[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11261-11267]
[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-267. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Illinois urging Congress and 
     the President of the United States to reauthorize the 
     Terrorism Risk Insurance Program; to the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

                       House Resolution No. 1076

       Whereas, Insurance protects the United States economy from 
     the adverse effects of the risks inherent in economic growth 
     and development while also providing the resources necessary 
     to rebuild physical and economic infrastructure, offer 
     indemnification for business disruption, and provide coverage 
     for medical and liability costs from injuries and loss of 
     life in the event of catastrophic losses to persons or 
     property; and
       Whereas, The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 
     produced insured losses larger than any natural or man-made 
     event in history; claims paid by insurers to their 
     policyholders eventually totaled some $32.5 billion, making 
     this the second most costly insurance event in United States 
     history; and
       Whereas, The sheer enormity of the terrorist-induced loss, 
     combined with the possibility of haute attacks, produced 
     financial shockwaves that shook insurance markets, causing 
     insurers and reinsurers to exclude coverage arising from acts 
     of terrorism from virtually all commercial property and 
     liability policies; and
       Whereas, The lack of terrorism risk insurance contributed 
     to a paralysis in the economy, especially in construction, 
     tourism, business travel, and real estate finance; and
       Whereas, The United States Congress originally passed the 
     Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-297 (TRIA), 
     in which the federal government agreed to provide terrorism 
     reinsurance to insurers and reauthorized this arrangement via 
     the Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005, Pub. L. 
     109-144, and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 
     Reauthorization Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-160 (TRIPRA); and
       Whereas, Under TRIPRA, the federal government provides such 
     reinsurance after industry-wide losses attributable to annual 
     certified terrorism events exceed $100 million; and
       Whereas, Coverage under TRIPRA is provided to an individual 
     insurer after the insurer has incurred losses related to 
     terrorism equal to 20% of the insurer's previous year earned 
     premium for property-casualty lines; and
       Whereas, After an individual insurer has reached such a 
     threshold, the insurer pays 15% of residual losses and the 
     federal government pays the remaining 85%, and
       Whereas, The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program has an annual 
     cap of $100 billion of aggregate insured losses, beyond which 
     the federal program does not provide coverage; and
       Whereas, TRIPRA requires the federal government to recoup 
     100% of the benefits provided under the program via policy 
     holder surcharges to the extent the aggregate insured losses 
     are less than $27.5 billion and enables the government to 
     recoup expenditures beyond that mandatory recoupment amount; 
     and
       Whereas, Without question, TRIA and its successors are the 
     principal reason for the continued stability in the insurance 
     and reinsurance market for terrorism Insurance to the benefit 
     of our overall economy; and
       Whereas, The presence of a robust private/public 
     partnership has provided stability and predictability and has 
     allowed insurers to actively participate in the market in a 
     meaningful way; and
       Whereas, Without a program such as TRIPRA, many citizens 
     who want and need terrorism coverage to operate their 
     businesses all across the nation would be either unable to 
     get insurance or unable to afford the limited coverage that 
     would be available; and
       Whereas, Without federally provided reinsurance, property 
     and casualty insurers will face less availability of 
     terrorism reinsurance and will therefore be severely 
     restricted in their ability to provide sufficient coverage 
     for acts of terrorism to support our economy; and
       Whereas, Unfortunately, despite the hard work and 
     dedication of this nation's counterterrorism agencies and the 
     bravery of the men and women in uniform who fought and 
     continue to fight battles abroad to keep us safe here at 
     home, the threat from terrorist attacks in the United States 
     is both real and substantial and will remain as such for the 
     foreseeable future: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-
     Eighth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we 
     urge Congress and the President of the United States to 
     reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
     delivered to the President of the United States, the Speaker 
     and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the 
     President Pro Tempore and the Secretary of the United States 
     Senate, and the members of the Illinois congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-268. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the Secretary of the Interior 
     to immediately take all necessary measures to operate the 
     Yuma Desalting Plant; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1001

