[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2040-S2042]
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-16. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the 
     State of New Jersey urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act; to the 
     Committee on Armed Services.

                       Assembly Resolution No. 85

       Whereas, under current federal law, survivors of deceased 
     military members are required to forfeit part or all of their 
     Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity when they are awarded 
     Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the United 
     States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and
       Whereas, currently, surviving spouses of active duty or 
     retired members who died of a service-connected cause are 
     required to forfeit $1 of their SBP annuity for each $1 
     received in DIC; and
       Whereas, for FY 2017, the DIC was approximately $1,258 a 
     month and the offset wiped out most if not all of the SBP 
     annuity compensation for a majority of survivors; and
       Whereas, Congress has made attempts to help some of the 
     survivors by: raising the lump-sum death gratuity for deaths 
     after October 2001; ending the offset for survivors who 
     remarry after age 57; and authorizing the Special Survivor 
     Indemnity Allowance (SSIA), a modest monthly rebate 
     (approximately $310 in FY 2017) to SBP-DIC recipients 
     subjected to this in equity; and
       Whereas, however, the lump-sum increases in the death 
     gratuity did not help the 95% of survivors whose spouses died 
     of service-caused conditions before 2001. Forced to forfeit 
     $1,258 a month, survivors view the SSIA $310 rebate a poor 
     effort at restitution. Moreover, SSIA will terminate in May 
     2018 if Congress does not extend the allowance; and
       Whereas, in 2007, the Veterans Disability Benefits 
     Commission was asked to review the inequity and determined 
     that when military service causes a member's death, the DIC 
     should be paid in addition to the SBP annuity, not subtracted 
     from it; and
       Whereas, the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act is 
     currently pending in Congress to: repeal certain provisions 
     that require the offset of money paid in DIC compensation 
     from SBP annuities for surviving spouses under 60 years of 
     age; prohibit requiring repayment of certain monies 
     previously paid to SBP recipients; and require certain 
     military departments to pay the dependent children when there 
     is no eligible surviving spouse; and
       Whereas, this House urges Congress to pass the Military 
     Surviving Spouses Equity Act because our nation's military 
     personnel risk their lives to defend our nation and our 
     freedoms and they should be able to trust that the benefits 
     they designate for their families will be provided; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. This House urges Congress to enact the Military 
     Surviving Spouses Equity Act.
       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, every member of Congress 
     elected from this State, and the Secretary of the United 
     States Department of Veterans Affairs.
                                  ____

       POM-17. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Alaska urging the implementation of an oil and gas leasing 
     program in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife 
     Refuge; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

[[Page S2041]]

  


