[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 108 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5007-S5008]
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-45. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Louisiana memorializing the United States Congress to take 
     such actions as are necessary to designate Grambling State 
     University as a United States Department of Agriculture 1890 
     land-grant institution; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
     Nutrition, and Forestry.

                       Senate Resolution No. 141

       Whereas, a land-grant college or university is a 
     postsecondary education institution that has been designated 
     to receive the benefits of the federal Morrill Acts of 1862 
     or 1890; and
       Whereas, there is at least one land-grant institution in 
     every state and territory of the United States, as well as 
     the District of Columbia, and over the years, land-grant 
     status has been associated with several types of federal 
     support; and
       Whereas, two universities in this state, Louisiana State 
     University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (LSU) and 
     Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College 
     (SU), are designated as land-grant institutions; LSU received 
     this designation in 1862, and in 1890, what is known as the 
     Second Morrill Act conferred land-grant status to several 
     historically black colleges and universities, commonly 
     referred to as ``1890 land-grant institutions'', and SU is 
     among this group; and
       Whereas, Grambling State University, located in Grambling, 
     Louisiana, is seeking designation as an 1890 land-grant 
     institution under the banner of the Second Morrill Act; and
       Whereas, Grambling State University was founded in 1901 by 
     the North Louisiana Colored Agriculture Relief Association; 
     in 1905, it moved to its present location and was renamed the 
     North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School; in 1946, 
     it became Grambling College; and in 1949, it earned its first 
     accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and 
     Schools; and
       Whereas, in 1974, the school began to offer graduate 
     programs in early childhood and elementary education and 
     acquired the name Grambling State University; over the years, 
     several new academic programs have been incorporated and new 
     facilities added to the 384-acre campus; and
       Whereas, Grambling now offers more than eight hundred 
     courses and forty-seven degree programs in five colleges, 
     including an honors college, two professional schools, a 
     graduate school, and a Division of Continuing Education; and
       Whereas, Grambling combines the academic strengths of a 
     major university with the benefits of a small college, and 
     its students grow and learn in a serene and positive 
     environment; and
       Whereas, in addition to being one of the country's top 
     producers of African-American graduates, Grambling is home to 
     the internationally renowned Tiger Marching Band and remains 
     proud of the legacy of the late Eddie Robinson, Sr., a truly 
     legendary football coach; and
       Whereas, Grambling places an emphasis on the value and 
     importance of each student, which is exemplified by its 
     motto, ``Where Everybody is Somebody''; and
       Whereas, after more than a decade since its founding, 
     Grambling remains an important influence in the quality of 
     lives and communities of generations of North Louisiana 
     residents; and
       Whereas, the designation of Ohio's Central State University 
     as an 1890 land-grant institution in the 2014 Farm Bill set a 
     very recent precedent for the addition of a university to the 
     land-grant system; and
       Whereas, the nation's system of land-grant institutions 
     would be strengthened by the inclusion of Grambling State 
     University; and
       Whereas, as a historically black university with a strong 
     record of academics, research, and service, Grambling, with 
     its rich history and traditions, would bring a unique 
     perspective to the land-grant system; and
       Whereas, for one hundred twenty-five years, the 1890 land-
     grant institutions have played a vital role in ensuring 
     access to higher education and opportunity for underserved 
     communities, and as such an institution, Grambling would have 
     access to increased resources that it could direct to serving 
     such communities and to providing research, extension, and 
     public services in North Louisiana, an area where these 
     services are not currently being provided sufficiently; and
       Whereas, such designation would be consistent with 
     Grambling's agricultural origins and its mission and history 
     of service to African-American students and the people of 
     Louisiana and would strengthen Grambling's research and 
     teaching in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
     (STEM) programs and enhance existing programs and facilitate 
     the development of new programs in agricultural business, 
     biotechnology, economics, environment and natural resources, 
     family and consumer science, and engineering technology; and
       Whereas, Grambling State University has made the same 
     extraordinary contributions to the education of African 
     Americans in the state of Louisiana as other 1890 land-grant 
     universities have made in their respective states; and
       Whereas, as the only Historically Black College or 
     University (HBCU) in the University of Louisiana System, the 
     role that Grambling plays in the state is critical; and
       Whereas, a land-grant designation would enhance greatly 
     Grambling's service to the people of Louisiana, and it is 
     appropriate that Congress take all necessary measures to 
     grant such designation to Grambling State University: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 
     does hereby memorialize the United States Congress to take 
     such actions as are necessary to designate Grambling State 
     University as a United States Department of Agriculture 1890 
     land-grant institution; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate, the 
     clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to 
     each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-46. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana memorializing the United States 
     Congress to take action against illegal, unreported, and 
     unregulated fishing in Louisiana's sovereign waters by 
     passing H.R. 774, the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated 
     Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015; to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 66

