[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6670-S6672]
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-76. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Nebraska urging the United States Air Force to 
     reestablish the United States Space Command headquarters at 
     Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska; to the Committee 
     on Armed Services.

                      Legislative Resolution No. 1

       Whereas, the Department of Defense recently reestablished 
     the United States Space Command as the eleventh unified 
     combatant command of the Armed Forces; and
       Whereas, the United States Air Force requested that state 
     and community leaders nominate military locations to host the 
     United States Space Command headquarters; and
       Whereas, the city of Bellevue, Nebraska, on behalf of 
     community, state, and regional leaders and officials and in 
     conjunction with support from local military leaders, 
     nominated Offutt Air Force Base to be the location for the 
     United States Space Command headquarters; and
       Whereas, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts endorsed the 
     application recommending Offutt Air Force Base for the honor 
     of becoming the permanent host for the United States Space 
     Command headquarters; and
       Whereas, Offutt Air Force Base and the neighbouring 
     Bellevue and Omaha communities received top scores on the 
     basing criteria established by the United States Air Force 
     including: proximity to mutually supporting space entities; 
     an available qualified workforce; infrastructure and facility 
     capacity; high bandwidth communications infrastructure; 
     enhanced security; energy resilience; cost efficiencies; and 
     community support; and
       Whereas, Offutt Air Force Base is among six sites being 
     considered by the Air Force to host the United States Space 
     Command headquarters; and
       Whereas, Offutt Air Force Base is the home for global 
     missions of national consequence, the joint, interagency, 
     coalition, Guard, and Reserve presence would complement the 
     needs of the United States Space Command; and
       Whereas, several Offutt Air Force Base units of interest 
     include the 55th Wing, which provides dominant worldwide 
     reconnaissance, real-time intelligence, command and control, 
     and information warfare; the 595th Command and Control Group 
     supporting strategic nuclear deterrence; the Air Force's only 
     weather wing; and the newly formed Marine Corps Forces Space 
     Command; and
       Whereas, the largest tenant on Offutt Air Force Base is a 
     global warfighting combatant command, the United States 
     Strategic Command, which has a mission set that combines the 
     United States legacy nuclear command and control mission with 
     responsibility for space operations, global strike, and 
     global missile defense to deter strategic attacks and employ 
     forces, as directed, to guarantee the security of our nation 
     and our allies; and
       Whereas, the United States Strategic Command oversees and 
     manages the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications 
     Enterprise Center; and the United States Space Command is a 
     key member of the Nuclear Command, Control, and 
     Communications Enterprise Stakeholder Council; and
       Whereas, for seventeen years, from 2002 to 2019, America's 
     military space mission headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base 
     as part of the United States Strategic Command mission set; 
     and
       Whereas, the history of hosting the United States Strategic 
     Command and units that mutually support joint combatant 
     commands serves as an excellent foundation for Offutt Air 
     Force Base to create additional synergies and efficiencies; 
     and
       Whereas, community support for military missions; the 
     military men, women, and families living and working at 
     Offutt Air Force Base; and veterans living in the surrounding 
     communities began in the 1940s and support for these groups 
     remains unsurpassed to this day; and
       Whereas, creative public-private partnerships executed in 
     the Omaha metropolitan area by economic leaders are some of 
     the largest and most relationship with the Department of 
     Defense's Military Community and Family Policy office in a 
     constant effort to create laws that support the military 
     personnel stationed at Offutt Air Force Base and their 
     families; and
       Whereas, the Bellevue and Omaha communities would welcome 
     the additional military and civilian personnel, contractors, 
     and families associated with the United States Space Command; 
     and
       Whereas, basing the headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base 
     would enhance the economy of the region by adding 
     approximately one thousand four hundred new jobs; and
       Whereas, reestablishing the United States Space Command 
     headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base would require military 
     construction improvements, which would create construction 
     and other support jobs, further increasing the economic 
     benefit to the region; and
       Whereas, there is widespread bipartisan support for hosting 
     the United States Space Command Headquarters from federal, 
     state, and community leaders who recognize the importance of 
     returning the space mission to Offutt Air Force Base; and
       Whereas, the space mission is vital to our Nation's 
     security, prosperity, and scientific advancement; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the members of the One Hundred Seventh 
     Legislature of Nebraska, First Session:
       1. That the Nebraska Legislature does hereby express 
     enthusiastic support for the United States Air Force to 
     reestablish the United States Space Command headquarters at 
     Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.
       2. That the Clerk of the Legislature prepare and transmit a 
     copy of this resolution to the President of the United 
     States, the Vice President of the United States as the 
     presiding officer of the United States Senate, the Speaker of 
     the United States House of Representatives, each member of 
     Nebraska's congressional delegation, the Secretary of the Air 
     Force, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the 
     Secretary of Defense.
                                  ____

