[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6352-S6355]
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-208. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Texas expressing support for the study and regulation of 
     modern agricultural technologies and expressing opposition to 
     regulatory action that results in unnecessary restrictions on 
     the use of modern agricultural technologies; to the Committee 
     on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

                       Senate Resolution No. 642

       Whereas, A sustainable agricultural system is crucial to 
     the continued production of food, feed, and fiber to meet 
     both domestic and global demand; and
       Whereas, In the United States, the agriculture and 
     production industries employ precision farming equipment, 
     protection chemistries, genetic engineering or enhancement, 
     agricultural nutrients and other modern technologies; such 
     advanced practices protect the safety of the public an 
     environmental impact while expanding yields improving 
     profitability, and ensuring an abundant and afford supply; 
     and
       Whereas, Agricultural pests present significant dangers to 
     the industry and to global supplies of the products, they 
     attack; accordingly, the environmental risks of forgoing 
     advances in agricultural technologies that protect crops are 
     severe; excessive regulation may scuttle or discourage the 
     use of agricultural chemicals that could improve human 
     welfare;
       Whereas, Crop protection is among the most studied and 
     highly regulated of all industries, at both the state and 
     federal levels; the use of sound science should be the 
     bedrock of our nation's regulatory scheme for the agriculture 
     and food production industries, as these industries are 
     critical to the economic vitality of Texas and the United 
     States; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th 
     Legislature, hereby express support for the use of sound 
     science to study and regulate such modern agricultural 
     technologies as crop protection chemistries, genetically 
     engineered or enhanced traits, and nutrients; and, be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the senate express opposition to legislative 
     or regulatory action at any level that may result in 
     unnecessary restrictions on the use of modern agricultural 
     technologies; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate of the State forward official 
     copies of this resolution to the president of the United 
     States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the 
     House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and 
     to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress with 
     the request that this resolution be entered in the 
     Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the 
     United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-209. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana

[[Page S6353]]

     memorializing the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to rectify the revenue sharing inequalities 
     between coastal and interior energy producing states; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 66

       Whereas, since 1920, interior states have been allowed to 
     keep fifty percent of the oil, gas, and coal production 
     revenues generated in their states from mineral production on 
     federal lands within their borders, including royalties, 
     severance taxes, and bonuses; and
       Whereas, coastal states with onshore and offshore oil and 
     gas production face inequities under the federal energy 
     policies because those coastal states have not been party to 
     this same level of revenue sharing partnership with the 
     federal government; and
       Whereas, coastal energy producing states have a limited 
     partnership with the federal government that provides for 
     them to retain very little revenue generated from their 
     offshore energy production, energy that is produced for use 
     throughout the nation; and
       Whereas, in 2006 congress passed the Gulf of Mexico Energy 
     Security Act (GOMESA) that will fully go into effect in 2017; 
     an act that calls for a sharing of thirty-seven and five 
     tenths percent of coastal production revenues with four gulf 
     states with a cap of five hundred million dollars per year; 
     and
       Whereas, the Fixing America's Inequities with Revenues 
     (FAIR) Act would have addressed the inequity suffered by 
     coastal oil and gas producing states by accelerating the 
     implementation of GOMESA as well as by gradually lifting all 
     revenue sharing caps but the legislation died with the close 
     of the previous congress; and
       Whereas, with the state and its offshore waters taken 
     alone, Louisiana is the ninth largest producer of oil in the 
     United States in 2014 while including offshore oil from 
     federal waters, it was the second largest oil producer in the 
     country; and when taken alone Louisiana was the fourth 
     largest producer of gas in the United States in 2013 while 
     including the Gulf of Mexico waters, it was the second 
     largest producer in the United States; and
       Whereas, with nineteen operating refineries in the state, 
     Louisiana was second only to Texas as of January 2014 in both 
     total and operating refinery capacity, accounting for nearly 
     one-fifth of the nation's total refining capacity; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's contributions to the United States 
     Strategic Petroleum Reserve with two facilities located in 
     the state consisting of twenty-nine caverns capable of 
     holding nearly three hundred million barrels of crude oil; 
     and
       Whereas, with three onshore liquified natural gas 
     facilities, more than any other state in the country, and the 
     Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the nation's only deepwater oil 
     port, Louisiana plays an essential role in the movement of 
     natural gas from the United States Gulf Coast region to 
     markets throughout the country; and
       Whereas, it is apparent that Louisiana plays an essential 
     role in supplying the nation with energy and it is vital to 
     the security of our nation's energy supply, roles that should 
     be recognized and compensated at an appropriate revenue 
     sharing level; and
       Whereas, the majority of the oil and gas production from 
     the Gulf of Mexico enters the United States through coastal 
     Louisiana with all of the infrastructure necessary to receive 
     and transport such production, infrastructure that has for 
     many decades damaged the coastal areas of Louisiana, an 
     impact that should be compensated through appropriate revenue 
     sharing with the federal government; and
       Whereas, because Louisiana is losing more coastal wetlands 
     than any other state in the country, in 2006 the people of 
     Louisiana overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment 
     dedicating revenues received from Outer Continental Shelf oil 
     and gas activity to the Coastal Protection and Restoration 
     Fund for the purposes of coastal protection, including 
     conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and 
     infrastructure directly impacted by coastal wetland losses; 
     and
       Whereas, the state of Louisiana has developed a science-
     based ``Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast'' 
     which identifies and prioritizes the most efficient and 
     effective projects in order to meet the state's critical 
     coastal protection and restoration needs; and
       Whereas, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority 
     is making great progress implementing the projects in the 
     ``Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast'' with 
     all available funding, projects that are essential to the 
     protection of the infrastructure that is critical to the 
     energy needs of the United States; and
       Whereas, in order to properly compensate the coastal states 
     for the infrastructure demands that result from production of 
     energy and fuels that heat and cool the nation's homes, 
     offices, and businesses and fuel the nation's transportation 
     needs, revenue sharing for coastal states needs to be at the 
     same rate as interior states that produce oil, gas, and coal. 
     Therefore, be it
       Resolved That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to treat mineral and gas production in the 
     Gulf Coastal states in a manner that is at least equal to 
     onshore oil, gas, and coal production in interior states for 
     revenue purposes; and to rectify the revenue sharing 
     inequities between coastal and interior energy producing 
     states in order to address the nationally significant crisis 
     of wetland loss in the state of Louisiana. 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-210. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     Commonwealth of Massachusetts supporting the friendship 
     between Massachusetts and Taiwan in the international 
     community; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                              Resolutions

