[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 115 (Thursday, September 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9938-S9939]
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-524. A resolution adopted by the Council of the City of 
     Homestead, Florida relative to the renaming of the Everglades 
     National Park; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.
       POM-525. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Alaska; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       Whereas certain actions, although arguably related to one 
     person's free expression, nevertheless raise issues 
     concerning public decency, public peace, and the rights of 
     expression and sacred values of others; and
       Whereas there are symbols of our national soul, such as the 
     Washington Monument, the United States Capitol Building, and 
     memorials to our greatest leaders, that are the property of 
     every American and are therefore worthy of protection from 
     desecration and dishonor; and
       Whereas the American Flag was most nobly born in the 
     struggle for independence that began with ``The Shot Heard 
     Round the World'' on a bridge in Concord, Massachusetts; and
       Whereas, in the War of 1812, the American Flag stood boldly 
     against foreign invasion, symbolized the stand of a young and 
     brave nation against the mighty world power of that day and, 
     in its courageous resilience, inspired our national anthem; 
     and
       Whereas, in the Second World War, the American Flag was the 
     banner that led the American battle against fascist 
     imperialism from the depths of Pearl Harbor to the 
     mountaintop of Iwo Jima, and from defeat in North Africa's 
     Kasserine Pass to victory in the streets of Hitler's Germany; 
     and
       Whereas Alaska's star was woven into the fabric of the Flag 
     in 1959, and that 49th star has become an integral part of 
     the Union; and
       Whereas the American Flag symbolizes the ideals that good 
     and decent people fought for in Vietnam, often at the expense 
     of their lives or at the cost of cruel condemnation upon 
     their return home; and
       Whereas the American Flag symbolizes the sacred values for 
     which loyal Americans risked and often lost their lives in 
     securing civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race, 
     sex, or creed; and
       Whereas the American Flag was carried to the moon as a 
     banner of goodwill, vision, and triumph on behalf of all 
     mankind; and
       Whereas the American Flag proudly represents the United 
     States at Olympic events; and
       Whereas the American Flag to this day is a most honorable 
     and worthy banner of a nation that is thankful for its 
     strengths and committed to curing its faults and remains the 
     destination of millions of immigrants attracted by the 
     universal power of the American ideal; and
       Whereas the law as interpreted by the United States Supreme 
     Court no longer accords to the Stars and Stripes that 
     reverence, respect, and dignity befitting the banner of that 
     most noble experiment of a nation-state; and
       Whereas House Joint Resolution 54, which passed the United 
     States House of Representatives and has been referred to the 
     United States Senate, proposes an amendment to the United 
     States Constitution stating, ``The Congress shall have power 
     to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the 
     United States''; and
       Whereas Senate Joint Resolution 40, introduced in the 
     United States Senate, proposes an amendment to the United 
     States Constitution stating, ``The Congress shall have power 
     to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the 
     United States''; and
       Whereas it is only fitting that people everywhere should 
     lend their voices to a forceful call for restoration to the 
     Stars and Stripes of a proper station under law and decency; 
     Be it Resolved by the Alaska State Legislature, That the 
     Congress of the United States is requested to pass House 
     Joint Resolution 54 or Senate Joint Resolution 40, or 
     comparable legislation, and present to the legislatures of 
     the several states an amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States that would specifically provide the Congress 
     power to prohibit the physical desecration of the Flag of the 
     United States; this request does not constitution a call for 
     a constitutional convention; and be it
       Further resolved, That the legislatures of the several 
     states are invited to join with Alaska to secure ratification 
     of the proposed amendment.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al 
     Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and President 
     of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Trent Lott, Majority Leader 
     of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Newt Gingrich, Speaker of 
     the U.S. House of Representatives; the governors of each of 
     the several states; the presiding officers of each house of 
     the legislatures of the several states; and to the Honorable 
     Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, United States 
     Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, United States 
     Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-526. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of California; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 60

