[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4049-S4053]
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-120. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington requesting that the United States 
     Congress pass, and the President of the United States sign 
     measures addressing actions taken by financial institutions 
     in terminating or restricting business relationships with 
     certain customers to avoid regulatory concerns, or similar 
     legislation; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
     Affairs.

                     Senate Joint Memorial No. 8005

       To the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the 
     United States, and to the President of the Senate and the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the Senate 
     and House of Representatives of the United States, in 
     Congress Assembled:
       We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of 
     Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative 
     session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as 
     follows:
       Whereas, The State of Washington welcomes refugees and 
     immigrants who bravely leave behind everything familiar to 
     seek safety, build a better life, and provide resources for 
     loved ones in their country of origin; and

[[Page S4050]]

       Whereas, Approximately one in every seven Washington 
     residents is an immigrant and another one in every seven 
     Washington residents is a native-born United States citizen 
     with at least one immigrant parent;
       Whereas, Many immigrants to Washington transfer money to 
     loved ones in their country of origin in the form of 
     remittances, and money remitted by migrants competes with 
     international aid as one of the largest financial inflows to 
     developing countries; and
       Whereas, Many immigrants have continued to try to send 
     money to their families despite uncertain and changing 
     employment and circumstances following the COVID-19 pandemic 
     and recovery; and
       Whereas, The federal government has national security 
     interests that have resulted in measures by federal agencies 
     to block remittances that present significant security risks, 
     and the federal Bank Secrecy Act and related Anti-Money 
     Laundering rules (BSA/AML) impose due diligence, 
     recordkeeping, reporting, and compliance program requirements 
     on financial institutions with respect to remittances to 
     foreign countries; and
       Whereas, Some of the countries to which immigrants to 
     Washington want to remit money have little or no central 
     banking infrastructure, which makes compliance with BSA/AML 
     rules difficult or impossible, and prevents immigrants from 
     being able to remit money in a safe, reliable manner; and
       Whereas, Financial institutions such as banks and credit 
     unions play a pivotal role in facilitating commerce and 
     enabling individuals to build financial prosperity; and
       Whereas, Many of the local or community-based money 
     transmitters that service underserved diverse communities in 
     Washington have been excluded from obtaining or maintaining 
     accounts from traditional financial institutions and have 
     seen their accounts closed without explanation or 
     justification, leaving underserved communities without 
     banking options; and
       Whereas, Many financial institutions appear to be engaging 
     in de-risking, whereby they terminate or restrict business 
     relationships with clients or categories of clients in order 
     to avoid, rather than manage, risk; and
       Whereas, De-risking has detrimentally impacted the ability 
     of smaller, Washington-based money transmitters to serve 
     underserved diverse communities, to the benefit of larger 
     money transmitters that operate on a nationwide basis; and
       Whereas, De-risking also presents a threat to public 
     safety, as unbanked businesses often must store and transport 
     large sums of cash at great risk to owners and their 
     employees; and
       Whereas, The state of Washington has an interest in 
     promoting financial inclusion and in ensuring that every 
     individual or business operating in compliance with the law 
     can access regulated financial systems; and
       Whereas, The federal National Defense Authorization Act 
     (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 expresses Congress's sense that 
     ``anti-money laundering, countering the financing of 
