[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 9029-9031]
[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-235. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii expressing support for 
     the Troop Talent Act of 2013; to the Committee on Armed 
     Services.

                        House Resolution No. 18

       Whereas, members of the United States Armed Forces are 
     dedicated to protecting the many freedoms that we enjoy 
     through discipline, hard work, and self-sacrifice; and
       Whereas, for many veterans the transition from military to 
     civilian life is often a difficult one, which is evident in 
     the higher unemployment rates experienced by post September 
     11th veterans; a rate that is currently 9.4 percent, which is 
     greater than the national average which is 6.7 percent; and
       Whereas, even though many veterans leave the military with 
     valuable skills and training, several obstacles such as 
     injuries, lack of civilian work experience, and license and 
     certification issues hamper a smooth transition from military 
     to civilian life; and
       Whereas, H.R. 1796, or the Troop Talent Act of 2013, was 
     created to ensure that veterans and members of the Armed 
     Forces are provided with the proper education and training to 
     better assist them in obtaining civilian certifications and 
     licenses, as well as for other purposes to assist veterans in 
     adjusting to civilian life; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 directs the 
     Secretaries of the military departments, to the maximum 
     extent practicable, to make information on civilian 
     credentialing opportunities available to members of the Armed 
     Forces beginning with, and at every stage of, their training 
     for military occupational specialties in order to permit such 
     members to:
       (1) Evaluate the extent to which such training correlates 
     with skills and training required for various civilian 
     certifications and licenses; and
       (2) Assess the suitability of such training for obtaining 
     or pursuing such civilian certifications and licenses; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 also requires the 
     information be made available to members of the Armed 
     Services to be consistent with the Transition Goals Plans 
     Success Program; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 also requires the 
     inclusion of information on:
       (1) The civilian occupational equivalents of military 
     occupational specialties;
       (2) Civilian license or certification requirements, 
     including examination requirements; and
       (3) The availability and opportunities for use of 
     educational benefits available to members of the Armed 
     Forces, as appropriate, corresponding training, or continuing 
     education that leads to a certification exam in order to 
     provide a pathway to credentialing opportunities; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 requires the 
     Secretaries of the military departments to make available to 
     civilian credentialing agencies, specified information on the 
     content of military training provided to members of the Armed 
     Services; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 allows members of the 
     Armed Services or veterans in pursuit of a civilian 
     certification or license to use educational assistance 
     provided through the Department of Defense or the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs only if the successful completion of a 
     curriculum fully qualifies the student to take the 
     appropriate examinations and be certified or licensed to meet 
     any other academic conditions required for entry into that 
     occupation or profession; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 requires the military 
     occupational specialties designated for a military skills to 
     civilian credentialing pilot program under the National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to include 
     those specialties relating to the military information 
     technology workforce; and
       Whereas, the Troop Talent Act of 2013 directs the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs to reestablish the Professional 
     Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee which was 
     terminated on December 31, 2006, and provides the Committee 
     with additional duties, including the development of:
       (1) Guidance for audits of licensure and certification 
     programs in order to ensure high-quality education to members 
     of the Armed Services and veterans; and
       (2) A plan to improve outreach to members of the Armed 
     Services and veterans on the importance of licensing and 
     certification and the availability of educational benefits: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session 
     of 2014, that this

[[Page 9030]]

     body supports the Troop Talent Act of 2013 along with its 
     passage; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the United States 
     Senate, and Hawaii's Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-236. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Hawaii urging the United States Congress to 
     adopt legislation to ease a transition to a new type of 
     identity theft-resistant credit card; to the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 32

