[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1671-S1672]
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-188. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     New Jersey respectfully urging the United States Congress to 
     propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to 
     prohibit the use of slavery or indentured servitude for 
     individuals convicted of a crime; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                        Senate Resolution No. 16

       Whereas, The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States 
     Constitution was adopted in 1865, and is commonly understood 
     to have abolished slavery and indentured servitude in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, The Thirteenth Amendment reads: ``Neither slavery 
     nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime 
     whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist 
     within the United States, or any place subject to their 
     jurisdiction''; and
       Whereas, The Thirteenth Amendment did not completely 
     abolish slavery and indentured servitude, but rather allowed 
     both slavery and indentured servitude to remain legal as 
     punishments for individuals convicted of a crime; and
       Whereas, Twenty-Five percent of the worlds incarcerated 
     population, roughly 2.3 million people, currently reside in 
     the United States; and
       Whereas, Nearly 20 percent of federal prisoners and seven 
     percent of state prisoners are held in private correctional 
     facilities; and
       Whereas, The private correctional facility industry is a 
     $4.8 billion industry; and
       Whereas, In order to make a profit, private correctional 
     facilities often rely on low cost labor provided by prison 
     workers; and
       Whereas, According to the Seventh Circuit Appeals Court, 
     prison workers are not entitled to receive the minimum wage 
     under the ``Fair Labor Standards Act,'' and the average 
     working inmate's wage is 93 cents per hour; and
       Whereas, Incarcerated workers in states such as South 
     Carolina and Texas are not paid for the work that they are 
     forced to perform; and
       Whereas, According to the Solidarity Research Center, the 
     California prison system made a $58 million profit from the 
     work of prison inmates, where 4,000 California prison workers 
     earn $2 per day; and
       Whereas, Most of the work performed by incarcerated 
     individuals does not develop skills that are translatable to 
     the labor market outside of prison; and
       Whereas, Therefore, it is appropriate for Congress to adopt 
     an amendment to the United States Constitution to prohibit 
     the use of slavery and indentured servitude for incarcerated 
     individuals: Now, therefore,

[[Page S1672]]

       Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
       1. This House urges Congress to propose an Amendment to the 
     United States Constitution to prohibit the use of slavery, 
     indentured servitude, and involuntary servitude within the 
     United States or any of its territories.
       2. Copies of this resolution as filed with the Secretary of 
     State shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and each member of 
     Congress elected from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-189. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the State of New Jersey urging the United States Congress and 
     the President of the United States to provide funding and 
     other incentives to states to promote hydrogen fuel cell 
     vehicle usage; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.

                       Assembly Resolution No. 38

       Whereas, There is a vital need to support transportation 
     energy sources other than imported and domestic fossil fuels, 
     which adversely affect economic growth, cause air pollution, 
     and contribute to climate change; and
       Whereas, The promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and 
     the infrastructure needed to refuel them would reduce the 
     billions of dollars that New Jersey citizens, businesses, and 
     institutions pay each year to foreign oil suppliers for the 
     gasoline and diesel fuels needed to support an estimated 77 
     billion on-road vehicle miles traveled annually in the State; 
     and
       Whereas, Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and related refueling 
     infrastructure can be used to attract new business and 
     industries to the State; and
       Whereas, New Jersey residents continue to breathe unhealthy 
     levels of air toxins, such as oxides of nitrogen and ozone, 
     which can compromise their health; and
       Whereas, Air pollution is particularly harmful for children 
     with asthma and seniors with breathing problems or other 
     health issues, resulting in missed school days, asthma 
     attacks, and even premature deaths; and
       Whereas, Air quality will continue to deteriorate if 
     practical approaches to transportation energy sources and 
     transportation infrastructure in the State are not adopted; 
     and
       Whereas, Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are zero emission--
     they run on compressed hydrogen fuel cells that produce 
     electricity to propel the vehicle--so operating them does not 
     produce air pollution; and
       Whereas, Global warming is a serious threat to New Jersey, 
     putting the State's beaches, waterfront communities, and 
     tourism industry at risk from sea-level rise, and threatening 
     to cause dramatic and costly interruptions in vital 
     transportation and shipping infrastructure; and
       Whereas, The State of New Jersey set strong standards to 
     reduce global warming and air pollution and to increase 
     renewable energy production through the passage of the 
     ``Global Warming Response Act'' and the adoption of a strong 
     renewable energy mandate on the State's utilities; and
       Whereas, Hydrogen can be produced using only electricity 
     and water, so hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be fueled and 
     operated without generating carbon dioxide or other 
     greenhouse gases; now, therefore, and be it
       Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. This House respectfully urges the United States Congress 
     and the President of the United States to provide financial 
     support and other incentives to the states to promote and 
     incentivize the local adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles 
     as a means of reducing the nation's dependence on fossil 
     fuels, particularly imported fossil fuels, which would also 
     serve to mitigate the detrimental effects of global warming 
     and air pollution caused by vehicle emissions.
       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 every member of Congress 
     elected from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-190. A report from the Housing Authority of the City of 
     High Point, North Carolina entitled ``Housing Authority of 
     the City of High Point 2019 Annual Report''; to the Committee 
     on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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