[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16107-16108]
[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-133. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan memorializing the 
     Congress of the United States to provide funding to the 
     United States Army Corps of Engineers for dredging harbors of 
     refuge and repairing and maintaining seawalls of harbors of 
     refuge in Michigan; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                        House Resolution No. 325

       Whereas, Regular dredging and maintenance and repair of 
     breakwater seawalls is needed to keep recreational harbors 
     open to boaters in Michigan and the other Great Lakes states. 
     Natural shoaling exacerbated by continued low lake levels has 
     left many recreational harbors too shallow for boaters to 
     enter safely, which is jeopardizing charter fishing 
     operations, local communities, and other businesses that 
     depend on boating. Portage Lake Harbor, Leland Harbor, and 
     Arcadia Harbor are just a few of the fifteen Great Lakes 
     harbors of concern that are dangerously shallow for boaters; 
     and
       Whereas, Not only is dredging and maintenance and repair of 
     breakwater seawalls needed to accommodate recreational 
     boaters, but also to provide safe harbor to all types of 
     boaters, including commercial shippers. Maintaining harbors 
     of refuge is a requirement to ensure that our obligation of 
     providing safe shipping lanes for trade is met. With Portage 
     Lake Harbor being one of the four Michigan harbors of refuge 
     along the western side of the state and one of the thirteen 
     statewide, it is a necessity that it be maintained and 
     dredged to a proper depth; and
       Whereas, The federal budget did not include funding for 
     dredging harbors of refuge and maintenance and repair of 
     breakwater seawalls of harbors of refuge maintained in the 
     past by the United States Army Corp of Engineers. This lack 
     of funding will cripple the Great Lakes recreational boating 
     and charter fishing industry, impacting millions of boaters, 
     businesses, and communities that they support. Because no 
     funding has been provided, local Great Lakes communities have 
     had to acquire private funding to be able to keep tourism 
     alive during the boating season; and
       Whereas, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers never completed a 
     replacement seawall at Portage Lake Harbor begun in 2003. The 
     seawall is now undermined, further narrowing the shipping 
     channel. The Army Corps has designated the seawall as facing 
     ``imminent failure''; and
       Whereas, It is necessary, for the safety of commercial 
     shippers and all other Great Lakes traffic, to maintain 
     harbors of refuge and, therefore, it should be deemed worthy 
     to appropriate funds from the federal Harbor Maintenance 
     Trust Fund, which holds surplus funds in excess of $8 
     billion, to Great Lakes harbors. The relatively small federal 
     investment needed to maintain these harbors is insignificant 
     compared to the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs 
     generated; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to provide 
     funding to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for 
     dredging harbors of refuge and repairing and maintaining 
     seawalls of harbors of refuge in Michigan, particularly 
     Portage Lake Harbor located in Onekama, MI; and be it further
       Resolved, That we call on Congress to include funding for 
     the United States Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild and 
     complete the Portage Lake Harbor seawall; 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, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.

[[Page 16108]]

     
                                  ____
       POM-134. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Rhode Island urging Congress to pass and send to the states a 
     constitutional amendment permitting state and federal 
     regulation and restriction of independent political 
     expenditures; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                        Joint Resolution S. 2656

        Whereas, The growing influence of large independent 
     political expenditures by corporations and wealthy 
     individuals is a great and growing concern to the people of 
     the United States and the State of Rhode Island; and
        Whereas, In a democracy the assurance of a fair and 
     uncorrupted election process is of the utmost importance, and 
     the Rhode Island General Assembly believes that it is a 
     legitimate and vital role of government to regulate 
     independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, 
     and wealthy individuals; and
        Whereas, In fulfillment of this important role the 
     government of the United States and a majority of states have 
     regulated and restricted independent political expenditures 
     by corporations; and
        Whereas, In 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States 
     decided by a bare majority in Citizens United v. Federal 
     Elections Commission that the First Amendment of the 
     Constitution of the United States prohibits restrictions on 
     the use of corporate and union treasury funds for 
     electioneering; and
        Whereas, Citizens United was a dramatic reversal of 
     established Supreme Court precedent, and overturned decades 
     of statutes enacted by Congress and numerous state 
     legislatures; and
        Whereas, Citizens United has served as precedent for 
     further legal decisions harming our democratic system of 
     government, including SpeechNow.org v. FEC, which allows 
     wealthy individuals to anonymously channel unlimited 
     political expenditures through Super PACs; and
        Whereas, In the wake of Citizens United there has been an 
     exponential increase in large independent political 
     expenditures by corporations and wealthy individuals which 
     threatens the integrity of the election process, corrupts our 
     candidates, dilutes the power of individual voters and 
     distort the public discourse; and
        Whereas, Article V of the United States Constitution 
     empowers and obligates the people of the United States of 
     America to use the constitutional amendment process to amend 
     their constitution; now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode 
     Island and Providence Plantations respectfully urges the 
     Congress of the United States to pass and send to the states 
     for ratification an amendment to the constitution to 
     effectively overturn the holding of Citizens United and it's 
     progeny and to permit the governments of the United States 
     and the several states to regulate and restrict independent 
     political expenditures by corporations and wealthy 
     individuals; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is 
     authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of 
     this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
     the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the 
     Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority 
     Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and 
     Representative from Rhode Island in the Congress of the 
     United States.
                                  ____

