[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 15930-15933]
[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-412. A Senate Joint Memorial adopted by the Colorado 
     General Assembly relative to recognition of NASA's space 
     exploration vision; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation.

                    Senate Joint Memorial No. 06-002

       Whereas, since its inception in 1958, the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has accomplished 
     many great scientific and technological feats, in addition to 
     advancing humankind's knowledge of the earth and the 
     universe; and
       Whereas, Colorado, a leader in the aerospace industry, is 
     home to more than 300 aerospace companies, has over 157,000 
     direct and indirect employees supported by the aerospace 
     industry, and ranks third in the nation in private aerospace 
     absolute employment; and
       Whereas, Colorado is home to Air Force Space Command with 
     facilities at Peterson, Schriever, and Buckley Air Force 
     bases as well as the operational home to the Air Force 
     Satellite Control Network and the Global Positioning System 
     (GPS), for accurate navigation, position determination, and 
     timing; and
       Whereas, Colorado is also home to Northern Command, and the 
     Army Space Battle Lab, each providing the Department of 
     Defense with leading space technologies and homeland 
     security, aiding in the protection of America from 
     terrorists; and
       Whereas, Colorado is home to world-class aerospace 
     companies such as Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Ball 
     Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, and hundreds 
     of small and mid-sized companies; and
       Whereas, Colorado is home to world-class institutions of 
     higher learning that continue to keep Colorado premier among 
     the states with the most high-tech workers per capita and 
     many astronauts, including the first Native American 
     astronaut, and are the recipients of millions of dollars of 
     federal government space research science and engineering 
     grants and contracts; and
       Whereas, Colorado is home to the Space Foundation, where 
     the Aerospace Industry

[[Page 15931]]

     meets and focuses on 21st century education and the economic 
     growth and strength of a broad range of space enterprises; 
     and
       Whereas, the desire to explore is part of America's 
     character, and history has shown that space exploration 
     benefits all humankind through new technologies for everyday 
     application, new jobs across the entire economic enterprise, 
     economic contributions through new markets and commercial 
     products, education and inspiration, United States 
     leadership, increased security, and a legacy for future 
     generations; and
       Whereas, a Space Exploration Vision has been articulated to 
     affirm the United States' commitment to human space 
     exploration and to give NASA a new focus and clear 
     objectives, including long-term human and robotic programs to 
     explore the solar system and a return to the moon that will 
     ultimately enable future exploration of Mars and other 
     destinations; and
       Whereas, the Space Exploration Vision began with NASA 
     returning the space shuttle to safe flight, with the chief 
     purpose of completing assembly on the International Space 
     Station, in addition to developing a new crew exploration 
     vehicle to explore beyond earth's orbit to other worlds; and
       Whereas, the Space Exploration Vision has the potential to 
     drive innovation, development, and advancement in the 
     aerospace and other high-technology industries across the 
     nation and in the state of Colorado; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives 
     concurring herein, That the General Assembly of the State of 
     Colorado hereby strongly encourages all members of the United 
     States Congress to support the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration's Space Exploration Vision to enable the 
     United States and the State of Colorado to remain leaders in 
     the exploration and development of space; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Joint Memorial be sent to 
     George W. Bush, President of the United States; Dick Cheney, 
     Vice President of the United States; the members of 
     Colorado's Congressional delegation; and the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator.
                                  ____

       POM-413. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Texas relative to enacting a free 
     trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                       Senate Resolution No. 720

