[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1364-S1365]
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-198. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan urging the Congress of the United States to adopt 
     House Concurrent Resolution No. 50, regarding the National 
     Railroad Monument in Durand, Michigan; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.

                        Senate REsolution No. 88

       Whereas, Railroads are an integral part of our nation's 
     past, present, and future. The railroad industry played a 
     vital role in building and developing the United States. This 
     role should not be forgotten; and
       Whereas, Durand, Michigan, is at the historic crossroads of 
     three major railroads and is home to one of the largest 
     surviving train stations in the United States. The existing 
     statuary, structures, and historic railroad equipment at 
     Diamond District Park in Durand make it an ideal location for 
     a National Railroad Memorial; and
       Whereas, Congressional House Concurrent Resolution No. 50 
     would designate a National Railroad Monument located in 
     Diamond District Park in historic downtown Durand, Michigan, 
     as the National Railroad Memorial. This recognition would 
     help draw visitors from around the world to the educational 
     programming and exhibits in Durand. It would help ensure that 
     current and future generations do not forget the historical 
     importance of the railroad industry to our nation: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we urge the Congress of the 
     United States to adopt House Concurrent Resolution No. 50, 
     regarding the National Railroad Monument in Durand; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     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-199. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado relative to the U.S.S. Pueblo; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     House Joint Resolution 14-1007

       Whereas, The U.S.S. Pueblo was originally launched as a 
     United States Army cargo ship in 1944 but was transferred to 
     the United States Navy and renamed the U.S.S. Pueblo in 1966; 
     and
       Whereas, The U.S.S. Pueblo was named for the city of 
     Pueblo, Colorado, and the county of Pueblo, Colorado, and was 
     the third ship in the naval fleet to bear the name Pueblo; 
     and
       Whereas, After leaving Japan in early January 1968 on an 
     intelligence mission, the U.S.S. Pueblo was attacked by the 
     North Korean military on January 23, 1968; and
       Whereas, According to United States Naval authorities and 
     the crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo, the ship was in international 
     waters at the time of the attack; and
       Whereas, One crew member of the U.S.S. Pueblo was killed 
     during the attack, and

[[Page S1365]]

     eighty crew members and two civilian oceanographers were 
     captured and held for eleven months by the North Korean 
     government; and
       Whereas, This year marks the forty-sixth anniversary of 
     North Korea's attack on the U.S.S. Pueblo and her crew; and
       Whereas, The U.S.S. Pueblo is still in commission in the 
     United States Navy but continues to be held by the North 
     Korean government and is currently a museum in Pyongyang, 
     North Korea: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth 
     General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate 
     concurring herein: 
       (1) That we, the members of the General Assembly, recognize 
     the bravery and sacrifice of the crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo; 
     and
       (2) That we take pride in the fact that the U.S.S. Pueblo 
     bears the name of a city and a county in Colorado, and, 
     therefore, the citizens of Colorado should be aware of the 
     incident that occurred with the U.S.S. Pueblo forty-six years 
     ago; and
       (3) That we continue the call for Kim Jong Un and the North 
     Korean government to return the U.S.S. Pueblo to the people 
     of the United States; and
       (4) That we hereby designate January 23 each year as 
     ``U.S.S. Pueblo Day'' as a day to remember and honor the 
     brave crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo.
       Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint 
     Resolution be sent to President Barack Obama, Governor John 
     W. Hickenlooper, President Pro Tempore of the United States 
     Senate Patrick Leahy, Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives John Boehner, and the members of Colorado's 
     Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-200. A memorial adopted by the Legislature of the State 
     of New Mexico requesting the New Mexico Congressional 
     Delegation in Washington, D.C., to vote to support 
     legislation that would remove the deadline for ratification 
     of the Equal Rights Amendment; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                         Senate Memorial No. 2

       Whereas, equal rights for women are not specifically 
     included in the United States Constitution; and
       Whereas, the rights of women in the United States to 
     receive equal pay for equal work, be protected against 
     domestic violence and have fair work-leave policies and 
     access to the reproductive health care services of their 
     choice, among others, are daily being questioned and 
     restricted; and
       Whereas, protection of women's rights at present is through 
     a patchwork of existing laws, executive actions and judicial 
     decisions that address individual cases of discrimination one 
     by one as they arise; and
       Whereas, each or all of these individual existing laws, 
     executive actions and judicial decisions may be ignored, 
     eroded or overturned; and
       Whereas, an Amendment that would guarantee rights for women 
     that are equal to those of men would provide a fundamental 
     legal remedy against all cases of discrimination based on 
     gender; and
       Whereas, Resolutions to pass an Amendment to the United 
     States Constitution that would guarantee equal rights for 
     women and men have been introduced into Congress each year 
     since 1923; and
       Whereas, thirty-five of the thirty-eight states required 
     for the Amendment to become part of the Constitution ratified 
     the Equal Rights Amendment by the deadline of 1982; and
       Whereas, the deadline for ratification is not in the 
     binding text of the document itself and, in fact, was later 
     extended by another Congress for an additional three years, 
     thus establishing the precedent that Congress has the power 
     to do so; and
       Whereas, in the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Senate Joint 
     Resolution 39, introduced by Senator Ben Cardin, and House 
     Joint Resolution 47, introduced by Representative Tammy 
     Baldwin, would remove the deadline for ratification of the 
     Amendment so that an additional three States may ratify it; 
     and
       Whereas, New Mexicans feel justly proud that New Mexico was 
     one of the first states in the union to ratify the Equal 
     Rights Amendment in 1973, and it passed its own Equal Rights 
     Amendment to the Constitution of New Mexico in 1972: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Mexico, That it 
     call upon the New Mexico Congressional Delegation in 
     Washington, D.C., to vote in favor of Legislation that would 
     remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights 
     Amendment so that efforts can proceed to get ratification by 
     the necessary additional three states so that, finally, the 
     guarantee of equal rights for women and men in the United 
     States will become the Law of the Land; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this memorial be transmitted to 
     each member of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation and to 
     the Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives and the 
     Senate of the United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-201. A resolution adopted by the Mayor and Board of 
     Aldermen of Boonton, New Jersey, urging Congress to dedicate 
     additional federal funds for highway maintenance and 
     infrastructure improvements in New Jersey; to the Committee 
     on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
       POM-202. A resolution adopted by the Commission of the City 
     of Pompano Beach, Florida, supporting efforts to reduce gun 
     violence and illegal firearms trafficking through more 
     responsible gun sales and marketing practices; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________