     terrorism, and sanctions policies must ensure that the 
     policies do not unduly hinder or delay legitimate access to 
     the international financial systems for underserved 
     individuals, entities, and geographic areas;'' and
       Whereas, The NDAA directed the United States Government 
     Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze financial services de-
     risking and report to Congress, and directed the United 
     States Department of Treasury and others to review reporting 
     requirements now in effect and propose changes to reduce 
     unnecessarily burdensome regulation and to develop a strategy 
     to reduce de-risking and related adverse consequences; and
       Whereas, The United States Department of Treasury issued 
     their report on April 25, 2023, ``The Department of the 
     Treasury's De-Risking Strategy'' with key findings and 
     recommendations that include promoting consistent supervisory 
     expectations that consider the impacts of de-risking; 
     proposing regulations that require financial institutions to 
     have reasonably designed and risk-based AML/CFT programs 
     supervised on a risk basis, taking into consideration the 
     effects of financial inclusion; and building on Treasury's 
     work to modernize the United States sanctions regime and its 
     recognition of the need to specifically calibrate sanctions 
     to mitigate unintended economic, political, and humanitarian 
     impacts, as outlined in The Treasury 2021 Sanctions Review; 
     and
       Whereas, The Washington state department of financial 
     institutions has worked with representatives of local and 
     community-based money transmitters, banks, and credit unions 
     in Washington to develop enhanced regulatory guidance and a 
     model account agreement to clarify expectations for financial 
     institutions that might offer account services to affected 
     money transmitters; and
       Whereas, The Washington state department of financial 
     institutions has forwarded that guidance to federal bank and 
     credit union regulators for their review and comment in 2022; 
     and
       Whereas, Collaboration between federal bank and credit 
     union regulators, the Washington state department of 
     financial institutions, and industry stakeholders could lead 
     to significant progress towards rolling back blanket de-
     risking by depository institutions with respect to local and 
     community-based money transmitters;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that:
       (1) Congress pass and the President sign legislation 
     implementing strategies and recommendations that result from:
       (a) Reports by the GAO and the Treasury Department in 
     response to the NDAA; and
       (b) Review of the Washington state department of financial 
     institutions' regulatory guidance for depository 
     institutions;
       (2) Such legislation also include:
       (a) Directives to federal financial regulatory agencies to 
     develop regulations that clearly and specifically require 
     financial institutions to have reasonably designed and risk-
     based AML programs supervised on a risk basis, taking into 
     consideration the effects of financial inclusion;
       (b) Provisions giving federal banking regulators clarity on 
     how to improve examiners' ability to evaluate banks' BSA/AML 
     compliance as applied to money transmitter accounts;
       (c) A requirement that financial institutions disclose a 
     specific reason when denying or closing an account; and
       (d) Provisions to help financial institutions mitigate the 
     cost of due diligence required to comply with BSA/AML 
     provisions impacting money transmitters; and
       (3) The President direct federal bank and credit union 
     regulators to work with the Washington state department of 
     financial institutions and industry stakeholders to support 
     efforts to develop new and creative solutions to improve 
     banking access for local or community-based money 
     transmitters; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 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-121. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan affirming the Chamber's commitment to supporting an 
     extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program, recognizing 
     that this program provides Michigan citizens statewide with 
     access to affordable broadband services; to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                        Senate Resolution No. 90