       Whereas, Taiwan is Texas' fifth-largest foreign market, and 
     the agriculture and manufacturing sectors of the Texas 
     economy, most notably the computer and electronic products, 
     chemicals, and machinery industries, would benefit 
     significantly if the United States enacted a free trade 
     agreement with Taiwan; and
       Whereas, a free trade agreement between the United States 
     and Taiwan would substantially reduce or eliminate most 
     import quotas, duties, and other trade barriers and expand 
     market opportunities for manufactured goods and agricultural 
     products from Texas and the entire United States; and
       Whereas, the United States has completed or is in the 
     process of negotiating free trade agreements with several 
     countries and regions; reasons for pursuing a free trade 
     agreement with Taiwan include its status as the United 
     States' eighth-largest trading partner, its robust economy, 
     and its long-standing educational and cultural ties with the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, Taiwan was admitted to the World Trade 
     Organization on January 1, 2001; a free trade agreement 
     between the United States and Taiwan would extend the 
     coverage of World Trade Organization agreements to products, 
     sectors, and conditions of trade that are now not adequately 
     covered, and it would provide a platform to address issues 
     such as Taiwan's 15.2 percent average tariff rate on 
     agricultural imports from the United States; and
       Whereas, Public Law 107-210, the Trade Act of 2002, gives 
     the president the authority to enter into trade agreements 
     with foreign countries whenever the president determines that 
     one or more existing duties or other import restrictions of 
     any foreign country or the United States are unduly burdening 
     and restricting the foreign trade of the United States; and
       Whereas, President George W. Bush, speaking before the 
     historic signing of the United States-Australia Free Trade 
     Agreement in 2004, emphasized that he supports free and open 
     trade because ``it has the power to create new wealth for 
     whole nations and new opportunities for millions of people'' 
     and ``has a record of creating jobs, raising living 
     standards, and lowering consumer prices''; Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 79th 
     Legislature, Hereby respectfully encourage the president of 
     the United States to extend the benefits of free trade by 
     enacting a free trade agreement between the United States and 
     Taiwan; and be it further
       Resolved, That the secretary of the senate forward official 
     copies of this Resolution to the president of the United 
     States, to the speaker of the house of representatives and 
     the president of the senate of the United States Congress, 
     and to all the members of the Texas delegation to the 
     congress.
                                  ____

       POM-414. A Senate Joint Resolution adopted by the Colorado 
     General Assembly relative to the condemnation of the Chinese 
     government's persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong; to 
     the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                   Senate Joint Resolution No. 06-027

       Whereas, Falun Gong is a peaceful spiritual movement that 
     originated in the People's Republic of China and has grown 
     rapidly worldwide, including thousands of practitioners in 
     the United States; and
       Whereas, Falun Gong encourages its practitioners to 
     cultivate ``truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance''; and
       Whereas, the Constitution of the People's Republic of China 
     provides to its citizens freedom of speech, assembly, 
     association, and religious belief; and
       Whereas, Falun Gong practitioners, as well as members of 
     pro-democracy groups and advocates of human rights reform, 
     have become targets of severe government persecution in China 
     in violation of China's own laws; and
       Whereas, the 2005 United States Department of State's 
     annual report on International Religious Freedom cited the 
     Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners 
     in China; and
       Whereas, a 2005 press release from the United Nations 
     Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, referred to 
     continuing ill-treatment and torture of Chinese ethnic 
     minorities, political dissidents, and religious groups, 
     including practitioners of Falun Gong; and
       Whereas, Falun Gong practitioners report first-hand of the 
     Chinese government's terror campaign, which survivors say 
     includes persecution, arrests, imprisonment, torture, and 
     murder; and
       Whereas, recent reports from Chinese journalists describe a 
     hospital in Sujiatun, a suburb of Shenyeng in northeast 
     China, that serves as a concentration camp for 6,000 Falun 
     Gong practitioners and in which the medical staff performs 
     experiments on detainees, including harvesting organs to be 
     sold; and
       Whereas, in addition to persecution in China, Falun Gong 
     followers in the United States report that they have been 
     victims of spying, harassment, intimidation, and violence by 
     agents of the Chinese government; and
       Whereas, the United States Constitution guarantees to its 
     citizens freedom of religion, association, and speech, which 
     allows Americans to live without fear and in accordance with 
     their personal beliefs; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives 
     concurring herein, (1) That we, the members of the Sixty-
     fifth General Assembly, strongly urge the government of the 
     People's Republic of China to: (a) End immediately the 
     harassment, detention, physical abuse, and imprisonment of 
     its own citizens who exercise their legitimate rights to 
     freedom of religion, speech, and association; and (b) Cease 
     its interference in the constitutionally guaranteed religious 
     and political freedoms of United States citizens who practice 
     Falun Gong; and (2) That, in order to encourage China to 
     respect the religious freedom of its citizens, we urge the 
     government of the United States to: (a) Issue, an official, 
     public, diplomatic statement to the Chinese Foreign Ministry 
     condemning China's repeated violations of basic human rights 
     protected in international covenants to which the People's 
     Republic of China is a signatory; (b) Work with Chinese human 
     rights activists, including practitioners of Falun Gong, to 
     identify any Chinese authorities who have been responsible 
     for acts of violence and persecution against Falun Gong 
     followers in the United States; and (c) Investigate any 
     illegal acts committed by Chinese consular officials and 
     agents in the United States and determine an appropriate 
     legal response; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to 
     George W. Bush, President of the United States; Richard 
     Cheney, Vice President of the United States; Condoleezza 
     Rice, Secretary of State; Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader; 
     Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives; His 
     Excellency Zhou Wenzhong, the Ambasador of the People's 
     Republic of China to the United States; Bill Owens, Governor 
     of * * *
                                  ____

