[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11497-S11498]
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-444. A resolution adopted by the Michigan House of 
     Representatives relative to extending the production tax 
     credit for wind power energy development; to the Committee on 
     Finance.

                        House Resolution No. 307

       Whereas, Energy is our economic lifeblood. Indeed, with 
     energy prices soaring to new and never seen heights in our 
     country this is more apparent now than ever. In an effort to 
     foster the development of alternative energy sources for the 
     future, a production tax credit for wind power energy 
     development was established in 1992. The success of this 
     program is evident in the significant progress that has been 
     made in the development of clean sources of power for our 
     country in the years since that time; and
       Whereas, The long-term effectiveness of the production tax 
     credit for wind energy development has been impeded by the 
     fact that this important program faces sunset provisions 
     every two years. Although the sunset is a productive 
     oversight tool to ensure sound spending policies, an extended 
     effort like developing viable wind energy technologies 
     requires enormous capital expenses and long-term commitment. 
     The requirement for renewal every two years has proven to be 
     counterproductive, as demonstrated by the fact that during 
     most two-year cycles, the amount of power added by wind 
     energy investment drops considerably in the second year as 
     developers worry if the tax credit will be renewed after its 
     sunset expiration; and
       Whereas, The production tax credit would be far more 
     effective if it could be extended farther beyond a two-year 
     period. Like most other tax credits the government creates to 
     encourage beneficial behaviors, the production tax credit is 
     designed to foster an emerging and capital-intensive industry 
     that may one day be a key part of America's overall energy 
     needs. Clearly, wind energy technology will see many more 
     significant advances with a consistent, multiple-year tax 
     approach; now, therefore, be it

[[Page S11498]]

       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact 
     legislation to extend the production tax credit for wind 
     power energy development beyond the two-year cycle under 
     which it now operates: and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this document be presented to the 
     President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-445. A resolution adopted by the Pennsylvania House of 
     Representatives relative to securing international 
     recognition and rights for the Ecumenical Patriarchate; to 
     the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                        House Resolution No. 876