       Whereas, credit card data theft is one of the fastest-
     growing crimes in the nation, increasing 50 percent from 2005 
     to 2010, according to a recent report from the United States 
     Department of Justice; and
       Whereas, credit card data theft is often included in the 
     general definition of identity theft, a crime that occurs 
     when a thief steals an individual's personal information and 
     uses it without the individual's permission; and
       Whereas, identity theft is a serious crime that can 
     devastate an individual's finances, credit history, and 
     reputation, and can take time, money, and patience to 
     resolve; and
       Whereas, the number of malicious programs written to steal 
     an individual's personal information has grown exponentially 
     from about 1,000,000 in 2007 to an estimated 130,000,000 in 
     2013; and
       Whereas, identity theft is expected to surpass traditional 
     theft as the leading form of property crime, and security 
     analysts have reported that everyone should prepare to become 
     an identity theft victim at some point; and
       Whereas, most Americans have a greater chance of having 
     their personal identity information stolen than being 
     actually held up at gunpoint; and
       Whereas, a company has recently introduced a new type of 
     identity theft-resistant credit card that is designed to 
     reduce the chances of consumers being hit with fraudulent 
     credit card debt; and
       Whereas, in designing this new type of credit card, the 
     company has developed small, digital, internal components 
     that will allow a consumer to enter a personal unlocking code 
     that will generate a unique credit card number for every 
     transaction, making the card more difficult to use by thieves 
     if it is lost or stolen; and
       Whereas, at least one major bank is testing this new type 
     of credit card in a number of small pilot programs, and more 
     lenders may adopt the technology in the near future: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session 
     of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the Congress of the 
     United States, Hawaii financial institutions, and Hawaii 
     businesses are urged to adopt legislation, policies, and 
     procedures to use identity theft-resistant credit cards; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Congress of the United States is urged 
     to adopt legislation that would ease a transition to a new 
     type of identity theft-resistant credit card; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That Hawaii financial institutions and Hawaii 
     businesses that offer credit cards are urged to use the new 
     identity theft-resistant credit card technology to reduce the 
     chances of consumers being victimized by identity thieves; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to the President Pro Tempore of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, the members of Hawaii's congressional 
     delegation, the President of the Hawaii Bankers Association, 
     the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of 
     Commerce of Hawaii, and the Chairperson of the Board of 
     Directors of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii.
                                  ____

       POM-237. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urging 
     the Congress of the United States to pass and the President 
     of the United States to sign the Blue Water Navy Vietnam 
     Veterans Act of 2013; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                        House Resolution No. 663

       Whereas, During the Vietnam Conflict, the United States 
     military sprayed more than 19 million gallons of Agent Orange 
     and other herbicides over Vietnam to reduce forest cover and 
     crops used by the enemy; these herbicides contained dioxin, 
     which has since been identified as carcinogenic and has been 
     linked with a number of serious and disabling illnesses now 
     affecting thousands of veterans; and
       Whereas, The Congress of the United States passed the Agent 
     Orange Act of 1991 to address the plight of veterans exposed 
     to herbicides while serving in Vietnam; and
       Whereas, The act amended Title 38 of the United States Code 
     to presumptively recognize as service-connected, certain 
     diseases among military personnel who served in the Vietnam 
     Conflict between 1962 and 1975; and
       Whereas, This presumption has provided access to 
     appropriate disability compensation and medical care for 
     Vietnam veterans diagnosed with such illnesses as Type II 
     diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic 
     lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, 
     respiratory cancers and soft-tissue sarcomas; and
       Whereas, Pursuant to a 2001 directive, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs policy has denied the presumption of a 
     service connection for herbicide-related illnesses to Vietnam 
     veterans who could not furnish written documentation that 
     they had ``boots on the ground'' in-country, making it 
     virtually impossible for countless United States Navy and Air 
     Force veterans to pursue their claims for benefits; and
       Whereas, Many who had landed on Vietnamese soil could not 
     produce proof due to incomplete or missing military records, 
     moreover, personnel who had 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 also washed into streams and rivers draining 
     into the South China Sea; and
       Whereas, Warships positioned off the Vietnamese shore 
     routinely distilled seawater to obtain potable water; and
       Whereas, 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; and
       Whereas, This study was conducted by the Australian 
     Department of Veteran Affairs after it found that Vietnam 
     veterans of the Royal Australian Navy had a higher rate of 
     mortality from Agent Orange-associated diseases than did 
     Vietnam veterans from other branches of the military; and
       Whereas, When the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention studied specific cancers among Vietnam veterans, 
     it found a higher risk of cancer among Navy veterans; and
       Whereas, Agent Orange did not discriminate between soldiers 
     on the ground and sailors on ships offshore, and legislation 
     to recognize this tragic fact and restore eligibility for 
     compensation and medical care to Navy and Air Force veterans 
     who sacrificed their health for their country is critical; 
     and
       Whereas, When the Agent Orange Act passed in 1991 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; and
       Whereas, Congress should reaffirm the nation's commitment 
     to the well-being of all of its veterans and direct the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs to administer the Agent Orange 
     Act under the presumption that herbicide exposure in Vietnam 
     includes the country's inland waterways, offshore waters and 
     airspace: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives respectfully 
     urge the Congress and President of the United States to 
     restore the presumption of a service connection for Agent 
     Orange exposure for United States Navy and Air Force veterans 
     who served on the inland waterways, territorial waters and in 
     the airspace of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth 
     of Pennsylvania forward official copies of this resolution to 
     the President of the United States, to the President of the 
     Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
     United States, and to all the members of the Pennsylvania 
     delegation to the 113th Congress urging the members of the 
     delegation to support and fund the Blue Water Navy Vietnam 
     Veterans Act of 2013 and with the request that this 
     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record 
     as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of 
     America.
                                  ____

