[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 131 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11801-S11803]
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-357. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to Filipino veterans; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 15

       Whereas, the Philippine Islands, as a result of the 
     Spanish-American War, were a possession of the United States 
     between 1898 and 1946; and
       Whereas, in 1934, the Philippine Independence Act (P.L. 73-
     127) set a 10-year timetable for the eventual independence of 
     the Philippines and in the interim established a government 
     of the Commonwealth of the Philippines with certain powers 
     over its own internal affairs; and
       Whereas, the granting of full independence ultimately was 
     delayed for two years until 1946 because of the Japanese 
     occupation of the islands from 1942 to 1945; and
       Whereas, between 1934 and the final independence of the 
     Philippine Islands in 1946, the United States retained 
     certain sovereign powers over the Philippines, including the 
     right, upon order of the President of the United States, to 
     call into the service of the United States Armed Forces all 
     military forces organized by the Commonwealth government; and
       Whereas, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, by Executive 
     order of July 26, 1941, brought the Philippine Commonwealth 
     Army into the service of the United States Armed Forces of 
     the Far East under the command of Lieutenant General Douglas 
     MacArthur; and
       Whereas, under the Executive Order of July 26, 1941, 
     Filipinos were entitled to full veterans benefits; and
       Whereas, approximately 200,000 Filipino soldiers, driven by 
     a sense of honor and dignity, battled under the United States 
     Command after 1941 to preserve our liberty; and
       Whereas, there are four groups of Filipino nationals who 
     are entitled to all or some of the benefits to which United 
     States veterans are entitled. These are:
       (1) Filipinos who served in the regular components of the 
     United States Armed Forces.
       (2) Regular Philippine Scouts, called ``Old Scouts,'' who 
     enlisted in Filipino-manned units of the United States Army 
     prior to October 6, 1945. Prior to World War II, these troops 
     assisted in the maintenance of domestic order in the 
     Philippines and served as a combat-ready force to defend the 
     islands against foreign invasion, and during the war, they 
     participated in the defense and retaking of the islands from 
     Japanese occupation.
       (3) Special Philippine Scouts, called ``New Scouts,'' who 
     enlisted in the United States Armed Forces between October 6, 
     1945, and June 30, 1947, primarily to perform occupation duty 
     in the Pacific following World War II.
       (4) Members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who on July 
     26, 1941, were called into the service of the United States 
     Armed Forces. This group includes organized guerrilla 
     resistance units that were recognized by the United States 
     Army; and
       Whereas, The first two groups, Filipinos who served in the 
     regular components of the United States Armed Forces and Old 
     Scouts, are considered United States veterans and are 
     generally entitled to the full range of United States 
     veterans benefits; and
       Whereas, The other two groups, New Scouts and members of 
     the Philippine Commonwealth Army, are eligible for certain 
     veterans benefits, some of which are lower than full veterans 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, United States veterans medical benefits for the 
     four groups of Filipino veterans vary depending upon whether 
     the person resides in the United States or the Philippines; 
     and
       Whereas, The eligibility of Old Scouts for benefits based 
     on military service in the

[[Page S11802]]

     United States Armed Forces has long been established; and
       Whereas, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs 
     operates a comprehensive program of veterans benefits in the 
     present government of the Republic of the Philippines, 
     including the operation of a federal Department of Veterans 
     Affairs office in Manila; and
       Whereas, The federal Department of Veterans Affairs does 
     not operate a program of this type in any other country; and
       Whereas, The program in the Philippines evolved because the 
     Philippine Islands were a United States possession during the 
     period 1898-1946, and many Filipinos have served in the 
     United States Armed Forces, and because the preindependence 
     Philippine Commonwealth Army was called into the service of 
     the United States Armed Forces during World War II (1941-
     1945); and
       Whereas, Our nation has failed to meet the promises made to 
     those Filipino soldiers who fought as American soldiers 
     during World War II; and
       Whereas, The Congress passed legislation in 1946 limiting 
     and precluding Filipino veterans that fought in the service 
     of the United States during World War II from receiving most 
     veterans benefits that were available to them before 1946; 
     and
       Whereas, Many Filipino veterans have been unfairly treated 
     by the classification of their service as not being service 
     rendered in the United States Armed Forces for purposes of 
     benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; and
       Whereas, All other nationals who served in the United 
     States Armed Forces have been recognized and granted full 
     rights and benefits, but the Filipinos, as American nationals 
     at the time of service, were and still are denied recognition 
     and singled out for exclusion, and this treatment is unfair 
     and discriminatory; and
       Whereas, On October 20, 1996, President Clinton issued a 
     proclamation honoring the nearly 100,000 Filipino veterans of 
     World War II, soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, 
     who fought as a component of the United States Armed Forces 
     alongside allied forces for four long years to defend and 
     reclaim the Philippine Islands, and thousands more who joined 
     the United States Armed Forces after the war; now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully memorializes the President and the 
     Congress of the United States during the First Session of the 
     106th Congress to take action necessary to honor our 
     country's moral obligation to provide these Filipino veterans 
     with the military benefits that they deserve, including, but 
     not limited to, holding related hearings, and acting 
     favorably on legislation pertaining to granting full veterans 
     benefits to Filipino veterans of the United States Armed 
     Forces; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of 
     this resolution to the President and the 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-358. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to child sexual abuse; to 
     the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 21

