[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16166-16173]
[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-351. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     provide a means for consistently and equitably sharing with 
     all oil and gas producing states adjacent to federal outer 
     continental shelf areas a portion of revenue generated from 
     outer continental shelf oil and gas development on the outer 
     continental shelf to ensure that those states develop 
     necessary infrastructure to support outer continental shelf 
     development and preserve environmental integrity; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                       House Joint Resolution 26

       Whereas oil and gas development in federal areas, both 
     onshore and offshore, requires additional investment in state 
     infrastructure and increases demand on state and local 
     government resources; and
       Whereas, under the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920, the 
     federal government recognizes the effects of oil and gas 
     development in federal onshore areas by sharing with the 
     states 50 percent of revenue from mineral production on 
     federal land within each state's boundaries; and
       Whereas, under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the 
     federal government recognizes the effect oil and gas 
     development in federal near-shore areas has on states by 
     sharing with those states 27 percent of revenue collected 
     from federal oil and gas leases within three miles of the 
     states' coastlines; and
       Whereas, under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 
     2006, the federal government recognizes the effect that oil 
     and gas development in federal offshore areas has on the 
     states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and 
     recognizes the contributions to national energy, security, 
     and economic interests made by sharing with those states 37.5 
     percent of revenue from federal oil and gas leases in outer 
     continental shelf areas adjacent to each state; and
       Whereas the federal government fails to recognize the same 
     effects on and contributions made by other oil and gas 
     producing states adjacent to federal outer continental shelf 
     areas, including this state and California; and
       Whereas the Alaska outer continental shelf region 
     encompasses the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas, Cook 
     Inlet, and the Gulf of Alaska, includes over 1,000,000,000 
     acres, and contains more than 6,000 miles of coastline, which 
     is more coastline than the rest of the United States 
     combined; and
       Whereas there are presently 607 active oil and gas leases 
     and more than 3,300,000 acres of leased land in the Alaska 
     outer shelf continental region; and
       Whereas federal government grants do not adequately address 
     the need for additional investment in state infrastructure or 
     the increased demands on state and local government resources 
     resulting from outer continental shelf development, 
     especially in this state, which has more coastline, more 
     rural communities, and less infrastructure than any other 
     state; and
       Whereas outer continental shelf revenue sharing would allow 
     states to build infrastructure such as marine ports, 
     airports, utilities, and housing, and increase state 
     services, such as oil spill and emergency response and 
     environmental monitoring and mitigation, which would likely 
     lead to expanded, safer exploration and development activity 
     and increase overall revenue to the federal government; and
       Whereas additional state infrastructure and increased 
     availability of state and local government resources would 
     likely increase interest in and bids during future federal 
     outer continental shelf oil and gas lease sales, which have 
     generated over $2,750,000,000 in revenue for the federal 
     government in the Alaska outer continental shelf region alone 
     since 2005; and
       Whereas outer continental shelf revenue sharing could 
     provide a stable funding source for and help fulfill the 
     mission of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a national 
     fund created to safeguard natural areas, water resources, and 
     cultural heritage and to provide recreation opportunities: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to provide a means for consistently 
     and equitably sharing with all oil and gas producing states 
     adjacent to federal outer continental shelf areas a portion 
     of revenue generated from outer continental shelf oil and gas 
     production to ensure the states develop necessary 
     infrastructure to support outer continental shelf development 
     and preserve environmental integrity.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Sally Jewell, 
     United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable John 
     Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 
     Honorable Eric Cantor, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader 
     of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Harry 
     Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch 
     McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable 
     Mary Landrieu, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 
     Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 
     Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation 
     in Congress; and all other members of the 113th United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-352. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     enact legislation that would require approval by Acts of the 
     Alaska State Legislature and the United States Congress 
     before establishing an international designation of land or 
     water in the State of Alaska; to the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources.

                       Senate Joint Resolution 15

       Whereas Alaska and the Russian Far East are close neighbors 
     across the Bering Sea, and archaeologists believe that the 
     area was a migration route used by many peoples moving from 
     Asia and populating North and South America; and
       Whereas some of the indigenous peoples of Western Alaska 
     and the Russian Far East speak the same language and share 
     the same customs and traditions but have, until recent times, 
     been separated by political differences between their 
     respective countries; and
       Whereas, in recent years, various events and exchanges have 
     been organized to reconnect the residents of Western Alaska 
     and those of the Russian Far East; and
       Whereas the areas of Western Alaska and the Russian Far 
     East have been referred to as Beringia; and

[[Page 16167]]