       POM-238. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Hawaii urging the President of the United 
     States and the United States Congress to support the 
     authorization of the issuance of general obligation bonds for 
     the construction of a long-term care facility for veterans 
     contingent upon the receipt of federal funds; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 68

       Whereas, Hawaii's acute shortage of long-term care beds has 
     the potential to directly impact the growing number of our 
     veterans who are reaching a point in their lives where long-
     term care may become necessary; and
       Whereas, the shortage of long-term care facilities will be 
     felt in communities across Hawaii; and
       Whereas, veterans have stood up for America in times of 
     need, thereby earning the highest degree of respect and 
     support the nation is able to give; and
       Whereas, the men and women who have served our country are 
     owed a special duty; and
       Whereas, veterans of the armed services deserve safety, 
     comfort, and dignified care in their later years; and
       Whereas, providing safe and reliable care falls squarely 
     within our commitment as a state and a nation; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session 
     of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the President of the 
     United

[[Page 9031]]

     States and the United States Congress are urged to support 
     House Bill No. 2074, Regular Session of 2014, which 
     authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for the 
     construction of a long-term care facility for veterans 
     contingent upon the receipt of federal funds; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United 
     States, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 
     and Speaker of the House of the United States House of 
     Representatives.
                                  ____

       POM-239. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii urging the President 
     of the United States and the United States Congress to grant 
     veterans benefits to Filipino veterans who fought in World 
     War II; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                        House Resolution No. 22

       Whereas, during World War II, the Philippines was a United 
     States commonwealth; and
       Whereas, Filipino soldiers volunteered their services after 
     being promised full veterans benefits to volunteer to fight 
     for the United States against the potential threat of Japan; 
     and
       Whereas, thousands of Filipino men and women risked their 
     lives against the invading Japanese forces and assisted our 
     nation in its efforts to liberate the Philippines; and
       Whereas, Filipino soldiers fought bravely beside American 
     troops to restore liberty and democracy to their homeland; 
     and
       Whereas, exhibiting great courage at the battles of 
     Corregidor and Bataan, Filipino soldiers contributed to the 
     Allied victory that ended Word War II; and
       Whereas, in 1941, by executive order, Filipinos who 
     Volunteered for the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 
     Philippine Scouts were made eligible for full United States 
     veterans benefits for their active service during the war; 
     and
       Whereas, in 1946, by congressional act and upon the 
     independence of the Philippines, these same Filipino veterans 
     were denied eligibility for United States veterans benefits, 
     such as health care, disability pensions, and burial 
     expenses; and
       Whereas, over the years, Congress has considered 
     legislation to restore the benefits denied to Filipino 
     veterans; and
       Whereas, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
     included a provision that called for the release of funding 
     for lump sum payments to Filipino veterans in lieu of 
     pensions; and
       Whereas, restoring benefits denied to Filipino veterans and 
     fulfilling and expediting any claims that are still pending 
     honors those Filipino veterans who served our nation so 
     courageously; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session 
     of 2014, that the President of the United States and the 
     United States Congress are urged to grant veterans benefits 
     to Filipino veterans who fought in World War II but were 
     subsequently denied the benefits to which they were entitled; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That providing these benefits does not correct 
     the injustice and discrimination done over 60 years ago, but 
     is a small step in making reparations; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, President 
     Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, Hawaii's 
     Congressional delegation, Secretary of the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, Director of the Hawaii Office 
     of Veterans Services, President of the Republic of the 
     Philippines, and Philippine Consul General in Hawaii.
                                  ____

