[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 56 (Monday, April 30, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4042-S4044]
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-29. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the Commonwealth of Virginia relative to the Electoral 
     College; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 651

       Whereas, the remarkable events of the presidential election 
     of 2000 summon all Virginians, of whatever political party or 
     persuasion, to a renewed reflection on the principles of 
     republican government and its ability to extend political 
     liberty to a diverse and complex society; and
       Whereas, the United States consists of one democratic 
     people whose passion for political liberty is best preserved 
     through republican and federal forms of government--including 
     the election of the President; and
       Whereas, the democratic interest is exercised through the 
     ballot and the federal structure of our government is 
     represented by the Electoral College; and
       Whereas, the genius of the Electoral College was admirably 
     defined by Virginia's James Madison in the Federalist, number 
     39:
       ``The executive power will be derived from a very compound 
     source. The immediate election of the President is to be made 
     by the States in their political characters. The votes 
     allotted to them are in a compound ratio, which considers 
     them partly as distinct and coequal societies, partly as 
     unequal members of the same society.''; and
       Whereas, the dynamics of the Electoral College reflect the 
     diversity of the nation and the healthy tension between the 
     less populous vast regions of the United States and the urban 
     centers embracing denser concentrations of its populations; 
     and
       Whereas, the Electoral College and the federal structure of 
     government ensure a balance of power among the states and 
     between the states and the federal government; and
       Whereas, this complex and finely balanced structure serves 
     to protect the nation's republican form of government and 
     permits its citizens to enjoy an unequalled degree of 
     democratic liberty; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, 
     That the General Assembly of Virginia express its commitment 
     to the principles represented by the Electoral College, for 
     its embodiment of the well-balanced framework of this 
     nation's state and federal governments, and for its role in 
     assuring the presentation of the liberty enjoyed by all 
     citizens; and, be it
       Resolved further, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates 
     transmit copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the President of the 
     United States Senate, and the members of the Virginia 
     Congressional Delegation, in order that they may be apprised 
     of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this 
     matter; and, be it
       Resolved further, That the Clerk transmit copies of this 
     resolution to the legislatures of the other states that they 
     may be informed of this action by the General Assembly and 
     requested to adopt a similar resolve; and, be it
       Resolved finally, That the Clerk transmit a copy of this 
     resolution to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for 
     circulation to the teachers of history and government in the

[[Page S4043]]

     Commonwealth's schools so that Virginia's students may be 
     acquainted with the principles of this nation's republican 
     and federal form of government and the role of this 
     Commonwealth's leaders in the framing of the Electoral 
     College and this nation's well-designed system of ordered 
     liberty.
                                  ____

       POM-30. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia relative to the 
     Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act; to the 
     Committee on Rules and Administration.

                        House Resolution No. 39

       Whereas, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement 
     Act of 2000 was approved in a bipartisan effort by 391 
     members of the United States House of Representatives in the 
     106th Congress, including the Virginia Congressional 
     Delegation; and
       Whereas, more than 80 United States senators, including 
     Senator John W. Warner and Senator Charles S. Robb, signed 
     letters of support for this legislation in 2000; and
       Whereas, the bill now before the 107th Congress modernizes 
     the Railroad Retirement System for its 748,000 beneficiaries 
     nationwide, including over 21,500 in Virginia; and
       Whereas, railroad management, labor and retiree 
     organizations have agreed to support this legislation; and
       Whereas, this legislation provides tax relief to freight 
     railroads, Amtrak and commuter lines; and
       Whereas, this legislation provides benefit improvements for 
     surviving spouses of rail workers who currently suffer deep 
     cuts in income when the rail retiree dies; and
       Whereas, no outside contributions from taxpayers are needed 
     to implement the changes called for in this legislation; and
       Whereas, all changes will be paid for from within the 
     railroad industry, including a full share by active 
     employees; now, therefore be it
       Resolved by the House of Delegates, That the Congress of 
     the United States be urged to support the Railroad Retirement 
     and Survivors' Improvement Act in the 107th Congress; and be 
     it
       Resolved further, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates 
     transmit copies of this resolution for presentation to the 
     President of the United States, the President of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
     and the members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation in 
     order that they may be apprised of the sense of the Virginia 
     House of Delegates in this matter.
                                  ____

       POM-31. A joint resolution adopted by the Assembly of the 
     State of Nevada relative to sports wagering; to the Committee 
     on the Judiciary.