       POM-415. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Tennessee relative to the Meth-Endangered 
     Children Protection Act of 2005; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                    Senate Joint Resolution No. 750

       Whereas, meth trafficking and abuse is on the rise in the 
     United States, and it has increased sharply since 2000; 
     according to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 
     approximately 12.3 million Americans ages 12 and older 
     reported trying meth at least once during their lifetimes; 
     and
       Whereas, the Office of National Drug Policy reports that 
     between 2000 and 2003, more than 51,000 illegal meth labs 
     were seized in the United States, and the number of 
     clandestine labs has been rising rapidly; in fact,

[[Page 15932]]

     a high number of state and local governments now consider 
     meth the greatest drug threat in the country; and
       Whereas, sadly, thousands of children have become innocent 
     victims of the meth epidemic; approximately 10,600 children 
     in the United States were affected by meth lab seizures and 
     incidents between 2000 and 2003; these children were either 
     present at lab seizures or lived where the labs were seized, 
     often in extremely filthy and neglectful conditions; and
       Whereas, another 2,900 children were removed from their 
     homes during the same period because of neglect or abuse by 
     meth-addicted parents; incidents related to meth labs also 
     accounted for injuries to 96 children and the deaths of eight 
     others; in Tennessee alone, law enforcement seized nearly 
     1,200 labs between 2003 and 2004, representing a 397 percent 
     increase from 2000; Tennessee accounts for 75 percent of the 
     meth lab seizures in the Southeast, and more than 700 
     children in Tennessee are placed in protective custody each 
     year as a result of meth lab seizures; and
       Whereas, children exposed to meth because of a lab in the 
     home often need specialized services to overcome the effects 
     of their exposure; children removed from homes where meth is 
     manufactured can suffer from increased heart rate, agitation, 
     irritability and vomiting, muscle breakdown, fever, ataxia, 
     and seizures; they can also suffer physical, medical, 
     education neglect, and learning disabilities; and
       Whereas, many of the children rescued from these 
     environments need specialized medical attention, 
     psychological care, and other services; unfortunately, few 
     states have the funds to provide these services or to provide 
     social workers and other professionals with the specialized 
     training and resources necessary to render appropriate care 
     to children and ensure that subsequent placements in foster 
     or adoptive homes are successful; and
       Whereas, the Meth-Endangered Children Protection Act would 
     establish a $10 million annual competitive grant program to 
     support model efforts such as California's DEC program and to 
     assist states in establishing similar programs; grantees 
     would be required to provide matching dollars for federal 
     funds awarded under this grant; and
       Whereas, thousands of children have become victims of the 
     rising meth epidemic; through no fault of their own, these 
     children, suffering at the hands of their meth-addicted 
     parents, urgently need medical attention, psychological care, 
     and social services; the Meth-Endangered Children Protection 
     Act is of vital importance in ensuring that our nation's 
     children recover from the ravages of meth abuse; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the 104th General Assembly of the 
     State of Tennessee, the House of Representatives concurring, 
     That we hereby urge the United States Congress to pass the 
     Meth-Endangered Children Protection Act of 2005 to aid the 
     most vulnerable victims of this terrible and destructive drug 
     epidemic; and be it further
       Resolved, That an enrolled copy of this resolution be 
     transmitted to the President and the Secretary of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United States 
     House of Representatives, and each member of Tennessee's 
     Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-416. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Tennessee relative to the reauthorization of 
     the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.

