[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 25658-25659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 2700. Mr. SANDERS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 3548, to amend the Supplemental Appropriations 
Act, 2008 to provide for the temporary availability of certain 
additional emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Insert after section 5 the following:

     SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds as follows:
       (1) There has been concern expressed by some across our 
     Nation, including on the Nation's airwaves, regarding whether 
     Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate 
     national health care reform.

[[Page 25659]]

       (2) Certain citizens, commentators, and public officials 
     have questioned whether the Tenth Amendment to the 
     Constitution of the United States precludes the Federal 
     Government from providing related health care benefits to its 
     people.
       (3) Numerous State legislative bodies have passed 
     resolutions raising questions regarding the scope of the 
     Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and 
     the constitutionality of certain Federal programs.
       (4) The Federal Government has a long and successful 
     history of providing health care benefits to its citizens 
     through Federal programs.
       (5) Among other Federal initiatives, in 1930, Congress 
     established the Veterans Administration, an entity that 
     provided Federal benefits, including Federal health care 
     benefits, to veterans of the Armed Forces, and the Veterans 
     Administration was later merged into the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       (6) In 1954, Congress established the Indian Health Service 
     to provide medical and public health services to members of 
     federally-recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.
       (7) In 1956 and 1966, respectively, Congress passed the 
     Dependents' Medical Care Act (70 Stat. 250) and the Military 
     Medical Benefits Amendments of 1966 (Public Law 89-614; 80 
     Stat. 862) in order to expand coverage to military personnel 
     and dependents, and these programs were later merged into the 
     TRICARE program, which provides health benefits for military 
     personnel, military retirees, and their dependents.
       (8) In 1965, the United States established the Medicare 
     program to provide Federal health care benefits to United 
     States citizens over the age of 65.
       (9) In 1965, the United States established the Medicaid 
     program to provide Federal health care benefits to 
     individuals at, near, or below the Federal poverty line.
       (10) In 1997, the United States established the State 
     Children's Health Insurance Program to provide health 
     insurance to certain children in families above the Federal 
     poverty line.
       (11) In 2009, the United States expanded the State 
     Children's Health Insurance Program to cover an additional 
     4,000,000 children.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that the following Federal benefit programs are in direct 
     violation of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States and should be terminated as soon as 
     practicable: the Veterans Health Administration benefit 
     programs, the Indian Health Service, TRICARE, Medicare, 
     Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2701. Ms. LANDRIEU submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill H.R. 3548, to amend the Supplemental Appropriations 
Act, 2008 to provide for the temporary availability of certain 
additional emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

     SEC. ___. 2-YEAR EXTENSION OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING CREDIT RULES 
                   FOR CERTAIN DISASTER AREAS.

       Section 1400N(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
     amended by striking ``January 1, 2011'' and inserting 
     ``January 1, 2013''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2702. Mr. SANDERS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 3548, to amend the Supplemental Appropriations 
Act, 2008 to provide for the temporary availability of certain 
additional emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Insert after section 5 the following:

     SEC. 6. LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF FUNDS APPROPRIATED.

       No funds appropriated under title IV of the Supplemental 
     Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252), as amended by 
     this Act, shall be allocated to the following Federal benefit 
     programs:
       (1) The Veterans Health Administration benefit programs.
       (2) The Indian Health Service.
       (3) TRICARE.
       (4) Medicare.
       (5) Medicaid.
       (6) The Children's Health Insurance Program.

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