                       Assembly Joint Resolution

       Whereas, Illegal gambling on college sports has been 
     identified as a serious national problem, particularly 
     illegal gambling by college students and other underage 
     persons; and
       Whereas, According to the National Collegiate Athletic 
     Association, there are student bookmakers on virtually every 
     college campus in the United States; and
       Whereas, The State of Nevada, pursuant to an express 
     provision of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection 
     Act enacted by Congress in 1992, has licensed and regulated a 
     sports wagering industry and has enacted controls that serve 
     to assist its sports books in maintaining honest operations; 
     and
       Whereas, The sports books in this state have demonstrated 
     their effectiveness in providing a defense against illegal 
     gambling on college sports through the identification of 
     suspicious wagering activities and the discovery of point-
     shaving schemes in college sports; and
       Whereas, Without the vigilance of the sports books in this 
     state and their notification of law enforcement authorities, 
     certain point-shaving scandals in college sports might not 
     have been uncovered and certainly would not have been 
     discovered so quickly; and
       Whereas, The sports books in this state operate under the 
     strictest regulatory controls in the United States, including 
     the most demanding reporting requirements for transactions 
     and suspicious activities and computerized bookmaking systems 
     that document every wager received, every win paid out, the 
     results of each sporting event and every change in odds; and
       Whereas, Legal wagers with the sports books regulated by 
     this state, which amount to approximately $2.5 billion each 
     year, are dwarfed by the amount of illegal sports wagers in 
     this country, which are estimated by some sources to exceed 
     $350 billion each year; and
       Whereas, There have been no reports of student bookmakers 
     on any college campus in this state contributing to the flood 
     of illegal sports wagers; and
       Whereas, There have been efforts in Congress that seek to 
     take away from the State of Nevada the constitutionally 
     derived authority recognized by the Professional and Amateur 
     Sports Protection Act with respect to wagering on college 
     sports conducted within the State of Nevada; and
       Whereas, The repeal of that exemption would have an adverse 
     effect on the economy of this state and the jobs of a number 
     of its residents, would deprive this country of a vital 
     defense against illegal sports wagering and would lead to an 
     increase in illegal sports wagering; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of Nevada, 
     Jointly, That the Nevada Legislature hereby urges Congress to 
     refrain from enacting any measure that would repeal the 
     ability of the State of Nevada to license and regulate sports 
     wagering in its current form, thereby inflicting damage upon 
     both the State of Nevada and the national fight against 
     illegal gambling; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Nevada Legislature hereby urges Congress 
     to enact the National Collegiate and Amateur Athletic 
     Protection Act of 2001, sponsored by United States Senators 
     John Ensign and Harry Reid and United States Representatives 
     James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley and others, thereby 
     enhancing the ability of the nation to identify and address 
     illegal wagering on college sports; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of 
     the United States as the presiding officer of the Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives and each member of 
     the Nevada Congressional Delegation; and be it further
       Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon 
     passage.
                                  ____

       POM-32. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Mississippi relative to the 
     Federal Unified Gift and Estate Tax; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                        Senate Resolution No. 15