       Whereas, the United States and Taiwan share an important 
     relationship supported by common values of freedom, 
     democracy, rule of law and a free market economy; and
       Whereas, President Ma Ying-Jeou has worked to uphold 
     democratic principles in Taiwan, ensure the prosperity of 
     Taiwan's more than 23 million people, promote Taiwan's 
     international standing and improve relations between the 
     United States and Taiwan; and
       Whereas, the Commonwealth has enjoyed a close friendship 
     with Taiwan, marked by strong bilateral trade, educational 
     and cultural exchange, scientific and technological 
     development and tourism; and
       Whereas, New England has exported more than $1 billion in 
     goods to Taiwan of which the Commonwealth exported $825 
     million in commodities, mostly in machinery, computer and 
     electronic products and chemicals; and
       Whereas, the United States has maintained and developed its 
     commercial ties with Taiwan since 1979 and Taiwan is the 
     tenth largest trading partner of the United States while the 
     United States is Taiwan's largest foreign investor; and
       Whereas, Taiwan has been a member of the United States Visa 
     Waiver Program since November 1, 2012, reflecting the 
     cooperation between the United States and Taiwan and making 
     travel for business and tourism more convenient; and
       Whereas, Taiwan has made significant contributions toward 
     peace in the region through discussions regarding the use of 
     resources in the surrounding seas; and
       Whereas, Taiwan is a key transport hub in the Asia-Pacific 
     region and has jurisdiction over the 176,000 square nautical 
     miles of the Taipei Flight Information region and has 
     attended the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, 
     assembly as a special guest since 2013; and
       Whereas, Taiwan is committed to ICAO standards and seeks to 
     expand its meaningful participation in the ICAO including 
     attending technical and regional meetings and related 
     activities; and
       Whereas, Taiwan strives to be included in the work of the 
     United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and has 
     expressed a keen interest in the global effort to address 
     climate change; Now therefore be it,
       Resolved, That the Massachusetts General Court hereby 
     reaffirms the friendship between the Commonwealth and Taiwan; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted 
     forthwith by the clerk of the Senate to the President of the 
     United States, to the Presiding Officer of each branch of 
     Congress and the members thereof from the Commonwealth, to 
     the Honorable Charles D. Baker, Governor of the Commonwealth, 
     to the Honorable Ma Ying-Jeou, President of Taiwan and Scott 
     Lai, Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural 
     Office in the city of Boston.
                                  ____

       POM-211. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado concerning atrocities against 
     Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities; to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations.

