[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2990-2991]
[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-286. A resolution adopted by the Council of the County 
     of Hawaii supporting the National Health Insurance Act; to 
     the Committee on Finance.
        POM-287. A collection of petitions from citizens across 
     the country relative to establishing a more equitable method 
     of computing cost of living adjustments for Social Security 
     benefits; to the Committee on Finance.
       POM-288. A petition from citizens of the State of New York 
     relative to the role of federal courts in prison reform; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-289. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Hawaii urging the creation of an agreement that results in an 
     economy-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                        Senate Resolution No. 24

        Whereas, the White House is convening a Major Economies 
     Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change with seventeen 
     invited countries at the Center for Cultural and Technical 
     Interchange Between East and West, Inc. (East-West Center) on 
     the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa on January 30 
     and 31, 2008, to discuss potential international agreements 
     on global climate change; and
        Whereas, for more than half a century, researchers have 
     used atmospheric samples taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory 
     on the island of Hawaii to track a steady annual increase in 
     the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and 
     have concluded that concentrations are now higher than they 
     have been in the past eight hundred thousand years; and
        Whereas, scientific consensus links the anthropogenic 
     increase in greenhouse gases to global climate change; and
        Whereas, the Fourth Assessment Report of the 
     Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that 
     global emissions of greenhouse gases need to peak in the next 
     ten to fifteen years and be reduced to levels well below half 
     those in 2000 by the middle of this century in order to 
     stabilize greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere 
     at the lowest levels assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel 
     on Climate change to date in its scenarios; and
        Whereas, achieving the lowest levels assessed by the 
     Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to date and its 
     corresponding potential damage limitation would require 
     developed countries as a group to reduce emissions in a range 
     of twenty-five to forty per cent below 1990 levels by 2020; 
     and
       Whereas, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and 
     the signatory nations of the United Nations Framework 
     Convention on Climate Change have recognized the special 
     dangers of climate change to island states, territories, and 
     nations; and
       Whereas, global climate change is causing rapid melting of 
     ice at both the north and south polar regions, which, in 
     conjunction with thermal expansion due to warmer water 
     temperatures, is leading to a rapid rise in sea level; and
       Whereas, University of Hawaii experts have demonstrated 
     that a one meter rise in sea level would inundate much of 
     Hawaii's coastline, including the world renowned Waikiki 
     resort area, the Honolulu International Airport's reef 
     runway, the majority of Hawaii's wastewater treatment 
     facilities, many historic sites, and many populated areas, 
     including lands up to a mile away from the existing shoreline 
     in parts of Honolulu; and
       Whereas, global climate change also threatens Hawaii with 
     stronger hurricanes, prolonged drought, shifting weather 
     patterns, warmer temperatures, shifting micro-climates, 
     increased spread of invasive species, and saltwater intrusion 
     into its aquifers; and
       Whereas, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide 
     concentrations foster greater carbon dioxide uptake by the 
     world's oceans, leading to ocean acidification and the 
     resultant decreases in reef health and decreases in survival 
     of ocean life that rely on calcium carbonate shells; and
       Whereas, Hawaii is doing its part to reduce its 
     contribution to global climate change by adopting progressive 
     energy policies that promote the use of clean energy 
     technologies such as wind, solar, wave, and biomass energy; 
     and
       Whereas, Act 234, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, placed a 
     binding statewide cap on Hawaii's greenhouse gas emissions by 
     requiring Hawaii to reduce its non-aviation greenhouse gas 
     emissions to their 1990 levels before 2020: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of 
     the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, That in 
     recognition of Hawaii's overwhelming vulnerability to global 
     climate change, the President of the United States is urged 
     to use the January 30 and 31,

[[Page 2991]]

     2008, Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate 
     Change, which is being hosted in Hawaii, to commit to an 
     economy-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 
     United States; and be it further
       Resolved, That the President of the United States is urged 
     to consent to binding and quantified commitments for the 
     United States under the United Nations Framework Convention 
     on Climate Change that would result in the rapid 
     stabilization and decrease in atmospheric greenhouse gas 
     concentrations; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified 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, members of Hawaii's 
     congressional delegation, and the Secretariat of the United 
     Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
                                  ____

        POM-290. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State 
     of Michigan urging the Congress to establish stricter 
     standards for the drug approval process; to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                        Senate Resolution No. 134

        Whereas, Americans are justifiably concerned about the 
     safety and efficacy of the drugs and medications they take. 
     In recent years, the FDA has received consumer reports of 
     safety concerns and harmful side effects after the use of 
     drugs approved by the FDA. In some cases, the FDA or 
     manufacturer response to these reports has not been timely 
     and consumers continue to risk harm; and
        Whereas, The FDA is responsible for protecting public 
     health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of 
     human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical 
     devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products 
     that emit radiation. Accountability rests with the FDA to 
     require stringent testing and trials before a drug can be 
     approved for marketing; and
        Whereas, Incidents of harmful side effects raised concerns 
     that the FDA post-marketing monitoring needs strengthening. 
     Although American drugs are arguably the safest in the world, 
     allegations of detrimental consequences from FDA-approved 
     drugs show that there is room for improvement. Stricter 
     standards for the FDA's investigation and response to 
     consumer reports of harmful side effects should be 
     established to enhance the safety of drugs approved by the 
     FDA and on the market. The FDA must immediately investigate 
     consumer reports of harmful side effects and act quickly to 
     protect the public. In this way, Michigan's tort law and 
     strict FDA standards will ensure that Michigan residents can 
     have confidence in the drugs and medications they take; now, 
     therefore, be it
        Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the United 
     States Congress and United States Food and Drug 
     Administration to establish stricter standards for the drug 
     approval process; and be it further
        Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     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 Commissioner of 
     the United States Food and Drug Administration.

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