[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10479-10480]
[From the U.S. 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-250. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Wyoming relative to judicial taxation; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                         Joint Resolution No. 2

       Whereas, separation of powers is fundamental to the United 
     States Constitution and the power of the federal government 
     is strictly limited; and
       Whereas, under the United States Constitution, the states 
     are to determine public policy; and
       Whereas, it is the duty of the judiciary to interpret the 
     law, not to create law; and
       Whereas, federal district courts, with the acquiescence of 
     the United States Supreme Court, continue to order states to 
     levy or increase taxes in violation of the United States 
     Constitution and the legislative process; and
       Whereas, the time has come for the people of this great 
     nation and their duly elected representatives in state 
     government, to reaffirm, in no uncertain terms, that the 
     authority to tax under the Constitution of the United States 
     is retained by the people who, by their consent alone, do 
     delegate such power to tax explicitly to those duly elected 
     representatives in the legislative branch of government whom 
     they choose, such representatives being directly responsible 
     and accountable to those who have elected them; and
       Whereas, several states have petitioned the United States 
     Congress to propose an amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States of America which was previously introduced in 
     Congress; and
       Whereas, the amendment seeks to prevent federal courts from 
     levying or increasing taxes without representation of the 
     people and against the people's wishes: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Members of the Legislature of the State of 
     Wyoming:
       1. That the Congress of the United States expeditiously 
     propose and submit to the Legislatures of the several States 
     for ratification an amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States to add a new article providing as follows: 
     ``Neither the Supreme Court nor any inferior court of the 
     United States shall have the power to instruct or order a 
     state or a political subdivision thereof, or an official of 
     such a state or political subdivision, to levy or increase 
     taxes.''
       2. That this resolution constitutes a continuing 
     application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution 
     of the United States.
       3. That the Legislatures of each of the several states 
     comprising the United States are urged to apply to the United 
     States Congress requesting that the referenced amendment to 
     the United States Constitution be submitted to the states for 
     ratification.
       4. That the Secretary of State transmit copies of this 
     resolution to the President of the United State Senate, the 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States, 
     each Member of the Wyoming Congressional Delegation, and the 
     Secretary of State and the presiding officers of both Houses 
     of the Legislatures of each of the other States in the Union.
                                  ____

       POM-251. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Wyoming relative to a health care pilot program 
     for the Arapahoe and Shoshone Tribes on the Wind River 
     Reservation; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                         Joint Resolution No. 1

       Whereas, the United States government has historically, by 
     treaty, accepted responsibility for the health care services 
     of the Arapahoe and Shoshone tribal members;
       Whereas, there exists a growing health care disparity 
     between tribal members and other groups in Wyoming;
       Whereas, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the 
     Indian Health Service appropriation and Indian health care 
     service costs have increased substantially in the last ten 
     (10) years but federal funding for that care has remained 
     essentially the same;
       Whereas, Indian health contract care has financially 
     impacted the quality of medical care and services provided, 
     the quality of health facilities available and provided an 
     economic boost to communities surrounding the Wind River 
     Reservation and this impact needs to be studied: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the members of the Legislature of the State of 
     Wyoming:
       Section 1. That the Wyoming State Legislature endorses the 
     establishment of a tribal health care services pilot program 
     to study these areas of concern.
       Section 2. That the Wyoming State Legislature strongly 
     encourages the United States to appropriate monies for the 
     establishment of a tribal health care services pilot program 
     on the Wind River Reservation.
       Section 3. That the Wyoming State Legislature strongly 
     encourages the United States to appropriate monies to 
     adequately pay for the increased costs of tribal health care 
     because it affects the level and quality of health care 
     available to, and provided for, all citizens in Fremont, Hot 
     Springs and Natrona Counties.
       Section 4. That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President of the United 
     States, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives of the United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-252. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Maine relative to restore equitable distribution 
     of federal highway funding to states and municipalities; to 
     the Committee on Appropriations.

                            Joint Resolution

       Whereas, states and municipalities depend heavily upon 
     federal money to supplement transportation projects; and
       Whereas, Maine's highway fund is already facing a 
     $40,000,000 structural gap; and
       Whereas, Maine is a rural state and depends heavily on its 
     roads, bridges and highways for transporting consumer goods 
     to the marketplace; and
       Whereas, states and municipalities are set to lose 11% of 
     anticipated transportation funding; and
       Whereas, maintaining vital state and national 
     infrastructure should take priority over alternative pet 
     projects: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge the 
     President of the United States and the Congress of the United 
     States to restore the federal highway funding commitment to 
     states and municipalities and to pursue equitable and fair 
     distribution of federal dollars for transportation ventures; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, 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 each Member of the Maine Congressional 
     Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-253. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the General 
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania relative to the 
     rights of women in Afghanistan; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                           Senate Resolution