                     House Joint Resolution 16-1913

       Whereas, Those who commit or support atrocities against 
     Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities, 
     including Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabean-Mandeans, Kaka'e, Shi'a, 
     and Kurds, and who target them specifically for ethnic or 
     religious reasons, intend to exterminate or to force the 
     migration or submission of anyone who does not share their 
     views concerning religion; and
       Whereas, Christians and other ethnic and religious 
     minorities have been an integral part of the cultural fabric 
     of the Middle East for millennia; and
       Whereas, Christians and other ethnic and religious 
     minorities have been murdered; subjugated; forced to 
     emigrate; and have suffered grievous bodily and psychological 
     harm, including sexual enslavement and abuse, inflicted in a 
     deliberate and calculated manner in violation of the laws of 
     their respective nations, the laws of war, laws and treaties 
     forbidding crimes against humanity, and the United Nations 
     Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of 
     Genocide, signed in Paris on December 9, 1948 (the 
     Convention); and
       Whereas, These atrocities are undertaken with the specific 
     intent to bring about the eradication and displacement of 
     their communities and the destruction of their cultural 
     heritage in violation of local laws, the laws of war, laws 
     and treaties that punish crimes against humanity, and the 
     Convention; and

[[Page S6354]]

       Whereas, Local, national, and international laws and 
     treaties, as well as the Convention, condemn murder, 
     massacre, forced migration, extrajudicial punishment, 
     kidnapping, slavery, human trafficking, torture, rape, and 
     persecution of individuals based upon their religion, and 
     these crimes shall be punished, whether they are committed by 
     constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials, or 
     private individuals; and
       Whereas, Article I of the Convention and international and 
     local laws confirm that genocide and crimes against humanity, 
     whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, are 
     crimes that governmental authorities are obligated to prevent 
     and to punish; and
       Whereas, Article II of the Convention declares that 
     ``genocide means any of the following acts committed with 
     intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, 
     racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of 
     the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to 
     members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the 
     group conditions of life calculated to bring about its 
     physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing 
     measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] 
     (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another 
     group''; and
       Whereas, Article III of the Convention affirms that ``the 
     following acts shall be punishable: (a) Genocide; (b) 
     Conspiracy to commit genocide; (c) Direct and public 
     incitement to commit genocide; (d) Attempt to commit 
     genocide; [and] (e) Complicity in genocide''; and
       Whereas, A March 13, 2015, report of the United Nations 
     Committee on Human Rights prepared at the request of the 
     Government of Iraq stated ``[e]thnic and religious groups 
     targeted by ISIL include Yezidis, Christians, Turkmen, 
     Sabean-Mandeans, Kaka'e, Kurds and Shi'a'' and that ``[i]t is 
     reasonable to conclude that some of the incidents [in Iraq in 
     2014-2015] . . . may constitute genocide''; and
       Whereas, Attacks on Yezidis included the mass killing of 
     men and boys and the enslavement and forcible transfer of 
     women and children; and
       Whereas, On July 10, 2015, Pope Francis, Supreme Pontiff of 
     the Roman Catholic Church, declared that Middle Eastern 
     Christians are facing genocide, a reality that must be 
     ``denounced'', and that ``[i]n this third world war, waged 
     piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide 
     is taking place, and it must end''; now, therefore, Be It
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventieth 
     General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate 
     concurring herein:
       That we, the members of the General Assembly, find that:
       (1) The atrocities committed against Christians and other 
     ethnic and religious minorities who are targeted specifically 
     for religious reasons constitute, and are hereby declared to 
     be, crimes against humanity and genocide; and
       (2) Each of the contracting parties to the United Nations 
     Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of 
     Genocide, signed in Paris on December 9, 1948, and to other 
     international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes 
     against humanity, particularly the governments of countries 
     and their nationals who are in any way supporting these 
     crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the 
     Convention and those international agreements; and
       (3) Every government and multinational body should call the 
     atrocities being committed in the name of religion by their 
     rightful names--``crimes against humanity'', ``war crimes'', 
     and ``genocide''; and
       (4) The United Nations and the United Nations Secretary-
     General should assert leadership by calling the atrocities 
     being committed in these places by their rightful names--
     ``war crimes'', ``crimes against humanity'', and 
     ``genocide''; and
       (5) The member states of the United Nations, with an urgent 
     appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious 
     freedom, tolerance, and justice:
       (A) Should join in this resolution;
       (B) Should collaborate on measures to prevent further war 
     crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; and
       (C) Should collaborate on the establishment and operation 
     of domestic, regional, and international tribunals to punish 
     those responsible for the ongoing crimes; and
       (6) The governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the 
     Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other 
     countries, including Turkey, Greece, the United States of 
     America, and the member states of the European Union, are 
     commended for having sheltered and protected those fleeing 
     the violence of ISIS (Daesh) and other extremists until they 
     can safely return to their homes in Iraq and Syria; and
       (7) All those who force the migration of religious 
     communities from their ancestral homelands, where they have 
     lived and practiced their faith in safety and stability for 
     hundreds of years--including specifically the Nineveh Plain, 
     a historic heartland of Christianity in Iraq, and Mount 
     Sinjar, the historic home of the Yezidis--should be tracked, 
     sanctioned, arrested, prosecuted, and punished in accordance 
     with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed 
     and under applicable international criminal statutes and 
     conventions. Be It Further
       Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to 
     President Barack Obama; Vice President Joe Biden; Mitch 
     McConnell, Majority Leader, United States Senate; Harry Reid, 
     Minority Leader, United States Senate; Paul Ryan, Speaker, 
     United States House of Representatives; Kevin McCarthy, 
     Majority Leader, United States House of Representatives; 
     Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, United States House of 
     Representatives; Colorado's congressional delegation; the 
     Syrian American Council; the African Community Center of 
     Denver; Lutheran Family Services; the Colorado Coalition for 
     Genocide Awareness and Action; the Congressional Prayer 
     Caucus Foundation; the St. Rafka Mission of Hope and Mercy; 
     former Colorado State Senator Thomas J. Wiens; Peter Boyles; 
     and Father Andre Y. Mahanna.
                                  ____

