[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5193-S5194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED TODAY

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate 
resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 538, S. Res. 
539, S. Res. 540, S. Res. 541, S. Res. 542, S. Res. 543, S. Res. 544, 
S. Res. 545, S. Res. 546, S. Res. 547, and S. Res. 548.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions en bloc.


                              S. Res. 541

  Ms. HIRONO. Thank you, Mr. President.
  I rise today to introduce a resolution to commemorate Hawaii 
Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park on their 100th 
anniversary.
  On August 1, 1916, 3 weeks prior to the founding of the National Park 
Service, Congress established Hawaii National Park, comprised of two 
sections located on the island of Maui and the island of Hawaii. The 
two sections of the park were subsequently separated and redesignated 
as Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
  The two parks were set aside in perpetuity for the benefit and 
enjoyment of the people of Hawaii and the people of the United States. 
In the last 100 years, they have served their purpose well. Last year, 
over 1.2 million people visited Haleakala National Park, while over 1.8 
million people visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
  The parks have also proven to be an economic boon to the State of 
Hawaii. In 2015, visitors to Haleakala National Park spent over $76 
million in surrounding communities, supporting nearly 1,000 jobs.
  Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spent over $151 million in 
areas around the park and supported nearly 2,000 local jobs. However, 
the importance of Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National 
Park to the people of the State of Hawaii, to the Nation, and globally 
is much more than economic benefit. The parks serve as invaluable 
scientific and cultural assets and have been instrumental in preserving 
some of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems in the world.
  For example, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to two of the 
world's most active volcanoes, providing visitors the ability to gain a 
greater understanding of volcanic and geologic processes. Hawaii's 
isolation and the substantial number of plant and animal species that 
are native to Hawaii and found nowhere else in the world have 
contributed greatly to our understanding of evolutionary biology.
  The scientific significance of both Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 
and Haleakala National Park was highlighted when the United Nations 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated both parks 
as biosphere reserves in 1980.
  Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala also provide access to substantial 
cultural and historic resources. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home 
to a number of precontact archaeological sites, including Puu Loa, 
which contains over 23,000 petroglyphs.
  However, Hawaii's national parks are not places where culture is 
discussed in the past tense. Even today, Native Hawaiians come to these 
parks to renew ties to ancestors, conduct cultural gatherings and 
rituals, and pass traditions down to the next generation.
  Both parks also serve as a refuge for hundreds of native plants and 
animals, many of which are endangered and threatened. Indeed, Haleakala 
National Park is home to more endangered species than any other site in 
the National Park System, including the Hawaiian Silversword, and 
dozens of endangered Native Hawaiian birds.
  For the last century, residents of Hawaii, the United States, and the 
world have visited Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes 
National Park and gained a greater appreciation for the natural 
environment, the history of Hawaii, and Native Hawaiian culture. As we 
celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of these parks, I 
hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing August 1, 2016, as 
``Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala National Parks Day'' and encourage as 
many people as possible from across the Nation to come to Hawaii to 
visit these national treasures.


                              s. res. 542

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, as a member of the Congressional 
Trademark Caucus, I have made it a goal to increase awareness and spark 
a dialogue about the importance of trademarks. Because this year 
constitutes the 70th anniversary of the Lanham Act, I would like to 
join my colleague, Senator Coons, in introducing a resolution

[[Page S5194]]

