[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 64 (Tuesday, May 8, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2964-S2965]
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 87. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan urging Congress to 
     reconsider the recommendations of the 2012 United States Air 
     Force Structure Change Report and to deliver no fewer than 
     four C 27J aircraft to the 110th Airlift Wing of the Air 
     National Guard as previously committed; to the Committee on 
     Armed Services.

                        House Resolution No. 215

       Whereas, The Michigan Air National Guard, being the air 
     force militia of the state, has a long and proud history with 
     the state of Michigan and the city of Battle Creek; and
       Whereas, The Battle Creek Air National Guard Base is 
     currently home to the 110th Airlift Wing of the Air National 
     Guard, which currently hosts a flying mission of C 21 
     passenger aircraft, and the 110th Air Operations Group, which 
     provides critical support to the 17th Air Force, or United 
     States Air Forces Africa; and
       Whereas, The units of the 110th Airlift Wing of the Air 
     National Guard have had a history in Battle Creek, Michigan, 
     since 1947; and
       Whereas, The 110th Airlift Wing is a tremendous source of 
     civic pride in the greater Battle Creek area, as it has been 
     one of the most decorated Air National Guard units in the 
     nation, receiving the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 
     1992, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2011, an honor bestowed on fewer 
     than 10 percent of Air Force units annually; and
       Whereas, The citizens of Battle Creek have, over the years, 
     committed unmatched support for the Air National Guard in 
     Battle Creek, including in 1984 by a 4 to 1 majority when 
     voters pledged to extend the runway from 7,003 to 10,003 feet 
     to meet the needs of the Air National Guard, in 2006 when the 
     city's economic development authority purchased 74 acres of 
     residentially zoned, vacant property to preclude 
     encroachment, and when Battle Creek proactively contributed 
     resources and sought matching funds for the construction of a 
     new air traffic control tower to address line of sight issues 
     and construct a parallel runway to enhance safety; and
       Whereas, The defense industry, including the Battle Creek 
     Air National Guard Base, the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center, 
     and the Fort Custer Army National Guard Base, is integral to 
     the local community, and its components are vital, both as 
     symbols of civic pride and as cornerstones of the local 
     economy; and
       Whereas, The defense industry is vital to the economy of 
     the city of Battle Creek, with approximately 3,000 local jobs 
     tied to defense; and
       Whereas, The Battle Creek Air National Guard Base 
     contributes $22.2 million in total wages and salaries and a 
     total of $26 million in gross regional product to Calhoun 
     County; and
       Whereas. More than $22 million in taxpayer funding has been 
     invested in the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base from 
     2001 to 2011, $16.7 million of which represents the federal 
     share and $5.2 million of which was invested by the state of 
     Michigan. The 110th Airlift Wing has been the recipient of 
     $477 million in operational funding from 2001 to 2011, 
     including military construction, personnel, and operations 
     and maintenance; and
       Whereas, The existing infrastructure and trained personnel 
     at the Battle Creek Air National Guard base are ideally 
     suited to support the C 27J, and the Battle Creek Air 
     National Guard base is second to no other location in the 
     nation for C 27J mission support; and
       Whereas, C 27J aircraft based in Southwest Michigan, due to 
     its central location, will provide superior response 
     capabilities in FEMA Region 5 and the region served by the 
     51st Civil Support Team; and
       Whereas, Locating an MQ 1/9 RSO element at the Battle Creek 
     Air National Guard Base instead of the previously committed C 
     27J aircraft would result in a loss of approximately 70 jobs 
     with the 110th Airlift Wing; and
       Whereas, Delivering neither the four C 27J aircraft or an 
     MQ I/9 RSO element to the Battle Creek Air National Guard 
     Base would result in significant harm to the economy of the 
     city of Battle Creek, as well as jeopardizing the significant 
     investments made by die citizens of Michigan and the United 
     States by making the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base 
     vulnerable to future Base Closure and Realignment Commission 
     (BRAC) recommendations; and
       Whereas, The Battle Creek Air National Guard Base has 
     already been targeted for closure by the BRAC Commission. In 
     2005, as a result of recommendations by the BRAC Commission, 
     the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base lost 161 jobs and a 
     squadron of A 10 Thunderbolt II aircraft was reassigned to 
     Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The BRAC Commission also 
     considered the closure of the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center 
     in Battle Creek, which houses integral elements of the 
     Defense Logistics Agency of the United States Department of 
     Defense; and
       Whereas, The loss of employment positions with the 110th 
     Airlift Wing at the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base 
     would have a significant impact on the local economy; and
       Whereas, Any negative impacts on the Battle Creek Air 
     National Guard Base would also have other serious 
     consequences, including potential ramifications for other 
     organizations that utilize W.K. Kellogg Airport, including 
     the Western Michigan University College of Aviation; and
       Whereas, The Michigan House of Representatives has already 
     urged the United States Department of Defense to deliver no 
     fewer than four C 27J aircraft to the 110th Airlift Wing of 
     the Air National Guard in Battle Creek; and
       Whereas, Any negative impact on the 110th Airlift Wing of 
     the Air National Guard at the Battle Creek Air National Guard 
     Base will have immeasurable consequences for the city of 
     Battle Creek and the state of Michigan, both in terms of 
     economic ramifications, as well as in terms of community 
     pride and disaster readiness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the 
     Congress of the United States to reconsider the 
     recommendations of the 2012 United States Air Force Structure 
     Change Report and to deliver no fewer than four C 27J 
     aircraft to the 110th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard 
     as previously committed or, in the event that such aircraft 
     are not currently available, to deliver an MQ 1/9 RSO element 
     to the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base until such time 
     as no fewer than four C 27J aircraft become available, and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, United States Secretary 
     of Defense, 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 88. A memorial adopted by the Legislature of the State 
     of Florida urging Congress to repeal the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
     of 2002; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
     Affairs.