       Whereas, Congress has directed the Federal Communications 
     Commission (FCC) to administer the Affordable Connectivity 
     Program (ACP), which is a successor program to the Emergency 
     Broadband Benefit, a program that helped almost nine million 
     households nationwide afford internet access during the 
     COVID-19 pandemic. Under the provisions of the ACP, eligible 
     households may receive up to thirty dollars per month toward 
     internet service. For households on qualifying tribal lands, 
     this benefit may increase to seventy-five dollars per month. 
     The ACP also provides that eligible households may receive a 
     one-time discount of up to one hundred dollars to purchase a 
     laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating 
     providers; and
       Whereas, Where broadband internet access is available, the 
     ACP allows subscribers to afford internet speeds and devices 
     sufficient for key online activities, such as at-home 
     learning, health care, banking, and public services. Where 
     broadband access is not available, the ACP incentivizes the 
     deployment of new broadband infrastructure; and
       Whereas, The FCC recently announced that, due to a lack of 
     additional funding provided for the ACP, it would begin the 
     process of terminating the program. Over 900,000 households 
     within the State of Michigan are currently enrolled in the 
     ACP and are at risk of losing affordable access to internet 
     services in 2024 if Congress does not fund an extension of 
     the program. The ACP is a critical program for Michigan 
     citizens and, along with other sources of state funding, is a 
     vital means to build and improve broadband infrastructure, 
     provide internet devices to those who lack them, and promote 
     the adoption of modern technology among our least-connected 
     citizens. All these factors demonstrate that the ACP is an 
     essential catalyst for Michigan's economic growth, workforce 
     development, and innovation. Allowing this program to end 
     would be a great disservice to Michiganians who rely on the 
     program to access vital online services and resources; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we affirm this chamber's 
     commitment to supporting an extension of the Affordable 
     Connectivity Program, recognizing that this program provides 
     Michigan citizens statewide with access to affordable 
     broadband services; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, and the Michigan congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-122. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington requesting that the United States 
     Congress pass, and the President of the United States sign 
     legislation reforming the Harbor Maintenance Tax; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                     Senate Joint Memorial No. 8009