       Whereas, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a 
     global problem with serious economic, environmental, and 
     security implications; and
       Whereas, illegal fishing accounts for economic losses of up 
     to billions of dollars per year nationally and such activity 
     is largely conducted by foreign fleets at the expense of 
     United States fishermen, coastal communities, and the 
     sustainability of global fish stocks; and
       Whereas, illegal fishing is of particular consequence in 
     Louisiana, where the Gulf Coast waters supply seafood for the 
     citizens of the United States and support the hospitality 
     industry, tourism-related businesses, and the vibrant 
     recreational and commercial fishing industry; and
       Whereas, not only does illegal fishing result in economic 
     losses to the Louisiana fishing industry and other coastal 
     businesses, but it also is a threat to the sustainability of 
     our fisheries and to the Louisiana Gulf Coast ecosystem; and
       Whereas, the United States Coast Guard is to be commended 
     for apprehending and investigating foreign vessels engaged in 
     illegal activity along the U.S.-Mexico border, often 
     patrolling the Gulf of Mexico in a cat-and-mouse game 
     specifically with Mexican fishermen who are fishing 
     illegally; and
       Whereas, illegal fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico compete 
     for local fish stock and disregard state and federal laws on 
     catch limits, or of marine species including marine mammals 
     and sea turtles that are indiscriminately killed by the use 
     of illegal long-line netting, and where some of the illegally 
     caught fish is exported back into the U.S. and flood the 
     market; and
       Whereas, vessels involved with illegal fishing are also 
     associated with other crimes, including drug trafficking, 
     human trafficking, and illegal immigration, and the incursion 
     by these foreign fishing vessels into U.S. waters constitutes 
     a violation of our sovereignty: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to take action against 
     illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in our sovereign 
     waters by passing H.R. 774, the Illegal, Unreported, and 
     Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana hereby 
     expresses its commitment to the elimination of illegal 
     fishing, to the long-term conservation of Louisiana marine 
     resources, and to the protection of the Louisiana Gulf Coast 
     fishing and coastal communities; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall 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.
                                  ____

       POM-47. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Louisiana commending the United States Congress on the 
     passage of bipartisan legislation to permanently set the 
     payment amounts that Medicare pays for physician services, 
     known as the doc fix; to the Committee on Finance.

                       Senate Resolution No. 109

       Whereas, the term ``doc fix'' refers to the formula the 
     federal government uses to pay physicians who treat patients 
     covered by Medicare, who pay less than they would otherwise 
     to see a physician and the federal government makes up the 
     difference and pays the physician an amount determined by 
     Congress; and
       Whereas, in 1997, Congress cut payments to physicians who 
     treat patients enrolled in

[[Page S5008]]

     Medicare in order to help balance the federal budget; and
       Whereas, while Congress had considered cutting the dollars 
     to physicians treating Medicare patients, but did not have 
     the collective will to carry it through, being concerned that 
     some physicians might not continue to treat Medicare patients 
     at a reduced rate, and the cut was postponed until a future 
     date; and
       Whereas, over the last eighteen years Congress has 
     postponed the cut seventeen times and the cut has become a 
     possible twenty percent reduction in payments if the attempt 
     to postpone the cuts failed during this Congress; and
       Whereas, with the current doc fix extension set to expire 
     on March 31, 2015, Congress may consider the need for 
     structural reforms to Medicare generally, not merely a 
     postponement of the cut for another year; and
       Whereas, with the unconscionable cut of more than twenty 
     percent looming without the annual doc fix extension in 
     April, Congress agreed to begin broader structural changes to 
     Medicare, ending the doc fix shell game permanently;
       Whereas, despite the reality that healthcare is expensive 
     and that the annual revisiting of the doc fix formula of 
     paying physicians was, at least, a bad way to govern, a 
     bipartisan solution proved attainable even in a time when 
     merely entertaining an idea from the other side of the aisle 
     is often unthinkable; and
       Whereas, with the reality that one political party leads 
     both houses of Congress and the other holds the presidency, 
     true bipartisanship is the only path to successfully 
     attacking any of the country's issues, yet that 
     bipartisanship is noticeably absent in the discussion of most 
     of those issues; and
       Whereas, while partisan differences have been more likely 
     to win the day, the ability to craft a bipartisan doc fix 
     solution requires the leadership of both political parties in 
     both houses to focus on solutions rather than differences, 
     and for that both the leadership and the members of Congress 
     as a whole should be heartily congratulated; and
       Whereas, in reaching agreement on the end to the doc fix 
     extensions, Congress has begun the daunting task of reforming 
     and restructuring America's entitlement programs, a beginning 
     worthy of note and of acclaim: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 
     does hereby commend the United States Congress on the passage 
     of bipartisan legislation to permanently set the payment 
     amounts that Medicare pays for physician services, known as 
     the doc fix; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives of the Congress of the United States of 
     America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-48. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana memorializing the United States 
     Congress to restore trade relations between the United States 
     and Cuba in order to open the market to Louisiana rice; to 
     the Committee on Finance.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68