       POM-240. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii urging the United 
     States Congress to restore the presumption of a service 
     connection for Agent Orange exposure to the United States 
     veterans who served in the waters defined by the Combat Zone 
     and in the airspace over the Combat Zone in Vietnam; to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                        House Resolution No. 19

       Whereas, during the Vietnam War, the United States military 
     sprayed 22,000,000 gallons of Agent Orange and other 
     herbicides over Vietnam to reduce forest cover and crops used 
     by the enemy; and
       Whereas, these herbicides contained dioxin, which has since 
     been identified as carcinogenic and has been linked with a 
     number of serious and disabling illnesses 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 the Republic of Vietnam; and
       Whereas, the Agent Orange Act of 1991 amended Title 38 of 
     the United States Code to presumptively recognize as service-
     connected certain diseases among military personnel who 
     served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975; and
       Whereas, this 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, soft-tissue 
     sarcomas, and other illnesses yet to be identified; and
       Whereas, pursuant to a directive in 2001, it has been the 
     policy of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to 
     deny 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 Corps, and Air Force veterans to 
     pursue their claims for benefits; and
       Whereas, 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 also washed into streams and rivers draining 
     into the South China Sea; and
       Whereas, Agent Orange has been verified, through various 
     studies and reports, as a wide-spreading chemical that was 
     able to reach United States Navy ships through the air and 
     waterborne distribution routes; and
       Whereas, warships positioned off the Vietnamese shore 
     routinely distilled seawater to obtain potable water; and
       Whereas, an Australian study in 2002 found that the 
     distillation process, instead of removing toxins, actually 
     concentrated dioxin in water used for drinking, cooking, and 
     washing; and
       Whereas, this study was conducted by the Australian 
     Department of Veterans Affairs after it found that Vietnam 
     veterans of the Royal Australian Navy suffered from a higher 
     rate of mortality from Agent Orange-associated diseases than 
     did Vietnam veterans from other branches of the military; and
       Whereas, when the United States Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention studied specific cancers among Vietnam 
     veterans, it found a higher risk of cancer among United 
     States Navy veterans; and
       Whereas, herbicides containing tetrachlorodibenzodioxin 
     (TCDD), a contaminant in Agent Orange, did not discriminate 
     between soldiers on the ground and sailors on ships offshore; 
     and
       Whereas, more than 30 veterans' service organizations 
     support the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013 
     (H.R. 543); and
       Whereas, by not passing H.R. 543, a precedent could be set 
     to selectively provide certain categories of veterans with 
     injury-related medical care while denying such care to other 
     categories of veterans, without any financial, scientific, or 
     consistent reasoning; and
       Whereas, when the Agent Orange Act passed in 1991 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; and
       Whereas, 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 under the presumption that 
     herbicide exposure in the Republic of Vietnam includes the 
     country's inland waterways, offshore waters, and airspace, 
     encompassing the entire Combat Zone: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session 
     of 2014, that the United States Congress is respectfully 
     urged 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 in Vietnam; and be it further
       Resolved, That the United States Congress is respectfully 
     urged to enter this Resolution into the Congressional Record 
     as an official memorial to the Congress; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, President 
     Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

                          ____________________