[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 530--SUPPORTING THE TERMINATION OF THE SELECT 
  INVESTIGATIVE PANEL OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE OF THE 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 461, 
                         AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
Leahy, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Sanders, 
Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, and 
Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:

                              S. Res. 530

       Whereas Planned Parenthood provides high-quality, 
     affordable health care for women, men, and young people, and 
     is the nation's largest provider of sex education;
       Whereas Planned Parenthood provides sexual and reproductive 
     health care, education, information, and outreach to nearly 
     5,000,000 women, men, and adolescents worldwide in a single 
     year;
       Whereas officials in 13 States have concluded 
     investigations into Planned Parenthood affiliates having 
     found no wrongdoing on behalf of Planned Parenthood, and 
     officials in additional eight States have declined to open 
     investigations citing a lack of any evidence against Planned 
     Parenthood to suggest wrongdoing;
       Whereas the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives has found 
     no wrongdoing on the part of Planned Parenthood;
       Whereas the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives has 
     recently authorized an additional $490,000 in unnecessary 
     spending, bringing the panel's total expenditures to $790,000 
     thus far;
       Whereas the Zika virus is a looming public health emergency 
     across the United States that has been linked to severe birth 
     defects, including microcephaly, in children of women 
     infected during pregnancy;
       Whereas the Zika virus is spreading rapidly across the 
     Americas, with the Puerto Rican Department of Health 
     reporting a one-week jump of 40 percent in the number of 
     pregnant women on the island who were diagnosed with Zika;
       Whereas family planning services and sex education are the 
     primary tools currently available to directly prevent the 
     devastating outcomes of the Zika virus;
       Whereas the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives has 
     turned their focus to investigating scientific researchers 
     engaged in public health research, such as the Zika virus, 
     using fetal tissue; and
       Whereas scientific researchers have reported the 
     diminishing availability of fetal tissue for their critical 
     research to try to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus, 
     Alzheimer's, and other diseases impacting Americans: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the immediate termination of the Select 
     Investigative Panel of the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
     of the House of Representatives established pursuant to House 
     Resolution 461, agreed to October 7, 2015; and
       (2) supports rescinding any unspent funds and making those 
     funds available to the Department of Health and Human 
     Services for efforts to combat Zika for women and children.

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