       To the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the 
     United States, and to the President of the Senate and the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the Senate 
     and House of Representatives of the United States, in 
     Congress Assembled:
       We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of 
     Representatives of the State of

[[Page S4051]]

     Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully 
     represent and petition as follows:
       Whereas, The United States created the harbor maintenance 
     tax under the Water Resource Development Act of 1986; and
       Whereas, The harbor maintenance tax is an ad valorem tax on 
     goods imported into the United States through a United States 
     port; and
       Whereas, The North American Free Trade Agreement was 
     established in 1994 to create a broad North American 
     marketplace where goods could move freely between the United 
     States, Canada, and Mexico; and
       Whereas, The North American Free Trade Agreement and now 
     its successor agreement the United States, Mexico, and Canada 
     Agreement has failed to consider the impact of the harbor 
     maintenance tax on United States ports; and
       Whereas, The North American Free Trade Agreement and United 
     States, Mexico, and Canada Agreement have created an 
     incentive for importers of foreign goods to land cargo in 
     Canada or Mexico and then use rail or trucks to move that 
     cargo to the United States to avoid the harbor maintenance 
     tax; and
       Whereas, The harbor maintenance tax is not collected on 
     transpacific and transatlantic cargo shipped to the United 
     States via rail or roads from ports in Mexico and Canada; and
       Whereas, The ability to move transpacific and transatlantic 
     cargo through Canadian ports and avoid paying the harbor 
     maintenance tax incentivizes diversion of cargo away from 
     United States ports; and
       Whereas, The federal maritime commission inquiry into the 
     harbor maintenance tax found that up to half of United States 
     bound containers coming into Canada's west coast ports could 
     revert to using United States west coast ports if United 
     States importers were relieved from paying the tax; and
       Whereas, Current United States law does not require the 
     revenues raised through the harbor maintenance tax to be 
     fully spent on harbor maintenance-related investments, 
     collections have far exceeded fund appropriation and surplus 
     collections, resulting in a surplus of billions of dollars in 
     the harbor maintenance trust fund; and
       Whereas, Revenue raised through the harbor maintenance tax 
     pays for dredging and other maintenance costs, with 
     significant amounts being spent for dredging at east coast, 
     gulf coast, and Columbia river ports; and
       Whereas, Certain deep water ports on the west coast that 
     require no or little dredging, including the Northwest 
     Seaport Alliance consisting of the ports of Seattle and 
     Tacoma, receive just over a penny on every dollar of harbor 
     maintenance tax paid by shippers who use their ports; and
       Whereas, The Columbia river channel is critical to maintain 
     global trade and the port of Vancouver USA serves as the 
     largest wheat export gateway in the nation; and
       Whereas, With the recent widening of the Panama Canal, 
     Washington ports face increasing competition for maritime 
     goods bound for the United States; and
       Whereas, Washington ports are ready to compete on a level 
     playing field to efficiently move goods to market; and
       Whereas, Congress passed substantial harbor maintenance tax 
     reform legislation in 2020, the implementation of which 
     requires additional actions by congressional appropriators 
     and the US Army Corps of Engineers;
       Now, therefore, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that:
       (1) Congress direct the use of country-of-origin rules to 
     be applied to the harbor maintenance tax so that United 
     States bound goods that currently still pay customs in the 
     United States would also continue to pay the harbor 
     maintenance tax in order to eliminate the current incentive 
     that is leading to significant cargo diversion from United 
     States ports to Canadian ports in violation of the spirit of 
     the North American Free Trade Agreement.
       (2) Congress appropriate the full amount of annual harbor 
     maintenance tax revenues and unspent tax collections from the 
     harbor maintenance trust fund consistent with the budget cap 
     adjustments enacted in the CARES Act and the Water Resources 
     Development Act of 2020.
       (3) Congress direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to 
     allocate the specified amounts for donor and energy transfer 
     ports consistent with the Water Resources Development Act of 
     2020 and appropriate the amounts specified in section 101 of 
     the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 to carry out 
     subsection (c) of section 2106 of the Water Resources Reform 
     and Development Act of 2014,
       (4) The US Army Corps of Engineers allocate in its annual 
     work plan 12 percent of annual harbor maintenance trust fund 
     appropriations directly to eligible donor and energy transfer 
     ports, as well as additional amounts to carry out subsection 
     (c) of section 2106 of the Water Resources Reform and 
     Development Act of 2014.
       (5) The US Army Corps of Engineers shall collect 
     appropriate data and reinstate publication of annual reports, 
     which were terminated in FY 2006, on the status of the harbor 
     maintenance trust fund. This report should also include an 
     analysis of the impact of the harbor maintenance tax in 
     disincentivizing shippers from using US ports and diverting 
     freight to foreign ports, thereby avoiding the tax; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 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-123. A joint memorial adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Washington requesting that the United States 
     Congress pass, and the President of the United States sign 
     legislation to fully fund 40 percent of the costs of the 
     Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                     Senate Joint Memorial No. 8007

