[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19064-19067]
[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-58. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Louisiana urging Congress to address the escalating 
     electronic payment interchange rates that merchants and 
     consumers are assessed; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
     and Urban Affairs.

                       Senate Resolution No. 131

       Whereas, improved technology combined with consumer 
     convenience has caused a rise in credit and debit card 
     electronic payment systems; and
       Whereas, in order for merchants to accept these payment 
     systems, merchants are required to enter into an unfair 
     contractual relationship with the credit card companies and 
     their member banks; and
       Whereas, in exchange for the electronic payment system, 
     merchants must pay interchange fees and these interchange 
     fees are usually hidden and not disclosed to the consumer; 
     and
       Whereas, credit card companies increase interchange fees 
     and change the terms of merchant contract agreements without 
     providing sufficient written or electronic notice to card 
     accepting merchants; and
       Whereas, the interchange fees are ultimately passed on to 
     the consumers, including those who pay with cash or a check 
     and who, in effect, subsidize rewards given to credit card 
     customers; and
       Whereas, the number of rewards cards in circulation is 
     rapidly increasing, and the new rewards cards carry higher 
     interchange fees and therefore, are more costly for both 
     merchants and consumers; and
       Whereas, merchants are contractually obligated to accept 
     all cards from a credit card issuer and may not refuse 
     payment from a card charging higher interchange rates; and
       Whereas, the interchange fees, including those paid on food 
     and gasoline, are typically almost double the profit margin 
     of the merchant; and
       Whereas, traditional economic models are not applicable 
     because merchants are forced to accept contractual terms 
     dictated often without notice or recourse; and
       Whereas, small businesses struggle to absorb the constant 
     increases in the cost of accepting electronic payments; and
       Whereas, it is advantageous that economic models facilitate 
     a highly competitive marketplace; and
       Whereas, the increased consumer use of electronic payments 
     requires Congress to assure the existence of a highly 
     competitive and vibrant market that promotes an economic 
     playing field that is fair to consumers, merchants, and card 
     providers: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 
     hereby memorializes the Congress of the United States to 
     address the escalating electronic payment interchange rates 
     that merchants and consumers are assessed. 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-59. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging Congress, the Governor of 
     Louisiana, the Department of Economic Development, the 
     Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Public 
     Service Commission, to assist in putting wood to electricity 
     projects on a commensurate funding and taxation level with 
     wind and solar generated electricity; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 49

       Whereas, the major focus of the Wood Products Development 
     Foundation is the expansion or development of new uses of 
     wood and wood waste products that result in a positive impact 
     on the economic conditions of the state; and
       Whereas, the timber industry has experienced a serious 
     decline in recent years, and this downturn will continue 
     unless new use sources are developed in the immediate future; 
     and
       Whereas, after studying numerous potential industries, the 
     foundation determined a project that used wood and wood waste 
     products to create electricity would be the most economically 
     viable expansion of raw wood products for the long term; and
       Whereas, the use and need for electricity will continue to 
     increase, and these projects will provide a renewable, green 
     source of electric power that does not affect the nation's 
     food supply or demand for food-based agricultural products 
     and materials for an indefinite period; and
       Whereas, these wood to electricity projects provide an 
     additional market for raw wood products even in a distressed 
     market, provide an additional source of electricity at a 
     market rate that is carbon neutral, and provide a dedicated 
     electrical source available locally to supply viable defense 
     structures and critical facilities in times of natural 
     disasters; and
       Whereas, the foundation has completed plans for two 
     centrally located plants within the state that will use wood 
     waste products from wood producers in the vicinity; and
       Whereas, the electrical production will be made equally 
     available to wood-related industries and a grid for the 
     benefit of low-income households within reasonable vicinity 
     of the plant sites; and
       Whereas, the two proposed projects will inject sixty 
     million dollars into the economy in terms of construction and 
     start-up costs and will create a minimum of thirty permanent 
     full-time jobs at the plant sites and approximately one 
     hundred jobs for suppliers of the wood fuel feedstock; and
       Whereas, in the last several months, significant regional 
     job losses in the wood industry make this effort even more 
     vital to securing new alternatives for value-added market 
     activity related to the wood resources of the state; and
       Whereas, there is a current need for additional funding to 
     complete the necessary regulatory, environmental, 
     engineering, and administrative functions to fulfill the 
     requirements for construction loan approvals: Therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     urge and request the Louisiana congressional delegation, the 
     governor, the Department of Economic Development, the 
     Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Public 
     Service Commission to assist in providing funding for any 
     necessary additional requirements, documentation, or studies 
     that may be needed to secure long-term funding, and to assist 
     in developing state and federal policies for wood to 
     electricity projects that put them on a commensurate funding 
     and taxation level with wind and solar generated electricity: 
     Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the Louisiana congressional delegation, the governor, the 
     Department of Economic Development, the Department of 
     Agriculture and Forestry, and the Public Service Commission.
                                  ____

