[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17670-17673]
[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-421. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the State of New Jersey relative to outsourcing port 
     operations to a company controlled by a foreign government; 
     to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                      Assembly Resolution No. 138

       Whereas, Security officials of the administration of 
     President George W. Bush, both United States Senators from 
     the State of New Jersey, the Governor of the State of New 
     Jersey and members of this House have serious concerns that 
     terrorists could infiltrate ports through Dubai Ports World, 
     a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates; and
       Whereas, Intelligence and security officials believe that 
     ports are vulnerable to the entry of terrorists or illicit 
     weapons because of the large number of containers that enter 
     the United States through these port facilities; and
       Whereas, The ports of New York, Newark, Philadelphia, 
     Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans are major points of entry 
     into the United States; and
       Whereas, The United Arab Emirates has a mixed record in 
     combating terrorism and terrorist organizations; and
       Whereas, The United Arab Emirates was one of only three 
     countries to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, The 45-day review of Dubai Ports World security 
     details must be carried out in a rigorous and independent 
     manner with Congress given final authority over the deal; and
       Whereas, The Bush administration has been unable to provide 
     sufficient evidence that security procedures vital to the 
     United States will not be compromised by officials from a 
     foreign company that is controlled by a foreign government; 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. It is the sense of the General Assembly of the State of 
     New Jersey that President Bush should reconsider his 
     decision, and he is advised to reverse his decision, to 
     permit the sale of certain United States port operations to 
     Dubai Ports World because this foreign company is controlled 
     by a government with a mixed record in fighting terrorism.
       2. It is the sense of the General Assembly of the State of 
     New Jersey that the federal government should conduct a 
     thorough review of this pending sale, pursuant to a 45-day 
     investigation period required by federal law.
       3. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by 
     the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk 
     thereof, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice 
     President of the United States, the Majority and Minority 
     Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority 
     Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and 
     every member of Congress elected from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-422. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii relative to the 
     adoption of changes to the Medicare Part D Program; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 80

       Whereas, over 40 million Americans, including approximately 
     186,000 Hawaii residents, receive health coverage through 
     Medicare and are currently eligible to purchase prescription 
     drug coverage through the

[[Page 17671]]