       Whereas, in 2010, the United States and Russia began 
     negotiations to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for the 
     purpose of establishing an international protected area in 
     the Bering Strait region that would include the Bering Land 
     Bridge National Preserve, the Cape Krusenstern National 
     Monument, and, in the Chukotka region of Russia, the yet-to-
     be-created Beringia International Park; and
       Whereas the National Park Service identifies and defines 
     Beringia as the area bounded on the east by the Mackenzie 
     River in Canada, on the west by the Lena River in Russia, on 
     the north by 72 degrees North latitude, and on the south by 
     the southern tip of Kamchatka, leaving only the south-central 
     and southeastern limits to be determined; and
       Whereas the federal government historically has attempted 
     to expand the scope of its influence beyond Alaska park 
     boundaries, including the attempt to establish game buffer 
     zones around Denali National Park and Preserve; and
       Whereas, during the past two decades, the National Park 
     Service has repeatedly expanded the size of the area 
     identified as Beringia; and
       Whereas the National Park Service manages the Shared 
     Beringian Heritage Program and seeks to foster mutual 
     understanding and cooperation between the United States and 
     Russia and between the indigenous peoples of Western Alaska 
     and the Russian Far East by promoting cultural exchange, 
     supporting subsistence opportunities, and working toward an 
     international designation for the land and water in the area 
     identified as Beringia; and
       Whereas, for many years, the National Park Service has 
     pursued a program to establish a Beringia International Park 
     that potentially could evolve into a world heritage site or a 
     marine biosphere reserve and would include land and water in 
     Alaska and the Russian Far East; and
       Whereas officials of the United States Department of State 
     and the National Park Service have traveled throughout Russia 
     and spoken before the Russian Duma in Moscow; and
       Whereas the international designations contemplated by the 
     National Park Service for the areas included in Beringia are 
     an invitation and another means for United States and foreign 
     environmental nongovernmental organizations to oppose 
     resource development on public and Alaska Native land and 
     water in the state; and
       Whereas many Alaskans are concerned that the proposed 
     Beringia International Park would impede future rights of 
     access for the Red Dog Mine, the primary economic engine in 
     Northwest Alaska; and
       Whereas Alaska Native corporations and the state 
     specifically selected much of their land because of the 
     mineral potential and the opportunity to create jobs and 
     other economic opportunities for the people of the state; and
       Whereas, in September 2012, Governor Sean Parnell sent a 
     letter to then United States Secretary of State Hillary 
     Rodham Clinton asking for time to conduct a meaningful review 
     of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding regarding 
     Beringia and to provide input on the possible effects of the 
     Memorandum of Understanding on the region and the state; and
       Whereas, on January 17, 2013, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry 
     Medvedev signed a decree creating Beringia National Park as a 
     Russian National Park in the Chukotka Region; and
       Whereas, in October 2013, members of the Alaska State 
     Legislature learned that the United States Department of 
     State, the National Park Service, and the Russian Federation 
     were in the final stages of formalizing a Memorandum of 
     Understanding regarding a transboundary protected area in the 
     Bering Strait region; and
       Whereas the current effort to formalize a transboundary 
     protected area would be the first step in imposing 
     international designations and could reduce the sovereignty 
     of the state and the United States over the burdened parts of 
     the state, in violation of the Alaska Statehood Compact, the 
     Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Alaska National 
     Interest Lands Conservation Act; and
       Whereas the Department of Fish and Game is responsible for 
     the management, protection, maintenance, enhancement, 
     rehabilitation, and extension of fish and wildlife resources 
     in the state, including management responsibilities on 
     National Park Service land; and
       Whereas, in the 1982 Master Memorandum of Understanding 
     between the Department of Fish and Game and the National Park 
     Service, the parties agreed to ``consider carefully the 
     impact on the State of Alaska of proposed treaties or 
     international agreements relating to fish and wildlife 
     resources which could diminish the jurisdictional authority 
     of the State, and to consult freely with the State when such 
     treaties or agreements have a significant impact on the 
     State''; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature asserts that 
     any international Memorandum of Understanding or other action 
     to designate land or water in the state as an international 
     park, world heritage site, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or 
     classification of land or water that affects the proper use 
     of the land or water by the state or an Alaska Native 
     corporation should require approval by Acts of the Alaska 
     State Legislature and the United States Congress before 
     taking effect; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Department of State and the United States 
     Department of the Interior cease all further action to 
     establish an international designation of land or water in 
     the state until the United States Congress and the Alaska 
     State Legislature approve; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Congress enact a law that 
     requires Congressional approval of any international 
     designation that affects the use of land or water by the 
     state or the United States; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that, 
     if the United States Department of State or the United States 
     Department of the Interior nevertheless pursues or proposes 
     the designation of land or water as an international park, 
     world heritage site, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or 
     classification of land or water that affects the proper use 
     of the land or water by the state or an Alaska Native 
     corporation, the governor be actively involved in the process 
     and development of any joint action plan; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the state, including the departments responsible for the 
     management of fish and wildlife and other natural resources, 
     be an integral if not primary part of any discussion, 
     agreement, understanding, or other process or document that 
     affects the use or development of fish and wildlife and other 
     natural resources in the state; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     governor and the attorney general to reserve all legal 
     remedies, including the recovery of damages, for a taking of 
     the natural resources of the state in violation of the Alaska 
     Statehood Compact, should a designation of land and water in 
     the state as an international park, world heritage site, 
     biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or other classification 
     hamper the use or development of the natural resources of the 
     state.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John F. Kerry, 
     United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Sally Jewell, 
     United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable 
     Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, 
     United States Department of the Interior; the Honorable John 
     Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 
     Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of 
     the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 
     Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mary Landrieu, Chair 
     of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. 
     Senate; the Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska; the 
     Honorable Michael C. Geraghty, Alaska Attorney General; the 
     Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. 
     Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 
     members of the Alaska delegation in Congress: and all other 
     members of the 113th United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-353. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     act on the request of the governor to acquire for the State 
     additional land in the Tongass National Forest from the 
     United States Government by purchase or negotiation or by 
     seeking amendment to the Alaska Statehood Act; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                     Senate Concurrent Resolution 2

       Whereas the Tongass National Forest was created in 1907 by 
     a proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt; and
       Whereas, under the Alaska Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 
     Stat. 339), the federal government provided Alaska with a 
     103,350,000-acre land entitlement, which was considered to be 
     sufficient for the newly formed state to become economically 
     self-supporting; and
       Whereas the Alaska Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 Stat. 
     339) gave the state 25 years to select land for entitlement; 
     and
       Whereas the 25-year period established in the Alaska 
     Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 Stat. 339) as the period in 
     which the state may select land for entitlement was later 
     extended, in effect, by various legislation, with the result 
     that approximately 5,500,000 acres of the land entitlement 
     granted to the state by the Act have not yet been conveyed; 
     and
       Whereas, from the 1950s through the early 1990s, the 
     commercial harvest of timber formed a major part of the 
     economy of Southeast Alaska; and
       Whereas the commercial harvest of timber no longer forms a 
     major part of the economy of Southeast Alaska because the 
     timber industry does not have access to an adequate amount of 
     timber that can be economically harvested from the Tongass 
     National Forest; and

[[Page 16168]]