       POM-135. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Rhode Island urging Congress 
     to pass and send to the states a constitutional amendment 
     permitting state and federal regulation and restriction of 
     independent political expenditures; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                        Joint Resolution H. 7899

       Whereas, The growing influence of large independent 
     political expenditures by corporations and wealthy 
     individuals is a great and growing concern to the people of 
     the United States and the State of Rhode Island; and
       Whereas, In a democracy the assurance of a fair and 
     uncorrupted election process is of the utmost importance, and 
     the Rhode Island General Assembly believes that it is a 
     legitimate and vital role of government to regulate 
     independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, 
     and wealthy individuals; and
       Whereas, In fulfillment of this important role the 
     government of the United States and a majority of states have 
     regulated and restricted independent political expenditures 
     by corporations; and
       Whereas, In 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States 
     decided by a bare majority in Citizens United v. Federal 
     Elections Commission that the First Amendment of the 
     Constitution of the United States prohibits restrictions on 
     the use of corporate and union treasury funds for 
     electioneering; and
       Whereas, Citizens United was a dramatic reversal of 
     established Supreme Court precedent, and overturned decades 
     of statutes enacted by Congress and numerous state 
     legislatures; and
       Whereas, Citizens United has served as precedent for 
     further legal decisions harming our democratic system of 
     government, including SpeechNow.org v. FEC, which allows 
     wealthy individuals to anonymously channel unlimited 
     political expenditures through Super PACs; and
       Whereas, In the wake of Citizens United there has been an 
     exponential increase in large independent political 
     expenditures by corporations and wealthy individuals which 
     threatens the integrity of the election process, corrupts our 
     candidates, dilutes the power of individual voters and 
     distort the public discourse; and
       Whereas, Article V of the United States Constitution 
     empowers and obligates the people of the United States of 
     America to use the constitutional amendment process to amend 
     their constitution; now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode 
     Island and Providence Plantations respectfully urges the 
     Congress of the United States to pass and send to the states 
     for ratification an amendment to the constitution to 
     effectively overturn the holding of Citizens United and it's 
     progeny and to permit the governments of the United States 
     and the several states to regulate and restrict independent 
     political expenditures by corporations and wealthy 
     individuals; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is 
     authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of 
     this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
     the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the 
     Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority 
     Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and 
     Representative from Rhode Island in the Congress of the 
     United States.
                                  ____

       POM-136. A concurrent resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the Legislature of the State of Kansas 
     urging the Congress of the United States to extend equal 
     benefits and compensation for the treatment of Agent Orange 
     exposure to Vietnam era veterans who served outside of 
     Vietnam; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 5016

       Whereas, Thousands of veterans of the Vietnam War suffer 
     from the effects of exposure to Agent Orange, a powerful and 
     toxic defoliant used to clear areas of dense vegetation used 
     as enemy hideouts; and
       Whereas, Agent Orange exposure causes a variety of 
     devastating health effects, such as increased rates of 
     cancer, immune system disorders and genetic maladies which 
     lead to birth defects in the children of those exposed; and
       Whereas, Although the use of Agent Orange is most commonly 
     associated with the country of Vietnam, it was also used 
     extensively in surrounding areas such as Thailand; and
       Whereas, Many veterans affected by exposure to Agent Orange 
     proudly and bravely served their country without ever 
     actually setting foot in Vietnam itself; and
       Whereas, These veterans are struggling to obtain the same 
     medical benefits and compensation to deal with their exposure 
     as those who served on the ground in Vietnam: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of 
     Kansas, the Senate concurring therein: That the Congress of 
     the United States is urged to work with the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs to ensure that Vietnam era veterans who 
     served in support of the Vietnam War are able to receive the 
     same medical benefits and compensation for the treatment of 
     Agent Orange exposure as those who served within the 
     country's borders.

                          ____________________