     Medicare Part D Program, which began on January 1, 2006; and
       Whereas, over 6.4 million Americans, including 26,000 
     Hawaii residents, are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid 
     and are referred to as ``dual eligibles''; and
       Whereas, the dual eligible group, 60 percent of whom live 
     below the poverty line, has more individuals who rely on 
     healthcare than other Medicare beneficiaries, with more than 
     50 percent requiring assistance with activities of daily 
     living or suffering from multiple chronic conditions, such as 
     Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, pulmonary disease, or stroke; 
     and
       Whereas, the number of elderly residents in the state is 
     expected to rise rapidly over the next two decades with one 
     in four residents over the age of 60; and
       Whereas, Medicare-eligible individuals enrolling in the 
     Medicare Part D Program after May 15, 2006, face a cumulative 
     one percent late-enrollment penalty for each month between 
     the date they were eligible and the date they enrolled; and
       Whereas, the enrollment penalty for Medicare Part B is ten 
     percent per year on the standard premium amount, which is 
     more predictable and less severe than the enrollment penalty 
     for Medicare Part D; and
       Whereas, Medicare beneficiaries must now navigate a new, 
     complex system of multiple health plans to purchase coverage 
     and receive prescription drug benefits; and
       Whereas, each prescription drug plan has a different 
     formulary, different co-payments, and varied cost-sharing 
     that Medicare beneficiaries must understand to determine 
     which plan has a formulary that not only includes most, or 
     all, of the beneficiaries' drugs, but also offers the best 
     value; and
       Whereas, beneficiaries face a great deal of uncertainty as 
     each plan is allowed to modify its formulary, including 
     dropping coverage of medications, on a monthly basis, while 
     most Medicare beneficiaries may only change plans once a year 
     during the open enrollment period; and
       Whereas, a beneficiary who needs a drug that is suddenly 
     dropped by the chosen plan must change to another drug or pay 
     out-of-pocket for the drug; and
       Whereas, drugs not listed on the formulary that are 
     purchased out-of-pocket by a beneficiary or paid for with a 
     discount card or through a state pharmacy program do not 
     count toward he beneficiaries' cost-sharing under the 
     Medicare Part D plan; and
       Whereas, plans are not required to disclose complete 
     information about the actual price of the drugs on their 
     formularies nor the cost of these drugs as negotiated by the 
     plan which drug manufacturers, resulting in the opportunity 
     for plans to inflate prices charged to Medicare beneficiaries 
     who will then have a higher total cost-sharing amount; and
       Whereas, many states will have additional costs associated 
     with the ``clawback'' provision of the Medicare law, which 
     requires states to reimburse the federal government for the 
     costs of dual eligibles based on a formula that may not 
     accurately reflect actual costs and numbers of these 
     enrollees; and
       Whereas, States will also incur significant costs if they 
     participate in educational and other efforts necessary to 
     ensure that dual eligibles and other Medicare enrollees do 
     not have a gap in coverage and have adequate information with 
     which to make informed choices between plan options; and
       Whereas, the State initiated a fail-safe program that 
     covered dual eligibles' prescriptions if their claims were 
     not processed through the drug plans offered by the new 
     Medicare Part D Program, and paid 480 claims in a four-day 
     period from January l, 2006 to January 4, 2006, to ensure 
     that patients received their medications; and
       Whereas, the Medicare law explicitly prohibits negotiations 
     over the price paid by the federal government for 
     prescription drugs; and
       Whereas, these same medications currently provided to dual 
     eligibles under Medicaid are subject to price negotiation by 
     the federal government, and the costs of these medications, 
     which will be reimbursed by the states to the federal 
     government, are likely to increase in the absence of price 
     negotiation; and
       Whereas, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the 
     new Medicare Part D Program is expected to increase spending 
     by $47 billion in 2006, the first year of implementation, and 
     reach $174 billion per year in 2015, when it will make up 23 
     percent of the $766 billion in total Medicare spending; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2006, the Senate concurring, That the President and Congress 
     of the United States are requested to adopt the following 
     changes to the Medicare Part D Program:
       (1) Eliminate the penalty for all Medicare-eligible 
     individuals enrolling after May 15, 2006;
       (2) Permit, once a year, prescription drug plans to drop 
     coverage of drugs on their formularies only after advance 
     notice to coincide with the annual open enrollment period, 
     except that drugs that have been determined to be dangerous 
     or have been removed from the market may be dropped from 
     formularies as deemed necessary for safety;
       (3) Standardize the formulary design so that each plan has 
     the same number of tiers and requirements for coverage;
       (4) Modify the requirements for what can be counted toward 
     the Medicare beneficiaries' ``true out-of-pocket cost,'' or 
     ``TROOP,'' to include all prescription drugs purchased on 
     behalf of the beneficiary regardless of where the drugs are 
     purchased, whether purchased through a state pharmacy program 
     or with a discount card, or whether the drug is on the 
     formulary of the enrollee's plan;
       (5) Ensure transparency so that states know the cost 
     negotiated by the prescription drug plan to ensure that all 
     negotiated rebates are passed on to the beneficiaries; and
       (6) Institute price negotiations for the purchase of 
     prescription drugs for the Medicare program, similar to the 
     provisions already in place under Medicaid and the Veterans 
     Administration; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     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 Hawaii's Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-423. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the State of New Jersey relative to Lyme and tick-borne 
     disease prevention education; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                       Assembly Resolution No. 55

       Whereas, Lyme disease is a common but frequently 
     misunderstood illness that, if not caught early and treated 
     properly, can cause serious health problems; and
       Whereas, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is 
     transmitted by a tick bite, and early signs of infection may 
     include a rash and flulike symptoms such as fever, muscle 
     aches, headaches and fatigue; and
       Whereas, although Lyme disease can be treated with 
     antibiotics if caught early, the disease often goes 
     undetected because it mimics other illnesses or may be 
     misdiagnosed and, if untreated, can lead to severe heart, 
     neurological, eye and joint problems because the bacteria can 
     affect many different organs and organ systems; and
       Whereas, although Lyme, disease accounts for 90 percent of 
     all vectorborne infections in the United States, the ticks 
     that spread the disease also spread other diseases, such as 
     ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and other strains of Borrelia; and
       Whereas, studies indicate that only 10 percent of the 
     number of tick-borne disease cases reported meet the criteria 
     established by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention; and
       Whereas, the persistence of symptomatology in many patients 
     without reliable testing makes treatment of patients more 
     difficult; and
       Whereas, New Jersey ranks third among the 50 states in the 
     number of reported Lyme disease cases; and
       Whereas, the ``Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, 
     Education, and Research Act of 2005'' has been introduced in 
     the 109th Congress as H.R. 3427 and S. 1479; and
       Whereas, the ``Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, 
     Education, and Research Act of 2005'' would advance the 
     treatment of, and cure for, Lyme and other tick-borne 
     diseases by expanding federal efforts concerning prevention, 
     education, treatment and research activities related to Lyme 
     and other tick-borne diseases, providing authorization for 
     the appropriation of $20 million for each of the federal 
     fiscal years 2006 through 2010 for these activities and 
     requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
     annually report to Congress on these activities and make 
     recommendations for further research and education, and 
     establishing a Tick-borne Diseases Advisory Committee within 
     the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services; 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. This House respectfully memorializes the United States 
     Congress and the President of the United States to enact the 
     ``Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education, and 
     Research Act of 2005,'' which is currently pending in the 
     Congress as H.R. 3427 and S. 1479.
       2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by 
     the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk 
     of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the 
     presiding officers of the United States Congress, each of the 
     members of the Congress elected from the State of New Jersey, 
     and the President of the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-424. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii relative to improving 
     the quality of the nation's public schools by substantially 
     increasing education funding; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 47