       Whereas, in the past four years, several efforts to 
     revitalize the timber industry in Southeast Alaska have 
     failed because a timber industry cannot exist without an 
     adequate timber supply; and
       Whereas the United States Congress has placed 40 percent of 
     the Tongass National Forest off limits for commercial use, 
     and the United States Forest Service has administratively set 
     aside an additional 58 percent of the Tongass National 
     Forest; and
       Whereas, at the present time, only two percent of the 
     Tongass National Forest is managed for the purpose of 
     providing local communities with the opportunity to harvest 
     timber; and
       Whereas 91 percent of the old growth timber standing in the 
     Tongass National Forest in 1954 remains standing, and the 
     remaining nine percent that has been harvested has now been 
     replaced with young growth timber that will begin maturing in 
     about 30 years; and
       Whereas findings prepared by the Alaska Timber Jobs Task 
     Force in June 2012 reveal that the timber industry is vitally 
     important to statewide and regional economies in the state; 
     and
       Whereas the principal barrier to job creation in the 
     Southeast Alaska timber industry is the lack of a sufficient 
     amount of timber that can be economically harvested from the 
     Tongass National Forest; and
       Whereas an unrealistic Tongass Land Management Plan 
     dictated by Washington, D.C., endless environmental legal 
     appeals, and a lack of political will by public officials who 
     are in a position to support meeting timber harvest targets 
     have prevented the United States Forest Service from 
     providing the timber industry access to enough economically 
     harvestable timber in the Tongass National Forest to make the 
     timber industry commercially viable in Southeast Alaska; and
       Whereas because the United States Forest Service has not 
     been able to provide the timber industry with access to 
     enough economically harvestable timber in the Tongass 
     National Forest to sustain the timber industry in Southeast 
     Alaska, it is time for the United States Congress to act on 
     the governor's request to acquire additional land in the 
     Tongass National Forest that will provide enough economically 
     harvestable timber to create a sustainable economic base for 
     the communities of Southeast Alaska; and
       Whereas sec. 6 of the Alaska Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 
     Stat. 339) limited the state's selection of land from the 
     Tongass National Forest and the Chugach National Forest to 
     400,000 acres with the intention of preserving timber for 
     federal long-term sales; and
       Whereas sec. 6 of the Alaska Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 
     Stat. 339) allowed the state to select land in other regions 
     of the state without restricting the use of the land to 
     recreation and community expansion, and, because the timber 
     industry in Southeast Alaska has become unsustainable, the 
     state should be entitled to acquire some of its remaining 
     land entitlement under the Alaska Statehood Act from the 
     Tongass National Forest: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     urges the United States Congress to act on the governor's 
     request to negotiate state land entitlements under sec. 6 of 
     the Alaska Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 Stat. 339) or work 
     to amend the Alaska Statehood Act for the purpose of 
     acquiring forested land in the Tongass National Forest; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That, if the United States Congress fails to 
     convey forested land in the Tongass National Forest either by 
     negotiating state land entitlements under the Alaska 
     Statehood Act (P.L. 85-508, 72 Stat. 339) or by amending the 
     Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     governor to negotiate the purchase of forested land in the 
     Tongass National Forest from the federal government.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Sally Jewell, 
     United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable Tom 
     Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture; the 
     Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. 
     Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 
     members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and the 
     Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska.
                                  ____

       POM-354. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     enact legislation that would require approval by Acts of the 
     Alaska State Legislature and the United States Congress 
     before establishing an international designation of land or 
     water in the State of Alaska; to the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources.

                       Senate Joint Resolution 15

       Whereas Alaska and the Russian Far East are close neighbors 
     across the Bering Sea, and archaeologists believe that the 
     area was a migration route used by many peoples moving from 
     Asia and populating North and South America; and
       Whereas some of the indigenous peoples of Western Alaska 
     and the Russian Far East speak the same language and share 
     the same customs and traditions but have, until recent times, 
     been separated by political differences between their 
     respective countries; and
       Whereas in recent years, various events and exchanges have 
     been organized to reconnect the residents of Western Alaska 
     and those of the Russian Far East; and
       Whereas the areas of Western Alaska and the Russian Far 
     East have been referred to as Beringia; and
       Whereas, in 2010, the United States and Russia began 
     negotiations to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for the 
     purpose of establishing an international protected area in 
     the Bering Strait region that would include the Bering Land 
     Bridge National Preserve, the Cape Krusenstern National 
     Monument, and, in the Chukotka
     region of Russia, the yet-to-be created Beringia 
     International Park; and
       Whereas the National Park Service identifies and defines 
     Beringia as the area bounded on the east by the Mackenzie 
     River in Canada, on the west by the Lena River in Russia, on 
     the north by 72 degrees North latitude, and on the south by 
     the southern tip of Kamchatka, leaving only the south-central 
     and southeastern limits to be determined; and
       Whereas the federal government historically has attempted 
     to expand the scope of its influence beyond Alaska park 
     boundaries, including the attempt to establish game buffer 
     zones around Denali National Park and Preserve; and
       Whereas, during the past two decades, the National Park 
     Service has repeatedly expanded the size of the area 
     identified as Beringia; and
       Whereas the National Park Service manages the Shared 
     Beringian Heritage Program and seeks to foster mutual 
     understanding and cooperation between the United States and 
     Russia and between the indigenous peoples of Western Alaska 
     and the Russian Far East by promoting cultural exchange, 
     supporting subsistence opportunities, and working toward an 
     international designation for the land and water in the area 
     identified as Beringia; and
       Whereas, for many years, the National Park Service has 
     pursued a program to establish a Beringia International Park 
     that potentially could evolve into a world heritage site or a 
     marine biosphere reserve and would include land and water in 
     Alaska and the Russian Ear East; and
       Whereas officials of the United States Department of State 
     and the National Park Service have traveled throughout Russia 
     and spoken before the Russian Duma in Moscow; and
       Whereas the international designations contemplated by the 
     National Park Service for the areas included in Beringia are 
     an invitation and another means for United States and foreign 
     environmental nongovernmental organizations to oppose 
     resource development on public and Alaska Native land and 
     water in the state; and
       Whereas many Alaskans are concerned that the proposed 
     Beringia International Park would impede future rights of 
     access for the Red Dog Mine, the primary economic engine in 
     Northwest Alaska; and
       Whereas Alaska Native corporations and the state 
     specifically selected much of their land because of the 
     mineral potential and the opportunity to create jobs and 
     other economic opportunities for the people of the state; and
       Whereas, in September 2012, Governor Sean Parnell sent a 
     letter to then United States Secretary of State Hillary 
     Rodham Clinton asking for time to conduct a meaningful review 
     of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding regarding 
     Beringia and to provide input on the possible effects of the 
     Memorandum of Understanding on the region and the state; and
       Whereas, on January 17, 2013, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry 
     Medvedev signed a decree creating Beringia National Park as a 
     Russian National Park in the Chukotka Region; and
       Whereas, in October 2013, members of the Alaska State 
     Legislature learned that the United States Department of 
     State, the National Park Service, and the Russian Federation 
     were in the final stages of formalizing a Memorandum of 
     Understanding regarding a transboundary protected area in the 
     Bering Strait region; and
       Whereas the current effort to formalize a transboundary 
     protected area would be the first step in imposing 
     international designations and could reduce the sovereignty 
     of the state and the United States over the burdened parts of 
     the state, in violation of the Alaska Statehood Compact, the 
     Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Alaska National 
     Interest Lands Conservation Act; and
       Whereas the Department of Fish and Game is responsible for 
     the management, protection, maintenance, enhancement, 
     rehabilitation, and extension of fish and wildlife resources 
     in the state, including management responsibilities on 
     National Park Service land; and
       Whereas, in the 1982 Master Memorandum of Understanding 
     between the Department of Fish and Game and the National Park 
     Service, the parties agreed to ``consider carefully the 
     impact on the State of Alaska of proposed treaties or 
     international agreements