       POM-77. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the federal government to adopt 
     the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, sec. 110606 of the Heroes Act, 
     or similar legislation relating to cannabis-related 
     legitimate businesses' access to financial services; to the 
     Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                     House Joint Resolution No. 14

       Whereas, on November 4, 2014, residents of the state voted 
     to legalize cannabis, approving Ballot Measure No. 2, ``An 
     Act to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of 
     marijuana'': and
       Whereas the state has prioritized the federal cannabis 
     enforcement objectives identified in the August 29, 2013, 
     memorandum from the United States Department of Justice to 
     all United States Attorneys, including preventing the 
     distribution of cannabis to minors, preventing revenue from 
     the sale of cannabis from going to criminal enterprises, 
     gangs, and cartels, preventing the diversion of cannabis from 
     states where cannabis is legal in some form under state law 
     to other states, preventing state-authorized cannabis 
     activity from being used as a pretext for the trafficking of 
     illegal drugs or other illegal activity, preventing violence 
     and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution 
     of cannabis, preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation 
     of other adverse public health consequences associated with 
     cannabis use, preventing the growing of cannabis on public 
     land and the attendant public safety and environmental 
     dangers posed by cannabis production on public land, and 
     preventing cannabis possession or use on federal property; 
     and
       Whereas the state has implemented regulations that respect 
     and support the federal priorities listed in the August 29, 
     2013, memorandum from the United States Department of 
     Justice; and
       Whereas, on January 16, 2018, Alaska Attorney General Jahna 
     Lindemuth and the attorneys general of 18 other states, 
     districts, and territories sent a letter urging the United 
     States Congress to advance legislation allowing states that 
     have legalized medical or recreational use of cannabis to 
     bring legal cannabis-related commerce into the banking 
     system; and
       Whereas, on January 18, 2018, United States Senators Lisa 
     Murkowski and Dan Sullivan joined 14 other senators from 
     around the country in submitting a letter to

[[Page S6671]]

