[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4375-S4377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED TODAY
Ms. STABENOW. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration en bloc of the following resolutions which were
submitted earlier today: S. Res. 500, S. Res. 501, and S. Res. 502.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. STABENOW. I ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to,
the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the
table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements
related to the resolutions be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolutions were agreed to.
The preambles were agreed to.
The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:
S. Res. 500
Celebrating the accomplishments of title IX of the Education Amendments
of 1972, also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in
Education Act, and recognizing the need to continue pursuing the goal
of equal educational opportunities for all women and girls.
Whereas 40 years ago, on June 23, 1972, title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972 (in this preamble referred to as
``title IX'')(20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) was signed into law by
the President of the United States;
Whereas Representatives Patsy T. Mink and Edith Green led
the successful fight in Congress to pass this legislation;
Whereas, on October 29, 2002, title IX was named the
``Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act'' in
recognition of Representative Mink's heroic, visionary, and
tireless leadership in developing and passing title IX;
Whereas title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sex in the administration of any education program receiving
Federal financial assistance, including sports, and bars
sexual and sex-based harassment, discrimination against
pregnant and parenting students, and the use of stereotypes
and other barriers to limit a person's access to a particular
educational field;
Whereas remarkable gains have been made to ensure equal
opportunity for women and girls under the inspiration and
mandate of title IX;
Whereas title IX has increased educational opportunities
for women and girls, including their access to professional
schools and nontraditional fields of study, and has improved
their employment opportunities;
Whereas title IX has increased opportunities for women and
girls in sports, leading to greater access to competitive
sports and building strong values such as teamwork,
leadership, discipline, work ethic, self-sacrifice, pride in
accomplishment, and strength of character;
Whereas, while title IX has been instrumental in fostering
40 years of progress toward equality between men and women in
educational institutions and the workplace, there remains
progress to be made;
Whereas, in the 2010-2011 school year, girls were provided
1,300,000 fewer opportunities to play high school sports than
boys;
Whereas, in 2010, at the typical Division I Football Bowl
Subdivision school, 51 percent of the students were women,
but female athletes received only 28 percent of the total
money spent on athletics, 31 percent of the money spent to
recruit new athletes, and 42 percent of the total athletic
scholarship funds;
Whereas research shows that more than 8 out of 10
successful businesswomen played organized sports as children;
Whereas, for girls who engage in sports, 80 percent are
less likely to have a drug problem and 92 percent are less
likely to have an unwanted pregnancy;
Whereas title IX seeks to protect students from sexual
harassment and defend pregnant and parenting students from
discrimination;
Whereas stereotypes and discriminatory barriers in the
fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
persist and contribute to the low numbers of women and girls
in those fields;
Whereas, in 2009, women comprised only 19 percent of
students receiving baccalaureate degrees in physics, 18
percent of students receiving baccalaureate degrees in
computer science, 16 percent of students receiving
baccalaureate degrees in engineering and engineering
technologies, and 22 percent of students receiving master's
or doctorate degrees
[[Page S4376]]
in engineering and engineering technologies; and
Whereas, while title IX has resulted in significant gains
for women and girls in education, the law's full promise of
equal educational opportunities for all women and girls has
not yet been fulfilled: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the accomplishments resulting from the
passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, also
known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in
Education Act, in increasing opportunities for women and
girls in many facets of education, including the magnificent
accomplishments of women and girls in sports;
(2) reaffirms the commitment of title IX to ending all
discrimination against women and girls in elementary,
secondary, and higher education, and to equal opportunities
for women and girls in athletics; and
(3) recognizes the continued importance of title IX in
providing needed protections for women and girls.
