[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11605-11607]
[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-357. A resolution adopted by the Metropolitan King 
     County Council of the State of Washington supporting the 
     withdrawal of federal appropriation for the Airbus tanker; to 
     the Committee on Armed Services.
       POM-358. A joint resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the Northern Marianas Commonwealth 
     Legislature expressing its support for Resolution number 80 
     of the Legislature of Guam; to the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources.
       POM-359. A letter from a private citizen relative to 
     funding of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.
       POM-360. A resolution adopted by the New Britain Common 
     Council of the State of Connecticut opposing the continuation 
     of the Iraq war; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
       POM-361. A resolution adopted by the Caribbean and North 
     American Area Council of the World Alliance urging Congress 
     to end the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba; to the Committee 
     on Foreign Relations.
       POM-362. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Mississippi urging Congress to support the 
     passage of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
     Determination Act; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 556

       Whereas, in December 2000, the Secure Rural Schools and 
     Community Self-Determination Act, a Federal act, was signed 
     into law; and
       Whereas, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
     Determination Act provides federal funds to counties and 
     school districts with national forest lands located within 
     the county boundaries; and
       Whereas, 33 counties have substantial tracts of land in 
     public ownership which can neither be developed nor taxed to 
     generate revenue from economic activity or taxation; and
       Whereas, these counties have United States National Forests 
     within its boundaries and have received critical funds for 
     roads and schools based on revenues generated from these 
     forests; and
       Whereas, the payments provided to these counties have been 
     a consistent and necessary source of funding for the schools, 
     teachers and students; and
       Whereas, in December 2007, the United States Congress 
     removed the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and 
     Community Self-Determination Act from the Energy Legislation 
     to which it was attached. This legislation was subsequently 
     passed and signed into law without reauthorization for the 
     Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act; 
     and
       Whereas, the funding provided through the Secure Rural 
     Schools and Community Self-Determination Act will 
     significantly contribute to the local economy of these 
     counties by providing the necessary funds for schools and 
     roads, which is vital for sustained economic development; and
       Whereas, these counties depend on the funding from the 
     Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act and 
     unless the funding is secured through legislation as deemed 
     appropriate by the Mississippi congressional delegation, 
     these counties will lose critical funding that it has 
     received for decades:
       Now, Therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of Mississippi, the 
     House of Representatives concurring therein, That we, the 
     members of the Legislature of the State of Mississippi, 
     respectfully request that the United States Congress pass the 
     Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act so 
     that

[[Page 11606]]

     these Mississippi counties may continue to adequately 
     maintain the roads and schools and sustain economic 
     development in the state.
       Be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate is directed to 
     transmit copies of this resolution to President George W. 
     Bush, the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of 
     the United States House of Representatives, the Governor of 
     the State of Mississippi, each member of the Mississippi 
     congressional delegation, and that copies be made available 
     to members of the Capitol Press Corps.
                                  ____

       POM-363. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan urging Congress to enact the Clean Boating Act of 
     2008; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                       Senate Resolution No. 179

       Whereas, in September 2006 the U.S. Northern District Court 
     Court of California issued a ruling that required the 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate ballast 
     water discharges. Ocean-going vessels moving from port to 
     port are largely responsible for the spread of aquatic 
     invasive species through the discharge of ballast water. 
     Although intended to address only ballast water discharges 
     from ocean-going vessels, the court ruling encompassed all 
     discharges from all vessels, including recreational boats. 
     Under the ruling, all vessels would be required to have a 
     federal permit for discharges to the water beginning 
     September 2008; and
       Whereas, recreational boat discharges are already regulated 
     under numerous federal and state laws. Non-polluting, 
     incidental discharges such as weather deck runoff, grey 
     water, uncontaminated bilge water, and engine coolant water 
     should not require a federal permit. These discharges occur 
     during the normal operation of a recreational vessel and are 
     completely different from the discharges of a commercial ship 
     that were intended to be affected by the District Court 
     ruling; and
       Whereas, with almost 1 million registered recreational 
     boats, Michigan is one of the top boating states in the 
     nation. With 40,000 square miles of Great Lakes waters and 
     thousands of inland lake boating opportunities, boating is 
     one of the largest outdoor recreational activities in which 
     our residents take part. Requiring Michigan recreational boat 
     owners to obtain the federal discharge permit will be a huge 
     economical burden and inconvenience to Michigan boat owners; 
     and
       Whereas, Congress has before it the Clean Boating Act of 
     2008 (S. 2766), which will restore the 35-year-old EPA 
     exemption for these non-polluting discharges from 
     recreational vessels. Immediate action on S. 2766 will 
     prevent owners of small, recreational boats from having to 
     purchase the same, expensive discharge permits required of 
     commercial vessels beginning in September, and
       Whereas, it is critical that owners and operatores of 
     recreational boats must continue to abide by Michigan 
     Department of Natural Resources' recommendations for the 
     proper treatment of their vessels, including voluntary 
     practices such as a thorough washing of their vessels when 
     moving from one body of water to another to minimize the risk 
     of the spread of invasive species; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of 
     the United States to enact the Clean Boating Act of 2008; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the Secretary of the United States Environmental Protection 
     Agency, 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-364. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Utah urging U.S. withdrawal from the Security and 
     Prosperity Partnership of North America; to the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations.

