[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 13, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2420-S2421]
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-193. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     New Jersey urging the federal government to create a federal 
     COVID-19 Business and Employee Continuity and Recovery Fund; 
     to the Committee on Appropriations.

                        Senate Resolution No. 65

       Whereas, The United States faces an unprecedented public 
     health crisis in the form of the coronavirus disease 2019 
     pandemic; and
       Whereas, There have already been over 15,000 confirmed 
     cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in the State of New Jersey 
     and that number is expected to climb higher throughout the 
     month of April and beyond; and
       Whereas, Under Executive Order 107, the Governor has 
     directed all residents to remain at home until further 
     notice, in an effort to promote social distancing and stop 
     the spread of the disease through personal contact; and
       Whereas, Social distancing has caused considerable business 
     disruption, with many businesses closed or operating at a 
     reduced capacity indefinitely; and
       Whereas, This has caused considerable financial hardship to 
     employees who have been laid off, furloughed, or are working 
     reduced hours, and to business owners who have seen a 
     considerable reduction in income; and
       Whereas, This situation is consistent in every state in the 
     country, and even those states that have not enacted orders 
     to stay at home have seen economic hardships resulting from 
     voluntary social distancing; and
       Whereas, Without government intervention, this large-scale 
     business disruption will result in rampant unemployment, 
     long-term damage to financial markets, and irreparable harm 
     to communities across the country; and
       Whereas, Government intervention in the form of the 
     provision of liquidity to affected businesses would be of 
     considerable assistance to any business, regardless of 
     industry, location, or size; and
       Whereas, The proposed COVID-19 Business and Employee 
     Continuity and Recovery Fund allows for the distribution of 
     federal funds and liquidity to impacted businesses and their 
     employees; and
       Whereas, Funding provided by the COVID-19 Business and 
     Employee Continuity and Recovery Fund will help businesses 
     retain and rehire employees, maintain worker benefits, and 
     meet operating expense obligations, and includes strong anti-
     abuse provisions, including audits and Special Inspector 
     General oversight; and

[[Page S2421]]

       Whereas, Federal assistance is therefore needed to help all 
     businesses in the State and in the country; Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
       1. This House respectfully urges the President of the 
     United States and the United States Congress to support the 
     creation of the COVID-19 Business and Employee Continuity and 
     Recovery Fund.
       2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary 
     of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate 
     to the President and Vice President of the United States, the 
     Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of 
     Representatives, and to every member of the Congress elected 
     from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-194. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington respectfully requesting that Congress 
     take the appropriate steps to restore federal benefits to 
     Compacts of Free Association (COFA) migrants; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