[[Page 16169]]

     relating to fish and wildlife resources which could diminish 
     the jurisdictional authority of the State, and to consult 
     freely with the State when such treaties or agreements have a 
     significant impact on the State'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature asserts that 
     any international Memorandum of Understanding or other action 
     to designate land or water in the state as an international 
     park, world heritage site, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or 
     classification of land or water that affects the proper use 
     of the land or water by the state or an Alaska Native 
     corporation should require approval by Acts of the Alaska 
     State Legislature and the United States Congress before 
     taking effect; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Department of State and the United States 
     Department of the Interior cease all further action to 
     establish an international designation of land or water in 
     the state until the United States Congress and the Alaska 
     State Legislature approve; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Congress enact a law that 
     requires Congressional approval of any international 
     designation that affects the use of land or water by the 
     state or the United States; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that, 
     if the United States Department of State or the United States 
     Department of the Interior nevertheless pursues or proposes 
     the designation of land or water as an international park, 
     world heritage site, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or 
     classification of land or water that affects the proper use 
     of the land or water by the state or an Alaska Native 
     corporation, the governor be actively involved in the process 
     and development of any joint action plan; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the state, including the departments responsible for the 
     management of fish and wildlife and other natural resources, 
     be an integral if not primary part of any discussion, 
     agreement, understanding, or other process or document that 
     affects the use or development of fish and wildlife and other 
     natural resources in the state; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     governor and the attorney general to reserve all legal 
     remedies, including the recovery of damages, for a taking of 
     the natural resources of the state in violation of the Alaska 
     Statehood Compact, should a designation of land and water in 
     the state as an international park, world heritage site, 
     biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, or other classification 
     hamper the use or development of the natural resources of the 
     state.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John F. Kerry, 
     United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Sally Jewell, 
     United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable 
     Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, 
     United States Department of the Interior; the Honorable John 
     Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 
     Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of 
     the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 
     Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mary Landrieu, Chair 
     of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. 
     Senate; the Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska; the 
     Honorable Michael C. Geraghty, Alaska Attorney General; the 
     Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. 
     Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 
     members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and all other 
     members of the 113th United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-355. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the United States Congress to 
     provide a means for consistently and equitably sharing with 
     all oil and gas producing states adjacent to federal outer 
     continental shelf areas a portion of revenue generated from 
     outer continental shelf oil and gas development on the outer 
     continental shelf to ensure that those states develop 
     necessary infrastructure to support outer continental shelf 
     development and preserve environmental integrity; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                       House Joint Resolution 26

       Whereas oil and gas development in federal areas, both 
     onshore and offshore, requires additional investment in state 
     infrastructure and increases demand on state and local 
     government resources; and
       Whereas, under the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920, the 
     federal government recognizes the effects of oil and gas 
     development in federal onshore areas by sharing with the 
     states 50 percent of revenue from mineral production on 
     federal land within each state's boundaries; and
       Whereas, under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the 
     federal government recognizes the effect oil and gas 
     development in federal near-shore areas has on states by 
     sharing with those states 27 percent of revenue collected 
     from federal oil and gas leases within three miles of the 
     states' coastlines; and
       Whereas, under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 
     2006, the federal government recognizes the effect that oil 
     and gas development in federal offshore areas has on the 
     states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and 
     recognizes the contributions to national energy, security, 
     and economic interests made by sharing with those states 37.5 
     percent of revenue from federal oil and gas leases in outer 
     continental shelf areas adjacent to each state; and
       Whereas the federal government fails to recognize the same 
     effects on and contributions made by other oil and gas 
     producing states adjacent to federal outer continental shelf 
     areas, including this state and California; and
       Whereas the Alaska outer continental shelf region 
     encompasses the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering seas, Cook 
     Inlet, and the Gulf of Alaska, includes over 1,000,000,000 
     acres, and contains more than 6,000 miles of coastline, which 
     is more coastline than the rest of the United States 
     combined; and
       Whereas there are presently 607 active oil and gas leases 
     and more than 3,300,000 acres of leased land in the Alaska 
     outer shelf continental region; and
       Whereas federal government grants do not adequately address 
     the need for additional investment in slate infrastructure or 
     the increased demands on state and local government resources 
     resulting from outer continental shelf development, 
     especially in this state, which has more coastline, more 
     rural communities, and less infrastructure than any other 
     state; and
       Whereas outer continental shelf revenue sharing would allow 
     states to build infrastructure such as marine ports, 
     airports, utilities, and housing, and increase state 
     services, such as oil spill and emergency response and 
     environmental monitoring and mitigation, which would likely 
     lead to expanded, safer exploration and development activity 
     and increase overall revenue to the federal government; and
       Whereas additional state infrastructure and increased 
     availability of state and local government resources would 
     likely increase interest in and bids during future federal 
     outer continental shelf oil and gas lease sales, which have 
     generated over $2,750,000,000 in revenue for the federal 
     government in the Alaska outer continental shelf region alone 
     since 2005; and
       Whereas outer continental shelf revenue sharing could 
     provide a stable funding source for and help fulfill the 
     mission of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a national 
     fund created to safeguard natural areas, water resources, and 
     cultural heritage and to provide recreation opportunities: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to provide a means for consistently 
     and equitably sharing with all oil and gas producing states 
     adjacent to federal outer continental shelf areas a portion 
     of revenue generated from outer continental shelf oil and gas 
     production to ensure the states develop necessary 
     infrastructure to support outer continental shelf development 
     and preserve environmental integrity.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Sally Jewell, 
     United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable John 
     Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 
     Honorable Eric Cantor, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader 
     of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Harry 
     Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch 
     McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable 
     Mary Landrieu, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 
     Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 
     Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation 
     in Congress; and all other members of the 113th United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-356. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska urging the President of the United States 
     and the United States Congress to repeal the excise tax on 
     medical devices; to the Committee on Finance.