                    Senate Joint Resolution No. 911

       Whereas, following the Civil War, Congress adopted the 
     Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, the Fourteenth 
     Amendment establishing the citizenship rights of all persons 
     born in the United States and requiring that no one be denied 
     due process or equal protection of the laws, and the 
     Fifteenth Amendment securing the right to vote for all 
     citizens, regardless of a person's race, color, or former 
     condition of servitude; and
       Whereas, despite the enactment of these significant 
     constitutional commands, for nearly 100 years, states and 
     local jurisdictions passed laws and instituted practices 
     designed to circumvent the Civil War amendments; many states 
     erected barriers to access to the polls, including infamous 
     poll taxes and literacy or good character tests; African-
     Americans, Latinos, and other minorities and those who 
     advocated on their behalf often were subjected to severe 
     violence and intimidation or, in some cases, death if they 
     attempted to register to vote or cast a ballot; and
       Whereas, confronted with aggressive and relentless defiance 
     of the Constitution, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act 
     of 1965 in order to ensure that the rights guaranteed by the 
     Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were enforced; and
       Whereas, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is widely viewed as 
     one of the most successful civil rights statutes ever 
     enacted; it bans literacy tests and other discriminatory 
     devices, outlaws discriminatory practices and procedures 
     during the voting process, authorizes the appointment of 
     federal election monitors and observers, and creates various 
     means for protecting and enforcing the rights of American 
     citizens, including racial and language minorities, to vote; 
     and
       Whereas, although the struggle to ensure fairness in the 
     electoral process continues, as a result of the Voting Rights 
     Act, racial and language minorities have enjoyed enhanced 
     opportunities to participate in the electoral process, cast 
     votes, and elect their candidates of choice; and
       Whereas, in 2007, certain ``special provisions'' of the 
     Voting Rights Act that were enacted to address discriminatory 
     voting practices and the present effects of those practices 
     could expire if not renewed by Congress; and
       Whereas, these provisions include:
       Section 2: This provision equips voters with the means to 
     challenge election laws that result in a denial or 
     abridgement of voting rights on account of race, color, or 
     language minority status;
       Section 4: The coverage provision, which determines which 
     states and jurisdictions must seek Section 5 pre-clearance; 
     the coverage formula reaches states and jurisdictions with 
     some of the most active histories of discrimination;
       Section 5: The federal pre-clearance of voting changes 
     provisions, which requires covered jurisdictions to prove 
     that voting changes are not discriminatory before they may 
     legally take effect;
       Sections 6-9: The Federal Examiner/Observer provisions, 
     which set forth criteria for election monitoring by the 
     Department of Justice; and
       Section 203: The bilingual voting materials provisions, 
     which mandate that certain voting materials must be 
     translated for language minorities in certain jurisdictions; 
     and
       Whereas, by 2007, Congress will vote on whether to extend 
     these ``special provisions'' of the Voting Rights Act; the 
     effects of the long history of voting discrimination persist; 
     the ``special provisions'' of the Voting Rights Act continue 
     to be extremely important tools for protecting minority 
     voting; during the reauthorization process, Congress will 
     compile a record that sets forth the continuing effects of 
     the nation's widespread voting discrimination; and
       Whereas, voting is the cornerstone of American democracy 
     and, during the reauthorization process, Congress and 
     individuals and organizations concerned with maintaining the 
     protections afforded by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 will 
     have an opportunity to present the evidence necessary to 
     support renewal of the ``special provisions'' of the Voting 
     Rights Act of 1965; in the meantime, all eligible voters 
     should register, confirm their registration status, and 
     exercise the right to vote so that the long struggle to 
     expand the franchise yields meaningful results: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the 104th General Assembly of the 
     State of Tennessee, the House of Representatives concurring, 
     That we hereby urge Congress to reauthorize the ``special 
     provisions'' of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the General Assembly of the State of 
     Tennessee will collaborate with all organizations dedicated 
     to ensuring the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 
     1965; and be it further
       Resolved, That an enrolled copy of this resolution be 
     transmitted to the Speaker and the Clerk of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, the President and the Secretary of the U.S. 
     Senate, and each member of the Tennessee Congressional 
     Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-417. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of Texas relative to memorializing 
     the Congress of the United States to address problems in the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs concerning the provision of 
     health care and benefits, the adjudication of claims, 
     accountability, and outreach and to enact legislation that 
     creates an appropriation formula that ensures predictable and 
     adequate funding for the health care programs of the Veterans 
     Health Administration; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                        Senate Resolution No. 9