                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 7

       Whereas, in 16 U.S.C. 3143 (sec. 1003 of the Alaska 
     National Interest Lands Conservation Act), the United States 
     Congress reserved the right to permit oil and gas development 
     and production in the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas, in 16 U.S.C. 3142 (sec. 1002 of the Alaska 
     National Interest Lands Conservation Act), the United States 
     Congress authorized nondrilling exploratory activity in the 
     coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas sec. 20001 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 
     (P.L. 115-97) requires the United States Secretary of the 
     Interior to establish and administer a competitive oil and 
     gas program for the leasing, development, and production of 
     oil and gas in and the transportation of oil and gas from the 
     coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas sec. 20001 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 
     (P.L. 115-97) requires that at least two lease sales be held 
     by December 22, 2024, and that each sale offer for lease at 
     least 400,000 acres of land with the highest hydrocarbon 
     potential in the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge, allowing for up to 2,000 acres of federal 
     land, which is equivalent to .01 percent of the 19,300,000-
     acre refuge, to be covered by production and support 
     facilities; and
       Whereas the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife 
     Refuge contains an estimated 7,687,000,000 barrels of 
     recoverable oil and 7,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural 
     gas; and
       Whereas the exploration, development, and production of oil 
     and gas in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife 
     Refuge is predicted to generate 1,430 direct jobs and 6,350 
     indirect jobs annually and 2,480 direct jobs and 10,100 
     indirect jobs at peak employment; and
       Whereas the estimated potential government revenue from 
     petroleum development in the coastal plain of the Arctic 
     National Wildlife Refuge through 2050, including revenue to 
     the North Slope Borough, the state, and the federal 
     government from royalties, income taxes, production taxes, 
     and property taxes, equals $104,673,000,000; and
       Whereas oil and gas development in the coastal plain of the 
     Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has the potential to extend 
     the life of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System and increase 
     throughput, which has declined from a peak of 2,033,000 
     average barrels of oil a day in 1988 to 509,000 average 
     barrels of oil a day in 2018; and
       Whereas oil and gas development in the coastal plain of the 
     Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has the potential to enhance 
     the economic viability of the proposed Alaska liquefied 
     natural gas project; and
       Whereas oil and gas development on the coastal plain would 
     strengthen national security and provide long-lasting 
     benefits to the national economy by creating thousands of 
     jobs nationwide, generating billions of dollars in government 
     revenue, providing affordable energy to American consumers, 
     and decreasing dependence on foreign energy; and
       Whereas advances in extended-reach and directional drilling 
     technology have greatly reduced the impact area of oil and 
     gas activities, including shrinking the average drilling pad 
     size by more than 80 percent, from 65 acres in 1970 to 12 
     acres today, and increasing the subsurface area accessible 
     from modern drilling pads by nearly 2,000 percent, from three 
     square miles in 1970 to 60 square miles today; and
       Whereas safe and responsible oil and gas exploration, 
     development, and production has been demonstrated by over 50 
     years of activity on the North Slope of Alaska without 
     adverse effects on the environment or wildlife populations; 
     and
       Whereas the state continues to strive to ensure the ongoing 
     health and productivity of the Porcupine and Central Arctic 
     caribou herds and the protection of land, water, and wildlife 
     resources during the exploration and development of the 
     coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and
       Whereas polling consistently shows Alaskans overwhelmingly 
     support responsible oil and gas development in the non-
     wilderness portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; 
     and
       Whereas, while most Alaskans support development in the 
     coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, many do 
     so with the understanding that the state's workforce will be 
     used to the maximum extent possible if the leasing program 
     moves forward; and
       Whereas the proposed leasing area of the coastal plain of 
     the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is located in the North 
     Slope Borough, and many residents of the borough, the 
     population of which is predominantly Inupiat, are supportive 
     of development in the non-wilderness area of the coastal 
     plain; be it further Resolved, That the Alaska State 
     Legislature requests that the United States Department of the 
     Interior, Bureau of Land Management, implement an oil and gas 
     leasing program in the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge as outlined in the December 2018 Coastal 
     Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Draft Environmental Impact 
     Statement; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 
     Management, in its consideration of action alternatives 
     outlined in the December 2018 Coastal Plain Oil and Gas 
     Leasing Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement, take 
     into account the long history of safe and responsible oil and 
     gas development on Alaska's North Slope, the enormous 
     benefits development of oil and gas resources in the coastal 
     plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would bring to 
     the state and the nation, the advances in oilfield technology 
     that continue to shrink the impact area of oil and gas 
     activities, and the support of residents from the North Slope 
     Borough and across the North Slope of Alaska for oil and gas 
     development in a portion of the coastal plain.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Donald J. Trump, President of the United States; the 
     Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United 
     States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable David 
     Bernhardt, Acting United States Secretary of the Interior; 
     Brian Steed, Deputy Director for Policy and Programs, Bureau 
     of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior; and 
     Nicole Hayes, Coastal Plain Project Manager, Bureau of Land 
     Management Alaska State Office, U.S. Department of the 
     Interior.
                                  ____

       POM-18. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of South Dakota urging the United States 
     Congress to amend the Social Security Act to allow states to 
     provide Medicaid services to those persons presumed innocent 
     in jail awaiting trial; to the Committee on Finance.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S2041, March 27, 2019, at the bottom of the second 
column, the following appears: POM-18. A concurrent resolution 
adopted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota urging the 
United States Congress to amend the Social Security Act to allow 
states to provide Medicaid services to those persons presumed 
innocent in jail awaiting trail; to the Committee on Finance.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: POM-18. A 
concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of 
South Dakota urging the United States Congress to amend the Social 
Security Act to allow states to provide Medicaid services to those 
persons presumed innocent in jail awaiting trial; to the Committee 
on Finance.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 8

       Whereas, a basic principle of the United States judicial 
     system is that citizens charged with a crime are innocent 
     until proven guilty; and
       Whereas, the United States and South Dakota have determined 
     it is right and appropriate to care for our most vulnerable 
     citizens through the Medicaid program, and county jails are 
     populated by many persons who have serious medical conditions 
     and mental illnesses or who are the parents of small children 
     who qualify for Medicaid benefits; and
       Whereas, the jail population in the United States is 
     growing faster than the prison population, and approximately 
     two-thirds of the jail population consists of those pending 
     disposition who remain innocent until proven guilty and who 
     are currently not being treated equally to those awaiting 
     trial who obtained bail and were released awaiting 
     adjudication; and
       Whereas, providing Medicaid services to persons in jail 
     pending disposition will increase the likelihood that the 
     provision of services is continuous once the person reenters 
     the community; and
       Whereas, section 1905(a)(A) of the Social Security Act 
     prevents South Dakota from providing Medicaid services to 
     persons in jail pending disposition who would otherwise be 
     covered under the Medicaid policies of South Dakota: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, By the Senate of the Ninety-Fourth Legislature of 
     the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives 
     concurring therein, that the Legislature requests the United 
     States Congress to amend the Social Security Act to allow 
     states to provide Medicaid services to those persons presumed 
     innocent in jail awaiting trial; and be it further
       Resolved, That the secretary of the senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the Speaker and Clerk of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the President and Secretary 
     of the United States Senate, the United States Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services, and to the South Dakota 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-19. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     California urging the United States Congress and the 
     President of the United States to support a woman's right to 
     make reproductive health decisions and access reproductive 
     healthcare; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions.