       POM-60. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana expressing continued support for the 
     Coastal Restoration and Enhancement Through Science and 
     Technology Program for its role in providing new research and 
     scientific information for coastal restoration; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 20

       Whereas, the Legislature of Louisiana expressed its support 
     for the CREST Program in Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21 
     of the 2008 First Extraordinary Session of the Legislature; 
     and
       Whereas, the CREST Program and its member educational 
     institutions in Louisiana and Mississippi are continuing to 
     work to provide applied research in innovative and practical 
     technologies to meet the urgent need for coastal restoration 
     and protection and to support a new generation of restoration 
     scientists drawn from students working in science and 
     engineering; and
       Whereas, one of CREST's aims is to help policymakers, 
     planners and coastal resource managers use the latest science 
     and best technologies to ensure sustainable and productive 
     coastal habitats and communities; and
       Whereas, the CREST Program has been funded on an annual 
     ``add-on'' basis in the federal budget and is therefore 
     highly vulnerable to loss of its funding, a situation which 
     would be improved by having the program become a regular part 
     of the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration; and
       Whereas, research funded by CREST has helped to improve 
     barrier island restoration, marsh terracing, and re-
     vegetation techniques, to develop water and sediment budget 
     needed for sustaining the Chenier Plain, and to understand 
     the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the marsh areas below the 
     Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion structure: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     express continued support for the Coastal Restoration and 
     Enhancement Through Science and Technology Program for its 
     role in providing new research and scientific information for 
     coastal restoration and protection: Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the president of the United States, the administrator of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the director 
     of Coastal Restoration and Enhancement Through Science and 
     Technology Program, and to each member of the Louisiana 
     delegation to the United States Congress.

[[Page 19065]]

       POM-61. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging Congress to enact legislation 
     to adjust the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rules to 
     ameliorate the unintended negative impact caused by the 
     infusion of disaster relief funding, both in public and 
     private, into Louisiana's and other state's economies 
     following major disasters; to the Committee on Finance.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 137

