[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 90 (Monday, June 8, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3859-S3860]
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-33. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington urging the United States Congress to 
     support the conversion of the 81st Armored Brigade Combat 
     Team of the Washington National Guard into a Stryker Brigade 
     Combat Team with brigade units stationed in Washington, 
     Oregon, and California; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                       Senate Joint Memorial 8008

       Whereas, The opportunity exists to add a second Stryker 
     Brigade Combat Team to the Army National Guard's force 
     structure, and to locate this Brigade on the west coast; and
       Whereas, There are a variety of practical and strategic 
     reasons which make the 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team a 
     logical candidate for conversion; and
       Whereas, A Stryker Brigade Combat Team stationed on the 
     west coast will strengthen our nation's defense by 
     maintaining Stryker capacity focused on the Asia-Pacific 
     Region, enhance Regular Army/Army National Guard partnership, 
     and provide a key domestic response capability; and
       Whereas, Transitioning the 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team 
     to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team strategically places 
     Strykers in Washington, Oregon, and California, and will save 
     taxpayers thirty million dollars over the course of an army 
     force generation cycle; and
       Whereas, The 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team is 
     headquartered at Camp Murray, Washington, located just across 
     the street from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is the United 
     States Army's Stryker Center of Excellence and is within 
     convoy range of the Yakima Training Center; and
       Whereas, The extensive Stryker infrastructure available at 
     Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Yakima Training Center 
     represents a great advantage in leveraging shared resources; 
     and
       Whereas, Furthermore, this places the Stryker Brigade 
     Combat Team equipment sets brought back from overseas 
     contingencies into mission-ready use, and available for 
     overseas and domestic contingency response; and
       Whereas, Strykers will also give the governors of 
     Washington, Oregon, and California a fast, durable, and 
     effective asset to save lives, protect property, maintain 
     peace, and ensure the continuity of government in times of 
     emergency;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that as 
     you consider force structure balance in this era of 
     constrained resources, coupled with the tactical, strategic, 
     and domestic needs of our nation, you will support the 
     conversion of the 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 
     Washington National Guard into a Stryker Brigade Combat Team 
     with brigade units stationed in Washington, Oregon, and 
     California.
       Be it resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the 
     United States, General Frank J. Grass, Chief of the National 
     Guard Bureau, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of 
     Congress from the State of Washington.
                                  ____

       POM-34. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington urging the United States Congress to 
     expedite appropriation of funds, for Columbia River Basin 
     dreissenid efforts, to significantly enhance monitoring and 
     prevention efforts and to implement the intent of the Water 
     Resources Reform and Development Act; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                       Senate Joint Memorial 8013

       Whereas, Maintaining a healthy suite of economic, 
     environmental, and social ecosystem services in aquatic 
     systems is integral to the quality of life in the State of 
     Washington; and
       Whereas, Healthy aquatic habitats provide clean drinking 
     water, flood control, transportation, recreation, 
     purification of human and industrial wastes, power 
     generation, habitat for native plants and animals, production 
     of fish and other foods, marketable goods, and cultural 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, Aquatic invasive species, including Dreissenids 
     (quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra 
     mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)), are invasive species that 
     cause irreparable ecological damage to many waters in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, Dreissenids have not yet been detected in the 
     Pacific Northwest. The estimated annual cost to address 
     established populations of dreissenids in the Pacific 
     Northwest economic region is almost five hundred million 
     dollars annually; and
       Whereas, The Water Resources Reform and Development Act was 
     signed in June 2014. It authorizes twenty million dollars for 
     Columbia River Basin dreissenid efforts through the Secretary 
     of the Army;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully request that 
     Congress expedite appropriation of these funds to 
     significantly enhance monitoring and prevention efforts and 
     to implement the intent of the Water Resources Reform and 
     Development Act.
       Be it resolved; That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the 
     United States, Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Department of 
     the Interior, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of 
     Congress from the State of Washington.
                                  ____

       POM-35. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Nevada urging the United States Congress to 
     amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act or take any other 
     appropriate action to ensure that the common raven is not a 
     protected species under the Act; to the Committee on 
     Environmental and Public Works.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 2

       Whereas, The greater sage grouse (Centrocercus 
     urophasianus) is a species of bird that inhabits much of the 
     sagebrush habitat in Nevada as well as other western states; 
     and
       Whereas, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has 
     determined that the greater sage grouse is warranted for 
     listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered 
     Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 1531 et seq.; and
       Whereas, Through the enactment of Senate Concurrent 
     Resolution No. 15, File Number 48, Statutes of Nevada 2005, 
     at page 3022, the members of the 73rd Session of the Nevada 
     Legislature found that the listing of the greater sage grouse 
     as an endangered or threatened species would have a 
     devastatingly negative impact on Nevada's land development, 
     land use, water use, mining, recreational activities and 
     local economies; and
       Whereas, The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a 
     species of tortoise that inhabits the desert habitat of the 
     southwestern United States, including the Mojave desert 
     region of southern Nevada; and
       Whereas, The desert tortoise is listed as a threatened 
     species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. 
     Sec. Sec. 1531 et seq.; and
       Whereas, The common raven (Corvus corax) is a species of 
     bird that inhabits Nevada and much of the western United 
     States, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia; and

[[Page S3860]]

