[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S6842]
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-97. A resolution adopted by the City Commission of 
     Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, requesting fair treatment for 
     Haitian asylum seekers who recently arrived ashore in 
     Hallandale Beach, Florida; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-98. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Arizona urging Congress to 
     take immediate action to allow the Arizona Game and Fish 
     Commission to recover the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge 
     desert bighorn sheep population; to the Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources.

                     House Concurrent Memorial 2008

       Whereas, the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was created 
     primarily in response to concerns for historic declines in 
     desert bighorn populations throughout the west, and the 
     refuge is critical to the health of desert bighorn sheep; and
       Whereas, the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge desert bighorn 
     sheep population has declined from 812 sheep in 2000 to 390 
     sheep in 2006, as documented through extrapolation of data 
     from surveys conducted by the Arizona Game and Fish 
     Commission and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas, the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is the primary 
     source of desert bighorn sheep, mexicana subspecies, 
     throughout the southwestern portion of the United States; and
       Whereas, the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge has served as 
     the primary resource for repatriation of desert bighorn sheep 
     to mountain ranges in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado 
     and has repatriated at least 513 desert bighorn sheep in 25 
     of the past 49 years since transplanting began: and
       Whereas, the decline in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge 
     sheep herd coincides with periods of drought and a known 
     increase in the resident population of mountain lions on the 
     Kofa National Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas, the current population of Kofa desert bighorn 
     sheep is inadequate to support continuing repatriation; and
       Whereas, failure to take immediate action will likely 
     result in further decline and threaten the viability of the 
     Kofa herd,; and
       Whereas, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission has a trust 
     responsibility under title 17, Arizona Revised Statutes, to 
     manage all wildlife in Arizona; and
       Whereas, although the United States Fish and Wildlife 
     Service is mandated to manage the natura1 resources of the 
     Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, the National Wildlife Refuge 
     System Improvement Act of 1997 which provides that the 
     Secretary of the Interior shall ensure effective 
     coordination, interaction and cooperation with the fish and 
     wildlife agency of the states in which the units of the 
     system are located; and
       Whereas, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and 
     Department are recognized for their body of expertise 
     relative to managing both desert bighorn sheep and mountain 
     lions, and immediate management action is needed to secure 
     the health and viability of the Kofa desert bighorn sheep 
     population.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress take immediate action to 
     reaffirm the Arizona Game and Fish Department's position as 
     the leading agency in the management of nonmigratory and 
     nonendangered state wildlife.
       2. That the Arizona Game and Fish Commission employ, 
     without any unnecessary delays, burdens or obstacles, all 
     management tools and measures necessary to recover the Kofa 
     National Wildlife Refuge desert bighorn sheep population, 
     including the management of predators, water developments, 
     human intervention and the potential for disease epizootics.
       3. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, each Member of Congress from the State of 
     Arizona and the Director of the Arizona Game and Fish 
     Department.
       POM-99. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Arizona urging Congress to repeal federal tax 
     withholding on certain payments made by government agencies; 
     to the Committee on Finance.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1001

       Whereas, section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and 
     Reconciliation Act of 2005 imposes on certain governmental 
     agencies the duty to withhold and remit income taxes on 
     certain payments for providers of services or property; and
       Whereas, many providers of covered transactions may be in 
     marginal businesses with little or no federal income tax 
     liability, thereby forcing an interest-free loan to the 
     federal government by the businesses that can least afford 
     them; and
       Whereas, section 511 places an undue burden on governmental 
     agencies, creating yet another unfunded mandate to state and 
     local governments; and
       Whereas, the Internal Revenue Service is barely able to 
     cope with the current level of tracking of withholding 
     payments, much less handle the exponential increase in such 
     payments that section 511 creates; and
       Whereas, this withholding scheme will inevitably lead to 
     endless disputes between governmental agencies and their 
     service providers over billing and account balances.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the Congress of the United States repeal section 
     511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 
     2005, codified as section 3402(t) of the Internal Revenue 
     Code.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
       POM-100. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Louisiana urging Congress to 
     take such actions as are necessary to support the goals and 
     ideals of a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims; 
     to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 61

       Whereas, the death of a child is a devastating experience, 
     and the murder of a child is exceptionally difficult; and
       Whereas, Parents of Murdered Children, Inc., (POMC) helps 
     families of murder victims cope with grief through a variety 
     of support services, including counseling, crisis 
     intervention, professional referrals, and assistance in 
     dealing with the criminal justice system; and
       Whereas, POMC was formed in 1978 by Robert and Charlotte 
     Hullinger after the tragic murder of their daughter, Lisa, on 
     September 25 of that year; and
       Whereas, POMC has grown from only five parents at the first 
     meeting of the organization in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1978 to 
     over 100,000 members in more than 300 chapters worldwide; and
       Whereas, POMC membership is open to anyone who has suffered 
     the murder of a loved one and to professionals who are in 
     frequent contact with survivors of murder victims; and
       Whereas, POMC provides comfort and vital, ogoing assistance 
     to countless loved ones of murder victims; and
       Whereas, POMC helps guide families of murder victims 
     through the process of pursuing justice in the criminal 
     justice system, which can be an overwhelming experience for 
     grieving loved ones; and
       Whereas, POMC has designated September 25 of each year as a 
     National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims; and
       Whereas, the designation of a National Day of Remembrance 
     for Murder Victims provides an opportunity for the people of 
     the United States to honor the memories of murder victims: 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to support the goals and ideals of a 
     National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims and to 
     recognize the significant benefits that Parents of Murdered 
     Children, Inc., provides to the loved ones of murder victims, 
     be it further
       Resolved that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives of the Congress of the United States of 
     America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.

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