       To the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the 
     United States, and to the President of the Senate and the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the Senate 
     and House of Representatives of the United States, in 
     Congress Assembled, and to Miguel Cardona, Secretary of the 
     United States Department of Education:
       We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of 
     Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative 
     session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as 
     follows:
       Whereas, We have witnessed a revolution in promoting, 
     protecting, and advancing the education rights of students 
     with disabilities since Congress originally enacted Public 
     Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 
     1975, later to be known as the Individuals with Disabilities 
     Education Act or IDEA; and
       Whereas, IDEA has helped millions of children with special 
     needs receive a quality education, with approximately 7 
     million children between the ages of 3 and 21, representing 
     approximately 14 percent of all public school students, 
     receiving services in the 2017-2018 school year alone; and
       Whereas, When Congress enacted the predecessor legislation 
     to IDEA in 1975, the federal government was to pay up to 40 
     percent of each state's ``excess cost'' of educating children 
     with disabilities; and
       Whereas, Appropriations for IDEA have increased over the 
     last decade, however, federal funding for IDEA has averaged 
     approximately 13 percent of the states' cost; and
       Whereas, Underfunding results in districts being unable to 
     offer competitive wages that support the recruitment and 
     retention of personnel who are essential to delivering 
     services promised by IDEA; and
       Whereas, Consistently low wages for personnel, such as 
     paraeducators cause those positions to go unfilled and 
     turnover frequently, resulting in decreased services to IDEA 
     students; and
       Whereas, The inability of districts to provide required 
     services and programming due to inadequate funding is causing 
     increasing lawsuits from families, which further increases 
     districts' expenses; and
       Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic harmed the ability of 
     districts and states to adequately identify students with 
     special needs, which has led to a significant increase in 
     students needing referrals, which is exceeding capacity of 
     current evaluative staffing in districts and requiring 
     districts to seek more expensive, outside service providers; 
     and
       Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in a 
     growing number of students who require supplementary services 
     whose learning was impacted by the pandemic; and
       Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has put further strain on 
     school budgets that are thus significantly reduced; and
       Whereas, States and districts have begun to implement 
     inclusive practices for students with IEPs to increase their 
     access to general education learning opportunities and this 
     shift is widely acknowledged to require additional training 
     and resources for school staff rather than more traditional 
     and restrictive special education programs; and
       Whereas, The chronic underfunding of IDEA by the federal 
     government places an additional funding burden on states, 
     local school districts, and taxpayers to pay for needed 
     services. This compounds the existing pressure already placed 
     on local budget dollars to cover the federal shortfall and 
     will further shortchange other school programs that are also 
     beneficial to students with disabilities; and
       Whereas, Funding programs that serve students with 
     disabilities is one of the best measures of Congress' desire 
     to offer a quality education to every single student; and
       Whereas, To fully achieve the goal of providing a free 
     appropriate public education for all students, Congress must 
     provide sufficient funding to support early intervention 
     services, transition services, professional preparation and 
     development, and other critical components within IDEA; and
       Whereas, It is time for the federal government to pay its 
     fair share of the costs of IDEA and fulfill its commitment to 
     students with disabilities, their families, and the states 
     and school districts that provide students with a free and 
     appropriate public education; Now, therefore,
       Your Memorialists respectfully request that Congress pass 
     and the President sign federal legislation to fully fund 40 
     percent of the costs of IDEA, recognizing that some types of 
     disabilities are much more expensive to address than others 
     and that the distribution of children with severe and more 
     expensive disabilities may cluster in some areas that have 
     outstanding medical facilities or exemplary programs for 
     specific disabilities. Be it
       Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 
     transmitted to the Honorable