                       House Joint Resolution 20

       Whereas a new federal excise tax of 2.3 percent on the sale 
     of taxable medical devices by manufacturers, producers, and 
     importers of those devices took effect January 1, 2013; and
       Whereas the medical device tax is imposed on United States 
     sales, rather than profits, of medical device manufacturers, 
     producers, and importers and will be particularly damaging to 
     innovative start-up companies; and
       Whereas the medical device tax was projected to raise 
     $20,000,000,000, but that estimate has risen to over 
     $30,000,000,000; and
       Whereas the medical device tax will substantially increase 
     the cost of health care

[[Page 16170]]

     and takes direct aim at American innovation by punishing the 
     researchers and manufacturers of devices such as heart 
     stents, pacemakers, patient monitors, artificial hips, limbs, 
     and hearts, and a multitude of other medical devices; and
       Whereas thousands of layoffs in the United States have 
     already occurred because of the medical device tax; and
       Whereas the medical device tax threatens regional economic 
     vitality, badly needed jobs, and patients' hopes for new, 
     life-saving products and treatments; and
       Whereas the repeal of the medical device tax has strong 
     bipartisan support: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     President of the United States and the United States Congress 
     to repeal the excise tax on medical devices.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of 
     the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 
     Leader of the U.S. Senate; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski 
     and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the 
     Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the 
     Alaska delegation in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-357. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska memorializing support for the strategic 
     recommendation of the January 30, 2014, preliminary report of 
     the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission to ``continue to pursue, 
     and actively expand, all avenues of participation in the 
     Arctic Council, including involvement in working groups and 
     by building partnerships with permanent participants''; to 
     the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                       House Joint Resolution 24

       Whereas, by its very existence, the state enables the 
     United States to be an Arctic nation; and
       Whereas, in April 2012, the Alaska State Legislature 
     established the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission to ``develop 
     an Arctic policy for the state and produce a strategy for the 
     implementation of an Arctic policy''; and
       Whereas the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission has been 
     working with the National Strategy for the Arctic Region Task 
     Force on how to best craft an Arctic policy that benefits and 
     creates opportunity for the state and the entire United 
     States; and
       Whereas the Arctic resources of the state are immense and, 
     with responsible development, could contribute significantly 
     to the economy of the United States and to the entire pan-
     Arctic region; and
       Whereas the Bering Strait serves as the gateway to the 
     Arctic for the marine traffic of the United States and other 
     nations between the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic; and
       Whereas the marine traffic through the Bering Strait choke 
     point has been increasing; and
       Whereas the Arctic Council is the intergovernmental forum 
     in which all eight Arctic nations participate; and
       Whereas the Arctic Council includes six Arctic indigenous 
     communities, four of which are resident in the state, and six 
     permanent working groups, each of which directly affects the 
     state; and
       Whereas Canada is the current chair of the Arctic Council, 
     and the United States will be the chair from May 2015 until 
     2017; and
       Whereas the United States should seek local and scientific 
     expertise from the state to inform the nation's input at the 
     Arctic Council; and
       Whereas, in December 2012, the Governor proposed to the 
     United States Department of State four priorities for 
     consideration while the United States is chair of the Arctic 
     Council; and
       Whereas it is important for the priorities of the state and 
     the United States to be in alignment while the United States 
     holds the position of chair of the Arctic Council; and
       Whereas, when the United States ascends to chair of the 
     Arctic Council in 2015, the United States Department of State 
     will appoint one individual as chair of the Arctic Council: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Department of State to consider the priorities 
     of the state while it holds the position of chair of the 
     Arctic Council, including the priorities of the Governor, 
     creating jobs and economic opportunity for Arctic residents, 
     preventing suicide, developing safe and sustainable 
     sanitation facilities for small, isolated Arctic communities, 
     and securing safe and reliable shipping; and be it further:
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests that 
     the United States Department of State work in partnership 
     with state officials to appoint a chair of the Arctic 
     Council; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature supports the 
     strategic recommendation of the January 30, 2014, preliminary 
     report of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission to ``continue 
     to pursue, and actively expand, all avenues of participation 
     in the Arctic Council, including involvement in working 
     groups and by building partnerships with permanent 
     participants.''
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John F. Kerry, 
     United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Robert 
     Menendez, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign 
     Relations; the Honorable Bob Corker, ranking member, U.S. 
     Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Admiral Robert J. 
     Papp, Jr., Commandant of the United States Coast Guard; the 
     Honorable Sally Jewell, United States Secretary of the 
     Interior; the Honorable Fran Ulmer, Chair, U.S. Arctic 
     Research Commission; the Honorable Kathryn D. Sullivan, 
     Ph.D., Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 
     and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
     Administrator, U.S. Department of Commerce; the Honorable 
     John Paul Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science 
     and Technology Policy; the Honorable Kerri-Ann Jones, 
     Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International 
     Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of 
     State; Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. 
     Department of Homeland Security; and the Honorable Lisa 
     Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and 
     the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the 
     Alaska delegation in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-358. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urging the President and 
     Congress of the United States to urge the Government of Iraq 
     to take immediate steps to protect the safety and 
     constitutional rights of all Iraqi citizens; to the Committee 
     on Foreign Relations.

                       Senate Resolution No. 430

       Whereas, Iraq is currently embroiled in a surge of violence 
     arising from an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) 
     led offensive that began in the Anbar province, has spread to 
     key locations such as Mosul, Tikrit and Samarra and continues 
     to engulf the region in violence and instability; and
       Whereas, on June 29, 2014, ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 
     renamed the group the Islamic State and pronounced himself 
     caliph of a new Islamic Caliphate encompassing the areas 
     under his control; and
       Whereas, Mr. al-Baghdadi has a stated mission of spreading 
     the Islamic State and caliphate across the region through 
     violence against Shiites, non-Muslims and unsupportive 
     Sunnis; and
       Whereas, upon taking control over northwestern Iraq and 
     Syria, ISIL issued a warning to Christians living under its 
     jurisdiction to convert to Islam, to pay a burdensome 
     religious tax or to be executed; and
       Whereas, over 1,000,000 people have been displaced by 
     violence in Iraq and reports have surfaced of targeted 
     harassment, persecution and killings of Iraqi religious 
     minorities by the Islamic State with little to no protection 
     from the Government of Iraq and other security forces; and
       Whereas, reports indicate that Islamic State militants have 
     been marking homes of Christians with the Arabic letter 
     ``N,'' for ``Nazara'' (Christian), beheading children and 
     crucifying captives. ISIL's actions are a crime against 
     humanity and nothing more than genocide or ethnic cleansing 
     against religious minority groups; and
       Whereas, the Iraqi constitution provides for religious 
     freedom by stating:
       (1) ``no law may be enacted that contradicts the principles 
     of democracy'';
       (2) ``no law may be enacted that contradicts the rights and 
     basic freedom stipulated in this Constitution''; and
       (3) ``[This Constitution] guarantees the full religious 
     rights to freedom of religious belief and practice of all 
     individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, and Mandean 
     Sabeans'';
       Whereas, President Barack Obama recently declared on 
     Religious Freedom Day, ``Foremost among the rights Americans 
     hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose . . . [W]e 
     also remember that religious liberty is not just an American 
     right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at 
     home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part 
     of human dignity, and without it our world cannot know 
     lasting peace''; and
       Whereas, the atrocities being committed against Christians 
     and other ethnic and religious minority communities in Iraq 
     are unconscionable and represent a crime against humanity: 
     Therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania urge the President and the Congress of the 
     United States to publicly denounce the crimes against 
     humanity occurring in Iraq and to take prudent action to 
     protect Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities from 
     persecution from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; 
     and
       Resolved, That the President and Congress urge the 
     Government of Iraq to take immediate steps to protect the 
     safety and constitutional rights of all Iraqi citizens; and
       Resolved, That the President and Congress work with the 
     Government of Iraq to bring