       POM-212. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Commonwealth of Massachusetts calling on the United States 
     Congress to consider nationwide adoption of Massachusetts 
     firearms laws; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                              Resolutions

       Whereas, on the most recent scorecard of state gun laws 
     prepared by the Law Center to prevent gun violence, the 
     Commonwealth received the highest letter grade awarded, an A-
     , and ranked fifth overall in the country; and
       Whereas, the Violence Policy Center reports that the 
     Commonwealth has the third lowest gun death rate in the 
     nation; and
       Whereas, shootings in Orlando, Florida, Charleston, South 
     Carolina, Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado have 
     sparked a national debate on gun violence prevention; and
       Whereas, progress by the Commonwealth to reduce gun deaths 
     is unsupported by states with less rigorous standards and by 
     a lack of a clear, uniform, and sensible national reform; and
       Whereas, it is in the interest of all who reside in the 
     Commonwealth to ensure that our existing laws are enforced 
     and not undercut by neighboring states; Now therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Massachusetts Senate calls upon the 
     leadership of the United States House of Representatives and 
     the United States Senate to carefully examine and consider 
     for adoption the model set forth in current Massachusetts 
     firearms law; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted 
     forthwith by the Clerk of the Senate to the Speaker and 
     Minority Leader of the United States House of 
     Representatives, to the Majority Leader and Minority Leader 
     of the United States Senate and to the Massachusetts 
     Congressional Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-213. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Oklahoma urging the Congress of the United 
     States, pursuant to Article V of the United States 
     Constitution, to call a convention of the states for the 
     purpose of proposing amendments to the United States 
     Constitution related to balancing the federal budget, 
     imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, 
     limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal 
     government, and limiting the terms of office for its 
     officials and for members of Congress; to the Committee on 
     the Judiciary.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 4

