[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2065-S2067]
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-6. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Maine urging the Department of Agriculture, Food and 
     Nutrition Service to include certain nonfood essentials in 
     the supplemental nutrition assistance program; to the 
     Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

                            Senate Paper 312

       Whereas, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or 
     SNAP, is a federally governed and funded program under the 
     United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition 
     Service with shared state administration; and
       Whereas, SNAP currently provides nutrition benefits to 
     supplement the food budget of qualifying recipients so they 
     can purchase healthy food but fails to account for nonfood 
     essentials, including toilet paper, soap, deodorant, 
     toothpaste and menstrual products; and
       Whereas, toilet paper, soap, deodorant, toothpaste and 
     menstrual products are essential products needed for human 
     dignity and health; and
       Whereas, if a person struggles with access to food, that 
     person likely also struggles with access to nonfood 
     essentials; and
       Whereas, a person who does not have access to nonfood 
     essentials, especially menstrual products and toilet paper, 
     may be forced to use inappropriate and unsafe alternatives, 
     thereby putting that person's health and the health of the 
     person's reproductive system at risk; and
       Whereas, a person without access to nonfood essentials 
     cannot equitably participate in work, the search for 
     employment or many other activities due to the risk of 
     embarrassment such as from odors or bleeding through 
     clothing; and
       Whereas, a person who lives in an abusive situation has an 
     increased likelihood of having difficulty accessing menstrual 
     products and other nonfood essentials; and
       Whereas, it is a matter of human justice and dignity for 
     recipients of SNAP benefits to be granted the authority to 
     determine what essentials they most need; and
       Whereas, the residents of this State who qualify for SNAP 
     benefits have essential needs beyond food and should 
     therefore be granted the dignity to select how to expend 
     their SNAP benefits based upon their essential needs; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the United States Department of Agriculture, 
     Food and Nutrition Service enter into rulemaking to amend the 
     stated goal of SNAP to ``raising the level of nutrition and 
     essential-need stability among low-income households and 
     maintaining adequate levels of nutrition and nonfood-
     essentials supplies by increasing the food and nonfood-
     essentials purchasing power of low-income families''; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the United States Department of Agriculture, 
     Food and Nutrition Service enter into rulemaking to expand 
     the scope of SNAP benefits to include the following nonfood 
     essentials for recipient purchase: toilet paper, soap, 
     deodorant, toothpaste and menstrual products, including but 
     not limited to tampons, pads, liners and reusable cups, 
     underwear and shields; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to 
     the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President of the United 
     States, for consideration in the federal budgeting process; 
     to the Secretary of the United States Department of 
     Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; to the Nutrition 
     Service Administrator, United States Department of 
     Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; to the Food and 
     Nutrition Service Associate Administrator of the Supplemental 
     Nutrition Assistance Program, United States Department of 
     Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; to the Northeast 
     Regional Office of the United States Department of 
     Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; to the President of 
     the United States Senate; to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives of the United States; to each Member of the 
     Maine Congressional Delegation; and to the Maine Department 
     of Health and Human Services.
                                  ____

       POM-7. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Maine urging the United States Congress and the 
     President of the United States to eliminate the Windfall 
     Elimination Provision that penalizes Maine state retirees; to 
     the Committee on Finance.