       Whereas, The International Union for Conservation of Nature 
     estimates the global population of the common raven as 
     greater than 16 million and trending upwards, thus 
     classifying it as a species of least concern; and
       Whereas, A known cause of decline in the sage grouse 
     population is egg depredation by the common raven, and 
     research conducted at Idaho State University has suggested 
     that reductions in the raven population significantly 
     increase sage grouse nest success; and
       Whereas, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has 
     identified the common raven as the most highly visible 
     predator of hatchling and juvenile desert tortoises, and 
     research published by the Western Ecological Research Center 
     of the United States Geological Survey recommends controlling 
     certain raven populations to assist in the recovery of desert 
     tortoise populations; and
       Whereas, The common raven is a protected species under 
     regulations adopted pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 
     of 1918, 16 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 1703 et seq., which drastically 
     curtails the ability of this State to manage the population 
     of the common raven in order to protect sage grouse nests and 
     desert tortoises: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of Nevada, 
     Jointly, That the members of the 78th Session of the Nevada 
     Legislature urge the United States Congress to amend the 
     Migratory Bird Treaty Act or take any other appropriate 
     action to ensure that the common raven is not a protected 
     species under that Act; and be it further
       Resolved, That the members of the 78th Session of the 
     Nevada Legislature urge the United States Fish and Wildlife 
     Service to:
       1. Work with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to decrease 
     common raven populations in this State; and
       2. Adopt regulations allowing the State of Nevada to manage 
     the common raven population and reduce the number of common 
     ravens in this State; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of 
     the United States as the presiding officer of the Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, each member of the 
     Nevada Congressional Delegation, the Director of the United 
     States Fish and Wildlife Service, the President of the Nevada 
     Cattlemen's Association, the President of the Nevada Farm 
     Bureau Federation, the Chair of the Sagebrush Ecosystem 
     Council and the Executive Director of the Western Governors' 
     Association; and be it further
       Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon 
     passage.
                                  ____

       POM-36. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan urging the President 
     of the United States to allow an additional 25,000 refugee 
     visas for certain displaced individuals, with preference for 
     placement in Michigan; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                         House Resolution No. 9

       Whereas, The United States has long been a safe harbor for 
     persecuted foreign nationals. Through the U.S. refugee visa 
     program, individuals and their families who are harassed, 
     oppressed, or have faced harassment or oppression at home 
     because of their race, religion, nationality, public opinion, 
     or social association can find relief in the U.S. When a 
     humanitarian crisis occurs, the U.S. may also grant eligible 
     individuals refugee visas. Once in the country, federal 
     resettlement agencies help match refugees with local 
     communities that can help support their needs; and
       Whereas, The number of refugee visas available is 
     determined and set by the President of the United States. In 
     consultation with the cabinet and the House and Senate 
     committees on the judiciary, the President assesses all 
     concerns of humanitarian and national interest to determine 
     the number of visas that will be available for the upcoming 
     fiscal year; and
       Whereas, The recent crisis in Syria and Iraq has forced 
     hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, largely from religious 
     minorities in the region--many of which are Assyrians, 
     Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Yazidis--from their hometowns that 
     have been ransacked by the Islamic State of Iraq and the 
     Levant (ISIL). Those displaced persons are unable to return 
     to their homes, and most do not have access to resources 
     needed to fulfill basic needs, including food, water, and 
     shelter. Moreover, these refugees face constant fear of 
     persecution due to nothing more than the faith they claim, 
     and their pronouncement of faith has led to violence as 
     explicit as crucifixions, beheadings, and slavery. Minimal 
     support has been offered to many of the more than three 
     million Iraqis refugees, two million of which were displaced 
     last year alone, and those fortunate to remain in temporary 
     shelters are overburdening and overcrowding neighboring 
     nations and communities who stand on constant guard for fear 
     that they will be the next target of ISIL. As this regional 
     conflict endures, the displacement and imminent migration and 
     persecution of refugees will continue; and
       Whereas, Displaced Iraqi refugees must be offered relief 
     from this regional instability and granted entry into the 
     United States. Iraqi refugees have complemented our American 
     society with a proven history of contributing to the economic 
     and social well-being of this nation. In the Chaldean or 
     Catholic Iraqi community of Metro Detroit, which is the 
     largest concentration of Chaldeans outside of Iraq, 61 
     percent of households founded their own business, and this 
     network of businesses is indispensable to the local economy. 
     Moreover, organizations like the Chaldean Community 
     Foundation offer resources to bind and strengthen the 
     community as well as welcome and support refugees, in part by 
     using community businesses to invest in new members and 
     encourage the advancement of the community; and
       Whereas, The current allotment of refugee visas may not be 
     adequate to accommodate these individuals. When an unforeseen 
     emergency arises, the President has the flexibility to issue 
     emergency refugee visas for an affected group if the 
     remaining annual allotment is insufficient to assist these 
     displaced individuals, and
       Whereas, The Chaldean Church and its bishop have garnered 
     support for this request and driven a body of people able and 
     willing to sustain and support the incoming refugees. The 
     community stands ready to assist persecuted Iraqis and 
     victims of war rebuild their lives in the U.S.: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the 
     President of the United States to allow an additional 25,000 
     refugee visas for displaced Iraqis, being the Assyrians, 
     Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Yazidis displaced because of their 
     faith; and be it further
       Resolved, That we urge that these refugees be given 
     preference for placement in the state of Michigan; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan 
     congressional delegation.

                          ____________________