       Whereas, under a treaty agreement entered into in 1973, the 
     United States is required to ensure that water delivered to 
     Mexico as part of Mexico's allocation of Colorado River water 
     meets certain water quality standards; and
       Whereas, in accordance with this agreement, the United 
     States Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity 
     Control Act of 1974, which directed and authorized the 
     Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate and maintain 
     a desalting plant to treat drainage water from the Wellton-
     Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District and deliver the 
     treated water to Mexico; and
       Whereas, construction of the Yuma Desalting Plant was 
     completed in 1992; and
       Whereas, the Yuma Desalting Plant is capable of treating 
     100,000 acre-feet of water annually; and
       Whereas, except for limited, initial operations in 1993, a 
     demonstration run completed in 2007 and a nine-month pilot 
     run completed in 2011, the federal government has failed to 
     operate the Yuma Desalting Plant for most of its 30 years of 
     existence; and
       Whereas, the Department of the Interior is using 100,000 
     acre-feet of water from Lake Mead to fulfill its water 
     quality obligations to Mexico, rather than conserving an 
     equivalent amount of water through the operation of the Yuma 
     Desalting Plant; and
       Whereas, the Colorado River system is in its 14th 
     consecutive year of drought; and
       Whereas, as a result of these drought conditions, the 
     Department of the Interior is projecting that a shortage on 
     the Colorado River is increasingly likely, with the 
     probability that the shortage will exceed 50% in 2017; and
       Whereas, the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand 
     Study released by the Bureau of Reclamation in December 2012 
     concluded that there will be a future imbalance between the 
     supply and demand for Colorado River water and cited measures 
     such as water conservation, reuse and augmentation to stave 
     off future shortages on the Colorado River; and
       Whereas, the Central Arizona Project is a junior priority 
     rights holder to Colorado River water and would bear the 
     largest reduction of Colorado River water in times of 
     shortage: and
       Whereas, by abdicating its obligation to operate the Yuma 
     Desalting Plant, the federal government has caused the loss 
     of more than 1,300.000 acre-feet from Lake Mead, placing the 
     State of Arizona at increased risk of water shortage; and
       Whereas, if the federal government were to operate the Yuma 
     Desalting Plant, it would conserve 100,000 acre-feet per 
     year, equivalent to the water needed to supply more than 
     250,000 Arizona homes with water annually.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:

[[Page 11262]]


       1. That the Secretary of the United States Department of 
     the Interior immediately take all necessary measures to 
     operate the Yuma Desalting Plant.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-269. A memorial adopted by the House of Representatives 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     recognize that open-air burn pits impose significant health 
     risks and enact a presumption of a service connection between 
     open-air burn pit exposure and subsequent illnesses that is 
     similar to the presumption in place for exposure to Agent 
     Orange; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                          House Memorial 2002

       Whereas, during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, open-air 
     burn pits were widely used for the disposal of waste in place 
     of incinerators until bases became more established. The 
     military burned nearly everything in the open-air burn pits, 
     including plastic, styrofoam, electronics, metal cans, 
     rubber, ammunition, explosives, human waste and lithium 
     batteries: and
       Whereas, in 2011. an Institute of Medicine study, requested 
     by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 
     concluded that there was insufficient data to determine 
     whether burn pit emissions had long-term health consequences. 
     However, some United States military personnel that were 
     stationed near burn pits have stated that burn pit exposure 
     has led to a litany of medical problems: and
       Whereas, after careful review of the Institute of Medicine 
     report, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has directed the 
     Veterans Health Administration to conduct a long-term 
     prospective study on all adverse health effects potentially 
     related to military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
     including health effects potentially related to exposure to 
     airborne hazards and burn pits; and
       Whereas, congressional lawmakers passed, and President 
     Obama signed, a bill in 2013 that creates a registry similar 
     to the Agent Orange and Gulf War registries to help patients, 
     doctors and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs 
     determine the extent to which air pollution caused by open-
     air burn pits has led to medical diseases among service 
     members.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress recognize that open-air 
     burn pits impose significant health risks and enact a 
     presumption of a service connection between open-air burn pit 
     exposure and subsequent illnesses that is similar to the 
     presumption in place for exposure to Agent Orange.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-270. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California supporting the extension of the 
     Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and respectfully 
     memorializing the United States Congress to promptly renew 
     the extension of unemployment benefits that will tremendously 
     aid millions of people; to the Committee on Finance.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 18

       Whereas, In 2008, the United States suffered its worst 
     economic crisis since the Great Depression; and
       Whereas, The economic downturn resulted in a 10 percent 
     unemployment rate nationwide by 2009, and a rate as high as 
     12.4 percent in California; and
       Whereas, When unemployment benefits were first authorized, 
     the national unemployment rate was only 5.6 percent; and
       Whereas, Now the current unemployment rate is at 7 percent 
     and 36 states, including California, have higher rates of 
     unemployment; and
       Whereas, California's unemployed workers currently face one 
     of the toughest job markets in the country, with statewide 
     unemployment at 8.5 percent and three unemployed workers for 
     every available job; and
       Whereas, In 2009, Congress passed the Emergency 
     Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program which extended 
     benefits to those out of work for up to 99 weeks to give 
     relief to many that have endured an extended period of 
     unemployment. Unemployed workers in California receive 37 
     weeks of EUC, and 26 weeks of state benefits, averaging just 
     two hundred ninety-two dollars ($292) a week; and
       Whereas, On December 28, 2013, the EUC program expired 
     without an extension from Congress. On that day, 214,000 
     unemployed workers ran out of EUC in California and 12,500 
     more will be doing so daily; and
       Whereas, As of February 24, 2014, close to 1,273,100 
     unemployed workers in California have run out of all 
     available unemployment benefits; and
       Whereas, The EUC program brought $4.5 billion in benefits 
     to the California economy in 2013 alone; and
       Whereas, It is crucial for the United States government to 
     take action in renewing the EUC program and extending the 
     unemployment benefits that millions of people direly need: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature supports the 
     extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program 
     and respectfully memorializes the United States Congress to 
     promptly renew the extension of unemployment benefits that 
     will tremendously aid millions of people; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
     the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, each Senator 
     and Representative from California in the Congress of the 
     United States, and to the author for appropriate 
     distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-271. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     repeal the requirement that physicians who have a National 
     Provider Identifier enroll in or opt out of Medicare as a 
     condition for payment of claims for ordered or provided 
     covered services under federal health care programs; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1009