                            Senate Paper 332

       Whereas, under current federal law, individuals who receive 
     a Social Security benefit and a public retirement benefit 
     derived from employment not covered under Social Security are 
     subject to a reduction in the Social Security benefits; and
       Whereas, these laws, contained in the federal Social 
     Security Act, 42 United States Code, Chapter 7, Subchapter 
     II, Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance 
     Benefits, and known as the Government Pension Offset and the 
     Windfall Elimination Provision, greatly affect public 
     employees, particularly women; and
       Whereas, the Windfall Elimination Provision reduces by a 
     formula the Social Security benefit of a person who is also 
     receiving a pension from a public employer that does not 
     participate in Social Security; and
       Whereas, the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall 
     Elimination Provision are particularly burdensome on the 
     finances of low-income and moderate-income public service 
     workers, such as school teachers, clerical workers and school 
     cafeteria employees, whose wages are low to start; and
       Whereas, the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall 
     Elimination Provision both unfairly reduce benefits for those 
     public employees and their spouses whose careers cross the 
     line between the private and public sectors; and
       Whereas, since many lower-paying public service jobs are 
     held by women, both the Government Pension Offset and the 
     Windfall Elimination Provision have a disproportionately 
     adverse effect on women; and
       Whereas, in some cases, additional support in the form of 
     income, housing, heating and prescription drug and other 
     safety net assistance from state and local governments is 
     needed to make up for the reductions imposed at the federal 
     level; and
       Whereas, other participants in Social Security do not have 
     their benefits reduced in this manner; and
       Whereas, to participate or not to participate in Social 
     Security in public sector employment is a decision of 
     employers, even though both the Government Pension Offset and 
     the Windfall Elimination Provision directly punish employees 
     and their spouses; and
       Whereas, although the Government Pension Offset was enacted 
     in 1977 and the Windfall Elimination Provision was enacted in 
     1983, many of the benefits in dispute were paid into Social 
     Security prior to that time; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the President of the United States and the 
     Congress of the United States work together to support reform 
     proposals that include the following protections for low-
     income and moderate-income government retirees:
       1. Protections permitting retention of a combined public 
     pension and Social Security benefit with no applied 
     reductions;
       2. Protections permanently ensuring that level of benefit 
     by indexing it to inflation; and
       3. Protections ensuring that no current recipient's benefit 
     is reduced by the reform legislation; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to 
     the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United 
     States; the President of the United States Senate; the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; and 
     each Member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-8. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Maine urging the United States Congress and the 
     President of the United States to establish a national 
     infrastructure bank; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
     and Urban Affairs.

                            Senate Paper 297

       Whereas, the American Society of Civil Engineers states in 
     its 2017 Report Card that the United States received a grade 
     of D+ regarding the current state of infrastructure and that 
     more than $4.5 trillion would be needed to restore the 
     nation's infrastructure to a state of good repair, over $2 
     trillion in new infrastructure projects is currently not 
     funded by the Federal Government and the remainder of 
     infrastructure projects is inadequately funded; and
       Whereas, the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil 
     Engineers gave the State a grade of C- in 2020, including 
     dams, D+; hazardous waste, D+; roads, D; transit, D+; and 
     wastewater, D+; and
       Whereas, the state highway system projects a drastic 
     funding shortfall due to

[[Page S2066]]

     the pandemic related to coronavirus disease 2019 and 
     preexisting financial deficits; drivers in the State spend 
     over $1 billion per year in vehicle operating costs, 
     congestion and crashes, and the Stale has the highest highway 
     fatality rate in New England; and the State has 1,073 dams 
     with an average age of over 100 years, and a minimum of $269 
     million is needed to maintain dam infrastructure; and
       Whereas, a new National Infrastructure Bank could directly 
     help finance all of these projects, and the United States 
     Congress introduced H.R. 6422, ``National Infrastructure Bank 
     Act of 2020,'' which would create a $4 trillion bank that 
     could help finance the infrastructure needs and hire millions 
     who have lost their jobs during the pandemic, putting them 
     into higher-paying infrastructure and related jobs; and
       Whereas, the new National Infrastructure Bank is modeled on 
     previous successful, similar institutions that built much of 
     the nation's infrastructure, and under United States 
     Presidents George Washington, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln 
     and Franklin D. Roosevelt similar institutions financed the 
     infrastructure projects that made us the envy of the world 
     and helped bring us out of the Great Depression and win World 
     War II; and
       Whereas, the new National Infrastructure Bank will be 
     capitalized by using secure, existing United States Treasury 
     debt, such as treasury bills typically held in large 
     quantities by major investment institutions, requiring no new 
     federal spending and no new taxes, and will be authorized to 
     spend $4 trillion in urgently needed infrastructure projects; 
     and
       Whereas, the new National Infrastructure Bank will create 
     approximately 25 million new jobs, ensure the payment of fair 
     wages, mandate project labor agreements, ensure ``buy 
     American'' policies, direct spending into disadvantaged 
     business enterprises and ensure minority hiring 
     opportunities, and it is expected to increase the size of the 
     economy by 4% to 5% each year; and
       Whereas, the new National Infrastructure Bank is supported 
     by many organizations: Seventeen state legislatures have 
     introduced or passed resolutions, city and county councils 
     have introduced or passed resolutions and the National 
     Congress of Black Women, National Association of Counties, 
     the United States High Speed Rail Association, the National 
     Federation of Federal Employees, the American Sustainable 
     Business Council, the National Association of Minority 
     Contractors, the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade 
     Association and many other government, labor and civic bodies 
     have endorsed the National Infrastructure Bank legislation; 
     now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the Congress of the United States pass, and the 
     President of the United States sign, H.R. 6422 to create a 
     National Infrastructure Bank to finance urgently needed 
     infrastructure projects; and he it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to 
     the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United 
     States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-9. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan urging the United States Congress to change the 
     formula for distributing coronavirus emergency relief funds 
     for schools to allow states to distribute funds on a more 
     equitable basis; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
     Labor, and Pensions.

