[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10692-S10694]
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-341. A resolution adopted by the Board of Tipler 
     Township, Florence County, Wisconsin relative to the Nicolet 
     National Forest; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.
       POM-342. A resolution adopted by the House of the Northern 
     Marianas Commonwealth Legislature relative to the Kyoto 
     Protocol; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                      House Resolution No. 11-176

       Whereas, the United States is a signatory to the 1992 
     United Nations Framework Convention on Global Climate Change 
     (FCCC); and
       Whereas, a protocol to implement the goals of the FCCC was 
     negotiated in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan (the Kyoto 
     Protocol), which, when ratified, will require the United 
     States to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by seven 
     percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012; and
       Whereas, the world's leading climate scientists have warned 
     that rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and other 
     ``greenhouse gases'' in the atmosphere threaten to increase 
     average global temperatures at unprecedented rates; and
       Whereas, climatic alternations will have a dramatic, if not 
     catastrophic, effects on human health and well-being, severe 
     weather event, agricultural productivity, and other resource 
     industries; and
       Whereas, a National Academy of Sciences study concludes 
     that the United States can reduce energy consumption by 
     twenty percent or more, thereby reducing greenhouse gas 
     emissions at a net economic benefit to the country; and
       Whereas, increased United States energy efficiency and 
     technological development will improve United States 
     competitiveness in world trade; and
       Whereas, past greenhouse emissions have already committed 
     the world to a future rise in global temperatures, thereby 
     making immediate action imperative to protect the health, 
     welfare and security of the American people: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives, Eleventh 
     Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature, That the Senate 
     of the United States be urged to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to 
     the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and 
     that the United States Congress be urged to take the lead in 
     lowering greenhouse gas emissions; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Speaker of the House shall certify and 
     the House Clerk shall attest to the adoption of this 
     resolution and thereafter transmit copies of this resolution 
     signed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives be 
     forwarded by the clerk to the President of the United States 
     Senate, the CNMI Governor, Chair, CNMI 902 Consultation Team, 
     and to the CNMI Washington Representative.
                                  ____

       POM-343. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas relative to the McGregor Range at Fort 
     Bliss, Texas; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 38

       Whereas, Future military threats to the United States and 
     its allies may come from technologically advanced rogue 
     states that for the first time are armed with long-range 
     missiles capable of delivering nuclear, chemical, or 
     biological weapons to an increasingly wider range of 
     countries; and
       Whereas, The U.S. military strategy requires flexible and 
     strong armed forces that are well-trained, well-equipped, and 
     ready to defend our nation's interests against these 
     devastating weapons of mass destruction; and
       Whereas, Previous rounds of military base closures combined 
     with the realignment of the Department of the Army force 
     structure have established Fort Bliss as the Army's Air 
     Defense Artillery Center of Excellence, thus making McGregor 
     Range, which is a part of Fort Bliss, the nation's principal 
     training facility for air defense systems; and
       Whereas, McGregor Range is inextricably linked to the 
     advanced missile defense testing network that includes Fort 
     Bliss and the White Sands Missile Range, providing, 
     verifying, and maintaining the highest level of missile 
     defense testing for the Patriot, Avenger, Stinger, and other 
     advanced missile defense systems; and
       Whereas, The McGregor Range comprises more than half of the 
     Fort Bliss installation land area, and the range and its 
     restricted airspace in conjunction with the White Sands 
     Missile Range, is crucial to the development and testing of 
     the Army Tactical Missile System and the Theater High 
     Altitude Area Defense System; and
       Whereas, The high quality and unique training capabilities 
     of the McGregor Range allow the verification of our military 
     readiness in air-to-ground combat, including the Army's only 
     opportunity to test the Patriot missile in live fire, 
     tactical scenarios, as well

[[Page S10693]]

     as execute the ``Roving Sands'' joint training exercises held 
     annually at Fort Bliss; and
       Whereas, The Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1986 requires 
     that the withdrawal from public use of all military land 
     governed by the Army, including McGregor Range, must be 
     terminated on November 6, 2001, unless such withdrawal is 
     renewed by an Act of Congress: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby support the U.S. Congress in ensuring that the 
     critical infrastructure for the U.S. military defense 
     strategy be maintained through the renewal of the withdrawal 
     from public use of the McGregor Range land beyond 2001; and, 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the Congress of the United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-344. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas relative to benefits for military 
     retirees; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7

