[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 149 (Thursday, September 18, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9164-S9165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




UNANIMOUS CONSENT-AGREEMENT--S. RES. 601, S. RES. 623, S. RES. 650, AND 
                              S. RES. 667

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged and the Senate now proceed, en bloc, to the 
consideration of the following resolutions: S. Res. 601, National Save 
for Retirement Week; S. Res. 623, Anniversary of the Lander Trail; S. 
Res. 650, National Good Neighbor Day; S. Res. 667, Prostate Cancer 
Awareness Week.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions, en bloc.

[[Page S9165]]

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions 
to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolutions (S. Res. 601, S. Res. 623, S. Res. 650, and S. Res. 
667) were agreed to en bloc.
  The preambles were agreed to en bloc.
  The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:

                              S. Res. 601

       Whereas Americans are living longer and the cost of 
     retirement continues to rise, in part because the number of 
     employers providing retiree health coverage continues to 
     decline, and retiree health care costs continue to increase 
     at a rapid pace;
       Whereas Social Security remains the bedrock of retirement 
     income for the great majority of the people of the United 
     States, but was never intended by Congress to be the sole 
     source of retirement income for families;
       Whereas recent data from the Employee Benefit Research 
     Institute indicates that, in the United States, less than \2/
     3\ of workers or their spouses are currently saving for 
     retirement, and that the actual amount of retirement savings 
     of workers lags far behind the amount that will be needed to 
     adequately fund their retirement years;
       Whereas many workers may not be aware of their options for 
     saving for retirement or may not have focused on the 
     importance of, and need for, saving for their own retirement;
       Whereas many employees have available to them through their 
     employers access to defined benefit and defined contribution 
     plans to assist them in preparing for retirement, yet many of 
     them may not be taking advantage of employer-sponsored 
     defined contribution plans at all or to the full extent 
     allowed by the plans as prescribed by Federal law; and
       Whereas all workers, including public- and private-sector 
     employees, employees of tax-exempt organizations, and self-
     employed individuals, can benefit from increased awareness of 
     the need to save adequate funds for retirement and the 
     availability of preferred savings vehicles to assist them in 
     saving for retirement: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates October 19 through October 25, 2008, as 
     ``National Save for Retirement Week'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Save for 
     Retirement Week;
       (3) supports the need to raise public awareness of 
     efficiently utilizing substantial tax revenues that currently 
     subsidize retirement savings, revenues in excess of 
     $170,000,000,000 for the fiscal year 2007 budget;
       (4) supports the need to raise public awareness of the 
     importance of saving adequately for retirement and the 
     availability of tax-preferred employer-sponsored retirement 
     savings vehicles; and
       (5) calls on States, localities, schools, universities, 
     nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities, and the 
     people of the United States to observe this week with 
     appropriate programs and activities with the goal of 
     increasing retirement savings for all the people of the 
     United States.


                              S. Res. 623

       Whereas Frederick W. Lander first surveyed and supervised 
     construction of the Lander Trail in 1858 to provide emigrants 
     with a travelable link between the Oregon and California 
     Trails;
       Whereas 13,000 emigrants traveled on the Lander Trail 
     during the settlement of the Western United States;
       Whereas the Lander Trail was the first Federal road west of 
     the Mississippi River;
       Whereas travelers in the American West used the Lander 
     Trail for 54 years until 1912; and
       Whereas people can still experience the Lander Trail in the 
     same setting that Frederick W. Lander first began 
     construction in 1858: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors the important role of the 
     Lander Trail in the settlement of the Western United States 
     on the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Lander Trail.


                              S. Res. 650

       Whereas gestures of welcoming and kindness between 
     neighbors foster community peace, harmony, and understanding;
       Whereas being good neighbors to those around us encourages 
     mutual respect and friendship;
       Whereas neighborhoods facilitate positive civic engagement 
     and enhance the foundation of an effective and more caring 
     society;
       Whereas National Neighbor Day, celebrated annually on the 
     Sunday before Memorial Day weekend in May, was first 
     celebrated in 1993 in Westerly, Rhode Island, to promote 
     equality, dignity, and respect and to encourage love of one's 
     neighbor;
       Whereas National Good Neighbor Day, celebrated annually on 
     the fourth Sunday of September, was first celebrated in the 
     1970s in Lakeside, Montana, to place a greater emphasis on 
     the importance of community and being a good neighbor; and
       Whereas National Neighborhood Day, celebrated annually on 
     the third Sunday of September, was first celebrated in 
     Providence, Rhode Island, to inspire, build, and sustain 
     neighborhood relationships and foster civic engagement: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate calls upon the people of the 
     United States and interested groups and organizations--
       (1) to celebrate the goals of National Neighbor Day, 
     National Good Neighbor Day, and National Neighborhood Day in 
     2008; and
       (2) to undertake appropriate ceremonies, events, and 
     activities associated with those goals.

                              S. Res. 667

       Whereas countless families in the United States live with 
     prostate cancer;
       Whereas 1 in 6 men in the United States will be diagnosed 
     with prostate cancer in his lifetime;
       Whereas prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-
     skin cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-
     related deaths among men in the United States;
       Whereas, in 2008, over 186,320 men in the United States 
     will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 28,660 men in the 
     United States will die of prostate cancer;
       Whereas 30 percent of new diagnoses of prostate cancer 
     occur in men under the age of 65;
       Whereas a man in the United States turns 50 years old about 
     every 14 seconds, increasing his odds of developing cancer, 
     including prostate cancer;
       Whereas African-American males suffer a prostate cancer 
     incidence rate up to 65 percent higher than White males and 
     double the mortality rates;
       Whereas obesity is a significant predictor of the severity 
     of prostate cancer and the probability that the disease will 
     lead to death, and high cholesterol levels are strongly 
     associated with advanced prostate cancer;
       Whereas, if a man in the United States has 1 family member 
     diagnosed with prostate cancer, he has a 1 in 3 chance of 
     being diagnosed with prostate cancer, if he has 2 family 
     members with such diagnoses, he has an 83 percent risk, and 
     if he has 3 family members with such diagnoses, he then has a 
     97 percent risk of prostate cancer;
       Whereas screening by both a digital rectal examination 
     (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen blood test (PSA) can 
     diagnose the disease in its early stages, increasing the 
     chances of surviving more than 5 years to nearly 100 percent, 
     while only 33 percent of men survive more than 5 years if 
     diagnosed during the late stages of the disease;
       Whereas there are no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer 
     while it is still in the early stages, making screening 
     critical;
       Whereas ongoing research promises further improvements in 
     prostate cancer prevention, early detection, and treatments; 
     and
       Whereas educating people in the United States, including 
     health care providers, about prostate cancer and early 
     detection strategies is crucial to saving the lives of men 
     and preserving and protecting families: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2008 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) declares that the Federal Government has a 
     responsibility--
       (A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening 
     methods for, and treatment of, prostate cancer;
       (B) to increase research funding that is commensurate with 
     the burden of the disease so that the screening and treatment 
     of prostate cancer may be improved, and so that the causes 
     of, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and
       (C) to continue to consider ways for improving access to, 
     and the quality of, health care services for detecting and 
     treating prostate cancer; and
       (3) calls on the people of the United States, interested 
     groups, and affected persons--
       (A) to promote awareness of prostate cancer;
       (B) to take an active role in the fight to end the 
     devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their 
     families, and the economy; and
       (C) to observe National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 
     with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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