[[Page S4052]]

     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, Miguel 
     Cardona, Secretary of the United States Department of 
     Education, 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-124. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan vehemently opposing 
     the transfer of mail processing operations from the Iron 
     Mountain Processing and Distribution Center to the Green Bay 
     Processing and Distribution Center in Wisconsin; to the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
       Whereas, The United States Postal Service has a long and 
     venerable tradition of serving as a great equalizer between 
     the people of our nation. Both the Articles of Confederation 
     and the Constitution of the United States gave Congress the 
     power to establish a system of post offices, and a Post 
     Office Department was first established by the Second 
     Continental Congress in 1775, with Benjamin Franklin 
     appointed to serve as the Postmaster General. Throughout its 
     250-year history, the Post Office has chosen time and time 
     again to prioritize service over profit, from President 
     Washington's support for the subsidization of stagecoach in 
     the 1780s, to the construction of money-losing postal routes 
     to encourage settlement in the west during the mid-19th 
     century, to the creation of the Pony Express to deliver the 
     mail through extreme environments in 1860, to the elimination 
     of price differences based on the distance a letter was to 
     travel in 1863. While free home delivery began in cities in 
     1863, it was not initially offered in rural areas, though 
     they paid the same rate. After initial experiments showed how 
     happy rural customers were to be given the same attention as 
     city-dwellers, rural free delivery became a permanent service 
     in 1902. It is the mission of the United States Postal 
     Service ``to bind the Nation together through the personal, 
     educational, literary, and business correspondence of the 
     people''; and
       Whereas, The Post Office is a service that we, as a 
     society, have chosen to provide to our people. There is no 
     constitutional mandate that the Post Office be run as a 
     profitable business enterprise; to the contrary, our history 
     shows that we have repeatedly used the Post Office to ensure 
     that every American, no matter where they live, is connected 
     through the post. The people can choose the level of postal 
     service that they want the United States Postal Service to 
     provide, and they can decide what costs they are willing to 
     bear to provide that service; and
       Whereas, Contrary to the desires of many that the United 
     States Postal Service put service first, there are those who 
     insist that it must be run like a business. The ``Delivering 
     for America'' plan, published in March 2021, emphasizes the 
     financial viability of the Postal Service, with a focus on 
     raising enough revenue to cover their operating costs and 
     fund investments. The plan proudly proclaims that it will 
     enable the United States Postal Service to operate with a 
     positive net income, and the most recent report boasts that 
     it has reduced projected ten-year losses from 160 billion 
     dollars to 70 billion dollars. Those publications read like a 
     corporate marketing pitch, establishing goals such as a 
     ``more rational pricing approach,'' a ``stable and empowered 
     workforce'' and a ``bold approach to growth, innovation and 
     continued relevance.'' What those profit-minded advocates 
     seemingly fail to recognize is that lower-quality service and 
     higher prices drive customers away, decreasing use of the 
     postal service and thus decreasing revenue, while 
     simultaneously undermining the Postal Service's mission of 
     binding the nation together; and
       Whereas, The United States Postal Service's focus on 
     financial optimization has already had negative impacts on 
     those living in rural area, such as Michigan's Upper 
     Peninsula. Local post offices have changed the time when mail 
     is gathered for delivery from the afternoon to the early 
     morning, meaning that a piece of mail dropped off during the 
     day will remain at the post office for far longer before the 
     shipping process begins. In practical effect, this adds one 
     day to shipping times even while allowing the Postal Service 
     to deny having done so for accounting purposes. Additionally, 
     one-day Priority Mail Express shipping, which was available 
     as early as early January 2024, is no longer available from 
     the UP to anywhere in Michigan; instead, citizens are being 
     charged the same rate for two-day shipping. Combined with the 
     change in collection time above, next-day shipping has 
     essentially been transformed into three-day shipping. This is 
     extremely problematic for businesses and health departments 
     that need to collect samples of drinking water and have them 
     delivered to a laboratory for bacterial testing within 24 
     hours of sampling. Delays in shipping also have negative 
     consequences for patients who receive medications through the 
     mail, for people who need to ensure their bills are paid on 
     time, and for businesses delivering frozen foods such as the 
     UP's beloved pasties. Focusing too much on the postal network 
     as a whole while ignoring the importance of timely local 
     shipping is not modernization: it is regression. The people 
     of the Upper Peninsula want what's best for their 
     communities, not what's best for the pocketbooks of those in 
     Washington; and
       Whereas, In January 2024, the United States Postal Service 
     announced plans to transfer some mail processing services, 
     including outgoing mail operations, from the Iron Mountain 
     Processing and Distribution Center in Kingsford, Michigan, to 
     the Green Bay Processing and Distribution Center in 
     Wisconsin. The Postal Service has justified this plan based 
     on the fact that a majority of the mail and packages sent 
     from the Iron Mountain area are destined for locations 
     outside the local area. While this might make sense from the 
     standpoint of the Postal Service as a nationwide business, it 
     does not make sense for the people of the Upper Peninsula, 
     for whom timely local delivery is essential. The notices that 
     have been published about this plan assure that, while five 
     craft employee positions will be eliminated, no management 
     positions will be eliminated. But the notices also indicate 
     that there will be reassignments, which means that some 
     employees could be left without a job if they are unwilling 
     to be reassigned to a post office far away. Furthermore, 
     recent changes to the Iron Mountain facility may have led to 
     inaccurate conclusions about the need for it, stacking the 
     deck so that the evidence would support the conclusion the 
     government was looking for. The capacity of the Green Bay 
     facility to handle the mail from the Iron Mountain area is 
     curiously left out of the government's preliminary findings. 
     When similar notices across the country all use identical, 
     buzzword-riddled language about efficiency, cost-
     effectiveness, modern strategies, and ``rightsizing'' the 
     postal workforce, it becomes difficult to trust that they 
     have made a careful, informed decision about the proper level 
     of services to provide at the Iron Mountain facility; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     vehemently appose the transfer of mail processing operations 
     from the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center to 
     the Green Bay Processing and Distribution Center in 
     Wisconsin; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the Governor of Michigan, the President of the United States, 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the members of the 
     Michigan congressional delegation, and the United States 
     Postmaster General.
                                  ____

       POM-125. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Minnesota urging the United States Congress to 
     resolve that the requirements have been met to ratify the 
     Equal Rights Amendment and that it shall now be known as the 
     Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution; to the Committee 
     on the Judiciary.