to recognize the Lanham Act and designate July as National Anti-
Counterfeiting Consumer Education and Awareness Month.
  Seventy years ago, the Lanham Act was signed by President Harry 
Truman to establish remedies for brand owners suffering from trademark 
infringement and to protect consumers from counterfeit products. It is 
this very law that has laid the foundation for modern trademark 
protection and led to a tremendous increase in the use of trademarks.
  According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2012, 
approximately 24 million trademarks were in force around the world. 
Further, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that 31 percent of all 
jobs in the United States are in intellectual property-intensive 
industries.
  Despite the legal framework currently in place to protect against 
counterfeiting, trademark-related crimes are one of the fastest growing 
economic problems worldwide. According to the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development, manufacturing, trade, and consumption of 
counterfeit products continues to increase, escalating from $250 
billion in 2008 to $461 billion in 2013.
  Other counterfeiting trends were recently highlighted in a study 
released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property 
Center, GIPC. The study found that China and Hong Kong alone represent 
86 percent of the global physical counterfeiting. This translates into 
$396.5 billion worth of counterfeit goods each year. This level of 
counterfeiting activity bears serious economic and health and safety 
implications, both locally and internationally.
  The GIPC also found that the value of seized counterfeit goods by 
customs in 38 sampled economies totals less than 2.5 percent of the 
global measure of physical counterfeiting. This suggests that although 
the efforts of customs authorities yield results, the extent of their 
success is still ``a drop in the bucket.''
  Not only are trademark-related crimes growing rapidly, the 
devastating effects are also far-reaching. Trademark-related crimes 
impact not only whole industries, but economies as well. The most 
direct impact of counterfeiting is revenue loss. The GIPC estimates 
losses to be in the billions for any given industry.
  Brand owners are actively responding to this problem. According to a 
GIPC report, some companies spend as much as $20 million annually in an 
attempt to fight counterfeiting of their products. This is money that 
could have been spent on research and development, business expansion, 
and innovation.
  There are also indirect effects stemming from counterfeit products 
that cause economic disruption. For example, the presence of 
counterfeits leads to lowered incentives for innovation, spiking 
unemployment rates, and slower economic growth. This is a serious issue 
for the United States, considering the U.S. Department of Commerce 
reports intellectual property generates 34 percent of U.S. GDP, two-
thirds of U.S. exports, and $5.8 trillion in U.S. output.
  Counterfeits have devastating effects on the health and safety of 
consumers. For example, there has been a spike in production of fakes 
that have an immense impact on everyday life--such as airbags, smoke 
detectors, computer chips, and prescription drugs.
  With increased counterfeiting of so many everyday products, the 
presumption of quality and effectiveness is becoming less certain. 
Unfortunately, there is an increased possibility of lasting and 
potentially fatal consequences for consumers' health and safety.
  In April, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled, 
``Counterfeits and Their Impact on Consumer Health and Safety.'' This 
hearing specifically explored how hazardous counterfeit products--like 
medicines, electronics, automotive, and military parts--can harm 
consumers.
  The hearing panel warned that consumers unknowingly purchase 
counterfeits. In fact, consumers often pay the same as they would for 
legitimate goods, but receive potentially unsafe products. For example, 
consumers are purchasing fake chargers that may explode or medicines 
that may be manufactured with dangerous or contaminated substances. 
These types of counterfeits can result in severe injuries, including 
death.
  The hearing panel also discussed the exploitation by counterfeits of 
e-commerce platforms with a business direct to consumer business model. 
Cyber commerce, for-profit streaming, and ever-changing technologies 
have continued to present new challenges in combating counterfeiting 
activity. They also discussed the changing tactics of counterfeiters, 
including small package delivery through the mail, which make it 
difficult for law enforcement to go after these criminals.
  Counterfeit products have been found to have ties to terrorism, 
trafficking, and organized crime groups around the world. According to 
the GIPC report, Interpol and FBI seizure records suggest that proceeds 
from counterfeit brake pads and cigarettes have been earmarked for 
terrorist groups like Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. As the scope of 
counterfeit products increases, so does the ability of criminal and 
hostile organizations to fund their illicit and harmful operations.
  Increased education and awareness efforts are critical to helping to 
put a stop to ar counterfeit activity. That is why we are honoring the 
Lanham Act and designating July as National Anti-Counterfeiting 
Consumer Education and Awareness Month. Educating members of Congress, 
the media, and the public about the dangers of counterfeits and the 
vital role trademarks play will help protect consumers from confusion 
and deception in the marketplace. In addition, Congress, Federal 
agencies and law enforcement, the business community, and consumer 
groups must all work together so we can keep consumers safe.
  As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as in my 
capacity as a cochair of the Congressional Trademark Caucus, I will 
continue to work aggressively to facilitate dialogue, inform consumers, 
and collaborate with government agencies on trademark-related issues. 
And I am pleased to work my colleague Senator Coons on this resolution.
  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, with Senator Chuck Grassley, I am proud to 
cosponsor a resolution designating July 2016 as the ``National Anti-
Counterfeiting Consumer Education and Awareness'' Month in celebration 
of the 70th anniversary of the Lanham Act, which provided the 
foundation for our modern Federal trademark registration system. Not 
only are trademarks a source of significant value for companies, but 
they also play an important role in communicating the authenticity and 
integrity of products and services to customers, thereby promoting 
consumer safety. For example, counterfeit batteries, sometimes 
featuring fake trademarks, have been linked to increased risks of 
spontaneous fires--a clear safety hazard if that battery is in a 
consumer product such as a children's toy. According to the U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection Agency, seizures related to counterfeit 
intellectual property increased almost 25 percent between 2014 and 
2015. While the government must continue its interception of fake goods 
at our borders, these numbers and the apparent rise of this problem 
also call for greater consumer awareness of the risks of buying 
counterfeit products. By designating this month the ``National Anti-
Counterfeiting Consumer Education and Awareness'' Month, I hope to 
foster such an awareness and the role that intellectual property--here, 
the trademark system--plays in helping to protect consumers.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolutions were agreed to.
  The preambles were agreed to.
  (The resolutions, with their preambles, are printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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