       Whereas, the State of Hawaii has long pursued the goal of 
     improving the academic performance of all students regardless 
     of race, income, ethnicity, or disability; and
       Whereas, the State of Hawaii commends the President and the 
     United States Congress for putting forth the same goals in 
     the

[[Page 17672]]

     No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and emphasizing the 
     urgency in improving the performance of all students; and
       Whereas, the NCLB has encouraged necessary changes in 
     public education and was initially accompanied with 
     substantial increases in federal funding for public 
     elementary and secondary education; and
       Whereas, however, the increases in federal funding since 
     the inaugural year of the NCLB have been minimal; and
       Whereas, the Federal Government has decreased funding in 
     fiscal year 2006 by:
       (1) $793,000,000 for the NCLB;
       (2) $166,000,000 for post secondary education; and
       (3) $21,000,000 for programs that serve students with 
     disabilities; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2006, the Senate concurring, That the Legislature urges the 
     President of the United States and the United States Congress 
     to support improving the quality of the nation's public 
     schools by substantially increasing funding for the No Child 
     Left Behind Act, Higher Education Act, Individuals with 
     Disabilities Education Act, and other education-related 
     programs; and be it further
       Resolved, That the State of Hawaii encourages other states 
     to adopt similar resolutions; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to President of the United States, 
     President of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, Secretary of the United 
     States Department of Education, and each member of Hawaii's 
     Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-425. A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of 
     the State of New Jersey relative to the issuance of a stamp 
     honoring the U.S. Army's canine corps; to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

                       Assembly Resolution No. 69

       Whereas, the Army Quartermaster Corps began the U.S. Armed 
     Forces first war dog training during World War II, creating 
     what has come to be known as the canine corps (K-9 corps); 
     and
       Whereas, the canine corps has served in World War II, 
     Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Bosnia and is currently 
     serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, the canine corps dogs are used as scouts, 
     trackers, sentries, point dogs, messengers and detectors of 
     mines, boobytraps, explosives and enemy soldiers; and
       Whereas, while many dogs are killed, abandoned or 
     euthanized in combat, it has been estimated that the canine 
     corps saved over 10,000 lives in Vietnam and continues to 
     save thousands of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
       Whereas, a stamp to honor the canine corps is currently 
     under consideration by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee 
     for future stamp use; and
       Whereas, it is in the best interest of the State to urge 
     the United States Postal Service and Citizens' Stamp Advisory 
     Committee to issue a stamp for the canine corps in honor of 
     the thousands of lives the corps saved and continues to save 
     while in combat; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New 
     Jersey:
       1. This house resolution urges the United States Postal 
     Service and the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a 
     stamp honoring the United States Army's canine corps.
       2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by 
     the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk 
     thereof, shall be transmitted to the President and the Vice 
     President of the United States, the Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority 
     leaders of the United States Senate and the United States 
     House of Representatives, and each member of the United 
     States Congress elected from this State.
                                  ____

       POM-426. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan relative to the Gaylord, Michigan, mail processing 
     center; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs.