       Whereas, Military retirees who have served honorably for 20 
     or more years constitute a significant part of the aging 
     population in the United States; and
       Whereas, These retirees were encouraged to make the United 
     States Armed Forces a career, in part by the promise of 
     lifetime health care for themselves and their families; and
       Whereas, Prior to the age of 65, these retirees are 
     provided health services by the United States Department of 
     Defense's TRICARE Prime program, but those retirees who reach 
     the age of 65 lose a significant portion of the promised 
     health care due to Medicare eligibility; and
       Whereas, Many of these retirees are also unable to access 
     military treatment facilities for health care and life 
     maintenance medications because they live in areas where 
     there are no military treatment facilities or where these 
     facilities have downsized so significantly that available 
     space for care has become nonexistent; and
       Whereas, The loss of access to health care services 
     provided by the military has resulted in the government 
     breaking its promise of lifetime health care; and
       Whereas, Without continued affordable health care, 
     including pharmaceuticals, these retirees have limited access 
     to quality health care and significantly less care than other 
     retired federal civilians have under the Federal Employees 
     Health Benefits Program; and
       Whereas, It is necessary to enact legislation that would 
     restore health care benefits equitable with those of other 
     retired federal workers; and
       Whereas, Several proposals to meet this requirement are 
     currently under consideration before the United States 
     Congress and the federal Department of Defense and Department 
     of Health and Human Services; of these proposals, the federal 
     government has already begun to establish demonstration 
     projects around the country to be conducted over the next 
     three years, which would allow Medicare to reimburse the 
     Department of Defense for the costs of providing military 
     retirees and their dependents health care; this project would 
     allow a limited number of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries to 
     enroll in the Department of Defense's TRICARE Prime program 
     and receive all of their health care under that program: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 76 Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby memorialize the Congress of the United States to 
     maintain its commitment to America's military retirees by 
     providing lifetime health care for military retirees over the 
     age of 65; to enact comprehensive legislation that affords 
     military retirees the ability to access health care either 
     through military treatment facilities or through the 
     military's network of health care providers, as well as 
     legislation to require opening the Federal Employees Health 
     Benefits Program to those uniformed services beneficiaries 
     who are eligible for Medicare, on the same basis and 
     conditions that apply to retired federal civilian employees; 
     and to enact any other appropriate legislation that would 
     address the above concerns; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas Secretary of State forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the President of the 
     United States, the president of the Senate and Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and 
     all members of the Texas delegation to the Congress with the 
     request that this resolution be entered in the Congressional 
     Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-345. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas relative to the Medicaid 
     disproportionate share hospital program; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 75

       Whereas, The Lower Rio Grande Valley is an area of Texas 
     vital to the economic success and well-being of the state; 
     and
       Whereas, The area faces a variety of challenges, one of 
     which is a significant demand for indigent health care; this 
     need is complicated by transportation issues and other 
     difficulties affecting patient access to health care 
     services; and
       Whereas, The State of Texas operates the South Texas 
     Hospital in the city of Harlingen, and this institution 
     provides critically needed health care services to indigent 
     patients in the Lower Rio Grande Valley; and
       Whereas, State funds used to provide indigent health care 
     services at the South Texas Hospital have been used to obtain 
     matching federal funds through the Medicaid disproportionate 
     share hospital program and their use has increased the 
     resources available to provide health care services to 
     indigent patients throughout Texas; and
       Whereas, The South Texas Hospital's physical facilities are 
     in need of major renovation, and there are other hospitals in 
     the Lower Rio Grande Valley that can provide inpatient 
     services needed by the indigent population of the region; and
       Whereas, The mission of the South Texas Hospital and the 
     public good will best be served by contracting with public 
     and private hospitals in the Lower Rio Grande Valley so that 
     they may provide inpatient services to the indigent 
     population; and
       Whereas, If the state intends to continue its commitment to 
     provide needed health services to the people of the Lower Rio 
     Grande Valley, then the Texas Legislature must encourage the 
     federal government to continue matching state funds used to 
     provide eligible inpatient services and to participate in 
     innovative approaches that maximize local, state, and federal 
     resources to address the pressing need for indigent health 
     services in Texas: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 
     qualify the contributions made by the State of Texas for 
     eligible inpatient hospital services provided by contract in 
     the Lower Rio Grande Valley for federal matching funds under 
     the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital program; and, be 
     it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the Congress of the United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-346. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas relative to customs facilities at 
     Texas-Mexico border crossing areas; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2