       Whereas, in 2005 and 2008, Louisiana was struck by 
     hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike, collectively 
     requiring billions of dollars of federal and private 
     assistance to the state; and
       Whereas, the people of Louisiana are grateful for the 
     support of the American people and of the United States 
     Congress as the state is recovering from these catastrophic 
     events; and
       Whereas, coastal states, such as Florida, Mississippi and 
     Texas, and other states, such as Iowa, have recently 
     experienced significant disasters related to either 
     hurricanes or flooding, and coastal states can reasonably 
     expect to experience similar calamities in the future; and
       Whereas, after a disaster resulting in massive and wide 
     spread damage to public and private property, economic 
     activity may temporarily significantly increase as the state 
     and local communities endeavor to rebuild; and
       Whereas, due to the increased economic activity resulting 
     from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana's per capita 
     personal income saw an unusual and extraordinary increase of 
     forty-two percent from 2005 through 2007; and
       Whereas, the per capita personal income for Louisiana grew 
     by six point eight percent from 2000 through 2005; and
       Whereas, the bureau of economic analysis of the U.S. 
     Department of Commerce stated in its 2007 report entitled 
     State Personal Income, that ``Louisiana grew ten point five 
     percent in 2007, down from twenty point six percent in 
     2006,'' and that ``these growth rates are substantially 
     higher than any other state''; and
       Whereas, the bureau further reported that, ``the rental 
     income component of Louisiana personal income was boosted by 
     five point four billion dollars of Road Home subsidies from 
     the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,'' and 
     that much of the per capita personal income gain in Louisiana 
     ``is accounted for by the Road Home subsidies which average 
     nearly twelve hundred fifty dollars per Louisiana resident''; 
     and
       Whereas, evidence shows that even though the per capita 
     personal income had grown by forty-two percent from 2005 
     through 2007, median income has remained stable which 
     indicates that real personal income has not grown in a 
     sustained way; and
       Whereas, the bureau of economic analysis captures not only 
     the economic activity generated by the receipt of government 
     disaster relief payments but receipt of insurance payments 
     that would not have occurred but for the hurricanes--activity 
     which, when included in the overall calculations of per 
     capita personal income are extremely difficult to 
     disaggregate for attribution to specific causes as the 
     spending percolates throughout the economy; and
       Whereas, the increased economic activity in Louisiana in 
     2006 and 2007 is clearly a direct result of the rebuilding 
     that occurred in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita 
     and this economic activity led to a corresponding increase in 
     per capita personal income in Louisiana in 2006 and 2007; and
       Whereas, accurate considerations of per capita personal 
     income are important because federal law establishes the 
     formula by which the FMAP for each state is determined based 
     on a comparison of each states per capita personal income to 
     the per capita income personal income of the United States as 
     calculated by the bureau of economic analysis; and
       Whereas, when a state's per capita personal income 
     increases relative to the average of the United States, the 
     state's FMAP decreases; and
       Whereas, according to the federal formula, the increase in 
     per capita personal income in Louisiana in 2006 and 2007 will 
     have the unintended consequence of reducing Louisiana's FMAP 
     for federal fiscal years 2010 and 2011; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's FMAP will decrease to 67.61% in 
     federal fiscal year 2010 and to 63.16% in federal fiscal year 
     2011, a total decrease of 6.53% over two years, the largest 
     decline of any state; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's FMAP is temporarily enhanced to eighty 
     percent as a result of the enactment of the American Recovery 
     and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), but that enhanced FMAP 
     will terminate on December 31, 2010; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's FMAP will drop precipitously from 
     eighty percent to sixty-three point sixteen percent on 
     January 1, 2011, and this loss in federal match will 
     annualize to approximately one billion dollars; and
       Whereas, Louisiana has demonstrated a significant 
     commitment to its programs for providing health care access 
     to the poor by investing in substantial sums of state general 
     fund dollars through Medicaid, SCHIP and a statewide system 
     of public hospitals, all of which to combine to provide a 
     safety net for a state with low income and significant 
     provider access problems, and such a drastic reduction in 
     Louisiana's FMAP will have devastating impact on the state's 
     infrastructure for caring for the poor; and
       Whereas, the presumed purpose for using the per capita 
     personal income as a basis for the calculation of FMAP is to 
     ensure resources are directed to states which are more likely 
     to have low-income populations, and thus, a more significant 
     burden on the Medicaid program; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's Medicaid program has not seen a 
     decrease in enrollment after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but 
     rather an increase, and thus, from an economic perspective, 
     it is clear the purpose for utilizing per capita personal 
     income as the primary driver of the state's FMAP cannot be 
     accurately and fairly applied to Louisiana during the period 
     following the temporary increase in economic activity; and
       Whereas, the Louisiana Legislature does not accept that it 
     is the intention of the United States Department of Health 
     and Human Services or the United States Congress, through an 
     artifact of the FMAP formula, to financially penalize 
     Louisiana and other states working to rebuild their 
     communities after major disasters: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to 
     adjust the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage rules to 
     ameliorate the unintended negative impact caused by the 
     infusion of disaster relief funding, both public and private, 
     into Louisiana's and other state's economies following major 
     disasters; 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-62. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana affirming Louisiana's sovereignty 
     under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
     States of America over all powers not otherwise enumerated 
     and granted to the federal government by the Consitution of 
     the United States of America, to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2

       Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States of America reads as follows: ``The powers not 
     delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor 
     prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states 
     respectively, or to the people''; and
       Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States of America defines the total scope of federal 
     power as being that specifically granted to the Constitution 
     of the United States of America and no more; and
       Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States of America means that the federal government 
     was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the 
     states; and
       Whereas, today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably 
     treated as agents of the federal government; and
       Whereas, many powers assumed by the federal government as 
     well as federal mandates are in direct violation of the Tenth 
     Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of 
     America; and
       Whereas, the United States Supreme Court has ruled in New 
     York v. United States, 112 S.Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress 
     may not simply commandeer the legislative and regulatory 
     processes of the states; and
       Whereas, a number of proposals from previous 
     administrations and some pending with the present 
     administration as well as from Congress may further violate 
     the Constitution of the United States of America: Therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States of America that the 
     legislature affirms Louisiana's sovereignty under the Tenth 
     Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America 
     over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the 
     federal government by the Constitution of the United States 
     of America; Be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana also demands 
     that the federal government halt and reverse its practice of 
     assuming powers and imposing mandates upon the states for 
     purposes not enumerated by the Constitution of the United 
     States of America; 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 and to the president of the United States of 
     America and to the governor of Louisiana.
                                  ____

       POM-63. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urges Congress to adopt and submit to 
     the states for ratification a proposed amendment to the 
     Constitution of the United States to require a federal 
     balanced budget; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

[[Page 19066]]



                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 8

       Whereas, as the country copes with economic challenges 
     beyond those this generation has experienced, a host of ideas 
     and proposals have been put forth in an effort to alleviate 
     economic stress; and
       Whereas, the complexities of the problems facing the nation 
     are mirrored in the variety of stimulus legislation proposals 
     and many valid projects are being suggested, including those 
     rebuilding the country's infrastructure; and
       Whereas, the Congress of the United States has repeatedly 
     repealed statutory requirements that mandate a balanced 
     federal budget, making it abundantly clear that it lacks an 
     understanding of fiscal discipline and restraint; and
       Whereas, the repeated practice by the Congress of the 
     United States of engaging in deficit spending and the 
     accumulation of national debt endangers the jobs, incomes, 
     retirement security, and welfare of the American people; and
       Whereas, such deficits and debt also increase pressure to 
     raise taxes on the American people; and
       Whereas, Article V of the Constitution of the United States 
     provides that an amendment to the constitution may be 
     proposed by Congress, or on the application of the 
     legislatures of two-thirds of the states, thereby Congress is 
     required to call a constitutional convention for the purpose 
     of proposing an amendment which shall become part of the 
     constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-
     fourths of the several states; and
       Whereas, forty-nine states have balanced budget 
     requirements, thirty-one of which mandate constitutionally 
     that their budgets shall be balanced:
       Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to adopt and submit to the 
     states for ratification a proposed amendment to the 
     Constitution of the United States to require a federal 
     balanced budget; 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-64. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging Congress and the Attorney 
     General of the United States and the Federal Bureau of 
     Prisons to refrain from sending detainees released or 
     transferred from the facilities at Guantanamo Bay Detention 
     Facility, Cuba to prisons in Louisiana; to the Committee on 
     the Judiciary.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4

       Whereas, since the United States began its Global War on 
     Terrorism in 2001, alleged terrorists captured by the United 
     States and their allies have been detained in the facilities 
     at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility (GTMO), Cuba; and
       Whereas, the detainee complex at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is 
     the only complex in the world that has been established 
     solely to safely and humanely hold individuals that pose a 
     high-security risk to the United States; and
       Whereas, GTMO is a secure location, away from the United 
     States population, in general, and population centers, most 
     especially, which provides the maximum security required to 
     prevent escape, provides multiple levels of confinement 
     opportunities based upon the level of compliance of the 
     detainee, and provides medical care not available to a 
     majority of the population of the world; and
       Whereas, GTMO houses two hundred forty-five detainees from 
     over thirty countries who include terrorist trainers, 
     terrorist financiers, bomb makers, suspected Al-Qaeda 
     recruiters and facilitators, and would-be suicide bombers; 
     and
       Whereas, in 2007, the Senate of the United States passed a 
     resolution by a vote of 94-3, stating ``detainees housed at 
     Guantanamo should not be released into American society, nor 
     should they be transferred stateside into facilities in 
     American communities and neighborhoods''; and
       Whereas, despite the best efforts of the Federal Bureau of 
     Prisons, these detainees, if transferred stateside to 
     facilities in American communities and neighborhoods, would 
     present a significant threat to the American people at large, 
     and, most especially, to those people located near any 
     federal detention facility; and
       Whereas, several federal detention facilities are located 
     in the state of Louisiana, any of which could potentially 
     house detainees released from GTMO; and
       Whereas, any housing of these detainees in Louisiana would 
     present a high risk and a clear and present danger to all 
     Louisianians: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States and urges and requests the 
     Attorney General of the United States and the Federal Bureau 
     of Prisons to refrain from sending detainees released or 
     transferred from the facilities at Guantanamo Bay Detention 
     Facility (GTMO), Cuba to prisons in Louisiana; 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, to 
     each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States 
     Congress, to the Attorney General of the United States, and 
     to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
                                  ____