                       Senate Resolution No. 151

       Whereas, Gaylord, Michigan, is the largest city in Otsego 
     County and one of the fastest growing and economically 
     vibrant cities in northern Michigan. The Gaylord Post Office 
     handles mail in the 487 zip codes, which covers a sprawling 
     area from Grayling to Sault Saint Marie and from Petoskey to 
     Alpena. The post office's mail plant processes packages and 
     flats, such as magazines, newspapers, legal documents, and 
     mail larger than letter-size; and
       Whereas, in April 2006, the United States Postal Service 
     concluded an Area Mail Processing (AMP) survey to determine 
     whether or not to consolidate Gaylord mail processing 
     operations into the Traverse City Processing & Distribution 
     Center. The postal service is considering consolidation in 
     order to reduce the $8 million deficit of the Greater 
     Michigan Postal District, which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, 
     and Indiana. District postal officials are expected to 
     receive final word from Washington, D.C., in either June or 
     July of this year; and
       Whereas, if both packaging and flats processing are 
     eliminated, then nearly 80 full-time employees are expected 
     to be transferred out of the region to other postal 
     facilities. This transfer will have a detrimental impact on 
     the Gaylord economy as well-paying jobs flee the area. 
     Moreover, closing the Gaylord mail processing operations will 
     result in a lower standard of service because without the 
     processing center mail cannot be delivered to this vast 
     region in an efficient and timely manner; Now, there, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the United 
     States Postal Service and the United States Congress to keep 
     open the Gaylord, Michigan, mail processing center; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the United States Postmaster General, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and the members of the Michigan 
     congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-427. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii relative to the 
     convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination 
     against women; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 67

       Whereas, International Women's Day, celebrated throughout 
     the world on March 8th, is a time to:
       (1) Reflect on the status of women in the United States and 
     around the world;
       (2) Assess the progress made and the challenges for women 
     remaining; and
       (3) Recommit to women's human rights and the full 
     empowerment of the world's women as the basis for truly 
     sustainable social, economic, and political development of 
     nations and communities; and
       Whereas, two hundred twenty-eight million women are in need 
     of effective contraceptive methods; and
       Whereas, a woman dies every minute as a result of pregnancy 
     and childbirth-related causes (approximately five hundred 
     women a year) and for every woman who dies, thirty other 
     women are injured or disabled; and
       Whereas, between seven hundred thousand and four million 
     people, mainly women and children, are trafficked annually 
     across international borders for sexual exploitation and 
     forced labor; and
       Whereas, fifty thousand to one hundred thousand women and 
     girls are trafficked annually for sexual exploitation into 
     the United States; and
       Whereas, HIV/AIDS is a women's epidemic worldwide with over 
     nineteen million women worldwide currently living with HIV/
     AIDS and over one million women dying of AIDS in 2002; and
       Whereas, for the last several years, HIV/AIDS has been the 
     fifth leading cause of death for women ages twenty-five to 
     forty-four years in the United States, and the third leading 
     cause of death for African American women in this same age 
     group; and
       Whereas, gender-based violence against women, including 
     prenatal sex selection, female infanticide, sexual abuse, 
     female genital mutilation, school and workplace sexual 
     harassment, sexual trafficking and exploitation, 
     prostitution, dowry-killings, domestic violence, battering, 
     and marital rape, causes more death and disability among 
     women in the fifteen to forty-four-year age group than 
     cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and even war; and
       Whereas, approximately four million eight hundred thousand 
     rapes and physical assaults are perpetrated annually against 
     women in the United States; and
       Whereas, women in many countries lack the right to own land 
     and inherit property, obtain credit, attend and stay in 
     school, earn income, and be free from job discrimination, 
     they also lack access to services that meet their sexual and 
     reproductive health needs; and
       Whereas, over two billion women around the globe live on 
     less than $2 a day, and women in the United States earn 
     seventy-three cents on average for every dollar earned by 
     men; and
       Whereas, two-thirds of the nine hundred sixty million 
     illiterate adults in the world are women and two-thirds of 
     the one hundred thirty million children not enrolled in 
     primary school are girls; and
       Whereas, in 1972, Hawaii became the first state to ratify 
     the federal Equal Rights Amendment, which would have amended 
     the United States Constitution by adding a guarantee of equal 
     rights for women; and
       Whereas, in 2003, the Hawaii State House of Representatives 
     adopted House Resolution No. 59, which: supported 
     International Women's Day; urged the United States Senate to 
     ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
     Discrimination Against Women; and further urged the United 
     States Congress to fund high quality, voluntary family 
     planning and reproductive health services; Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2006, the Senate concurring, That the United States Senate is 
     requested to demonstrate our nation's commitment to human 
     rights by ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All 
     Forms of

[[Page 17673]]

     Discrimination Against Women, and joining one hundred seventy 
     other nations in endorsing the most comprehensive treaty 
     ensuring the fundamental human rights and equality of women; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That the United States Congress is urged to 
     affirm every woman's fundamental right to reproductive 
     health, including the ability to choose the number of 
     children they will have and the timing of their births, by 
     funding high quality, voluntary family planning and 
     reproductive health services that enable women to exercise 
     this right; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United 
     States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, and the members of Hawaii's congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-428. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii relative to the 
     detonation of the Bravo Hydrogen Bomb over Bikini Atoll; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 34