       Whereas, in 2014, Louisiana produced over three billion 
     pounds of rice amounting to fifteen percent of the United 
     States' rice production; and
       Whereas, the rice industry provides over nine thousand jobs 
     to the Louisiana economy; and
       Whereas, increased rice exports to Cuba would lead to 
     greater export opportunities for Louisiana farmers and the 
     potential for increased acreage; and
       Whereas, resumed rice exports to Cuba would also benefit 
     those affiliated with rice production, milling, and 
     exporting; and
       Whereas, rice farming and milling has a large impact on 
     Louisiana's secondary economy in that for every dollar that 
     Louisiana rice produces, approximately thirty-five cents is 
     added indirectly to the economy through seed and fertilizer 
     sales, farm equipment, crop services, and transportation; and
       Whereas, resuming the trade of rice with Cuba would be a 
     huge economic gain for Louisiana's port system; and
       Whereas, prior to the creation of the trade embargo in 
     1962, the Port of New Orleans handled over sixty-five percent 
     of all traded goods to Cuba; and
       Whereas, the fifty-plus-year trade embargo between the 
     United States and Cuba remains the longest-standing embargo 
     in modern history; and
       Whereas, Louisiana is the top state of origination for 
     Cuban-bound exports, representing nearly thirty percent of 
     the export market share; and
       Whereas, it is time to end an outdated policy that 
     continues to deny valuable business opportunities to 
     Louisiana rice farmers, millers, and allied businesses, such 
     as transportation, storage, and shipping; and
       Whereas, Cuba imports more than one billion dollars worth 
     of food every year, including approximately five hundred 
     thousand tons of rice; and
       Whereas, the rice industry in Louisiana is positioned to 
     benefit from the market opportunities that normalized trade 
     with Cuba would provide due to our healthy supply, port 
     infrastructure, and proximity to Cuba; and
       Whereas, the USA Rice Federation and its affiliate members 
     along with the Louisiana Rice Growers Association, the 
     Louisiana Rice Promotion Board, and the Louisiana Rice 
     Council are in support of restoring trade relations between 
     the United States and Cuba in order to open the market to 
     Louisiana rice: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to restore trade relations 
     between the United States and Cuba in order to open the 
     market to Louisiana rice; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate, the 
     clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to 
     each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-49. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Missouri urging the President of the United 
     States and the United States Congress to repeal the excise 
     tax on medical devices; to the Committee on Finance.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 29

       Whereas, a new 2.3% federal excise tax on the sale of 
     taxable medical devices by manufacturers, producers, and 
     importers of such devices took effect on January 1, 2013; and
       Whereas, the United States Congress Joint Committee on 
     Taxation estimates that the tax will generate $29 billion in 
     revenue in its first ten years; and
       Whereas, the United States is a net exporter in medical 
     devices, exporting $5.4 billion more than it imports, and 
     accounts for 40% of the global medical technology market; and
       Whereas, a study completed by the Manhattan Institute found 
     that the medical device tax will almost double the medical 
     device industry's total tax bill and could result in the loss 
     of up to 43,000 jobs in the medical technology industry; and
       Whereas, the medical device tax will harm the United 
     States' global competitiveness, stunt medical innovation, and 
     restrict the ability of patients to receive the life-saving 
     medical devices and care they need; and
       Whereas, the medical device tax is imposed on United States 
     sales, rather than profits, of medical device manufacturers, 
     so it will be particularly damaging to innovative start-up 
     companies: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-
     eighth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the House of 
     Representatives concurring therein, hereby urge the President 
     of the United States and the Congress of the United States to 
     repeal the excise tax on medical devices; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Missouri Senate be 
     instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this 
     resolution for the President and Secretary of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States 
     House of Representatives and the members of the Missouri 
     Congressional delegation.

                          ____________________