       POM-65. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Louisiana urging Congress to 
     establish an additional classification for airports; to the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                        House Resolution No. 120

       Whereas, the only airports or portions of airports eligible 
     for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding are public use 
     airports that serve civil aviation; and
       Whereas, airport classifications serve as a framework for 
     describing the existing function of each airport in the 
     system and as reference for evaluating how system airports 
     have changed their functions or are projected to change their 
     functions as a result of accommodating forecast demands; and
       Whereas, federal law defines airports by categories of 
     airport activities, including commercial service, primary, 
     cargo service, reliever, and general aviation: Therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the 
     Legislature of Louisiana memorializes the Congress of the 
     United States to establish an additional classification for 
     airports that have:
       (1) Monthly operations in excess of two thousand five 
     hundred.
       (2) Airport buildings or other airport facilities in excess 
     of five hundred thousand square feet and valued over fifty 
     million dollars.
       (3) Industrial and other business-related tenants.
       (4) Activity that generates fuel sales in excess of one 
     million five hundred thousand gallons of jet fuel or aviation 
     gas per year.
       (5) Economic impact in the local economy of twenty million 
     dollars per year.
       (6) A requirement for a functioning air traffic control 
     tower: 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-66. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Louisiana urging Congress to establish an additional 
     classification for airports; to the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation.

                       Senate Resolution No. 123

       Whereas, the only airports or portions of airports eligible 
     for Airport Improvement Program (ALP) funding are public use 
     airports that serve civil aviation; and
       Whereas, airport classifications serve as a framework for 
     describing the existing function of each airport in the 
     system and as reference for evaluating how system airports 
     have changed their functions or are projected to change their 
     functions as a result of accommodating forecast demands; and
       Whereas, federal law defines airports by categories of 
     airport activities, including commercial service, primary, 
     cargo service, reliever, and general aviation: Therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to establish an additional 
     classification for airports that have:
       (1) Monthly operations in excess of two thousand five 
     hundred dollars;
       (2) Airport buildings or other airport facilities in excess 
     of five hundred thousand square feet and which are valued 
     over fifty million dollars;
       (3) Industrial and other business related tenants;
       (4) Activity that generates fuel sales in excess of one 
     million five hundred thousand gallons of jet fuel or aviation 
     gas per year;
       (5) An economic impact in the local economy of twenty 
     million dollars per year; or
       (6) A requirement for a functioning air traffic control 
     tower: 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-67. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging Congress to enact the Credit 
     Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act; to 
     the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 47

       Whereas, citizens have been adversely affected by the 
     economic recession; and
       Whereas, almost eighty percent of American households have 
     credit cards; and
       Whereas, the average outstanding credit card balance for 
     those households was over ten thousand dollars; and
       Whereas, credit card delinquency rates have risen over 
     sixty percent since 2005; and
       Whereas, many of the largest credit card issuers have 
     received billions of dollars in taxpayer funded federal 
     bailout funds; and

[[Page 19067]]

       Whereas, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, 
     and Disclosure Act is currently pending before Congress; and
       Whereas, if enacted, the Credit Card Accountability, 
     Responsibility, and Disclosure Act would enact many consumer 
     protections, including:
       1. Protection of consumers from arbitrary interest rate, 
     fee and finance charges, and prohibiting universal default on 
     existing balances.
       2. Prohibiting interest charges on paid-off balances from 
     the previous billing cycle.
       3. Protecting students and other young consumers from 
     aggressive credit card solicitations.
       4. Ensuring that payments are fairly allocated to the 
     account with the highest interest rate first.
       5. Requiring greater disclosure of rates, terms, and 
     billing details by credit card companies.
       6. Establishing tougher penalties for credit card companies 
     that violate the law: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to enact the Credit Card 
     Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act; 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.

                          ____________________