[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 101 (Monday, June 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3981-S3982]
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-247. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Michigan urging the United States Congress to 
     award the posthumous Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Colonel 
     Albert M. Edwards for his actions during the Civil War; to 
     the Committee on Armed Services.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 19

       Whereas, A resident of Detroit at the tune of the Civil 
     War, Albert M. Edwards left college in his second year to 
     enlist as a sergeant in the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment 
     During his service, he was promoted to captain of Company F 
     where he was instrumental in raising the new regiment, 
     organizing his company in only two days, and
       Whereas, Captain Edwards took command of the regiment in 
     the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 As other leaders 
     were wounded or killed, Captain Edwards behaved gallantly to 
     rally the men while under fire. The regiment suffered 
     horrible casualties, more than any of the 400 Union regiments 
     that fought in the three-day battle. The 24th Michigan 
     Infantry was instrumental in providing the Army of the 
     Potomac time to establish a solid defensive position that the 
     Confederate Army would not be able to break, and
       Whereas, Captain Edwards commanded the regiment multiple 
     times during his service and participated in every battle and 
     march of the regiment. Although never wounded in action, he 
     was captured in battle but returned to his regiment in a 
     prisoner exchange. He was promoted to major and lieutenant-
     colonel during the war. When the regiment returned to Detroit 
     in June of 1865, Colonel Edwards was in command, and
       Whereas, While fighting in the Battle of the Wilderness in 
     May 1864, Major Edwards captured a Confederate flag. The 
     capture was recorded by the regiment historian and confirmed 
     by an assistant adjutant general, and the flag found its way 
     to the archives of the War Department in Washington Capturing 
     a Confederate battle flag was a common criterion for awarding 
     the medal of honor to a soldier, and
       Whereas, Colonel Edwards was given the honorary promotion 
     of ``Brevet Colonel,'' often used in recognition of gallant 
     conduct or other meritorious service Colonel Edwards also 
     received wide acknowledgement at Civil War reunions, as 
     reported in newspapers, and
       Whereas, Colonel Albert M. Edwards has never received 
     official recognition for his acts 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 the posthumous Medal of Honor to Lieutenant-
     Colonel Albert M. Edwards 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-248. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the State of New Jersey urging the United States Congress to 
     enact S. 1112, the ``Maternal Health Accountability Act of 
     2017'' in order to enable states and the federal government 
     to share responsibility in identifying opportunities for 
     improving care, reducing disparities, and implementing system 
     changes relating to maternal health care, and to educate 
     health care providers, pregnant women, their families, and 
     the public about preventing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-
     associated complications and deaths; to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                      Assembly Resolution No. 113

       Whereas, The United States is ranked 50th in the world for 
     its maternal mortality rate, and is one of eight countries in 
     which the maternal mortality rate has been on the rise; and
       Whereas, Recent studies have found that the estimated 
     maternal mortality rate in the United States increased by 
     approximately 27 percent between 2000 and 2014, with the rate 
     increasing in nearly every state in the country; and
       Whereas, Maternal deaths in the United States result from 
     pregnancy-related causes such as hemorrhage, hypertensive 
     disease, preeclampsia, embolic disease, and sepsis, 
     addiction-related causes such as substance use disorder and 
     overdose, and violent causes, including motor vehicle 
     accidents, homicide, and suicide; and
       Whereas, The most severe complications of pregnancy, 
     generally referred to as severe maternal morbidity, affect 
     more than 65,000 women in the United States each year; and
       Whereas, Data from the United States Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention (CDC) shows African-American women are 
     three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related 
     complications or childbirth than White women and women of 
     other races; and
       Whereas, These statistics are a source of great concern for 
     the CDC, health care providers, and patient advocacy 
     organizations such as the American Congress of Obstetricians 
     and Gynecologists, the Association of Women's Health, 
     Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and the Preeclampsia 
     Foundation; and
       Whereas, Systemic reviews of maternal pregnancy-related and 
     pregnancy-associated deaths are essential in determining 
     strategies for developing prevention efforts, identifying at-
     risk populations, and understanding how to support expectant 
     mothers and make pregnancy and the postpartum period safer; 
     and
       Whereas, The CDC recommends that maternal deaths be 
     investigated through State maternal mortality review 
     committees; and
       Whereas, The committees include obstetricians and 
     neonatologists from private and public health care settings 
     and representatives of relevant academic, health, social 
     service, policy, and community-based organizations, and make 
     recommendations for preventing pregnancy-related and 
     pregnancy-associated complications and deaths and identifying 
     ways to improve quality of care for women and children; and

[[Page S3982]]

       Whereas, Currently, fewer than 25 states conduct systemic 
     reviews of maternal deaths or have standing maternal 
     mortality review committees; and
       Whereas, A bill pending before the United States Congress, 
     S. 1112, the federal ``Maternal Health Accountability Act of 
     2017,'' would require the CDC to support states and federally 
     recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations in saving 
     and sustaining the health of mothers during pregnancy, 
     childbirth, and in the postpartum period, eliminating 
     disparities in maternal health outcomes, assessing the 
     various factors that may contribute to maternal mortality, 
     including quality of care and systemic problems in the 
     delivery of health care, identifying solutions to address 
     these factors, and developing appropriate interventions to 
     reduce and prevent maternal deaths; and
       Whereas, Under the provisions of S. 1112, the CDC is 
     required to establish a grant program through which states 
     and federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal 
     organizations would receive funds to establish maternal 
     mortality review committees; and
       Whereas, The purpose of these committees would be to 
     collect data on pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated 
     deaths and make recommendations on improving maternal health 
     before, during, and after pregnancy; and
       Whereas, The enactment of S. 1112 will enable states and 
     the federal government to share responsibility in identifying 
     opportunities for improving care, reducing disparities, and 
     implementing system changes relating to maternal health care, 
     and to educate health care providers, pregnant women, their 
     families, and the public about preventing pregnancy-related 
     and pregnancy-associated complications and deaths; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. The United States Congress is respectfully urged to 
     enact S. 1112, the ``Maternal Health Accountability Act of 
     2017'' in order to enable states and the federal government 
     to share responsibility in identifying opportunities for 
     improving care, reducing disparities, and implementing system 
     changes relating to maternal health care, and to educate 
     health care providers, pregnant women, their families, and 
     the public about preventing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-
     associated complications and deaths.
       2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary 
     of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General 
     Assembly, to the President and Vice President of the United 
     States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United 
     States House of Representatives, and to every member of New 
     Jersey's congressional delegation.

                          ____________________