       Whereas, Children are a precious gift and responsibility; 
     and
       Whereas, The spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of 
     children is our sacred duty; and
       Whereas, No segment of our society is more critical to the 
     future of human survival and society than our children; and
       Whereas, Children who have been sexually abused often 
     experience health problems, eating disorders, learning 
     difficulties, behavioral problems, fearfulness, social 
     withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts; and
       Whereas, Psychologists, as researchers, educators, service 
     providers, and policy advocates, have played important roles 
     in advancing knowledge regarding the consequences, effective 
     treatment, and prevention of child sexual abuse; and
       Whereas, It is the obligation of all public policymakers 
     not only to support but also to defend the health and rights 
     of parents, families, and children; and
       Whereas, Information endangering to children is being made 
     public and, in some instances, may be given unwarranted or 
     unintended credibility through release under professional 
     titles or through professional organizations; and
       Whereas, Elected officials have a duty to inform and 
     counter actions they consider damaging to children, parents, 
     families, and society; and
       Whereas, California has made sexual molestation of a child 
     a felony and has declared parents who sexually molest their 
     children to be unfit; and
       Whereas, Virtually all studies in this area, including 
     those published by the American Psychological Association, 
     condemn child sexual abuse as criminal and harmful to 
     children; and
       Whereas, The American Psychological Association repudiates 
     and disassociates itself from any organization or publication 
     that advocates sexual interaction between children and 
     adults; and
       Whereas, The American Psychological Association in July 
     1998, published a review of 59 studies of college aged 
     students that indicates that some sexual relationships 
     between adults and children may be less harmful than 
     believed, and that some of the college students viewed their 
     experience as positive at the time they occurred or positive 
     when reflecting back on them; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature respectfully urges 
     the President and Congress to reject and condemn, in the 
     strongest honorable written and vocal terms possible, any 
     suggestions that sexual relations between children and 
     adults, except for those that may be legal in the various 
     states under statutes pertaining to marriage, are anything 
     but abusive, destructive, exploitive, reprehensible, and 
     punishable by law; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature condemns and denounces all 
     suggestions in the recently published study by the American 
     Psychological Association that indicates sexual relationships 
     between adults and ``willing'' children are less harmful than 
     believed and might even be positive; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature encourages competent 
     investigations to continue to research the effects of child 
     sexual abuse using the best methodology so that the public 
     and public policymakers may act upon accurate information; 
     and be if 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 majority leader of the Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator 
     and Representative from California in the Congress of the 
     United States.
                                  ____

       POM-359. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to Medicare; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 18

       Whereas, Prescription drugs are an important component of 
     modern medical treatment; and
       Whereas, Many elderly patients cannot afford necessary 
     prescription drugs because of their limited and fixed 
     incomes; and
       Whereas, The Medicare program, provided for pursuant to 
     Title XVIII of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     Sec. 1395 et seq.), generally does not provide coverage for 
     the cost of prescription drugs; and
       Whereas, Many medical insurance plans, including senior 
     health maintenance organization plans, medical insurance 
     plans for public and private employees, and medicaid, provide 
     coverage for the cost of prescription drugs; now, therefore 
     be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully memorializes the President and 
     Congress of the United States to enact legislation expanding 
     Medicare benefits to include the cost of prescription drugs; 
     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 Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative in 
     the California delegation in the Congress of the United 
     States.
                                  ____

       POM-360. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to the alternative minimum 
     tax; to the Committee on Finance.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 7

       Whereas, The federal Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is 
     intended to assure that wealthy income taxpayers do not avoid 
     taxation by using various credits, deductions, and other tax 
     preferences; and
       Whereas, The AMT requires an increasing number of taxpayers 
     to calculate their taxes twice, under two different sets of 
     rules, and pay whichever tax is higher; and
       Whereas, The AMT affected 134,000 taxpayers in 1988, it now 
     affects nearly one million and will affect five million by 
     2006; and
       Whereas, More than 20 percent of those now paying AMT have 
     adjusted gross incomes of less than one hundred thousand 
     dollars ($100,000), and nearly 2 percent have adjusted gross 
     incomes of between thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) and 
     forty thousand dollars ($40,000); and
       Whereas, Families in the lowest income tax bracket of 15 
     percent who cut their tax bills by taking advantage of the 
     new tuition and child credits could be forced to pay some 
     taxes at the higher AMT minimum rate of 26 percent; and
       Whereas, The sharp increase in the number of moderate 
     income earners affected by the AMT is attributable to 
     inflation indexing of personal exemptions, the standard 
     deduction and tax-bracket break points, while AMT exemption 
     amounts and tax brackets are not so indexed; and
       Whereas, The AMT's inclusion of lower and lower-adjusted 
     gross incomes is exacerbated by a strong economy; and
       Whereas, The AMT disallows many deductions, credits, and 
     other tax preferences that taxpayers could otherwise use, 
     such as state and local taxes; and
       Whereas, The AMT distorts economic decisions, especially in 
     relation to capital formation, by raising marginal tax rates; 
     and
       Whereas, Compliance costs related to the AMT amount to at 
     least 30 percent of its current revenue; and
       Whereas, The inconsistent tax results between regular 
     income tax and the AMT create hidden, onerous tax choices, 
     produce conflicting goals for tax and financial planning,

[[Page S11803]]

     and vastly increase the complexity of compliance with the 
     income tax law; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That California respectfully urges the 
     Congress of the United States to index the AMT exemption and 
     tax brackets for inflation; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and the Vice 
     President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate 
     Minority Leader, the House Majority Leader, the House 
     Minority Leader, the Chair and ranking minority member of the 
     Senate Finance Committee, the Chair and ranking minority 
     member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and each 
     Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of 
     the United States.

                          ____________________