       Whereas, the founders of the Constitution of the United 
     States, through the enactment of Article V, empowered state 
     legislators to be guardians of liberty against future abuses 
     of power by the federal government; and
       Whereas, the federal government has created a crushing 
     national debt through improper and imprudent spending; and
       Whereas, the federal government has invaded the legitimate 
     roles of the states through the manipulative process of 
     federal mandates, most of which are unfunded to a great 
     extent; and
       Whereas, the federal government has ceased to live under a 
     proper interpretation of the Constitution of the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, it is the solemn duty of the states to protect the 
     liberty of our people, particularly for the generations to 
     come, by proposing amendments to the Constitution of the 
     United States through a convention of the states under 
     Article V of the United States Constitution to place clear 
     restraints on these and related abuses of power; and
       Whereas, the citizens of the State of Oklahoma believe that 
     it is in the best interest of the people of the United States 
     to amend the United States Constitution in order to adopt a 
     balanced budget amendment and to address the areas of 
     overreach of the federal government; and
       Whereas, as early as 1976, the Thirty-fifth Oklahoma 
     Legislature enacted House Joint Resolution No. 1049, calling 
     for an Article V Convention for the purpose of preparing and 
     submitting to the states an amendment ``requiring in the 
     absence of a national emergency that the total of all federal 
     appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may 
     not exceed the total of all estimated federal revenue for 
     that fiscal year''; and
       Whereas, the Thirty-fifth Oklahoma Legislature acknowledged 
     in House Joint Resolution No. 1049 the critical need for a 
     federal balanced budget amendment with the prophetic 
     statement ``believing that fiscal irresponsibility at the 
     federal level, with the inflation which results from this 
     policy, is the greatest threat which faces our nation, we 
     firmly believe that constitutional restraint

[[Page S6355]]

     is necessary to bring the fiscal discipline needed to restore 
     fiscal responsibility''; and
       Whereas, pursuant to the provisions of Article V of the 
     Constitution of the United States, each state may request 
     Congress to provide for a convention to propose amendments. 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of 
     the 2nd Session of the 55th Oklahoma Legislature:
       Section 1. The Oklahoma Legislature hereby makes two 
     separate applications to Congress, under the provisions of 
     Article V of the Constitution of the United States. The first 
     such application is set forth in Sections 2 through 5 of this 
     resolution. The second such application is set forth in 
     Sections 6 through 9 of this resolution.
       Section 2. The Oklahoma Legislature hereby applies to 
     Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the 
     Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a 
     convention of the states limited to proposing an amendment to 
     the Constitution of the United States requiring that in the 
     absence of a national emergency the total of all federal 
     appropriations made by the Congress for any fiscal year may 
     not exceed the total of all estimated federal revenues for 
     that fiscal year, together with any related and appropriate 
     fiscal restraints.
       Section 3. The Secretary of State is hereby directed to 
     transmit copies of this application to the President and 
     Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk 
     of the United States House of Representatives and members of 
     the United States Senate and House of Representatives from 
     this state; also to transmit copies hereof to the presiding 
     officers of the legislative houses in several states, 
     requesting their cooperation.
       Section 4. This application is to be considered as covering 
     the same subject matter as the presently outstanding balanced 
     budget applications from other states, including, but not 
     limited to, previously adopted applications from Alabama, 
     Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, 
     Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, 
     Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New 
     Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
     South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia; and 
     this application shall be aggregated with same for the 
     purpose of attaining the two-thirds (\2/3\) of states 
     necessary to require the calling of a convention, but shall 
     not be aggregated with any applications on any other subject.
       Section 5. This application constitutes a continuing 
     application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution 
     of the United States until the legislatures of at least two-
     thirds (\2/3\) of the several states have made applications 
     on the same subject, or until December 31, 2023, whichever 
     occurs earlier. It supersedes all previous applications by 
     this Legislature on the same subject.
       Section 6. The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma hereby 
     applies to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the 
     Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a 
     convention of the states limited to proposing amendments to 
     the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints 
     on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction 
     of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for 
     its officials and for members of Congress.
       Section 7. This application shall be aggregated with the 
     applications of Georgia (SR736, 2014), Florida (SM476, 2014), 
     Alaska (HJR22, 2014), Alabama (HJR112, 2015), Tennessee 
     (SJR67, 2016) and Indiana (SJR14, 2016) together with any 
     future applications for a convention for the specific and 
     exclusive purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution 
     of the United States limited to the purposes stated herein.
       Section 8. The Secretary of State is hereby directed to 
     transmit copies of this application to the President and 
     Secretary of the United States Senate and to the Speaker and 
     Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, to 
     transmit copies to the members of the United States Senate 
     and United States House of Representatives from this state, 
     and to transmit copies hereof to the presiding officers of 
     each of the legislative houses in the several states, 
     requesting their cooperation.
       Section 9. This application constitutes a continuing 
     application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution 
     of the United States until the legislatures of at least two-
     thirds (\2/3\) of the several states have made applications 
     on the same subject, or until December 31, 2023, whichever 
     occurs earlier.
                                  ____

       POM-214. A resolution adopted by the Mayor and City 
     Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida, urging the 
     United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to repeal 
     its prohibition on men who have had sex with men within 12 
     months from donating blood; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.
       POM-215. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to an amendment to the United States Constitution; 
     to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________