                        Senate Memorial No. 1822

       Whereas, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted on July 30, 
     2002, in Pub. L. No. 107 204, and
       Whereas, the stated purpose of the act is ``to protect 
     investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of 
     corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws . 
     . . ,'' and
       Whereas, this federal legislation was passed with the best 
     of corrective intentions after the discovery of corporate 
     fraud and accounting scandals that cost investors and 
     retirees billions of dollars, and
       Whereas, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, in spite of the good 
     intentions that motivated its passage, has created an 
     extremely complex maze of federal regulations that are costly 
     and damaging to public companies and diminish the companies' 
     ability to compete against foreign financial entities that 
     are not subject to its regulations, and
       Whereas, the costs that businesses must bear to comply with 
     the extensive provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are 
     unnecessary and crippling, disproportionately affecting 
     smaller businesses, and

[[Page S2965]]

       Whereas, financial market scholars have observed that the 
     Sarbanes-Oxley Act has produced the unfortunate consequence 
     of discouraging American businesses from listing with New 
     York stock exchanges and listing instead in England where the 
     markets and stock exchanges are less heavily regulated, and
       Whereas, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a very costly example of 
     Federal Government intrusion that imposes unnecessary 
     regulatory costs on American businesses and interferes with 
     basic free market principles, and
       Whereas, instead of preventing fraud and ensuring 
     transparency, the extensive regulations created by the 
     Sarbanes-Oxley Act have thwarted the creation of new public 
     companies, driven business away from domestic stock markets, 
     and cost the industrial sector billions of dollars: Now 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the Legislature of the State of Florida, That 
     the Congress of the United States is urged to repeal the 
     Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to remove the damaging obstacles 
     that the act has created for American public companies and 
     replace it with reasonable non-intrusive measures to protect 
     investors; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this memorial be dispatched to the 
     President of the United States, to the President of the 
     United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida 
     delegation to the United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM 89. A memorial adopted by the Legislature of the State 
     of Florida urging Congress to pass H.R. 2918, the Taiwan 
     Policy Act of 2011; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                        Senate Memorial No. 1486

       Whereas, H.R. 2918, the Taiwan Policy Act of 2011, was 
     introduced on September 14, 2011, and is currently pending 
     before the 112th Congress, and
       Whereas, H.R. 2918 seeks to encourage and strengthen the 
     commercial, cultural, and other interests between the people 
     of the United States and Taiwan, as set forth in the Taiwan 
     Relations Act which was enacted in 1979 (Public Law 96 8; 22 
     U.S.C. ss. 3301 et seq.) and which has served for 33 years as 
     the foundation of United States-Taiwan relations, and
       Whereas, we are reminded that the Taiwan Relations Act has 
     functioned to ensure peace and stability in the Western 
     Pacific and that it continues to be a priority of the United 
     States to maintain that international stability, and
       Whereas, this nation must be vigilant to encourage the 
     secure future of Taiwan and must do all that is within our 
     ability to encourage the military self-defense capabilities 
     of Taiwan, and
       Whereas, economically, Taiwan is the ninth largest trading 
     partner with the United States and that trade translated into 
     approximately $57 billion in 2010, and
       Whereas, both nations realize that it is in the best 
     economic interests of the United States and in the national 
     security interests of Taiwan that these two nations continue 
     to cultivate the intricate ties between them: Now therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida, That 
     the Congress of the United States is urged to pass H.R. 2918, 
     the ``Taiwan Policy Act of 2011,'' in recognition that the 
     passage of the act is a necessary step toward nurturing and 
     maintaining the diverse interests that bind the people of the 
     United States and the people of Taiwan; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this memorial be dispatched to the 
     President of the United States, to the President of the 
     United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida 
     delegation to the United States Congress.

                          ____________________