                         House Resolution No. 1

       Whereas, President George W. Bush established the Security 
     and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America with the 
     nations of Mexico and Canada on March 23, 2005;
       Whereas, the gradual creation of such a North American 
     Union from a merger of the United States, Mexico, and Canada 
     would be a direct threat to the United States Constitution 
     and the national independence of the United States and would 
     imply an eventual end to national borders within North 
     America;
       Whereas, on March 31, 2006, a White House news release 
     confirmed the continuing existence of the SPP and its 
     ``ongoing process of cooperation'';
       Whereas, Congressman Ron Paul has written that a key to the 
     SPP plan is an extensive new North American Free Trade 
     Agreement (NAFTA) superhighway: ``[U]nder this new 
     `partnership,' a massive highway is being planned to stretch 
     from Canada into Mexico, through the state of Texas.'';
       Whereas, this trilateral partnership to develop a North 
     American Union has never been presented to Congress as an 
     agreement or treaty, and has had virtually no congressional 
     oversight; and
       Whereas, state and local governments throughout the United 
     States would be negatively impacted by the SPP and North 
     American Union process, such as the ``open borders'' vision 
     of the SPP, eminent domain takings of private property along 
     the planned superhighways; and increased law enforcement 
     problems along those same superhighways: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the state of 
     Utah urges the United States Congress, and Utah's 
     congressional delegation, to use all of their efforts, 
     energies, and diligence to withdraw the United States from 
     any further participation in the Security and Prosperity 
     Partnership of North America. Be it further
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives urges Congress 
     to withdraw the United States from any other bilateral or 
     multilateral activity, however named, which seeks to advance, 
     authorize, fund, or in any way promote the creation of any 
     structure to accomplish any form of North American Union as 
     described in this resolution. Be it further
       Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the 
     Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of 
     the United States House of Representatives, to the members of 
     Utah's congressional delegation, and all members of Congress 
     by electronic means.
                                  ____

       POM-365. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging Congress to provide funding for 
     the Louisiana University of Medical Sciences, Inc., College 
     of Primary Care Medicine; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68

       Whereas, Louisiana suffers with one of the worst health 
     environments in the country, including a high infant 
     mortality rate, a high rate of low birth weight babies, and 
     an incidence of stroke that is 1.3 times that of the rest of 
     the country, outside of the ``stroke belt''; and
       Whereas, despite the best efforts of medical education 
     institutions in Louisiana, the deficit of primary care 
     physicians continues; and
       Whereas, in recent years, less than one-half of the 
     graduates of medical education institutions in Louisiana 
     selected a primary care specialty; and
       Whereas, Louisiana University of Medical Sciences, Inc., 
     College of Primary Care Medicine, is a non-profit 
     organization designed to address the shortage of primary care 
     physicians in small towns, rural areas, and underserved 
     areas; and
       Whereas, the faculty and staff of the College of Primary 
     Care Medicine are committed to a teaching program that 
     addresses the shortage of primary care physicians both in 
     Louisiana and nationwide; and
       Whereas, throughout the educational experience at the 
     College of Primary Care Medicine of the Louisiana University 
     of Medical Services, Inc., the student will be exposed to a 
     wide variety of primary health care settings; and
       Whereas, through the program at the College of Primary Care 
     Medicine of the Louisiana University of Medical Services, 
     Inc., the traditional basic medical sciences will be 
     thoroughly presented, and students will be given all the 
     tools necessary to be successful on the United States Medical 
     Licensing Examination. Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana hereby 
     memorializes the Congress of the United States to provide 
     funding for the Louisiana University of Medical Services, 
     Inc., College of Primary Care Medicine. Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate and 
     the clerk of the United States House of Representatives and 
     to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United 
     States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-366. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Pennsylvania urging the federal government to take the steps 
     necessary to provide needed short-term and long-term 
     financial assistance to students so they may repay their 
     student loans; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
     and Pensions.