     the Director of the United States Department of the 
     Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network expressing 
     continuing support for 2014 Financial Crimes Enforcement 
     Network guidance on Bank Secrecy Act expectations regarding 
     cannabis-related businesses; and
       Whereas, on March 7, 2019, after meeting with industry 
     stakeholders in Alaska, United States Congressman Don Young, 
     Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, signed on as a 
     cosponsor of H.R. 1595, the Secure and Fair Enforcement 
     Banking Act of 2019, also referred to as the SAFE Banking Act 
     of 2019; and
       Whereas, on May 8, 2019, Alaska Attorney General Kevin G. 
     Clarkson and the attorneys general of 37 other states.' 
     districts, and territories sent a letter urging the United 
     States Congress to advance legislation allowing states that 
     have legalized 'medical or adult use of cannabis to bring 
     legal cannabis-related commerce into the banking system; and
       Whereas, on September 25, 2019, United States Congressman 
     Don Young voted with a bipartisan majority in the United 
     States House of Representatives, passing the SAFE Banking Act 
     of 2019 and clearing the Act for consideration in the Senate; 
     and
       Whereas the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 was inserted into sec. 
     110606 of H.R. 6800, referred to as the Heroes Act, which, on 
     May 15, 2020, was passed by a bipartisan majority in the 
     United States House of Representatives; and
       Whereas sec. 1(b) of the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 and sec. 
     110606(a)(2) of the Heroes Act explain that the purpose of 
     each is ``to increase public safety by ensuring access to 
     financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses 
     and service providers and reducing the amount of cash at such 
     businesses''; and
       Whereas the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 and the Heroes Act 
     provide, among other protections, a safe harbor for 
     depository institutions for providing financial services to a 
     cannabis-related legitimate business or service provider; and
       Whereas the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 and the Heroes Act 
     provide that ``[f]or the purposes of sections 1956 and 1957 
     [money laundering] of title 18, United States Code, and all 
     other provisions of Federal law, the proceeds from a 
     transaction involving activities of a cannabis-related 
     legitimate business or service provider shall not be 
     considered proceeds from an unlawful activity solely because 
     . . . the transaction involves proceeds from a cannabis-
     related legitimate business or service provider''; and
       Whereas the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 and the Heroes Act 
     provide that depository institutions or insurers that provide 
     financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses 
     or service providers and the officers, directors, and 
     employees of depository institutions or insurers may not be 
     held liable under any federal law or regulation solely for 
     providing the financial service or for further investing any 
     income derived from the financial services; and
       Whereas the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 and the Heroes Act do 
     not endorse any state's, district's, or territory's specific 
     approach to the legalization of cannabis-related transactions 
     and m no way endorse the legalization of medical or retail 
     cannabis in jurisdictions hat choose: not to lega1ize medical 
     or retail cannabis; and
       Whereas without federal legislation allowing states that 
     have legalized medical or adult use of cannabis to bring 
     legal cannabis-related commerce into the banking system, the 
     tracking of revenue for taxation and regulatory compliance 
     purposes is more difficult; and WHEREAS the inability to 
     properly track the billions of dollars in legal cannabis-
     related sale proceeds compromises the safety and soundness of 
     the nation's financial system by allowing the unmonitored 
     entry of illicit funds into the financial system; and
       Whereas the threat to public safety increases with cash-
     intensive businesses because cash-intensive businesses are 
     often the targets of criminal activity; and
       Whereas the cannabis industry continues to grow rapidly; 
     with analysts estimating the current industry value at 
     $8,300,000,000, projected to increase to $25,000,000,000 by 
     2025:and
       Whereas, regardless of policy views on states' permitting 
     the medical or adult use of cannabis, the current situation 
     necessitates federal rules that provide for bringing legal 
     cannabis-related commerce into the banking system;
       Be it Resolved that the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     federal government to adopt the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, 
     sec. 110606 of the Heroes Act, or similar legislation that 
     would provide a safe harbor for depository institutions that 
     provide financial products or services to legal cannabis-
     related busiesses--r service providers in states that have 
     implemented laws and regulations legalizing cannabis for 
     medical or adult use.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States: 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: and all other 
     members of the 117th United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-78. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan memorializing its support for the people of Cuba, 
     and urging the President of the United States and the United 
     States government to take action to protect the basic human 
     rights of the Cuban people; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                        Senate Resolution No. 78

       Whereas, Communist Miguel Diaz-Canel rose to power in Cuba 
     in 2018 and continues to follow the failed policies of Fidel 
     and Raul Castro. President Diaz-Canel's ascension has 
     coincided with an economic crisis that led to a heavy-handed 
     and nonsensical shutdown of the state-run communication 
     system and purposeful electricity outages; and
       Whereas, The Cuban people lack the freedom to be in charge 
     of their own destiny and future as a result of the systemic 
     and continued repression they face at the hands of the Diaz-
     Canal regime; and
       Whereas, A historic and remarkable gathering of protests is 
     occurring in Cuba, where everyday Cubans are courageously 
     demanding democracy, liberty, economic security, food, and 
     basic medical necessities. Liberty in Cuba is defined as not 
     only economic liberty, but also civil liberties. This 
     includes the right to vote, liberty of conscience, and the 
     right to self-determination. At the heart of these protests 
     is the will of Cuban people to be in charge of their own 
     destiny; and
       Whereas, Without democracy and free elections, the welfare 
     of the Cuban people will continue to be structurally burdened 
     and protests will continue. As the Communist regime continues 
     to deprive the people of Cuba of peaceful means to improve 
     their lives, everyday Cubans will continue to risk their 
     lives and well-being to protest openly to demand immediate 
     change; and
       Whereas, Michigan is a state that values our best 
     aspirational American ideals of liberty, tolerance, and 
     freedom. These are the ideals and values that Cubans march 
     for today. The people of Michigan support the right of the 
     people of Cuba to peacefully protest to secure basic civil 
     liberties, and stand with the people of Cuba in support of 
     their quest for democracy, liberty, and freedom; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we declare support for the 
     people of Cuba in their fight against a destructive Communist 
     regime and urge the United States government and the Biden 
     Administration to take action to protect the basic human 
     rights of the Cuban people; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the President of the United 
     States Senate, and the members of the Michigan congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-79. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Arizona urging the Secretary of the Department 
     of the Interior to immediately take all necessary measures to 
     fulfill its obligations to provide for Colorado River 
     augmentation and conservation; to the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources.

