[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 109 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4626-S4627]
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-97. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Montana urging the United States Congress to 
     pass a federal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law for beef 
     and pork products that meets World Trade Organization 
     requirements; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
     Forestry.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 16

       Whereas, in 2002, Congress reauthorized the Farm Bill, 
     which included mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, 
     lamb, pork, farm-raised and wild fish, peanuts, and other 
     perishable commodities; and
       Whereas, in 2005, the Montana Legislature passed the 
     Country of Origin Placarding Act until ``funding and full 
     implementation of federal mandatory country of origin 
     labeling''; and
       Whereas, in 2009, Montana's country-of-origin labeling 
     (COOL) laws were voided, as the federal act was implemented; 
     and
       Whereas, in 2015, federal COOL rules ceased being enforced 
     for beef and pork products only due mainly to a World Trade 
     Organization ruling; and
       Whereas, consumers want to know the origin of their food; 
     and
       Whereas, American and Montana farmers and ranchers want 
     consumers to know the origin of their food; and
       Whereas, Congress should pass laws and the U.S. Department 
     of Agriculture should administer rules and regulations for 
     COOL certification for beef and pork products that do not 
     impose undue compliance costs, liability, recordkeeping, or 
     verification requirements on farmers and ranchers.
       Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives of the State of Montana:
       That the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
     66th Montana Legislature urges Congress to pass a federal 
     COOL law

[[Page S4627]]

     for beef and pork products that meets World Trade 
     Organization requirements; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of State send copies of this 
     resolution to the individual members of the United States 
     House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
                                  ____

       POM-98. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Montana memorializing its opposition to the 
     bison grazing proposal by the American Prairie Reserve; to 
     the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 28

       Whereas, the American Prairie Reserve (APR) controls 
     private properties tied to 18 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
     grazing allotments in Fergus, Petroleum, Phillips, and Valley 
     counties; and
       Whereas, the APR has requested that the SLM fundamentally 
     shift long-established grazing practices on the 18 BLM 
     allotments, which encompass 250,000 acres of public property; 
     and
       Whereas, APR has petitioned to change the allotments from 
     seasonal or rotational grazing to year-round grazing and 
     remove the interior fencing on those allotments; and
       Whereas, the APR proposes to allow the year-round, 
     continuous grazing of public land by bison, which would 
     impact the future grazing viability of the allotments; and
       Whereas, the existing BLM designation for managed grazing 
     is what science dictates the rangeland can support; and
       Whereas, it is the responsibility of the BLM to ensure the 
     future vitality of these public parcels is protected; and
       Whereas, the removal of interior fences will eliminate the 
     ability of BLM to control the access of bison to certain 
     parcels to shorten grazing permits in response to drought or 
     fire to protect the rangeland.
       Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives of the State of Montana:
       (1) That it is essential for the preservation of the future 
     viability of Montana's rangeland that the BLM deny the 
     petition by the APR to alter grazing permits on the 18 
     allotments under the control of APR.
       (2) That the denial of the proposed APR grazing permit 
     change is critical for the health of Montana's livestock and 
     wildlife.
       (3) That private landowners and communities should not bear 
     the cost of damages incurred by the lack of integrated bison 
     management in the APR's grazing proposal.
       (4) That the denial of the APR grazing proposal would 
     protect Montana farmers, ranchers, and communities.
       (5) That the BLM should deny the APR bison grazing 
     proposal.
       (6) That the Secretary of State send a copy of this 
     resolution to the United States Congress, the Department of 
     the Interior, and the Bureau of Land Management.
                                  ____

       POM-99. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Montana memorializing its support of the 
     ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement; to 
     the Committee on Finance.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 13

       Whereas, the United States and Canada have one of the 
     largest trading relationships in the world, and Canada is the 
     United States' largest export market, valued at $320 billion 
     ($411 billion Canadian) in goods and services in 2017 and the 
     United States is Canada's largest export market, valued at 
     $308 billion ($396 billion Canadian) in 2017 goods and 
     services; and
       Whereas, this trade supports 9 million jobs in the United 
     States and 2.1 million jobs in Canada; and
       Whereas, in the more than 20 years since the United States, 
     Canada, and Mexico entered into the North American Free Trade 
     Agreement (NAFTA), trade among these countries tripled from 
     $340 billion in 1993 to $1.2 trillion in 2016; and
       Whereas, North American integration of trade under NAFTA 
     has helped to make the region more competitive in the world 
     economy by providing highly integrated and valuable supply 
     chains, as well as common rules and harmonized regulations 
     that increase the speed and global competitiveness of one 
     another's businesses, and by driving investment and imbedding 
     value in each others' economic success, including by 
     providing jobs in North American communities; and
       Whereas, Canada and Mexico are the first-ranked and third-
     ranked markets, respectively, for agriculture exports from 
     the United States at an estimated $20.6 billion sent to 
     Canada and $18.6 billion sent to Mexico, up from $8.7 billion 
     in 1992, the year that NAFTA was signed; and
       Whereas, of particular interest to Montana because Canada 
     is its largest trade partner, Canada has agreed to grade 
     imports of wheat from the United States in a manner no less 
     favorable than that accorded to wheat in its own country and 
     not to require a country of origin statement on its quality 
     grade or inspection certificate; and
       Whereas, in signing the United States-Mexico-Canada 
     Agreement, the three countries have agreed to make targeted 
     improvements to NAFTA and build on the successful partnership 
     and a shared competitiveness in the global marketplace in 
     which free, fair, open, and mutually beneficial trade helps 
     to strengthen the economies of all countries.
       1Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives of the State of Montana:
       That the Montana Legislature supports the ratification of 
     the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade by all 
     countries as soon as possible; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Montana Secretary of State send copies 
     of this resolution to the President of the United States, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the 
     Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Consulate of 
     Canada in Colorado, the Consulate of Mexico in Colorado, each 
     member of the United States Senate Finance Committee, the 
     United States House of Representatives Ways and Means 
     Committee, the United States Senate Advisory Group on 
     Negotiations, and the United States House of Representatives 
     Advisory Group on Negotiations, the United States Trade 
     Representative, the United States Secretary of Commerce, the 
     United States Secretary of State, the United States Secretary 
     of Labor, the Director of the Office of Management and 
     Budget, and the Intellectual Property Enforcement 
     Coordinator.
                                  ____

       POM-100. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to the naturalization procedures of non-American 
     citizens; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________