                       Senate Resolution No. 289

       Whereas, there is a student loan funding crisis that began 
     with the recent sub-prime mortgage meltdown and subsequent 
     turmoil in the capital markets; and
       Whereas, these far-reaching economic problems have now 
     given rise to a new bond market crisis, which is further 
     compounding the funding problem for many lenders; and
       Whereas, as a result, student loan providers throughout the 
     national are exiting the $50 billion Federal Family Education 
     Loan Program (FFELP), while others are being forced to 
     curtail their activity, seriously jeopardizing the funding 
     plans of millions of American students; and
       Whereas, eighty percent of today's college students depend 
     on FFELP to help them pay for school; and
       Whereas, without access to sufficient funding, millions of 
     students will not be able to pay for their college education; 
     and
       Whereas, the result could be devastating for students and 
     families, with additional consequences for the higher 
     education community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's 
     economy; and

[[Page 11607]]

       Whereas, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance 
     Agency (PHEAA) has experienced ``failed auctions'' in the 
     troubled bond market for the first time in its history, 
     substantially increasing its cost of borrowing and putting 
     its ability to fund additional student loans at risk; and
       Whereas, the focus is first and foremost to protect the 
     interests of families residing in this Commonwealth, but 
     everyone must understand that this is a national problem that 
     requires a national solution; and
       Whereas, without decisive Federal intervention, the 
     resulting financial stress placed on students and families 
     could be disastrous; Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania call for immediate action from the United States 
     Secretary of the Treasury, the United States Secretary of 
     Education, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and the 
     president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to use 
     all means and authorities available to them to provide needed 
     short-term and long- term financial assistance to assure the 
     availability of student loans to students and families of 
     this Commonwealth; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the United States Secretary of the Treasury, the United 
     States Secretary of Education, the chairman of the Federal 
     Reserve Board and the president of the Federal Home Loan Bank 
     of Pittsburgh and the presiding officer of each house of 
     Congress and to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
                                  ____

       POM-367. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Maine urging Congress to 
     enact legislation to ensure health care for all. to the 
     Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                            Joint Resolution

       Whereas, every person in Maine and in the United States 
     deserves access to affordable, quality health care: and
       Whereas, there is a growing crisis in health care in the 
     United States of America, manifested by rising health care 
     costs, increased premiums, increased out-of-pocket spending, 
     the decreased competitiveness of our businesses in the global 
     economy and significant worker layoffs; and
       Whereas, most health insurance access is provided through 
     employment, and health insurance premiums have grown 4 times 
     faster than worker earnings over the last 6 years; and
       Whereas, Maine ranks 5th in the nation in access to health 
     care and 2nd in quality and is committed to maintaining 
     access to affordable, quality health care for all Maine 
     people and all Americans; and
       Whereas, forty-seven million Americans lack health 
     insurance, with 129,000 people in Maine without health 
     insurance; and
       Whereas, even those insured now often experience 
     unacceptable medical debt and sometimes life-threatening 
     delays in obtaining health care; and
       Whereas, those without health insurance suffer higher rates 
     of mortality and a decreased quality of life; and
       Whereas, access to consistent, preventive health care saves 
     lives and dollars; and
       Whereas, one-half of all personal bankruptcies are due to 
     illnesses or medical bills; and
       Whereas, the complex, fragmented and bureaucratic system 
     for financing and providing health insurance consumes 
     approximately 30% of United States health care spending; and
       Whereas, access to affordable health care will improve the 
     competitiveness of businesses and the viability of our health 
     care providers; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That we, your Memorialists, on behalf of the 
     people we represent, take this opportunity to respectfully 
     urge and request that the United States Congress enact 
     legislation to ensure the availability of health care for all 
     Americans that guarantees quality, affordable health care 
     coverage for every American; 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 Senate, to the Speaker of 
     the United States House of Representatives and to each Member 
     of the Maine Congressional Delegation.

                          ____________________