[[Page 16171]]

     Islamic State militants to justice before an international 
     forum for war crimes and crimes against humanity; be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, to the presiding officers 
     of each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from 
     Pennsylvania.
                                  ____

       POM-359. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska opposing the warrantless collection of 
     telephone call data by the National Security Agency; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                       Senate Joint Resolution 22

       Whereas the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States provides ``The right of the people to be secure 
     in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against 
     unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, 
     and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, 
     supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing 
     the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be 
     seized''; and
       Whereas the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States provides ``No person shall . . . be deprived of 
     life, liberty, or property, without due process of law''; and
       Whereas, on December 16, 2013, United States District Court 
     Judge Richard Leon ruled that the National Security Agency's 
     program, bulk collection, and querying of telephone record in 
     metadata are likely unconstitutional; and
       Whereas the legislature objects to the dragnet approach to 
     data collection allowed by the Foreign Intelligence 
     Surveillance Court, a court that operates in secret and, 
     under sec. 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, issues orders that 
     perpetuate the warrantless collection of data of nearly all 
     Americans; and
       Whereas the National Security Agency stores the date and 
     time of calls, their duration, and the participating 
     telephone numbers of the calls of nearly all Americans in a 
     centralized database, which allows National Security Agency 
     analysts to access not only those numbers, but the numbers 
     with which the numbers have been in contact, and, in turn, 
     the numbers in contact with those numbers; and
       Whereas the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, in 
     its January 2014 report titled ``Report on the Telephone 
     Records Program Conducted under Section 215 of the USA 
     PATRIOT Act and on the Operations of the Foreign Intelligence 
     Surveillance Court,'' questions the legal basis for the 
     National Security Agency's mass telephone call data 
     collection program; and
       Whereas, when telephone call data of Americans is collected 
     by the National Security Agency, that data is not related to 
     specific investigations of the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation; and
       Whereas orders issued by the Foreign Intelligence 
     Surveillance Court at the request of the federal government 
     require telephone companies to provide new calling records on 
     a daily basis, a Mandate not grounded in statute; and
       Whereas sec. 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act is designed to 
     enable the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain records 
     in the course of investigations, but the National Security 
     Agency's mass collection of the records is not consistent 
     with that design; and
       Whereas the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 
     prohibits telephone companies from sharing consumer data with 
     the government except in special circumstances, and the 
     Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board concluded that 
     the National Security Agency's telephone call data collection 
     program may violate the Act; and
       Whereas the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board 
     found that the National Security Agency's telephone call data 
     collection program has not prevented, discovered, or 
     identified terrorist attacks, plots, or suspects that 
     threatened the security of the United States; and
       Whereas the widespread collection of telephone call data of 
     Americans reveals highly sensitive personal information; and
       Whereas the legislature resolutely opposes the continuation 
     of the National Security Agency's warrantless data collection 
     program; and
       Whereas the legislature views the National Security 
     Agency's storage in a central database of the telephone call 
     metadata of all Americans as all unconstitutional practice 
     that should be immediately suspended; and
       Whereas the history of government coercion, persecution, 
     and abuse of personal information and human life in the 
     twentieth century prompts the legislature to seek to protect 
     the liberty of future generations from an oppressive and 
     tyrannical federal government; and
       Whereas the fundamental rights of Americans to speak freely 
     and associate with others are threatened and are likely being 
     diminished by the National Security Agency's mass collection 
     of telephone call data; and
       Whereas the National Security Agency's mass collection of 
     telephone call data may intimidate or chill the freedom of 
     expression of individuals and groups that disagree with 
     certain government policies or result in extreme scrutiny of 
     those persons simply for opposing those policies; and
       Whereas the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has 
     deviated from its purpose to authorize warrants for 
     electronic surveillance relating only to a specific person, a 
     specific place, or a specific communications account or 
     device; and
       Whereas the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court 
     operates in a secretive manner that prevents the court from 
     hearing public input regarding government requests to conduct 
     surveillance: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     federal government to end the mass telephone call data 
     collection program conducted under sec. 215 of the USA 
     PATRIOT Act, because of its lack of a statutory foundation 
     and because it raises serious constitutional concerns under 
     the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the 
     United States; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     federal government to eliminate all stored metadata upon 
     ending the mass telephone call data collection program; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to authorize the creation of a panel 
     of private sector lawyers to serve as advocates for the 
     public before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to 
     increase public knowledge and oversight; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges judges of 
     the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to write opinions 
     in a manner that allows the government to declassify and 
     release the opinions to the public; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to work to declassify 
     past opinions and release those opinions to the public; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature requests the 
     United States Attorney General and members of the 
     intelligence and judiciary committees of the United States 
     Congress to inform the Alaska State Legislature of the 
     federal government's activities under the Foreign 
     Intelligence Surveillance Act and provide the Alaska State 
     Legislature with copies of reports submitted under the 
     Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     Governor to prohibit the use of state personnel and resources 
     to assist the National Security Agency in its collection of 
     mass data on Alaskans without a specific search warrant; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature considers the 
     National Security Agency's unilateral collection of the 
     telephone call data of all Americans a violation of statute, 
     an unconstitutional program, and a troubling overreach by the 
     federal government; the Alaska State Legislature has sworn to 
     uphold both the Constitution of the United States and the 
     Constitution of the State of Alaska and will not assist the 
     federal government by facilitating programs that are 
     tyrannical in nature, that subject Americans to unreasonable 
     and unwarranted searches, and that violate the fundamental 
     principle of liberty; let this resolution serve as a notice 
     to this Administration and all future Administrations that 
     Alaskans reject surrendering their liberty in the name of an 
     unconstitutional program.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable 
     Patrick J. Leahy, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; 
     the Honorable Dianne Feinstein, Chair, U.S. Senate Select 
     Committee on Intelligence; the Honorable Saxby Chambliss, 
     Vice Chair, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; the 
     Honorable Mike Rogers, Chair, U.S. House of Representatives 
     Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; the Honorable C. 
     A. Dutch Ruppersburger, Ranking Member, U.S. House of 
     Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; 
     the Honorable Jeh Johnson, United States Secretary of 
     Homeland Security; the Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of 
     Alaska; General Keith B. Alexander, United States Army, 
     Director, National Security Agency; Richard H. Ledgett, Jr., 
     Deputy Director, National Security Agency; James B. Comey, 
     Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Honorable 
     Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, 
     and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of 
     the Alaska delegation in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-360. Urging the United States Congress to restore the 
     presumption of a service connection for Agent Orange exposure 
     to United States Veterans who served in the waters defined by 
     and in the airspace over the combat zone in Vietnam, and 
     urging the United States Congress to pass the Toxic Exposure 
     Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013 and to 
     establish a national center for the diagnosis, treatment, and 
     research of health conditions of descendants of veterans 
     exposed to toxic substances; to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs.