       Whereas, Bottlenecks at customs inspection lanes have 
     contributed to traffic congestion at Texas-Mexico border 
     crossing areas, slowing the flow of commerce and detracting 
     from the economic potential of the North American Free Trade 
     Agreement (NAFTA); and
       Whereas, Smuggling of drugs inside truck parts and cargo 
     containers compounds the problem, necessitating lengthy 
     vehicle searches that put federal customs officials in a 
     crossfire between their mandate to speed the movement of 
     goods and their mandate to reduce the flow of illegal 
     substances; and
       Whereas, At the state level, the Texas comptroller of 
     public accounts has released a report titled ``Bordering the 
     Future,'' recommending among other items that U.S. customs 
     inspection facilities at major international border crossings 
     stay open around the clock; and
       Whereas, At the federal level, the U.S. General Accounting 
     Office is conducting a similar study of border commerce and 
     NAFTA issues, and the U.S. Customs Service is working with a 
     private trade entity to review and analyze the relationship 
     between its inspector numbers and its inspection workload; 
     and
       Whereas, Efficiency in the flow of NAFTA commerce requires 
     two federal customs-related funding commitments: (1) improved 
     infrastructure, including additional customs inspection 
     lanes; and (2) a concurrent expansion in customs personnel 
     and customs operating hours; and
       Whereas, Section 1119 of the federal Transportation Act for 
     the 21st Century (TEA-21), creating the Coordinated Border 
     Infrastructure Program, serves as a funding source for border 
     area infrastructure improvements and regulatory enhancements; 
     and
       Whereas, Domestic profits and income increase in tandem 
     with exports and imports, generating federal revenue, some 
     portion of which deserves channeling into the customs 
     activity that supports increased international trade; and
       Whereas, Texas legislators and businesses, being close to 
     the situation geographically, are acutely aware of the fixes 
     and upgrades that require attention if NAFTA prosperity is 
     truly to live up to the expectations of this state and 
     nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 
     provide funding for infrastructure improvements, more customs 
     inspection lanes and customs officials, and 24-hour customs 
     operations at border crossings between Texas and Mexico; and, 
     be it further

[[Page S10694]]

       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the Congress of the United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-347. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to persons with 
     disabilities; to the Committee on Finance.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 17

       Whereas, In California and elsewhere, throughout a 
     prolonged period of economic well-being and record low 
     unemployment rates, recent national and California studies 
     both have unaccepted findings that only one-third of adults 
     with disabilities nationally and in California hold part-time 
     or full-time jobs; and
       Whereas, In these same studies, 75 percent of those not 
     working stated they wanted to work; and
       Whereas, The lack of access to private health insurance or 
     the lack of continuing access to Medi-Cal or Medicare is the 
     main obstacle individuals with significant disabilities face 
     when working or returning to work; and
       Whereas, The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) 
     and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) work incentive rules 
     have the potential to be effective but are underutilized, 
     overly complex, and inconsistently administered. Social 
     Security work incentives are used by only a small fraction of 
     those eligible and often result in benefit by only a small 
     fraction of those eligible and often result in benefit 
     overpayments that must be repaid by the payee; and
       Whereas, People with disabilities who are SSDI 
     beneficiaries and SSI recipients have limited choice in 
     employment services; and
       Whereas, On January 28, 1999, Senator James M. Jeffords, 
     Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator William V. Roth, Jr., and 
     Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, introduced Senate Bill 331, 
     cited as the ``Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999,'' to 
     expand the availability of health care coverage for working 
     individuals with disabilities, establish a Ticket to Work and 
     Self-Sufficiency Program in the Social Security 
     Administration to provide these individuals with meaningful 
     opportunities to work, and for other purposes; and
       Whereas, On March 18, 1999, Representative Rick A. Lazio, 
     Representative Michael Bilirakis, Representative Nancy L. 
     Johnson, Representative Henry A. Waxman, Representative Tom 
     Bliley, Jr., Representative Bob Matsui, Representative 
     Fortney (Pete) Stark, Representative Brian Bilbray, 
     Representative Steve Horn, of California and other states, 
     introduced House Resolution 1180, cited as the ``Work 
     Incentives Improvement Act of 1999,'' a measure similar to 
     that introduced in the Senate; and
       Whereas, The federal act, as introduced, would provide 
     states with the option and incentive grants to set up 
     programs to extend medicaid coverage to certain classes of 
     SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who work, provide more choice of 
     employment services, and establish a $2 for $1 earned income 
     offset demonstration project for SSDI beneficiaries; and
       Whereas, The federal act, as introduced, contains strong 
     work incentive and planning provisions for individuals with 
     disabilities who work or want to work, and provisions for 
     community work incentive planners to help individuals 
     understand and use federal and state work incentive programs, 
     Social Security specialists in work incentives at field 
     offices to disseminate accurate information, protection and 
     advocacy assistance when an individual's situation is 
     negatively impacted as a result of work, and an advisory 
     panel to counsel the Commissioner of Social Security and 
     other federal agencies on employment and work incentive 
     programs; and
       Whereas, The interconnected provisions of the federal act 
     work in concert to remove work barriers for people with 
     disabilities; and
       Whereas, California with disabilities want to live and work 
     side by side with others in their communities and this goal 
     can begin to happen with passage of this historic national 
     legislation; and
       Whereas, It is the California Legislature's strongest 
     belief that people have the responsibility and right to 
     meaningful employment opportunities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature affirms its 
     endorsement of the federal ``Work Incentives Improvement Act 
     of 1999,'' and urges the United States Congress to pass this 
     act at once in order to meet the urgent demands of people 
     with disabilities who work or want to work across 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, the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker 
     of the House of Representatives, the Chirpersons of the 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations, Budget, and Finance, and 
     to the Chairpersons of the House Committees on 
     Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, and Ways and Means, and to 
     each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States.

                          ____________________