S. Res. 501
Supporting National Men's Health Week
Whereas, despite advances in medical technology and
research, men continue to live an average of more than 5
years less than women, and African-American men have the
lowest life expectancy;
Whereas 9 of the 10 leading causes of death, as defined by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affect men at
a higher percentage than women;
Whereas, between ages 45 and 54, men are more than 1\1/2\
times more likely than women to die of heart attacks;
Whereas men die of heart disease at 1\1/2\ times the rate
of women;
Whereas men die of cancer at almost 1\1/2\ times the rate
of women;
Whereas testicular cancer is 1 of the most common cancers
in men aged 15 to 34, and, when detected early, has a 96
percent survival rate;
Whereas the number of cases of colon cancer among men will
reach almost 50,000 in 2012, and more than half of those men
will die from the disease;
Whereas the likelihood that a man will develop prostate
cancer is 1 in 6;
Whereas the number of men who develop prostate cancer in
2012 is expected to reach more than 241,740, and an estimated
28,170 of those men will die from the disease;
Whereas African-American men in the United States have the
highest incidence of prostate cancer;
Whereas significant numbers of health problems that affect
men, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, colon
cancer, and infertility, could be detected and treated if
awareness among men of those problems was more pervasive;
Whereas more than \1/2\ of the elderly widows now living in
poverty were not poor before the death of their husbands, and
by age 100, women outnumber men by a ratio of 4 to 1;
Whereas educating both the public and health care providers
about the importance of early detection of male health
problems will result in reducing rates of mortality for those
diseases;
Whereas appropriate use of tests such as prostate specific
antigen exams, blood pressure screens, and cholesterol
screens, in conjunction with clinical examination and self-
testing for problems such as testicular cancer, can result in
the detection of many of those problems in their early stages
and increase the survival rates to nearly 100 percent;
Whereas women are 2 times more likely than men to visit
their doctors for annual examinations and preventive
services;
Whereas men are less likely than women to visit their
health centers or physicians for regular screening
examinations of male-related problems for a variety of
reasons;
Whereas Congress established National Men's Health Week in
1994 and urged men and their families to engage in
appropriate health behaviors, and the resulting increased
awareness has improved health-related education and helped
prevent illness;
Whereas the Governors of all 50 States issue proclamations
annually declaring Men's Health Week in their respective
States;
Whereas, since 1994, National Men's Health Week has been
celebrated each June by dozens of States, cities, localities,
public health departments, health care entities, churches,
and community organizations throughout the United States that
promote health awareness events focused on men and family;
Whereas the National Men's Health Week Internet website has
been established at www.menshealthweek.org and features
Governors' proclamations and National Men's Health Week
events;
Whereas men who are educated about the value that
preventive health can play in prolonging their lifespans and
their roles as productive family members will be more likely
to participate in health screenings;
Whereas men and their families are encouraged to increase
their awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle,
regular exercise, and medical checkups;
Whereas June 11 through 17, 2012, is National Men's Health
Week; and
Whereas the purpose of National Men's Health Week is to
heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and
encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men
and boys: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the annual National Men's Health Week; and
(2) calls upon the people of the United States and
interested groups to observe National Men's Health Week with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
S. Res. 502
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the First Morrill
Act
Whereas July 2, 2012, marks the sesquicentennial of the
signing of the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly known as the
``First Morrill Act''; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), which granted
public lands to States and territories to support colleges in
promoting education as a means of economic advancement and
intellectual pursuit;
Whereas the genesis of the national focus on public higher
education in the United States is attributed to the
establishment of the land-grant institutions under the First
Morrill Act;
Whereas United States Representative Justin Morrill of
Strafford, Vermont, inspired by his own lack of a formal
education, authored the legislation that would become the
First Morrill Act to provide an ``opportunity in every State
for a liberal and larger education to larger numbers, not
merely to those destined to sedentary professions, but to
those needing higher instruction for the world's business,
for the industrial pursuits and professions of life'';
Whereas the 37th Congress sought to energize the vital
intellectual resources of the United States by enacting
legislation to make higher education accessible to the public
and thereby apply those intellectual resources to stimulate
the national economy, which at the time was based in
agriculture and the mechanical arts;
Whereas, in the midst of the Civil War and domestic strife,
President Abraham Lincoln supported, encouraged, and signed
into law the First Morrill Act, which encompassed ideals that
united the North and the South;
Whereas the First Morrill Act opened the doors of colleges
and universities to all people with the ability and will to
learn, irrespective of heredity, occupation, or economic
status;
Whereas the United States leads the world in the quality of
its public universities and has provided extraordinary
opportunities for higher education to the people of the
United States, thus enriching each State and the country as a
whole;
Whereas the land-grant institutions and other public
research universities of the United States remain committed
to providing accessible higher education and supporting
learning, discovery, and engagement in the interest of the
country;
Whereas the land-grant institutions and other public
research universities of the United States conduct research
and education in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and
6 territories of the United States, and disseminate the
results of those efforts throughout the country and the
world, seeking solutions to economic, social, and physical
challenges and enriching the cultural life of the people of
the world;
Whereas the land-grant institutions and other public
research universities of the United States educate more than
5,000,000 students and award nearly 1,000,000 degrees
annually, serving as the single largest source of trained and
educated workers in the United States;
Whereas the land-grant institutions and other public
research universities of the United States award 200,000
degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(referred to in this preamble as ``STEM'') annually,
including more than half of the advanced degrees in STEM
awarded annually in the United States;
Whereas the land-grant institutions and other public
research universities of the United States perform more than
$37,000,000,000 worth of research annually and impart the
discoveries from that research locally, regionally,
nationally, and globally for the betterment of their
communities, the country, and the world;
Whereas the Smithsonian Institute is marking the
sesquicentennial of the signing of the First Morrill Act at
the annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall during the
summer of 2012, with displays and presentations by many land-
grant institutions; and
Whereas many States are celebrating the sesquicentennial of
the signing of the First Morrill Act with resolutions and
proclamations, and many land-grant institutions are also
commemorating the signing of the historic legislation: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the 150th anniversary of the signing of the
First Morrill Act by President Abraham Lincoln;
(2) encourages the people of the United States to observe
and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the
First Morrill Act;
(3) affirms the continuing importance and vitality of the
land-grant institutions, which are the fruitful product of
the extraordinary commitment to higher education in the
United States that the First Morrill Act represents; and
(4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate
transmit to the Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities an enrolled copy of this resolution for
appropriate display.