                       House Joint Resolution 25

       Whereas, during the Vietnam War, the United States military 
     sprayed over

[[Page 16172]]

     19,000,000 gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides over 
     Vietnam to reduce forest cover and crops used by the enemy; 
     those herbicides contained dioxin, which has since been 
     identified as carcinogenic and has been linked with numerous 
     serious and disabling diseases affecting thousands of 
     veterans; and
       Whereas the United States Congress passed the Agent Orange 
     Act of 1991 to address the plight of veterans exposed to 
     herbicides while serving in the Republic of Vietnam; the Act 
     amended Title 38 of the United States Code presumptively to 
     recognize as service-connected certain diseases among 
     military personnel who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 
     1975; that presumption has provided access to appropriate 
     disability compensation and medical care for Vietnam veterans 
     diagnosed with illnesses such as Type II diabetes, Hodgkin's 
     disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, Parkinson's 
     disease, multiple myeloma, peripheral neuropathy, AL 
     Amyloidosis respiratory cancers, and soft tissue sarcomas, 
     and others yet to be identified; and
       Whereas, under a 2001 directive, the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs has denied the presumption of 
     a service connection for herbicide-related illnesses to 
     Vietnam veterans who cannot furnish written documentation 
     that they had ``boots on the ground'' in-country, making it 
     virtually impossible for countless United States Navy, 
     Marine, and Air Force veterans to pursue their claims for 
     benefits; moreover, personnel who served on ships in the 
     ``Blue Water Navy'' in Vietnamese territorial waters were, in 
     fact, exposed to dangerous airborne toxins, which not only 
     drifted offshore but washed into streams and rivers draining 
     into the South China Sea; and
       Whereas the United States Navy has been excluded from 
     coverage under the Agent Orange Act of 1991 although Agent 
     Orange has been verified, through various studies and 
     reports, to be a wide-spreading chemical that was able to 
     reach Navy ships through the air and through waterborne 
     distribution routes; and
       Whereas warships positioned off the Vietnamese coast 
     routinely distilled seawater to obtain potable water; a 2002 
     Australian study found that the distillation process, rather 
     than removing toxins, in fact concentrated dioxin in water 
     used for drinking, cooking, and washing; the Australian 
     Department of Veterans Affairs conducted that study after it 
     found that Vietnam veterans of the Royal Australian Navy had 
     a higher rate of mortality from diseases associated with 
     Agent Orange than did Vietnam veterans of other branches of 
     the military; and
       Whereas the United States Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention found a higher risk of specific cancers among 
     United States Navy veterans than among veterans of other 
     branches of the military; and
       Whereas herbicides containing dioxin did not discriminate 
     between soldiers on the ground and sailors on ships offshore; 
     and
       Whereas Representative Christopher Gibson and 168 
     cosponsors, including Representative Don Young, introduced 
     the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013; and
       Whereas more than 30 veterans service organizations support 
     the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013; and
       Whereas, by not passing the Blue Water Navy Vietnam 
     Veterans Act of 2013, a precedent could be set selectively to 
     provide certain groups with injury-related medical care while 
     denying that care to other groups, without any financial, 
     scientific, or consistent reasoning; and
       Whereas, when the Agent Orange Act of 1991 passed with no 
     dissenting votes, congressional leaders stressed the 
     importance of responding to the health concerns of Vietnam 
     veterans and ending the bitterness and anxiety that had 
     surrounded the issue of herbicide exposure; the federal 
     government has also demonstrated its awareness of the hazards 
     of Agent Orange exposure through its involvement in the 
     identification, containment, and mitigation of dioxin ``hot 
     spots'' in Vietnam; and
       Whereas the United States Congress should reaffirm the 
     nation's commitment to the well-being of all of its veterans 
     and direct the United States Department of Veterans Affairs 
     to administer the Agent Orange Act of 1991 under the 
     presumption that herbicide exposure in the Republic of 
     Vietnam included inland waterways, offshore waters, and 
     airspace, encompassing the entire combat zone; and
       Whereas S. 1602 was introduced in the United States Senate 
     on October 29, 2013, by Senator Richard Blumenthal; and
       Whereas S. 1602 would establish a national center for the 
     diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of 
     descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during 
     service in the armed forces of the United States, provide 
     services to those descendants, and establish an advisory 
     board on exposure to toxic substances: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to restore the presumption of a 
     service connection for Agent Orange exposure to United States 
     Veterans who served in the waters defined by the combat zone 
     and in the airspace over the combat zone; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature urges the 
     United States Congress to pass S. 1602, the Toxic Exposure 
     Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013, and to 
     establish a national center for the diagnosis, treatment, and 
     research of health conditions of descendants of veterans 
     exposed to toxic substances.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barak Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable 
     Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 
     Honorable Bernie Sanders, Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs; the Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking 
     Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs; the 
     Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, United States Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 
     Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 
     Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation 
     in Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-361. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska condemning the actions of the Veterans 
     Health Administration officials that prohibited religious 
     holiday messages, music, and gifts from being conveyed to 
     veterans at Veterans Health Administration facilities and 
     requesting that the United States Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs ensure that the violations of veterans' rights 
     described in this resolution do not occur again; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                       Senate Joint Resolution 24