                           House File No. 197

       Whereas, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first passed 
     by Congress in 1972 and was sent to the states for 
     ratification; and
       Whereas, the ERA guarantees ``[e]quality of rights under 
     the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States 
     or by any State on account of sex.''; and
       Whereas, the adoption of the ERA will help to advance 
     gender justice for women, girls, and gender-expansive 
     individuals; and
       Whereas, the ERA authorizes Congress to enforce, by 
     appropriate legislation, the provisions of the ERA; and
       Whereas, the ERA states that the amendment will take effect 
     two years after the last constitutionally necessary state 
     ratification occurs; and
       Whereas, on January 27, 2020, Virginia became the 38th and 
     final state needed to ratify the ERA, which has been ratified 
     by the necessary three-fourths of states; and
       Whereas, the Archivist of the United States performs a 
     statutory and ministerial role with respect to certifying the 
     ratification of amendments to the United States Constitution; 
     and
       Whereas, as of this date, the Archivist has not certified 
     the amendment; and
       Whereas, women, girls, and gender-expansive people across 
     the country are experiencing declining access to health, 
     wealth, and opportunity, and increasing incidences of poverty 
     and violence; and
       Whereas, the ERA was first written by Alice Paul, the head 
     of the National Woman's Party, in order to guarantee that the 
     rights affirmed by the United States Constitution are held 
     equally by all citizens without regard to sex; and
       Whereas, the ERA would clarify the legal status of sex 
     discrimination for the courts, where decisions still deal 
     inconsistently with such claims; and
       Whereas, Minnesota ratified the ERA in 1973; and
       Whereas, the first, and still the only, right that the 
     United States Constitution specifically affirms to be equal 
     for women and men is the right to vote under the 19th 
     Amendment, which was ratified by the states in 1920; and
       Whereas, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment 
     to the Constitution of the United States has never been 
     interpreted to protect against sex discrimination in the same 
     way that the ERA would; and
       Whereas, in September 2010, Supreme Court Justice Antonin 
     Scalia said he did not believe that the United States 
     Constitution, specifically the 14th Amendment, protects 
     against sex discrimination; and
       Whereas, in 1868, the 14th Amendment was added to the 
     Constitution despite two states purporting to rescind their 
     ratification; and
       Whereas, without the addition of the ERA to the United 
     States Constitution, legislation and case law that has 
     resulted in extraordinary progress for women has the 
     potential to be ignored, weakened, or reversed.

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     Congress can amend or repeal legislation advancing equality 
     with a simple majority vote, the presidential administration 
     can weakly enforce these laws, and the United States Supreme 
     Court can continue to use intermediate scrutiny when 
     reviewing cases concerning gender; and
       Whereas, it is vital that the constitutional gender 
     equality rights be upheld now that the ERA has been ratified 
     as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and
       Whereas, Section 3 of the Equal Rights Amendment states 
     that the amendment shall take effect two years after the last 
     constitutionally necessary state ratification occurs, which 
     was January 27, 2020; Now, therefore, be it
       RESOLVED, By the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that 
     it urges the Congress of the United States to pass House 
     Resolution 25 and Senate Resolution 4, resolving that the 
     requirements have been met to ratify the ERA and that it 
     shall now be known as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the 
     Constitution; and be it further
       RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State of the State of 
     Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this memorial and 
     transmit them to the President of the United States, the 
     President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker and the Clerk of the United States House of 
     Representatives, and the Members of the United States 
     Congress.

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