                   House Concurrent Memorial No. 2003

       Whereas, the United States Congress stated in the Colorado 
     River Basin Project Act that the satisfaction of the 
     requirements of the Mexican Water Treaty constitutes a 
     national obligation: and
       Whereas, under a treaty agreement entered into in 1973, the 
     United States is required to ensure that water delivered to 
     Mexico as part of Mexico's allocation of Colorado River water 
     meets certain water quality standards; and
       Whereas, the Colorado River system is in its twenty-first 
     consecutive year of drought: and
       Whereas, as a result of these drought conditions, the 
     United States Department of the Interior is projecting that a 
     shortage on the Colorado River is increasingly likely; and
       Whereas, in the lower basin drought contingency plan 
     agreement, the United States, through the Secretary of the 
     Interior, committed to take affirmative actions to implement 
     lower basin programs designed to create or conserve 100,000 
     acre-feet or more per year of Colorado River system water to 
     contribute to the conservation of water supplies in Lake Mead 
     or other Colorado River reservoirs in the lower basin; and
       Whereas, the Central Arizona Project would bear the largest 
     reduction of Colorado River water in times of shortage; and
       Whereas, by abdicating its obligation to operate the Yuma 
     Desalting Plant, or a suitable alternative the federal 
     government has caused the loss of more than 1,800,000 acre-
     feet from Lake Mead: and
       Whereas, if the federal government were to conserve 100,000 
     acre-feet per year, it would be equivalent to the water 
     needed to supply more than 330,000 Arizona homes with water 
     annually.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the Secretary of the United States Department of 
     the Interior immediately take all necessary measures to 
     fulfill its obligations to provide for Colorado River water 
     augmentation and conservation.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the Secretary of the 
     United States Department of the Interior, the 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 Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-80. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona

[[Page S6672]]

     commending the agents of the United States Border Patrol; to 
     the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 2029

       Whereas, the southern border consists of 1,993 miles of 
     varied terrain, including deserts, rugged mountainous areas, 
     forests and coastal areas; and
       Whereas, officially established in 1924 by an act of 
     Congress in response to increasing illegal immigration, the 
     United States Border Patrol has primary responsibility for 
     securing the border between ports of entry: and
       Whereas, Border Patrol agents patrol international land 
     borders and waterways to detect and prevent the illegal 
     trafficking of people, narcotics and contraband into the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, the southern border of the United States is 
     experiencing unprecedented numbers of individuals attempting 
     to enter the country illegally; and
       Whereas, in June 2019, over 100,000 individuals were 
     apprehended at the southern border, which is an increase of 
     more than 140% as compared to June 2018; and
       Whereas, the Border Patrol establishes and maintains 
     partnerships with local, state, federal. tribal and 
     international law enforcement partners, as well as local 
     ranchers and other private citizens who own much of the land 
     along the southwest border; and
       Whereas, Border Patrol agents work in dynamic environments 
     with multiple and varied threats that are constantly changing 
     and evolving; and
       Whereas, Border Patrol agents responded admirably to the 
     COVID-19 pandemic, efficiently implementing the resulting new 
     policies and procedures to ensure the safety of the public; 
     and
       Whereas, the Border Patrol protects the United States 
     against terrorists and instruments of terror; and
       Whereas, created in 2003. the United States Immigration and 
     Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducts transnational criminal 
     investigations to identify and interdict myriad smuggling and 
     cross-border illegal activity. The work of ICE is critical to 
     enforcing immigration law against people who present a threat 
     to national security, are a danger to public safety or 
     undermine the integrity of the immigration system: and
       Whereas, demonstrating courage and valor in protecting our 
     nation, Border Patrol agents serve the American people with 
     vigilance, integrity and professionalism: Now therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of 
     Arizona, the Senate concurring:
       1. That the Members of the Legislature commend the courage, 
     dedication and sacrifice of the men and women of the United 
     States Border Patrol and recognize the vital role they play 
     in safeguarding our state and nation.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Resolution to the President of the 
     United States and each Member of Congress from the State of 
     Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-81. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     exempt cruise ships from certain provisions of the Passenger 
     Vessel Services Act and other applicable provisions of 
     federal law for the period during which Canadian ports are 
     closed to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people; and 
     urging the President of the United States not to fine or take 
     actions against cruise ships sailing to the state; to the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 9