       Whereas, During the past four years, the Taliban had gained 
     military control over virtually all of Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, The Taliban's earliest action upon establishing 
     rule in Kabul was to impose strict segregation of clinics and 
     hospitals by gender and to prohibit access by women and 
     girls; and
       Whereas, The Taliban had prohibited most women from 
     working, required the wearing of an enveloping burqa on pain 
     of punishment, denies girls access to schooling, prohibited 
     women from leaving their homes without a close male family 
     member for escort and imposed other draconian restrictions on 
     women's mobility and access to humanitarian aid, health care 
     and education; and
       Whereas, A full-length study of the effects of the 
     Taliban's policies on women's health and human rights, 
     conducted by the human rights organization Physicians for 
     Human Rights (PHR), was published in the August 1998 edition 
     of the Journal of the American Medical Association; and
       Whereas, The study, which has been revisited and updated in 
     1999 and 2000, showed that 81% of respondents reported a 
     decline in their mental health, 42% met the criteria for 
     post-traumatic stress disorder, 97% met the criteria for 
     major depression and 86% demonstrated significant symptoms of 
     anxiety; and
       Whereas, The women interviewed by PHR overwhelmingly 
     rejected the Taliban's interpretation of Islam and of Afghan 
     history and culture and expressed their strong support for 
     women's equality and immediate access to health care and 
     education; and
       Whereas, In July 1998, the Taliban ordered all humanitarian 
     nongovernmental organizations out of Afghanistan for refusing 
     to move their living quarters into a facility on the 
     outskirts of Kabul which lacked water and electricity; and
       Whereas, The vicious and unprecedented attack on the United 
     States on September 11, 2001, that resulted in thousands upon 
     thousands of deaths of American citizens, has been linked to 
     the Taliban; and
       Whereas, Subsequent attacks on Afghanistan by the United 
     States Armed Forces as well as civil unrest between Afghan 
     factions have led to the fall of the Taliban in some Afghan 
     cities, including Kabul; and
       Whereas, The new Afghan government has made efforts to 
     restore the voice of Afghan women by naming two women to 
     cabinet-level positions, including Health Minister and the 
     Minister of Women's Affairs; and
       Whereas, While these very recent developments in 
     Afghanistan seem to indicate a movement toward establishing 
     women's rights and restoring their civil liberties, a

[[Page 10480]]

     great deal of time and money needs to be invested to elevate 
     the status of women and to allow them full participation in 
     society: Therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania condemn the Taliban's discrimination against 
     women; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania memorialize the President and the Congress of 
     the United States to publicly disapprove of these atrocities, 
     take whatever steps necessary to end the discrimination and 
     violence against women and urge the full restoration of their 
     rights; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania urge the United 
     States Government, as well as the United Nation's 
     humanitarian organizations, to provide whatever assistance 
     may be necessary to the new government of Afghanistan for the 
     purpose of restoring the rights of Afghan women; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, to the presiding officers 
     of each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from 
     Pennsylvania.
                                  ____

       POM-254. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the Legislature of the State of Michigan relative to the 
     addition of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 6

       Whereas, For more than fifty years, the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization (NATO) has played a pivotal role in 
     promoting stability and peace in Europe. This highly 
     successful venture is predicated on the commitment of its 
     member nations to ideals that closely parallel the precepts 
     of democracy, internationally recognized human rights, and 
     civilian control of the military that are fundamental to the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, Since its establishment, NATO has gradually 
     expanded its membership to reflect the changing face of 
     Europe. Countries that have joined this alliance have shared 
     the same commitment to the long-term strength and stability 
     of the region that is vital to our nation and the world. The 
     most recent additions have in common the peaceful transition 
     to a free-market economy after long years under the yoke of 
     Communism; and
       Whereas, The Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia, and 
     Lithuania have clearly demonstrated the principles of NATO. 
     These three countries, each with strong dedication to peace 
     and exemplary records of resisting oppression, have a great 
     deal to contribute to the alliance. Latvia, Estonia, and 
     Lithuania have set examples of the ideals of freedom through 
     their institutions and cultures. The addition of these 
     nations to NATO will only make more secure the bonds of peace 
     and democracy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the senate (the house of representatives 
     concurring), That we memorialize the President and the 
     Congress of the United States to support the addition of 
     Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the Office of the President of the United States, the 
     President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-255. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Virginia relative to women in 
     Afghanistan; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                       Senate Resolution No. 603

       Whereas, The Taliban regime has not recognized 
     international human rights treaties agreed to by previous 
     governments and the international community, citing 
     irrelevance to its culture and Islamic law; and
       Whereas, Under Taliban rule, Afghan women have been 
     subjected to a brutal system of gender apartheid and extreme 
     repression, including being banned from schools, prohibited 
     from working, forbidden from leaving their homes and being 
     forced to wear head-to-toe burka shrouds; and
       Whereas, Afghan women have been subjected to harsh 
     punishments in the form of public beatings in the name of 
     ``religion and culture'' upon violation of Taliban decrees; 
     and
       Whereas, These decrees have caused a virtual collapse of 
     the educational system, a complete disregard of human and 
     civil rights and have had a disastrous impact on health care 
     systems in Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, These decrees represent a striking departure from 
     past religious and cultural practices in Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, The United Nations General Assembly adopted the 
     Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
     Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979; and
       Whereas, The United States became a party to CEDAW but 
     never ratified the convention; and
       Whereas, There have been 16 ratifications and accessions of 
     CEDAW including Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Great 
     Britain and Canada, with the most recent country, Mauritania, 
     ratifying CEDAW on May 10, 2001; and
       Whereas, Notable exceptions of countries not yet ratifying 
     CEDAW besides the United States include Iran and Afghanistan; 
     and
       Whereas, The United States has joined with the United 
     Nations in attempting to include women in all aspects of the 
     humanitarian, reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in 
     Afghanistan as well as in the reestablishment of a 
     constitutional democracy in Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, After years of being subjected and brutally 
     repressed by the Taliban regime, Afghan women should enjoy 
     full and equal participation in every level of Afghan society 
     without discrimination: Therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That the Senate hereby urges the 
     government of the United States ratify the United Nations 
     Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
     Against Women; and be it further
       Resolved, That the senate hereby urges the government of 
     the United States accelerate and strengthen efforts to ensure 
     that Afghan women have a full and equal role in every aspect 
     of the reconstruction process and the reestablishment of a 
     constitutional democracy in post-Taliban Afghanistan in which 
     women have full and equal civil and human rights and social 
     justice; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed 
     to forward a copy of this resolution to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives and the President of the United States 
     Senate.

                          ____________________