[[Page S4377]]
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I commend the Senate for agreeing to this
resolution celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the
First Morrill Act. The Morrill Act, named for its author, Justin
Morrill of Strafford, VT, granted public lands to States and
territories to support colleges in promoting education as a means of
economic advancement and intellectual pursuit. This landmark
legislation brought national attention to public higher education in
the United States and made higher education accessible to the public by
granting Federal land to each State to be used toward funding public
agriculture colleges. It is difficult to overstate the profound impact
and ways in which the core democratic vision behind the Morrill Act has
improved the lives of Americans. Land grant institutions have opened
the doors to affordable and accessible higher education for millions of
students. These public institutions are the lifeblood of many
communities, serving as hubs of research and innovation, as drivers of
economic growth, and as laboratories for critical thinking and public
debate.
The University of Vermont is the State of Vermont's land-grant
university. It is fitting that representatives from the University of
Vermont's Proctor Maple Research Center will be in town next weekend
for the Smithsonian's 2012 Folklife Festival. This year, the annual
event celebrates the spirit of the Morrill Act and the cultural impact
of land-grant institutions. Timothy Perkins, Timothy Wilmont, Emily
Drew, George Cook, and Brian Stowe will host a booth at the Festival on
the maple industry and how maple research at the University of Vermont
has provided new and improved techniques for efficient sap collection
and evaporation systems which yield higher quality maple syrup, as well
as research to improve understanding of the physiology and continued
health of sugar maple trees. Just one example is a revolutionary maple
tap developed by students and professors at UVM and now being
manufactured in Vermont which nearly doubles the yield from each tree.
Justin Morrill's vision for a modern higher education infrastructure
was centered in creating an opportunity for farmers, mechanics,
artisans and laborers who too often lacked access to higher education.
While time does not allow a comprehensive look at the contributions of
UVM to the State of Vermont, I will note that given the focus of land
grant institutions on agriculture, it is very appropriate that the UVM
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, known as CALS, is quartered
in the original Morrill Hall at the center of campus. In addition to
work on maple, CALS provides a number of world-class research and
outreach efforts that are educating a generation of leaders in
sustainable agriculture and food systems. And the acorn often falls
close to the tree--with UVM graduates applying their skills to start
businesses and nonprofits in Vermont. CALS graduates are owners and
herd managers at dairy farms across Vermont and others are operating a
growing number of diversified farms and CSA's across the region. Two
examples are Shelburne Farms, a wonderful center for sustainability
education and Vermont Natural Coatings--a private company manufacturing
environmentally friendly paints--both being run by UVM alumni.
Nutrition research at the school is informing cutting edge farm-to-
school programs.
Students and researchers at the UVM School of Natural resources have
been at the lead for many years in understanding and addressing water
quality problems in Lake Champlain. Preparing students with a great
basic education in environmental science and policy, these young people
are then deployed to the UVM research vessel the Melosira, to the
Rubenstein Lake Research Lab, and to watershed groups to put their
skills to the test. It is not unusual to see UVM undergraduates coming
off the lake, cold and wet on a cold fall day and burdened with nets,
buckets, and boots--and smiling from ear to ear.
Vermont is a small State and could never have built such a fine and
world-renowned research University but for the Morrill Land Grant Act.
UVM is now an engine that helps to drive our state, and to benefit the
Nation.
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