 
     significant legislation; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the One-
     hundredth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the 
     Senate Concurring, That this General Assembly hereby 
     memorializes the U.S. Congress to act expeditiously to enact 
     the Medicare Venipuncture Fairness Act. Be it
       Further Resolved, That this General Assembly memorializes 
     each member of the U.S. Congress from Tennessee to utilize 
     the full measure of his or her influence to effect the 
     enactment of the Medicare Venipuncture Fairness Act. Be it
       Further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the House of 
     Representatives is directed to transmit a certified copy of 
     this resolution to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of 
     the United States; the President and the Secretary of the 
     U.S. Senate; the Speaker and the Clerk of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; and to each member of the Tennessee 
     delegation to the U.S. Congress.

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