                        Senate Resolution No. 7

       Whereas, January 22, 2019, marks the 46th anniversary of 
     the United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. 
     Wade (1973) 410 U.S. 113, which affirmed that every woman has 
     a fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions 
     and to decide whether to [end or to continue pregnancy,] 
     continue a pregnancy or obtain an abortion, and is an 
     occasion deserving of acknowledgment; and
       Whereas, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of women's 
     ability to control their reproductive lives, allowing every 
     woman in the United States the right to decide when, if, and 
     with whom to have children, and how many children to [have;] 
     have, and has helped facilitate women's economic and societal 
     participation in the United States; and
       [Whereas, Women's ability to control their reproductive 
     lives has helped and facilitated their participation in the 
     economic and social life of our nation; and]
       Whereas, In the years prior to the Roe v. Wade [has 
     drastically reduced the maternal mortality rate for women 
     terminating their pregnancies in the United States. In the 
     years prior to the] decision, illegal abortion accounted for 
     approximately 17 percent of all reported deaths attributable 
     to pregnancy and childbirth, and many women were severely 
     injured as a result of ``back alley'' abortion procedures; 
     and
       Whereas, Interference with a woman's right to choose causes 
     women to be forced into illegal and dangerous abortions, as 
     they often were in the United States before the

[[Page S2042]]

     Roe v. Wade decision. Many women are forced to make these 
     decisions today in countries where abortion is illegal and 
     where the unsafe methods of illegal abortion lead to 13 
     percent of global maternal deaths annually, or eight maternal 
     deaths every [hour. Many survivors of an illegal abortion 
     suffer serious and often permanent injuries;] hour; and
       Whereas, Roe v. Wade continues to protect the health and 
     freedom of women throughout the United [States;] States. 
     National peer-reviewed studies show abortion is a safe 
     medical procedure, increasingly provided through outpatient 
     medication, that nearly one in four women in the United 
     States will access; and
       Whereas, Roe v. Wade is in serious jeopardy of being 
     overturned or further eroded due to President Donald J. 
     Trump's appointment of two justices to the United States 
     Supreme Court who have a record of being hostile to a woman's 
     constitutional right to choose, Neil Gorsuch and Brett 
     Kavanaugh; and
       Whereas, States are passing legislation that creates 
     barriers to abortion and there are more than a dozen cases 
     limiting abortion rights that could be considered by the 
     Supreme Court of the United States; and
       Whereas, Providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare 
     are still under serious, unrelenting attack for providing 
     essential information and services, such as abortion, as 
     evidenced by bomb threats, arson, and vandalism in California 
     and the fact that death threats against abortion providers 
     doubled, and incidents of clinic obstruction tripled, 
     nationally from 2016 to 2017 alone; and
       Whereas, The State of California stands in strong support 
     of every woman's fundamental right, as confirmed in Roe v. 
     Wade, to make [her own] decisions regarding [her pregnancy;] 
     pregnancy and commits to boldly advance access to sexual and 
     reproductive healthcare within our state; now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the 
     Senate urges the President of the United States and the 
     United States Congress to express their support for a woman's 
     fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions, 
     as well as their support for access to comprehensive 
     reproductive [health care,] healthcare, including the 
     services provided by Planned Parenthood; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to 
     each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-20. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the 
     State of New Jersey urging the United States Congress to pass 
     legislation that would automatically enroll veterans for 
     benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs system; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                      Assembly Resolution No. 163

       Whereas, Military service members are eligible for a range 
     of United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits 
     when they are discharged; and
       Whereas, Currently, those benefits may include, but are not 
     limited to, healthcare, disability, educational, and 
     employment benefits; and
       Whereas, Under the VA pre-discharge program, members are 
     encouraged to apply for each type of benefit they are 
     entitled to prior to their discharge, and are encouraged to 
     work with an accredited representative during this process; 
     and
       Whereas, While helpful to service members, the process in 
     place for applying for each type of benefit can be time 
     consuming and burdensome, especially as service members are 
     making a transition from military to civilian life; and
       Whereas, Providing for automatic enrollment of veterans for 
     the VA benefits they are entitled to would facilitate this 
     process and ease the transition to civilian life: Now, 
     therefore,
       Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. This House urges the United States Congress to pass 
     legislation to automatically enroll veterans for benefits 
     they are entitled to in the United States Department of 
     Veterans Affairs system.
       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 of the United States Senate, the 
     Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, the House Minority Leader, the 
     Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, and each member of Congress elected from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-21. A petition from a citizen of the State of Ohio 
     relative to tax incentives on American-made automobiles; to 
     the Committee on Finance.

                          ____________________