[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7108-S7109]
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-134. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan urging the United 
     States Congress to properly fund the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Board of Veterans' Appeals and to urge the Board to 
     streamline its process so that appeals are decided in a more 
     timely manner; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 3

       Whereas, Military veterans have a number of benefits 
     available to them when honorably discharged from service. 
     However, to receive disability benefits, veterans must apply 
     and be approved by agents at local veterans affairs offices. 
     If denied, the veteran has a right to appeal to the federal 
     Board of Veterans' Appeals; and
       Whereas, As of July 2016, more than 81,000 cases were 
     pending before the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and veterans 
     are waiting an average of five years for cases to be 
     determined. The wait time for a case to be resolved is 
     unacceptable to the men and women who have served our 
     country, and action must be taken to ensure that they are 
     able to access the benefits they have earned; and
       Whereas, Additional funding and staff are necessary to 
     properly address the backlog, as well as the estimated 57,000 
     new complaints received in 2016. Streamlining the complex 
     appeals process is also required. Increased funding for the 
     board was included in H.R.

[[Page S7109]]

     2577 of 2015. However, the bill did not pass the U.S. Senate 
     before the congressional session ended. Legislation is 
     pending in the 115th Congress (H.R. 457) to require changes 
     to the appeals process to address the backlog of appeals; 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (The Senate 
     Concurring), That we urge the Congress of the United States 
     to properly fund the Department of Veterans Affairs Board of 
     Veterans' Appeals and to urge the Board to streamline its 
     process so that appeals are decided in a more timely manner, 
     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 chairman of the 
     Board of Veterans' Appeals.
                                  ____

       POM-135. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan memorializing the 
     United States Congress to award a posthumous Medal of Honor 
     to Sergeant Thomas Henry Sheppard for his actions during the 
     Civil War; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 14

       Whereas, A most remarkable--and long overlooked--sustained 
     act of patriotism and honor in U.S. military history is 
     credited to Sgt. Thomas Henry Sheppard of Michigan's Almont, 
     Marlette, and Imlay City area, during his service as flag 
     bearer for Company E, First Michigan Cavalry, in the Civil 
     War; and
       Whereas, These actions include riding with his oversize 
     personal flag in multiple engagements with Confederate troops 
     in Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862 and 
     in the Battle of Gettysburg of 1863; and
       Whereas, These actions also include secreting his flag on 
     his person after being wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg, 
     subsequently keeping his flag safely hidden by wrapping it 
     around his body during 505 days as a prisoner of war in 
     Andersonville and other Confederate camps, all the while 
     risking severe punishment or even execution; and
       Whereas, Sgt. Sheppard and his flag received wide 
     recognition at multiple Civil War reunions and other events, 
     as reported in newspaper accounts in the late 19th century; 
     and
       Whereas, The Sheppard flag, punctured by 72 bullet holes, 
     has been authenticated as genuine after having been restored 
     and preserved for permanent display at the Dearborn 
     Historical Museum; and
       Whereas, Sgt Sheppard never received official recognition 
     for his sustained act of patriotism and honor; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     Concurring), That we memorialize the Congress of the United 
     States to award a posthumous Medal of Honor to Sergeant 
     Thomas Henry Sheppard for his actions during the Civil War; 
     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, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-136. A resolution adopted by the Common Council of the 
     City of Syracuse, New York urging the United States Congress 
     to take the necessary actions to ensure that the State and 
     Local Tax (SALT) Deduction remains a part of the Federal Tax 
     Code; to the Committee on Finance.

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