       Whereas, The Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, 
     Turkey, is the sacred See that presides in a spirit of 
     brotherhood over a communion of the self-governing churches 
     of the Orthodox Christian world; and
       Whereas, The See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch 
     Bartholomew, who is the 269th in direct succession to the 
     Apostle Andrew and holds titular primacy as primus inter 
     pares, meaning ``first among equals'' in the community of 
     Orthodox churches worldwide; and
       Whereas, In 1994 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along 
     with leaders of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, 
     cosponsored the Conference on Peace and Tolerance, which 
     brought together Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious 
     leaders for an interfaith dialogue to help end the Balkan 
     conflict and the ethnic conflict in the Caucasus region; and
       Whereas, In 1997 the Congress of the United States awarded 
     Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the Congressional Gold 
     Medal; and
       Whereas, Following the terrorist attacks on our nation on 
     September 11, 2001, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered 
     a group of international religious leaders to produce the 
     first joint statement with Muslim leaders that condemned the 
     9/11 attacks as ``anti-religious''; and
       Whereas, In October 2005 the Ecumenical Patriarch, along 
     with Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders, cosponsored the 
     Conference on Peace and Tolerance to further promote peace 
     and stability in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus region and 
     Central Asia via religious leaders' interfaith dialogue, 
     understanding and action; and
       Whereas, The Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for 
     nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 million members 
     worldwide with more than 2 million members in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, Since 1453 the continuing presence of the 
     Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament 
     to the religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims; and
       Whereas, This religious coexistence is in jeopardy because 
     the Government of Turkey refuses to recognize the rights and 
     religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is 
     considered a minority religion by the Turkish government; and
       Whereas, The Government of Turkey has limited the 
     candidates available to hold the office of Ecumenical 
     Patriarch to only Turkish nationals, and from the millions of 
     Orthodox Christians living in Turkey at the turn of the 
     20th century, and due to the continued policies of 
     minority discrimination during this period by the Turkish 
     government, there remain less than 3,000 of the Ecumenical 
     Patriarch's flock left in Turkey today; and
       Whereas, The Government of Turkey has reneged on its 
     agreement to reopen the Theological School on the island of 
     Halki, which the Turkish government closed in 1971, thus 
     impeding training for Orthodox Christian clergy; and
       Whereas, The Turkish government has confiscated nearly 94% 
     of the properties of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and has 
     placed a 42% tax retroactive to 1999 on the Baloukli Hospital 
     and Home for the Aged, a charity hospital run by the 
     Ecumenical Patriarchate; and
       Whereas, The European Union, a group of nations with a 
     common goal of promoting peace and the well-being of its 
     peoples, began accession negotiations with Turkey on October 
     3, 2005; and
       Whereas, The European Union defined membership criteria for 
     accession at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993, 
     obligating candidate countries to achieve certain levels of 
     reform, including stability of institutions guaranteeing 
     democracy, adherence to the rule of law and respect for and 
     protection of minorities and human rights; and
       Whereas, The Turkish government's current treatment of the 
     Ecumenical Patriarchate is inconsistent with the membership 
     conditions and goals of the European Union; and
       Whereas, Orthodox Christians in this Commonwealth and 
     throughout the United States stand to lose their spiritual 
     leader because of the continued actions of the Turkish 
     government; and
       Whereas, In November 2006 the Archons of the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchate of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, a group 
     of laymen who each have been honored with a Patriarchal 
     title, or ``offikion,'' by the Ecumenical Patriarch for their 
     outstanding service to the Orthodox Church, will send an 
     American delegation to Turkey to meet with Turkish government 
     officials, as well as the United States Ambassador to the 
     Republic of Turkey, regarding the Turkish government's 
     treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; therefore be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Government of Turkey to 
     do all of the following:
       (1) Uphold and safeguard religious and human rights without 
     compromise.
       (2) Cease its discrimination of the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchate.
       (3) Grant the Ecumenical Patriarch appropriate 
     international recognition, ecclesiastic succession and the 
     right to train clergy of all nationalities.
       (4) Respect the property rights and human rights of the 
     Ecumenical Patriarchate; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, to the United States 
     Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, to the Ambassador of 
     the Republic of Turkey to the United States and to the 
     Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-446. A resolution adopted by the Michigan Senate 
     relative to increasing funding to fully implement the Vaccine 
     for Children Program; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
     Labor, and Pensions.

                       Senate Resolution No. 162

       Whereas, The Vaccine for Children program is an outstanding 
     example of a successful public-private partnership between 
     the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     and healthcare providers. Vaccines purchased with the buying 
     power of the federal government are distributed, at no cost 
     to the patient or provider, to all participating providers 
     caring for uninsured and underinsured children, Medicaid 
     recipients, and Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. By 
     distributing three-fourths of all the publicly funded doses, 
     the Vaccine for Children program gives eligible children 
     access to newly recommended vaccines and strengthens immunity 
     levels across the community. Further, the program delivers 
     vaccines to children as part of their routine, primary care 
     rather than diverting them to public health departments; and
       Whereas, A list of vaccines to be administered through the 
     Vaccine for Children program is developed through sound, 
     scientific review. The Advisory Committee on Immunization 
     Practices is authorized in statute to establish the list of 
     vaccines to be administered through the program. Fifteen 
     experts in infectious disease and immunization who sit on the 
     committee meet publicly three times a year to consider 
     revising the list through the addition of new vaccines or 
     revising existing vaccine resolutions. The list then provides 
     the basis for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     to negotiate contacts for the purchase of large quantities of 
     childhood vaccines; and
       Whereas, The Vaccine for Children program adheres to the 
     Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project, which 
     leverages commercial best practices in vaccine procurement, 
     ordering, distribution, and supply management. The program 
     saves money for states through bulk purchases and eliminates 
     variations in price from state to state. By managing public 
     resources so astutely, the program has achieved the ultimate 
     goal of eliminating cost as a barrier to vaccinating eligible 
     children; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize Congress to 
     increase funding to fully implement the Vaccine for Children 
     program; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation. 

                          ____________________