                        Senate Resolution No. 24

       Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on 
     schools, students, and teachers across the country. Schools 
     have needed to make significant investments to first ensure 
     all students had equal access to remote learning and then to 
     ensure schools could provide a safe learning environment for 
     students returning to in-person learning; and
       Whereas, Congress has approved emergency relief funding to 
     assist schools in addressing impacts from the COVID-19 
     pandemic. Under the recent Coronavirus Response and Relief 
     Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, the state of Michigan 
     will receive more than $1.65 billion. The state must 
     distribute at least $1.49 billion of these funds to local 
     schools, while Congress continues to debate providing even 
     more emergency funding for schools; and
       Whereas, The current federal formula for distributing 
     emergency relief funding has led to large discrepancies in 
     how much schools receive per pupil. The Elementary and 
     Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund), and 
     the earlier ESSER I funding, must be allocated to schools 
     based on the formula under Title I, Part A of the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Under this complicated 
     formula based on the number of disadvantaged and low-income 
     students and other factors, it is estimated that some school 
     districts in Michigan could receive as little $51 per pupil 
     while other districts could receive more than $16,481 per 
     pupil in addition to their foundation allowance; and
       Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted school systems 
     across the state with unexpected and impossible to plan for 
     expenses. All school systems have needed to invest in 
     technology and equipment to ensure Michigan's children could 
     continue to learn remotely and allow schools to provide a 
     safe environment for students and teachers in the classroom. 
     Schools with more disadvantaged and low-income students have 
     had additional challenges in creating remote and safe in-
     person learning environments. However, the Title I, Part A 
     formula is an imperfect and inadequate solution that has led 
     to an absurd inequity in the distribution of emergency relief 
     funds; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of 
     the United States to change the formula for distributing 
     coronavirus emergency relief funds for schools to allow 
     states to distribute funds on a more equitable basis; 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 Michigan 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-10. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of North Dakota clarifying the 1975 ratification 
     by the 44th Legislative Assembly of the proposed 1972 Equal 
     Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
     only was valid through March 22, 1979; to the Committee on 
     the Judiciary.