       Whereas, The United States Air Force Reserve operational 
     unit, which is now the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940th ARW), 
     has been in the Sacramento Valley since 1963; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW, which has been located at various 
     times at Mather Air Force Base, McClellan Air Force Base, and 
     Beale Air Force Base, has a proud tradition of supporting the 
     nation's defense since the 940th ARW's activation; and
       Whereas, The mission of the 940th ARW is to perform global 
     air refueling and strategic airlift operations, which allow 
     other aircraft to fly far beyond their normal range by 
     overcoming the restrictions imposed by limited onboard fuel 
     capacity; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW has participated in many 
     conventional and humanitarian efforts that were undertaken by 
     the Department of Defense and the United Nations, including 
     rebuilding schools in Honduras, providing food and medical 
     supplies to Somalia, and deployment in support of democracy 
     in Haiti; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW was the first Air Force Reserve unit 
     to establish ground operations in the Middle East as a part 
     of Desert Shield when it deployed hundreds of United States 
     military reservists to Saudi Arabia in August 1991, just days 
     after the invasion of Kuwait; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW continues to support peace in Bosnia 
     by supporting joint service missions and conducting 
     peacekeeping operations in the skies above the former 
     Yugoslavia; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW flies KC-135E model aircraft 
     equipped with TF-33 engines that are reaching the end of 
     their 10-year to 15-year life span; and
       Whereas, These engines are of 1960's technology and do not 
     meet contemporary international or United States noise, 
     emission, and fuel efficiency standards; and
       Whereas, Conversion to the KC-135R model engine would 
     provide each aircraft with 26 percent more thrust on takeoff 
     and 18 percent improved fuel consumption, offering increased 
     offload capacity of 20,000 pounds of fuel; and
       Whereas, The KC-135R model engine exceeds in-flight noise 
     standards and offers a 69 percent reduction in in-flight 
     engine emissions; and
       Whereas, These engines are widely used in the commercial 
     sector, making repair and parts available worldwide; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW is the only air refueling wing 
     positioned in the central west coast that is capable of 
     conducting or hosting ``bridge'' refueling operations for 
     global deployment of United States Armed Forces to the 
     Pacific region; and
       Whereas, Conversion to the KC-135R aircraft with the 
     multiport refueling system would allow the 940th ARW to cost-
     effectively support United States Marine Corps and United 
     States Navy aircraft that are based at El Centro, Lemoore, 
     and Miramar, California, and at Fallon, Nevada, as well as 
     other locations worldwide; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW has been moved from Mather AFB to 
     McClellan AFB due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC); and
       Whereas, Conversion to the KC-135R model engine would 
     ensure that the 940th ARW remains a viable-force structure 
     asset and would preserve, for the Department of Defense and 
     the nation, the skills of its 950 members, including 185 
     full-time employees of the unit who live in the central 
     valley, including Sacramento, El Dorado, Yolo, Yuba, Sutter, 
     Placer, and San Joaquin Counties; and
       Whereas, Conversion to the KC-135R model engine would 
     protect the 940th ARW's $22,000,000 contribution to the local 
     economy in the form of maintaining salaries and operating 
     expenses; and
       Whereas, The 940th ARW creates an estimated 300 secondary 
     jobs; and
       Whereas, The loss of the 940th ARW would have a significant 
     negative impact on the region's economy; and
       Whereas, Resource limitations may not allow the United 
     States Air Force Reserve to fund the conversion of both of 
     its remaining KC-135E units to the KC-135R aircraft, since 
     the Air Force Reserve Command has earmarked funding for the 
     conversion of four additional aircraft, but has not decided 
     which of the two remaining KC-135E model units will be 
     converted; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature memorializes the 
     President and the Congress of the United States to endorse, 
     support, and fund the 940th ARW as the next KC-135 unit to 
     convert to KC135-R model aircraft, because that conversion 
     would ensure that the 940th ARW remains a relevant, capable, 
     and necessary part of the United States Air Force mission in 
     the 21st century and a viable and productive asset to the 
     Department of Defense, the State of California, and the 
     nation; 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 United States 
     House of Representatives, to each Senator and Representative 
     from California in the Congress of the United States, and to 
     each member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the 
     House Veterans Affairs Committee.
                                  ____

       POM-527. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of California; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 63

       Whereas, The Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve contains 
     within it two sections of

[[Page S9939]]

     school lands and, upon sale, the value of the school lands is 
     to become available to the State of California for the 
     purposes of retired teacher benefits; and
       Whereas, The federal government, in the 1996 Defense 
     Authorization Act, recognized and provided a means to 
     adjudicate California's claim to revenues from the sale of 
     the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve; and
       Whereas, The State of California, through the Governor and 
     the Attorney General, have complied with all requirements and 
     have reached agreement with the federal government on the 
     state's claim; and
       Whereas, The agreement between the Secretary of Energy and 
     the State of California, pursuant to the 1996 Defense 
     Authorization Act, provides that 9 percent of the net sale 
     value will be used for California; and
       Whereas, The sale has been completed and approximately 
     three hundred twenty million dollars ($320,000,000) is the 
     state's 9 percent share; and
       Whereas, The funds received from the sale of the Elk Hills 
     Naval Petroleum Reserve will be used to provide retirement 
     benefits to those teachers who have lost most of the value of 
     their pension to inflation; and
       Whereas, These teachers are mainly over 80 years old and 
     have the lowest pensions from the State Teachers' Retirement 
     System; and
       Whereas, The federal government and the President have 
     included, within the 1999 fiscal year budget proposals, the 
     sum of thirty-six million dollars ($36,000,000) as the first 
     payment pursuant to the agreement; and
       Whereas, The State of California believes that the 
     appropriation should be made and honored at the earliest date 
     possible; 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 approve the appropriation included in the 
     1999 fiscal year proposed energy appropriation in the bill 
     appropriating funds for the support of the Department of the 
     Interior; 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-528. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Hawaii relative to an amendment 
     to the Constitution of the United States regarding term 
     limits; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-529. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the State of Illinois; to the Committee on 
     Labor and Human Resources.