       Whereas, military veterans who have served their country 
     honorably and who were promised and have earned health care 
     and benefits from the federal government through the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs are now in need of these 
     benefit; and
       Whereas, the funding of the health care programs of the 
     Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs has failed to reflect the admission of newly eligible 
     veterans in the wake of the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility 
     Reform Act of 1996 and has fallen short of the amount needed 
     to counter soaring medical care inflation, resulting in a 
     funding shortfall of at least $10 billion; and
       Whereas, the current discretionary method of funding the 
     health care programs of the Veterans Health Administration is 
     uncertain and is subject annually to the whim and competing 
     priorities of congress, to the detriment of the veterans 
     being served; and
       Whereas, the Vietnam Veterans of America organization 
     supports the adoption of a new funding mechanism for the 
     health care programs of the Veterans Health Administration 
     that is indexed to medical inflation and the per capita use 
     of the administration's health care system; and

[[Page 15933]]

       Whereas, the substantial delay in adjudicating veterans' 
     claims for service-connected disability compensation is the 
     cause of much anguish and anger among veterans and is the 
     result of a lack of funding of the Veterans Benefits 
     Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which 
     has led to an insufficient number of adjudicators and the 
     inadequate training and supervision of adjudicators; and
       Whereas, while the vast majority of Department of Veterans 
     Affairs employees are dedicated to serving veterans, it is 
     necessary to ensure that employee accountability standards be 
     strengthened at senior and junior levels; and
       Whereas, while more than five million veterans use the 
     Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for their health care needs, tens of thousands more 
     are eligible for benefits of which they are unaware due, to 
     inadequate outreach efforts by the department: Now, therefore 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 79th 
     Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the 
     Congress of the United States to address problems in the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs related to the provision of 
     health care and benefits, the adjudication of claims, 
     accountability, and outreach and to enact legislation that 
     creates an appropriation formula that ensures predictable and 
     adequate funding of the health care programs of the Veterans 
     Health Administration; and be it further
       Resolved, That the secretary of the senate forward official 
     copies of this Resolution to the secretary of veterans 
     affairs, the president of the United States, the president of 
     the senate and speaker of the house of representatives of the 
     United States Congress, and all members of the Texas 
     delegation to the congress with the request that this 
     Resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record 
     as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of 
     America.
                                  ____

       POM-418. A resolution adopted by the Cook County Board of 
     Commissioners of the State of Illinois relative to extending 
     or making permanent all sections of the Voting Right Act of 
     1965; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________