       Whereas, in December 2013, federal Veterans Health 
     Administration facilities in Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and 
     Alabama violated the religious freedom rights of convalescing 
     veterans in their care; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration hospital in 
     Dallas, Texas, did not distribute to the veterans in its care 
     holiday cards that used certain language, including ``Merry 
     Christmas'' and ``God bless you''; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration hospital in 
     Augusta, Georgia, denied Christmas carolers from the local 
     high school the opportunity to sing in public areas of the 
     hospital; and
       Whereas two other Veterans Health Administration facilities 
     in Iowa and Alabama prohibited the distribution of Christmas 
     gifts and Christmas gift bags; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration official cited the 
     policy of the Veterans Health Administration for the 
     nondistribution of the holiday cards; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration official stated 
     that, in order to respect veterans religious beliefs, all 
     donated holiday cards are reviewed by a multidisciplinary 
     team of staff led by the chaplaincy services to determine 
     whether the cards are appropriate and can be freely 
     distributed to patients; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration official stated 
     that the process for reviewing holiday cards was not fully 
     explained to the particular group involved and apologized for 
     any misunderstanding; and
       Whereas the officials at the Veterans Health Administration 
     facilities described in this resolution ignored the policies 
     established by the United States Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs regarding holiday practices at the facilities; and
       Whereas those holiday cards, gifts, and presentations came 
     from caring citizens, including young children, who took the 
     time to recognize the heroic actions of men and women who 
     have sacrificed so much in the service of their country in 
     times of both peace and war; and
       Whereas, although Christmas Day has origins in religious 
     beliefs, it is recognized as a civic holiday for federal 
     employees; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration violates the 
     right to religious freedom of the veterans in its care by not 
     allowing them to receive certain holiday cards and gifts and 
     to attend certain presentations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature condemns the 
     actions of the Veterans Health Administration officials that 
     prohibited religious holiday messages, music, and gifts from 
     being conveyed to veterans at Veterans Health Administration 
     facilities and respectfully requests that the United States 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs ensure that the violations of 
     veterans' rights described in this resolution do not occur 
     again; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     reconsider the policies on holiday practices at Veterans 
     Health Administration facilities and rewrite those policies 
     so that the violations of veterans' rights described in this 
     resolution do not occur again; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature finds it very 
     troubling that the established policies and procedures of the 
     United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs on holiday 
     practices at the Veterans Health Administration facilities 
     are apparently being ignored and respectfully requests that 
     the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

[[Page 16173]]

     review the present established policies on holiday practices 
     at Veterans Health Administration facilities and train 
     personnel on those policies so that the apparent violations 
     of veterans' rights described in this resolution do not occur 
     again; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     provide each member of the Alaska State Legislature with a 
     written assurance that the actions of the Veterans Health 
     Administration officials described in this resolution do not 
     reflect the policies on holiday practices at Veterans Health 
     Administration facilities.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of 
     the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 
     Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Bernie Sanders, 
     Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs; the 
     Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee 
     on Veterans' Affairs; the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, United 
     States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Verdie Bowen, Director, 
     Office of Veterans Affairs, Alaska Department of Military and 
     Veterans' Affairs; Susan Yeager, Director, Alaska VA 
     Healthcare System; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 
     Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 
     Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation 
     in Congress; and all other members of the 113th United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-362. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska condemning the actions of the Veterans 
     Health Administration officials that prohibited religious 
     holiday messages, music, and gifts from being conveyed to 
     veterans at Veterans Health Administration facilities and 
     requesting that the United States Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs ensure that the violations of veterans rights 
     described in this resolution do not occur again; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                       Senate Joint Resolution 24

       Whereas, in December 2013, federal Veterans Health 
     Administration facilities in Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and 
     Alabama violated the religious freedom rights of convalescing 
     veterans in their care; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration hospital in 
     Dallas, Texas, did not distribute to the veterans in its care 
     holiday cards that used certain language, including ``Merry 
     Christmas'' and ``God bless you''; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration hospital in 
     Augusta, Georgia, denied Christmas carolers from the local 
     high school the opportunity to sing in public areas of the 
     hospital; and
       Whereas two other Veterans Health Administration facilities 
     in Iowa and Alabama prohibited the distribution of Christmas 
     gifts and Christmas gift bags; and
       Whereas a Veterans Health Administration official cited the 
     policy of the Veterans Health Administration for the 
     nondistribution of the holiday cards; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration official stated 
     that, in order to respect veterans' religious beliefs, all 
     donated holiday cards are reviewed by a multidisciplinary 
     team of staff led by the chaplaincy services to determine 
     whether the cards are appropriate and can be freely 
     distributed to patients; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration official stated 
     that the process for reviewing holiday cards was not fully 
     explained to the particular group involved and apologized for 
     any misunderstanding; and
       Whereas the officials at the Veterans Health Administration 
     facilities described in this resolution ignored the policies 
     established by the United States Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs regarding holiday practices at the facilities; and
       Whereas those holiday cards, gifts, and presentations came 
     from caring citizens, including young children, who took the 
     time to recognize the heroic actions of men and women who 
     have sacrificed so much in the service of their country in 
     times of both peace and war; and
       Whereas, although Christmas Day has origins in religious 
     beliefs, it is recognized as a civic holiday for federal 
     employees; and
       Whereas the Veterans Health Administration violates the 
     right to religious freedom of the veterans in its care by not 
     allowing them to receive certain holiday cards and gifts and 
     to attend certain presentations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature condemns the 
     actions of the Veterans Health Administration officials that 
     prohibited religious holiday messages, music, and gifts from 
     being conveyed to veterans at Veterans Health Administration 
     facilities and respectfully requests that the United States 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs ensure that the violations of 
     veterans' rights described in this resolution do not occur 
     again; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     reconsider the policies on holiday practices at Veterans 
     Health Administration facilities and rewrite those policies 
     so that the violations of veterans' rights described in this 
     resolution do not occur again; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature finds it very 
     troubling that the established policies and procedures of the 
     United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs on holiday 
     practices at the Veterans Health Administration facilities 
     are apparently being ignored and respectfully requests that 
     the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs review the 
     present established policies on holiday practices at Veterans 
     Health Administration facilities and train personnel on those 
     policies so that the apparent violations of veterans' rights 
     described in this resolution do not occur again; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature respectfully 
     requests that the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     provide each member of the Alaska State Legislature with a 
     written assurance that the actions of the Veterans Health 
     Administration officials described in this resolution do not 
     reflect the policies on holiday practices at Veterans Health 
     Administration facilities.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John Boehner, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of 
     the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 
     Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Bernie Sanders, 
     Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs; the 
     Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee 
     on Veterans' Affairs; the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, United 
     States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Verdie Bowen, Director, 
     Office of Veterans Affairs, Alaska Department of Military and 
     Veterans' Affairs; Susan Yeager, Director, Alaska VA 
     Healthcare System; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 
     Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 
     Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation 
     in Congress; and all other members of the 113th United States 
     Congress.

                          ____________________