[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S820-S821]
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-129. A concurrent resolution adopted by the General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio urging the Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention to take action to improve prevention, 
     diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease; to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                 House Concurrent Resolution Number 51

       Whereas, Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness 
     in the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention (CDC) estimating that 300,000 Americans are 
     diagnosed with the disease each year; and
       Whereas, Many cases of Lyme disease are never reported to 
     the CDC, as only approximately 30,000 of the estimated 
     300,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC by 
     state health departments each year; and
       Whereas, Lyme disease can cause devastating health 
     consequences if left untreated, such as severe pain, heart 
     palpitations, and chronic neurological damage; and
       Whereas, Diagnosis of Lyme disease is difficult because 
     there is no general consensus on the definition of its 
     symptoms and the symptoms are similar to those of other 
     conditions, leading to misdiagnoses. Furthermore, current 
     Lyme disease testing methods often lead to inaccurate 
     results; and
       Whereas, There remains much debate in the medical community 
     concerning the proper courses of action for diagnosing and 
     for treating Lyme disease; and
       Whereas, Greater knowledge of Lyme disease and its causes 
     will put the general public in a better position to avoid 
     contracting the disease: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That we, the members of the 131st General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, 
     urge the CDC to take the following actions:
       (1) Update definitions of Lyme disease symptoms by clinical 
     diagnosis;
       (2) Reconsider standards and best practices for diagnosing 
     and for treating Lyme disease;
       (3) Provide more resources for health care professionals 
     and the general public to learn about Lyme disease to aid in 
     prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease;
       (4) Improve the techniques that state and local public 
     health agencies use to report cases of Lyme disease diagnoses 
     so that fewer cases go unreported and the CDC can better 
     monitor the incidence of the disease across the nation;
       (5) Provide the means for improved laboratory testing or 
     funding for improved laboratory testing to enhance early 
     detection of Lyme disease in humans; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives 
     transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the 
     President of the United States, to the United States 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services, to the Director of 
     the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to the 
     Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of 
     Representatives, to the President Pro Tempore and Secretary 
     of the United States Senate, to the members of the Ohio 
     Congressional delegation, and to the news media of Ohio.
                                  ____

       POM-130. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Michigan urging the United States Department 
     of Veterans Affairs and the United States Congress to create 
     a pilot program in Michigan instituting a flexible Veterans 
     Choice Card system structured similar to a traditional health 
     care program for all veterans in Michigan; to the Committee 
     on Veterans' Affairs.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 7

       Whereas, The men and women who serve our country deserve 
     our utmost respect and appreciation. Many of them are injured 
     in the line of duty and come home to face challenging 
     physical disabilities and other

[[Page S821]]

     health issues. All veterans are entitled to the best health 
     care we can give them; and
       Whereas, According to the U.S. Government Accountability 
     Office, several variables affect a veteran's ability to 
     access VA health care. Veterans may have difficulty 
     travelling to a distant facility for care or be unable to 
     secure an appointment in an acceptable period of time to deal 
     quickly with a medical issue; and
       Whereas, To provide a more flexible VA health care system, 
     Congress enacted the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
     Accountability Act of 2014, allowing for care outside of the 
     traditional VA system. Under the act, the new Choice Program 
     will provide many veterans with VA compensated health care at 
     a non-VA center, providing more timely appointments, less 
     bureaucratic red tape, and easier travel; and
       Whereas, As currently structured, the Choice Program limits 
     non-VA health care to veterans residing more than 40 miles 
     from a VA health facility. The law does not differentiate 
     between types of VA health care facilities. Therefore, a 
     veteran living near a small VA clinic but needing specialty 
     cardiology care at a VA facility 100 miles away will not be 
     allowed to access private cardiology care. Also, the program 
     requires that every appointment for care be cleared by a 
     program manager: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     Concurring), That we urge the United States Department of 
     Veterans Affairs and the United States Congress to create a 
     pilot program in Michigan instituting a flexible Veterans 
     Choice Card system structured similar to a traditional health 
     care program for all veterans in Michigan; 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, the members of the 
     Michigan congressional delegation, and the United States 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
                                  ____

       POM-131. A petition by a citizen from the State of Texas 
     urging the United States Congress to propose, for 
     ratification by special conventions held within the 
     individual states, an amendment to the United States 
     Constitution which would establish a procedure by which 
     members of the United States Senate and of the United States 
     House of Representatives may be involuntarily removed from 
     office by means of a recall election; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                          ____________________