                        House Resolution No. 505

       Whereas, The United States General Accounting Office issued 
     a report entitled, ``Proprietary Schools; Millions Spent to 
     Train Students for Oversupplied Occupations'', claiming that 
     an oversupply of cosmetologists exists; and
       Whereas, In reality, a serious shortage of cosmetologists 
     exists; hundreds of job opportunities in salons are not being 
     filled, which has resulted in salon clients being turned 
     away; and
       Whereas, While compiling data for the report, the General 
     Accounting Office did not talk to anyone in the private 
     sector, including salon owners, trade schools, and state and 
     national associations; and
       Whereas, The report used statistics from state-level labor 
     market data, which are inaccurate because employers and job 
     seekers do not use unemployment offices, employees rarely use 
     Labor Department offices, and employers use direct marketing 
     and classified advertisements instead; and
       Whereas, In counting available places for job openings, the 
     General Accounting Office incorrectly counted each chain of 
     stores as only one entity, when each of their multiple 
     locations should be counted as a separate retail outlet to 
     more accurately reflect the need to fill the multitude of 
     openings that are immediately available; therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth 
     General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we urge the 
     U.S. Congress to insure that federal financial aid assistance 
     continues for cosmetology training; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
     delivered to the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, 
     the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each 
     member of the Illinois congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-530. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the State of Illinois; to the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                        House Resolution No. 547

       Whereas, The United States' embargo against Cuba, imposed 
     35 years ago, has increasingly created physical hardships for 
     the people of Cuba, depriving them of much needed food and 
     medicines and exposing them, including the children, to the 
     effects of malnutrition and other severe health concerns; and
       Whereas, The recent visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II 
     focused world attention on the needs of the Cuban people and 
     called for mutually beneficial reconciliation and the lifting 
     of the United States' embargo against Cuba; and
       Whereas, Many Cuban-Americans living in the United States 
     as American citizens have families that are being subjected 
     to these hardships and would want to help their families 
     without breaking the laws of the United States; and
       Whereas, The State of Illinois, a leader in education, 
     commerce, agriculture, and technology, stands to benefit from 
     the potential economic development and trade that could be 
     established with the island nation of Cuba; and
       Whereas, The Congress of the United States is currently 
     considering HR 1951 and S 1391, which seek to lift the 
     embargo against Cuba for the purpose of making available 
     humanitarian aid in the form of food and medicines; therefore 
     be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth 
     General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we urge the 
     passage and enactment of HR 1951 and S 1391 to lift the 
     United States' embargo for humanitarian reasons and that the 
     delivery of food and medicine to the Cuban people be allowed; 
     and that such an adjustment in our foreign policy reflects 
     America's humanitarianism that transcends political ideology; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the 
     President of the United States, the Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of 
     the United States Senate, and each member of the Illinois 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-531. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Illinois; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
     Works.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 51

       Whereas, The current State sales tax on coal burned in 
     Illinois raises approximately $60 million dollars each year 
     in revenue for the State; and
       Whereas, Ninety percent of Illinois coal is purchased by 
     the electric utility industry, and about one-half of the 
     electricity used in the State comes from coal-burning plants; 
     and
       Whereas, The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act amendments have 
     resulted in fuel switching from Illinois high-sulfur coal to 
     western, low-sulfur coal to generate electricity; and
       Whereas, The sale of Illinois coal has continued to 
     decrease, due primarily to increased competition from 
     western, low-sulfur coal, resulting in the loss of thousands 
     of jobs directly related to coal mining; and
       Whereas, Illinois coal is mined in 18 counties and accounts 
     for as much as 16% of employment and 23% of personal income 
     in individual counties; and
       Whereas, The coal mining industry provides approximately 
     5,000 jobs and more than 17,000 spin-off jobs in the State; 
     and
       Whereas, Almost $800 million dollars has been spent on 
     clean coal technology projects to expand the use of high-
     sulfur Illinois coal; and
       Whereas, It is important to keep the Illinois coal industry 
     competitive because coal is the State's most abundant and 
     economically important natural resource; therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth 
     General Assembly of the State of Illinois, the Senate 
     concurring herein; That a 12-member Task Force be formed to 
     study the feasibility of eliminating the sales tax on 
     Illinois coal; the Task Force shall consist of the Directors, 
     or their designees, of the Department of Revenue and the 
     Department of Commerce and Community Affairs; a member of the 
     Illinois Coal Development Board (within the Department of 
     Natural Resources); the President of the United Mine Workers; 
     the Vice President of the Illinois Coal Association; one 
     member from the Governor's office; 2 members appointed by the 
     President of the Senate; 2 members appointed by the Speaker 
     of the House of Representatives; one member appointed by the 
     Minority Leader of the Senate; and one member appointed by 
     the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; 
     appointments made by the General Assembly shall be made 
     within 30 days after this Resolution is adopted; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the Task Force report its findings and 
     recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor no 
     later than January 1, 1999; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
     delivered to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Minority 
     Leader of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader 
     of the Senate, and each member of the Illinois congressional 
     delegation.

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