[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9571-9572]
[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-245. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     Rockland County, New York, urging Congress to fund 
     mesothelioma research at the highest levels in the Fiscal 
     Year 2015 Appropriations Bill by including $5.26 billion for 
     the National Cancer Institute and $25 million for the Peer 
     Reviewed Research Program as part of the Congressionally 
     Mandated Research Program; to the Committee on 
     Appropriations.
       POM-246. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan memorializing 
     Congress of the United States to oppose the U.S. Department 
     of Defense's budget proposal that would potentially close 
     commissaries at U.S. military bases and to ensure that 
     replacement aircraft are assigned to Selfridge Air National 
     Guard Base to compensate for the proposed elimination of the 
     A-10 fleet; to the Committee on Armed Services.

                        House Resolution No. 319

       Whereas, The proposed U.S. Department of Defense budget 
     would dramatically cut commissary services throughout the 
     nation and eliminate the nation's A-10 fleet, including 
     aircraft at Michigan's Selfridge Air National Guard Base. 
     Selfridge currently is home to 18 A-10 Thunderbolt II 
     aircraft and the more than 400 personnel related to that 
     mission; and
       Whereas, Our brave men and women in uniform benefit greatly 
     from commissaries, and we should continue to provide them as 
     part of their service. Slashing the commissary budget would 
     likely lead to the closing of commissary stores at military 
     installations throughout the nation. Commissary stores 
     currently provide military families an affordable and 
     convenient location to shop for groceries and other 
     necessities. The U.S. Defense Commissary Agency found that 
     commissaries save shoppers an average of 30.5 percent 
     annually compared to off-base options; and
       Whereas, The proposed cuts would have a dramatic effect on 
     the lives and morale of the dedicated men and women who 
     choose to serve our country at Selfridge Air National Guard 
     Base and other U.S. military bases. The elimination of the A-
     10 fleet would place in jeopardy more than 400 jobs at 
     Selfridge alone. Closing commissaries would increase living 
     expenses for military families, essentially helping to 
     balance the defense budget at the expense of the men and 
     women who serve; and
       Whereas, In Michigan, these proposed cuts would have 
     immeasurable impacts on Macomb County and the local 
     communities surrounding the Selfridge Air National Guard 
     Base. For nearly a century, the base has been a source of 
     community pride, local jobs, and local revenue as well as a 
     key component of disaster response for the entire state and a 
     vital base for our nation's homeland security; and
       Whereas, The A-10 fleet should not be eliminated until 
     replacement aircraft can be assigned to Selfridge Air 
     National Guard

[[Page 9572]]

     Base. The proposed cuts would compound past, short-sighted 
     decisions to transfer the A-10 aircraft to Selfridge despite 
     the knowledge that these aircraft would be phased out. These 
     decisions have made Selfridge vulnerable to closure in future 
     Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. 
     Assigning replacement aircraft would not only maintain the 
     viability of this important base for homeland security, but 
     would also be cost-effective: the Air National Guard can 
     operate aircraft at about half the cost of an active duty 
     unit: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to oppose the 
     U.S. Department of Defense's budget proposal that would 
     potentially close commissaries at U.S. military bases and to 
     ensure that replacement aircraft are assigned to Selfridge 
     Air National Guard Base to compensate for the proposed 
     elimination of the A-10 fleet; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-247. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana memorializing the United States 
     Congress to take such actions as are necessary to oppose the 
     elimination of the 307th Red Horse Squadron based at 
     Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana; to the 
     Committee on Armed Services.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 41

       Whereas, established in the year 1932, the Barksdale Air 
     Force Base, a United States Air Force Base located 
     approximately 4.72 miles east-southeast of Bossier City, 
     Louisiana, is named in honor of World War I aviator and test 
     pilot 2nd Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (1896-1926); and
       Whereas, Barksdale Air Force Base has proudly served 
     Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas and is home to the Air Force's 
     newest command, Air Force Global Strike Command, the 2nd Bomb 
     Wing, 2nd Mission Support Group, 2nd Operations Group, 2nd 
     Maintenance Group, the 2nd Medical Group, 8th Air Force 
     Museum, and the Air Force Reserve's 917th Wing; and
       Whereas, the Red Horse unit, officially known as the 307th 
     Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron 
     Engineers, is a construction unit staffed with civil 
     engineers, many of whom deployed to southwest Asia during the 
     fall; and
       Whereas, Barksdale Air Force Base has grown into a major 
     source of revenue and employment for the region by providing 
     jobs for nearly ten thousand military and civilian employees; 
     and
       Whereas, under the Defense Department's 2015 proposed 
     spending plan, the 307th Red Horse Squadron would be 
     deactivated as the Air Force Reserve's authorized strength 
     would nationally decrease by almost five percent, to 61,700 
     airmen; and
       Whereas, under the 2015 defense spending plan, the Air 
     Force Reserve would lose the rest of the Air Force Reserve's 
     venerable fleet of A-10s, which are Cold War-era aircraft 
     known as Warthogs; and
       Whereas, Barksdale Air Force Base continues to be a huge 
     priority for national security and for communities in the 
     state of Louisiana; and
       Whereas, the deactivation of the 307th Red Horse Squadron 
     at Barksdale Air Force Base will have an adverse effect on 
     not only the economy, but the community as well: Now, 
     Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to oppose the elimination of 307th Red Horse 
     Squadron based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, 
     Louisiana; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives of the Congress of the United States of 
     America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-248. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii urging the United 
     States Congress to support the Veterans Health and Benefits 
     Improvement Act of 2013, particularly the section providing 
     those serving in the National Guard with veteran status; to 
     the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                        House Resolution No. 23

       Whereas, the National Guard's roots date back to 1636, when 
     colonial militias made up of ordinary citizens would put down 
     their plows and pick up weapons to protect families and towns 
     from hostile attacks; and
       Whereas, commonly known as citizen-soldiers, members of 
     today's National Guard hold civilian jobs or attend college 
     while maintaining their military training part-time, always 
     ready to defend the American way of life in the event of an 
     emergency; and
       Whereas, while the National Guard originally focused on 
     protecting local communities, it eventually grew into a force 
     that complements the active-duty military when help is needed 
     anywhere in the world, including serving overseas in combat-
     deployment roles; and
       Whereas, although the National Guard's primary area of 
     operation is the National Guard unit's home state, National 
     Guard members are often called on by the President of the 
     United States to respond to, among other things, homeland 
     security missions, domestic emergencies, counterdrug efforts, 
     and reconstruction missions in addition to overseas combat 
     missions; and
       Whereas, while many National Guard members have similar 
     duties and perform similar functions to their counterparts in 
     the active-duty military, Title 38, United States Code, 
     excludes from the definition of veteran, career reserve-
     component members who have not served on active duty under 
     Title 10, United States Code, for other than training 
     purposes; and
       Whereas, a portion of the Veterans Health and Benefits 
     Improvement Act of 2013, or S. 944, would honor as veterans 
     any person who is entitled under chapter 1223 of Title 10, 
     United States Code, to retired pay for nonregular service or, 
     but for age, would be entitled under such chapter to retired 
     pay for nonregular service''; and
       Whereas, this cost-neutral provision would not bestow any 
     benefits other than the honor of claiming veteran status for 
     nearly 300,000 men and women who honorably served and 
     sacrificed as career reserve-component members, giving these 
     individuals the respect they deserve for their uniformed 
     service to the United States: 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 Congress, including Hawaii's Congressional 
     delegation, is urged to support the Veterans Health and 
     Benefits Improvement Act of 2013, particularly the section 
     providing those, serving in the National Guard with veteran 
     status; 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.

                          ____________________