       Whereas, more than 2,260,000 visitors traveled to the state 
     in 2019: and
       Whereas, in 2019. approximately 1,331,600 people visited 
     the state by cruise ship. accounting for 90 percent of the 
     visitors to Southeast Alaska: and
       Whereas, each year, the tourism industry generates more 
     than $214,000.000 in state and municipal revenue, more than 
     $1,400,000,000 in payroll, and $2,200,000,000 of visitor 
     spending: and
       Whereas, on average, the tourism industry creates 8,394 
     jobs annually, generating $271,600,000 in wages and earnings 
     for Southeast Alaska each year; and
       Whereas, in 2020. the diminished tourism season resulting 
     from the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in 
     statewide unemployment from 6.2 percent to 11.0 percent; 
     Southeast Alaska, unemployment increased from 4.7 percent to 
     11.3 percent, which equates to a loss of 17 percent of all 
     jobs in the region; and
       Whereas, state residents are being vaccinated against 
     COVID-19 at the highest rate per capita in the country, with 
     15 percent of state residents having been vaccinated; and
       Whereas, on October 30, 2020, the Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention issued a Framework for Conditional 
     Sailing Order, which allows cruise ships to resume sailing 
     with mitigation plans for crews, passengers, and people in 
     port communities and includes requirements for increased 
     testing, additional crew safeguards, simulated voyages, and 
     certification of mitigation plans; and
       Whereas, on February 4, 2021, Canada extended until 
     February 2022 a ban preventing cruise ships carrying more 
     than 100 people from sailing through Canadian waters; and
       Whereas, 46 U.S.C. 55103 (Passenger Vessel Services Act) 
     requires that certain passenger vessels that sail from United 
     States ports must visit a foreign port before returning to a 
     port in the United States; and
       Whereas, an exemption of cruise ships from the requirement 
     of visiting a foreign port would help mitigate continued job 
     and revenue loss and provide relief to an industry with an 
     economic impact that spans across every region of the state 
     and employs people from Ketchikan to Nome; and
       Whereas, other federal laws may interfere with the ability 
     of certain ships to hire and retain crews on routes to the 
     state that do not include a stop in Canada; and
       Whereas, small business owners, families, and young people 
     in the state depend on tourism jobs for their livelihoods, 
     and a missed cruise season could cause irreparable economic 
     harm;
       Be it resolved, that the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to exempt certain cruise ships sailing 
     to the state from provisions of the Passenger Vessel Services 
     Act and other federal laws that require cruise ships to stop 
     at a Canadian or other foreign port in order to operate in 
     the state for the period during which Canadian ports are 
     closed to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people; and be 
     it
       Further resolved, that, if the United States Congress does 
     not exempt cruise ships from the requirements of the 
     Passenger Vessel Services Act and any other applicable 
     provisions of federal law, the Alaska State Legislature urges 
     the President of the United States, to the extent allowed by 
     law, to exercise his authority to allow cruise ships to 
     travel directly on round-trip itineraries to and from ports 
     in the State of Washington and this state while Canadian 
     ports are closed to cruise ships.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States; the 
     Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United 
     States and President of the U.S. Senate: 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; and all other members of the 
     117th United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-82. A resolution adopted by the Commission of the City 
     of Coral Gables, Florida urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act; to the 
     Committee on Finance.
       POM-83. A resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors of 
     Wyoming County, New York memorializing its opposition to the 
     enactment of laws that place unreasonable liability exposure 
     on the backs of legitimate manufacturers or ``gun industry 
     members''; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-84. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to access to federal court documents; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________