[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 105 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5962-S5963]
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-l28. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Illinois urging Congress to 
     pass legislation that would provide financial assistance to 
     those states with budget deficits in order that the length 
     and depth of the recession will not be worsened due to the 
     limited resources and difficult alternatives presently 
     confronting many states; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                        House Resolution No. 551

       Whereas, at this time, the United States is continuing to 
     experience one of the worst economic downturns in its 
     history; and
       Whereas, the Department of Labor recently reported that the 
     unemployment rate in June rose to a level of 9.5%; and
       Whereas, approximately 3.5 million jobs have been lost in 
     the United States since the beginning of the year; and
       Whereas, state governments furnish assistance to the 
     unemployed and also provide direct and indirect services to 
     the neediest people in our communities, including the 
     elderly, the disabled, and the very young; and
       Whereas, although the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
     Act of 2009 is providing funds to state governments as part 
     of the economic stimulus package designed to spur our 
     nation's economic recovery, the budget deficits of many 
     states have grown significantly, even with the original 
     infusion of federal funds, as shown by the current budget 
     gaps of $26.3 billion in California and approximately $9.2 
     billion in Illinois; and
       Whereas, each state with a revenue shortfall faces 
     difficult decisions involving raising taxes and fees on its 
     citizens and businesses that are already adversely affected 
     by the recession and unemployment; reducing financial 
     assistance and grants to educational institutions, local 
     governments, and social service agencies; and laying off 
     significant numbers of employees from the state workforce; 
     and

[[Page S5963]]

       Whereas, the effect of a state, like Illinois, taking one 
     or more of those difficult alternatives may be to worsen the 
     effects of the recession in that state because of higher 
     unemployment, increased state costs of health care for the 
     uninsured, increased numbers of foreclosures, increased state 
     expenditures for unemployment insurance, and lower state tax 
     revenues due to reduced economic activity; and
       Whereas, the federal government has the resources and the 
     ability to assist states with budget deficits during this 
     difficult time so that the rate of unemployment can be 
     reduced, or at least not increased, and so that educational 
     and social service programs can be continued at current 
     levels; and
       Whereas, the state budget deficits could be eliminated if 
     Congress passed new legislation, with reasonable repayment 
     requirements, to provide financial assistance to the states 
     with budget deficits; therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-
     sixth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we urge 
     Congress to pass legislation that would provide financial 
     assistance to those states with budget deficits in order that 
     the length and depth of the recession will not be worsened 
     due to the limited resources and difficult alternatives 
     presently confronting many states; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
     presented to President Barack Obama, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the President pro 
     tempore of the United States Senate, and each member of the 
     Illinois congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-l29. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Louisiana urging the President of the United States, 
     Congress, and the Federal Communications Commission to 
     refrain from regulating Internet broadband services as common 
     carrier services under Title II of the Communications Act of 
     1934; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation.

                       Senate Resolution No. 117

       To memorialize the president of the United States, the 
     United States Congress, and the Federal Communications 
     Commission to refrain from regulating Internet broadband 
     services as common carrier services under Title II of the 
     Communications Act of 1934.
       Whereas, due in large part to the unregulated efforts of 
     private enterprise over the past twenty-five years, the 
     development of the Internet has dramatically transformed the 
     way Louisiana citizens work, live, and learn; and
       Whereas, the deployment of efficient, fast, and reliable 
     broadband networks throughout the state has created thousands 
     of jobs and many benefits for local economies; and
       Whereas, in order to encourage the growth and development 
     of the Internet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 
     historically has refrained from regulating broadband Internet 
     services as common carrier services under Title II of the 
     Communications Act of 1934; and
       Whereas, as a result, the United States has been at the 
     forefront of technological, business, and social innovation 
     on the Internet; and
       Whereas, on May 6, 2010, the chairman of the FCC announced 
     a policy to reclassify broadband Internet services as common 
     carrier services so that they can be more tightly regulated, 
     with a proposal to forebear from imposing certain common 
     carrier obligations on broadband Internet providers; and
       Whereas, using antiquated provisions of Title II of the 
     Communications Act of 1934 to regulate the Internet will slow 
     investment in Louisiana's Internet broadband infrastructure 
     and jeopardize future job growth. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 
     memorializes the president of the United States, the United 
     States Congress, and the Federal Communications Commission to 
     refrain from regulating Internet broadband services as common 
     carrier services under Title II of the Communications Act of 
     1934. Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the president of the United States, to the presiding officers 
     of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United 
     States Congress, to each member of the Louisiana 
     congressional delegation, and to the chairman of the Federal 
     Communications Commission.
                                  ____

       POM-130. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana urging Congress to support 
     expansion and use of domestic natural gas reserves and 
     alternative energies to reduce our reliance on imported oil 
     by supporting H.R. 1835 and S. 1408; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 8

       To memorialize the United States Congress to support 
     expansion and use of domestic natural gas and alternative 
     energies, and to urge agencies to operate vehicles using 
     compressed natural gas.
       Whereas, the United States imports more than sixty-five 
     percent of its petroleum, two-thirds of which is used in the 
     form of gasoline and diesel fuel to power vehicles; and
       Whereas, a large percentage of worldwide petroleum reserves 
     are located in politically volatile countries, making the 
     United States vulnerable to supply disruptions; and
       Whereas, the United States has an abundance of natural gas; 
     and
       Whereas, compressed natural gas provides safe, clean, 
     reliable, efficient, and secure energy, and is the 
     alternative fuel most used today for transportation in the 
     United States, with more than two hundred thousand buses, 
     taxis, delivery vehicles, and other fleet vehicles across the 
     nation using compressed natural gas daily; and
       Whereas, the United States Department of Energy indicates 
     that compressed natural gas can be used as a replacement for 
     gasoline in light-duty vehicles and as a replacement for 
     diesel in heavy-duty vehicles; and
       Whereas, vehicles powered by compressed natural gas 
     discharge far fewer harmful emissions than vehicles powered 
     by gasoline or diesel fuel; and
       Whereas, studies indicate that maintenance costs for 
     vehicles powered by compressed natural gas are lower than for 
     vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel fuel; and
       Whereas, the federal government currently provides, and is 
     expected to increase, incentives for use of alternative fuels 
     and, at the current price of various fuels, any additional 
     costs to purchase vehicles to run on compressed natural gas 
     would be quickly recouped; and
       Whereas, in 2009, the United States imported four billion, 
     three hundred and fifty million barrels of oil, spending 
     roughly two hundred and sixty-five million dollars; and
       Whereas, eighty-five million barrels of oil were produced 
     daily around the world; and
       Whereas, twenty-one million barrels of oil are used daily 
     in the United States; and
       Whereas, world oil production has been declining since 
     2005; and
       Whereas, roughly twenty percent of every barrel of oil 
     imported into the United States is used to fuel the transport 
     of goods around the country by road. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the United States Congress to support expansion and use of 
     domestic natural gas reserves and alternative energies to 
     reduce our reliance on imported oil by supporting H.R. 1835 
     and S. 1408, which are under consideration by the United 
     States Congress. Be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana urges state and 
     federal agencies to purchase, when possible, vehicles that 
     can be converted to run on compressed natural gas, when it is 
     available. Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of 
     the United States House of Representatives, and to each 
     member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States 
     Congress.

                          ____________________