                 Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4010

       Whereas, the 92nd Congress of the United States of America, 
     during its second session, with the constitutionally required 
     vote of two-thirds of both houses, on March 22, 1972, gave 
     final approval to House Joint Resolution No. 208, commonly 
     referred to as the Equal Rights Amendment, to propose the 
     amendment to the Constitution of the United States, pursuant 
     to Article V of the Constitution of the United States; and
       Whereas, in offering the proposed federal constitutional 
     amendment to America's state lawmakers, the 92nd Congress 
     chose a deadline of 7 years, or until March 22, 1979, for the 
     constitutionally mandated ratification of the amendment by 
     three-fourths of the country's state legislatures; and
       Whereas, in Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4007, the 
     regular session of the 44th Legislative Assembly in 1975, 
     responded by ratifying the proposed 1972 Equal Rights 
     Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of North Dakota, the House of 
     Representatives Concurring Therein:
       That the 67th Legislative Assembly deems that the vitality 
     of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4007 of the 44th 
     Legislative Assembly by which North Dakota lawmakers ratified 
     the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment, officially lapsed at 11:59 
     p.m. on March 22, 1979; and be if further
       Resolved, That, after March 22, 1979, the Legislative 
     Assembly, while in agreement women and men should enjoy equal 
     rights in the eyes of the law, should not be counted by 
     Congress, the Archivist of the United States, lawmakers in 
     any other state, any court of law, or any other person, as 
     still having on record a live ratification of the proposed 
     Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
     States as was offered by House Joint Resolution No. 208 of 
     the 92nd Congress on March 22, 1972; and be it further
       Resolved, That the 67th Legislative Assembly respectfully 
     requests the full and complete verbatim text of this 
     resolution be duly published in the United States Senate's 
     portion of the Congressional Record, as an official memorial 
     to the United States Senate, and that this resolution be 
     referred to the committee of the United States Senate with 
     appropriate jurisdiction over its subject matter; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the 67th Legislative Assembly respectfully 
     requests the substance of this resolution be duly entered in 
     the United States House of Representatives' portion of the 
     Congressional Record, as an official memorial to the United 
     States House of Representatives, and that this resolution be 
     referred to the committee of the United States House of 
     Representatives with appropriate jurisdiction over its 
     subject matter; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of State forward copies of 
     this resolution to the Vice President of the United States, 
     the secretary and parliamentarian of the United States 
     Senate; the Speaker, clerk, and parliamentarian of the United 
     States House of Representatives; each member of the North 
     Dakota Congressional Delegation; and the Archivist of the 
     United States at the National Archives and Records 
     Administration in Washington, D.C.
                                  ____

       POM-11. A concurrent resolution adopted by the General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio urging the federal government 
     to increase the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program's 
     security against fraudulent actors, both internationally and 
     domestically; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
     and Pensions

                          Senate Resolution 21

       Whereas, The rate of unemployment fraud is skyrocketing in 
     Ohio and around the country, and we can no longer afford to 
     freely hand out taxpayer dollars without some kind of 
     security measures against fraud; and
       Whereas, The unemployment compensation system is a federal-
     state partnership; and
       Whereas, Part of the partnership between the federal 
     government and the State of Ohio is that Ohio will ensure 
     prompt payment of both state unemployment benefits and 
     benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program; 
     and

[[Page S2067]]

       Whereas, While we are in an unprecedented pandemic, and 
     there is great need for expediency when processing 
     unemployment claims, there must be some form of security 
     check to prevent claims from being made in our constituents' 
     names without their knowledge or consent; and
       Whereas, The federal attitude of ``pay and chase,'' meaning 
     the overemphasis on expediting benefit payments without 
     traditional safeguards, must be re-evaluated and changed; and
       Whereas, Across the country, regardless of whether these 
     fraudulent claims are through states' traditional 
     unemployment systems or the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance 
     program, taxpayer dollars are being siphoned off by domestic 
     criminals and international thieves; and
       Whereas, This fraud deprives our state and federal 
     governments of necessary resources during a pandemic and 
     costs our constituents money; and
       Whereas, This fraud slows down the process by which 
     unemployment benefits are distributed to those who are truly 
     in need within our communities; and
       Whereas, Instituting a system that stamps out fraud and 
     theft will clear the way for resources to flow where they are 
     needed more quickly and efficiently; and
       Whereas, Ohioans who receive 1099-G tax forms for 
     unemployment benefits that they did not receive must navigate 
     a cumbersome, frustrating, and unresponsive system to clear 
     the fraud status from their account; now therefore be it
       Resolved, That we, the members of the 134th General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge the federal government to 
     reinstitute the traditional safeguards as well as new 
     identification verification to ensure that the individuals 
     requesting and receiving benefits under the Pandemic 
     Unemployment Assistance program are those who truly need it, 
     and not fraudulent actors; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly 
     authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of 
     the United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States 
     House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and 
     Secretary of the United States Senate, each member of the 
     Ohio Congressional delegation, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, 
     and the news media of Ohio.

                          ____________________