       Whereas, at 6:45 a.m. on March 1, 1954, over Bikini Atoll, 
     the United States of America tested a hydrogen bomb device, 
     which is acknowledged to be the most powerful nuclear 
     explosion ever detonated; and
       Whereas, the ``Bravo'' H-Bomb inadvertently yielded fifteen 
     megatons instead of the five megatons expected by the 
     scientists working on the project--a yield one thousand times 
     more powerful than the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima; 
     and
       Whereas, including the Bravo H-Bomb, sixty-seven nuclear 
     tests were conducted at Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll 
     between 1946 and 1958, exposing the people of the Republic of 
     the Marshall Islands to severe health problems and genetic 
     anomalies due to the tests, such as ``jelly fish'' babies and 
     other anomalies in the children, grandchildren, and great-
     grandchildren of survivors; and
       Whereas, Enewetak Atoll served as ground zero for forty-
     three tests, eventually causing the exile of its people from 
     their homeland for thirty-three years; and
       Whereas, even after a massive cleanup program by the United 
     States, more than fifty-seven percent of the land is not safe 
     for human habitation; and
       Whereas, at the advice of the United States, the residents 
     of Bikini Atoll were repatriated to their homeland in 1967 
     only to be evacuated seven years later when high levels of 
     radionuclides were discovered in their bodies; and
       Whereas, the people of neighboring Rongelap and Utirik were 
     also returned prematurely to their atolls and received 
     additional exposure, causing many to believe that they were 
     used to study the effects of radiation on human beings as 
     evidenced in the Atomic Energy Commission's now infamous 
     Project 4.1 ``Study of Response of Human Beings Exposed to 
     Significant Beta and Gamma Radiation due to Fallout from High 
     Yield Weapons''; and
       Whereas, in the Compact of Free Association (Compact), the 
     United States ``accepts the responsibility for compensation 
     owing to the citizens of the Marshall Islands . . . for loss 
     or damage to property and person . . . resulting from the 
     nuclear testing program which the Government of the United 
     States conducted in the Northern Marshall Islands between 
     June 30, 1946 and August 18, 1958''; and
       Whereas, the pertinent provisions of the Compact were 
     negotiated based on limited and misleading information 
     provided by the United States Government to the 
     representatives of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a 
     fact only recently exposed in material declassified by the 
     United States and acknowledged by officials; and
       Whereas, the ``changed circumstances'' provisions of the 
     Compact provide that, should it become manifestly clear that 
     the agreement on nuclear matters is grossly inadequate to 
     meet the technological and financial requirements anticipated 
     during the negotiations, or if new information emerges that 
     render those agreements insufficient for the purpose of 
     concluding full and just compensation, the Congress of the 
     United States would consider a petition on the issue; and
       Whereas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands submitted 
     such a ``Changed Circumstances'' petition on September 11, 
     2000, based on recently declassified data; and
       Whereas, the Bush administration recently took a stand 
     against further compensation under the Changed Circumstances 
     petition, and
       Whereas, just compensation and continued funding for 
     promised medical and health programs for survivors of the 
     atomic tests now depend upon Congress' favorable 
     consideration of this petition; and
       Whereas, over the past seventeen years, Hawaii has provided 
     medical, educational, and other supportive services to lawful 
     non-immigrants from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
     without receiving adequate reimbursement from the United 
     States; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2006, the Senate concurring, That the United States Congress 
     is respectfully requested to enact appropriate measures to 
     provide for the full health needs of the hydrogen bomb tests 
     survivors and their progeny, pay appropriate property damage 
     claims, and provide for the costs of cleaning up nuclear 
     sites in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in connection 
     with hydrogen bomb testing on atolls of the Republic of the 
     Marshall Islands; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature expresses deep regret for 
     the harm done to the people of the Republic of the Marshall 
     Islands and their homeland and hereby requests the Governor 
     to declare March 1st as a Day of Remembrance for the 
     survivors of the United States nuclear tests in the Republic 
     of the Marshall Islands; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United 
     States, President of the United States Senate, Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, Chairperson of the 
     United States House of Representatives Committee on 
     Resources, Chairperson of the United States Senate Committee 
     on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Secretary of 
     Energy, Governor of Hawaii, members of Hawaii's Congressional 
     delegation, President of the Republic of the Marshall 
     Islands, Speaker of the Marshall Islands Nitijela, and Mayors 
     of Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap, and Utirik, and to ERUB I 
     (survivors in Majuro) and ERUB II (survivors in Hawaii).

                          ____________________