       Whereas, the Federal Unified Gift and Estate Tax generates 
     a minimal amount of federal revenue, especially considering 
     the high cost of collection and compliance and, in fact, has 
     been shown to decrease those federal revenues from what they 
     might otherwise have been; and
       Whereas, this ``Death Tax'' has been identified as 
     destructive to job opportunity and expansion, especially to 
     family farmers; and
       Whereas, this ``Death Tax'' causes severe hardship to 
     growing family businesses and family farming operations, 
     often to the point of partial or complete forced liquidation, 
     thereby depriving state and local governments of an important 
     ongoing source of revenue; and
       Whereas, critical state and local leadership assets are 
     unnecessarily destroyed and forever lost to the future 
     detriment of the community through relocation or liquidation; 
     and
       Whereas, local and state schools, churches and numerous 
     other charitable activities would greatly benefit from the 
     increased employment and continued family business 
     leadership: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of Mississippi, That we 
     do hereby request that the Congress of the United States 
     repeal the Federal Unified Gift and Estate tax effective 
     immediately; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit 
     certified copies of this resolution to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, to the President of the United States 
     Senate, to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States 
     and to each member of the Mississippi delegation of the 
     United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-33. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Kansas relative to Gulf War 
     illness; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                       Senate Resolution No. 1824

       Whereas, Nearly 700,000 members of the United States armed 
     forces, including 7,500 Kansans, deployed to the Persian Gulf 
     region during 1990 and 1991 to participate in Operation 
     Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait; 
     and
       Whereas, These Gulf War veterans have been, and continue to 
     be, afflicted by an abnormally high rate of unexplained 
     health problems. To date federal research efforts have not 
     identified the prevalence, patterns, causes or treatments for 
     illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans. Yet thousands of our 
     veterans continue to suffer from a variety of chronic 
     symptoms, and
       Whereas, The Kansas Persian Gulf War Veterans Health 
     Initiative, a project of the Kansas Commission on Veterans 
     Affairs, primarily through the efforts of Dr. Lea Steele, has 
     completed a scientific study of 2,000 Kansas Gulf War 
     veterans with the results being published in the American 
     Journal of Epidemiology. The findings of this study indicate 
     that: Kansas Gulf War veterans have significantly more health 
     problems than veterans who served in other areas and that 
     these conditions may have been caused by multiple factors; 
     and
       Whereas, While it has been established that Gulf War 
     veterans suffer from an abnormally high rate of unexplained 
     health problems, the cause or causes of these varied 
     conditions have not been determined, and the system for 
     providing care and treatment of these veterans has been 
     inadequate or nonresponsive to the conditions presented; and
       Whereas, Gulf War illness has had a severe negative impact 
     on the physical and emotional well-being of Gulf War 
     veterans, and has affected their ability to work, yet 
     adequate compensation for these conditions has not been 
     received by these veterans; and
       Whereas, Service connected illnesses have not been 
     addressed adequately for veterans of past wars and conflicts: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the Senate of the State of Kansas: That we 
     memorialize the President and the Congress of the United 
     States to provide funding for Gulf War illness research

[[Page S4044]]

     independent of that administered by the United States 
     Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs: and to establish 
     a process of independent review of federal policies and 
     programs associated with Gulf War illness research, benefits, 
     and health care; and
       Be it further resolved: That we urge further assistance to 
     veterans afflicted with Gulf War illness, whether by the 
     Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs or 
     another designated organization, to provide badly needed 
     health care, vocational assistance and disability 
     compensation; and that there be public service announcements 
     informing veterans across the nation of the findings of this 
     research and informing the veterans of the programs that are 
     available to help them; and be it further
       Resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to 
     provide an enrolled copy of this resolution to the President 
     of the United States, the Vice-President of the United 
     States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs, and to each member of the Kansas 
     Congressional delegation; to the Governor of the State of 
     Kansas, the Secretary of Health and Environment, the 
     Secretary of Human Resources, and the Chairman of the Kansas 
     Commission on Veterans Affairs; and to the National and State 
     Commanders of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign 
     Wars and the Disabled American Veterans, National Retired 
     Officers Association, National Retired Enlisted Association 
     and the National Order of the Purple Heart.

                          ____________________