               Substitute Senate Joint Memorial No. 8017

       Whereas, Since 1986, Compacts of Free Association (COFA) 
     between the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of 
     Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, 
     Yap, Pohnpei), and the United States allow citizens of 
     nations with COFA agreements to serve in the United States 
     military and enter, lawfully reside, and work in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, The relationship between the nations with Compacts 
     of Free Association and the United States includes economic 
     development and a military presence; and
       Whereas, The region served as a testing ground for 
     atmospheric nuclear weapons between 1946 and 1958, which 
     resulted in past and current inhabitants being exposed to 
     high levels of radioactive fallout; and
       Whereas, When the Compacts were originally signed, COFA 
     migrants were eligible for Medicaid and other federal 
     programs; and
       Whereas, Despite paying state and federal taxes, these 
     migrants were excluded from benefits as a consequence of the 
     federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
     Reconciliation Act in 1996; and
       Whereas, This ineligibility for federal health programs has 
     exacerbated barriers to health care access for this 
     population, which has led to poorer health outcomes and 
     increased, long-term costs on the health care system as a 
     whole; and
       Whereas, Research shows that people living in households in 
     which the primary language spoken at home is not English, 
     seniors, people with disabilities, and people who identify as 
     Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders are disproportionately 
     impacted by health inequities; and
       Whereas, Washington state has the second-largest population 
     of Kosraeans and the third-largest population of Palauans and 
     Marshallese people in the United States according to the 2010 
     United States Census; and
       Whereas, Washington recognized the need to help address 
     health inequities by providing support for citizens of 
     nations with COFA agreements in need of food, medical, and 
     dental care assistance in Washington state; and
       Whereas, Washington state continues to advocate, alongside 
     other states, for congressional legislation to restore 
     federal benefits for COFA communities who continue to provide 
     military service at higher rates than the overall population 
     of the United States and valuable economic and cultural 
     contributions in the United States; and
       Whereas, The COFA communities in Washington are engaged in 
     providing feedback regarding COFA renewal and participated in 
     listening sessions as part of the recent United States 
     Government Accountability Office study of COFA migrants in 
     the United States in the fall of 2019;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully request that 
     Congress take the appropriate steps to: Restore federal 
     benefits for COFA migrants, the including Supplemental 
     Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid; ensure that 
     citizens of nations with COFA agreements are appropriately 
     counted as part of the 2020 census; consider the uniqueness 
     of COFA status in all immigration policies, including 
     exempting citizens of nations with COFA agreements from 
     changes to the public charge rules; and immediately begin 
     work on COFA renewal negotiations; be it
       Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of 
     the United States, the President of the United States Senate, 
     the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member 
     of Congress from the State of Washington.
                                  ____

       POM-195. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska requesting the Secretary of the Treasury 
     to mint not less than 5,000,000 $1 coins, honoring Elizabeth 
     Peratrovich under the Native American $1 Coin Act; to the 
     Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                      House Joint Resolution No. 9

       Whereas Elizabeth Peratrovich, of the Tlingit Nation, was 
     an important civil rights activist who fought for equality 
     for Alaska Natives; and
       Whereas Elizabeth Peratrovich advocated for the passage of 
     the Alaska Territorial Legislature's Anti-Discrimination Act 
     of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas Elizabeth Peratrovich served as the Grand President 
     of the Alaska Native Sisterhood; and
       Whereas, in 1988, the Alaska State Legislature established 
     February 16 of each year as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day; and
       Whereas, in 1992, the public gallery of the chambers of the 
     House of Representatives formerly known as Gallery B was 
     renamed in honor of Elizabeth Peratrovich; and
       Whereas Elizabeth Peratrovich was named as a 2018 honoree 
     of the National Women's History Alliance; and
       Whereas, in 2020, residents of the state will celebrate 
     Elizabeth Peratrovich and the 75th anniversary of the Alaska 
     Anti-Discrimination Act; and be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Secretary of the Treasury, under the Native 
     American $1 Coin Act, mint not less than 5,000,000 Elizabeth 
     Peratrovich $1 coins to be issued at face value and delivered 
     to the Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San 
     Francisco for distribution for deposit in banks throughout 
     the State of Alaska; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Secretary of the Treasury carry out a 
     continuing campaign to encourage commercial enterprises to 
     accept and dispense Elizabeth Peratrovich $1 coins.
       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 Nancy 
     Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 
     Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin, United States Secretary of the 
     Treasury; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable 
     Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, 
     U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in 
     Congress.
                                  ____



       POM-196. A resolution adopted by the County Council of the 
     County of Luzerne, Pennsylvania urging the President of the 
     United States and the Enviornmental Protection Agency to halt 
     the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), Storm Water 
     Program, and Storm Water Fee Collection; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.
       POM-197. A resolution adopted by the City Council of the 
     City of Dillingham, Alaska, requesting the United States 
     Treasury mint not less than 5,000,000 Elizabeth Peratrovich 
     $1 coins, under the Native American $1 Coin Act; to the 
     Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
       POM-198. A resolution adopted by the City Council of Saint 
     Paul, Minnesota urging the United States Congress to enact 
     without delay, H.R. 763 the Energy Innovation and Carbon 
     Dividend Act of 2019; to the Committee on Finance.
       POM-199. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to prescription drug manufacturing; to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
       POM-200. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to prescription drug manufacturing; to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

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