       Whereas, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     (P.L. 111-148) as amended by the Health Care and Education 
     Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152), collectively known 
     as the Affordable Care Act, expands the role of federal 
     health care programs and regulations over the private health 
     care market; and
       Whereas, the Affordable Care Act makes many changes to the 
     Medicare and Medicaid programs, some of which involve 
     strengthening tools for quality and integrity; and
       Whereas, the Affordable Care Act has resulted in numerous 
     regulations for health care providers; and
       Whereas, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
     requires physicians to enroll in Medicare or opt out of 
     Medicare in order for health care providers to receive 
     payment for services; and
       Whereas, wrong addresses, telephone numbers and licensing 
     information for physicians have been found throughout 
     Medicare enrollment systems that are used to approve claims; 
     and
       Whereas, an estimated 58% of enrollment records in the 
     Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System were 
     inaccurate, and 48% of records in the National Plan and 
     Provider Enumeration System had errors; and
       Whereas, more and more physicians are choosing not to 
     accept Medicare or Medicaid due to increased government 
     regulations and reduced levels of reimbursement; and
       Whereas, the federal Medicare enrollment requirement has 
     the unintended consequence of limiting facility options for 
     physicians to admit and treat their patients.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona. the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress repeal the requirement 
     that physicians who have a National Provider Identifier 
     enroll in or opt out of Medicare as a condition for payment 
     of claims for ordered or provided covered services under 
     federal health care programs.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-272. A memorial adopted by the Legislature of the State 
     of Florida urging the United States Congress to enact H.R. 
     25, the Fair Tax Act of 2013, which eliminates the personal 
     income tax, the alternative minimum tax, the inheritance tax, 
     the gift tax, the capital gains tax, the corporate income 
     tax, the self-employment tax, and the employee and employer 
     payroll tax and replaces them with a national retail sales 
     tax; to the Committee on Finance.

                          Senate Memorial 118

       Whereas, our Founding Fathers, being mindful that history 
     has demonstrated that income taxes give government too much 
     power over citizens, specifically forbade such taxes in the 
     Constitution of the United States, and
       Whereas, Alexander Hamilton wrote in The Federalist No. 21 
     that ``it is a signal advantage of taxes on articles of 
     consumption, that they contain in their own nature a security 
     against excess,'' and
       Whereas, the current income tax system requires individual 
     taxpayers to prepare annual tax returns using many 
     complicated forms, causing innocent errors that are heavily 
     punished, and
       Whereas, the current income tax system actually penalizes 
     marriage, and
       Whereas, the federal income tax:
       (1) Retards economic growth and has reduced the standard of 
     living of the American public;

[[Page 11263]]

       (2) Impedes the international competiveness of United 
     States industry;
       (3) Reduces savings and investment in the United States by 
     taxing income multiple times;
       (4) Slows the capital formation necessary for real wages to 
     steadily increase;
       (5) Lowers productivity;
       (6) Imposes unacceptable and unnecessary administrative and 
     compliance costs on individual and business taxpayers;
       (7) Is unfair and inequitable;
       (8) Unnecessarily intrudes upon the privacy and civil 
     rights of United States citizens;
       (9) Hides the true costs of government by embedding taxes 
     in the costs of everything that Americans buy;
       (10) Is not being complied with at satisfactory levels and, 
     therefore, raises the tax burden on law-abiding citizens; and
       (11) Impedes upward social mobility, and
       Whereas, federal payroll taxes, including social security 
     and Medicare payroll taxes and self-employment taxes:
       (1) Raise the cost of employment;
       (2) Destroy jobs and cause unemployment; and
       (3) Have a disproportionately adverse impact on lower-
     income Americans, and
       Whereas, the federal estate and gift taxes:
       (1) Force family businesses and farms to be sold by the 
     family in order to pay taxes;
       (2) Discourage capital formation and entrepreneurship;
       (3) Foster the continued dominance of large enterprises 
     over small family-owned companies and farms; and
       (4) Impose unacceptably high tax-planning costs on small 
     businesses and farms, and
       Whereas, a broad-based national sales tax on goods and 
     services purchased for final consumption:
       (1) Is similar in many respects to the sales and use taxes 
     that are authorized in 45 of the 50 states;
       (2) Will promote savings and investment;
       (3) Will promote fairness;
       (4) Will promote economic growth;
       (5) Will raise the standard of living;
       (6) Will enhance productivity and international 
     competiveness;
       (7) Will reduce administrative burdens on the American 
     taxpayer;
       (8) Will improve upward social mobility; and
       (9) Will respect the privacy interests and civil rights of 
     taxpayers, and
       Whereas, Congress should consider when implementing the 
     administration of a national sales tax that:
       (1) Most of the practical experience in administering sales 
     taxes is found at the state level;
       (2) It is desirable to harmonize federal and state 
     collection and enforcement efforts to the maximum extent 
     possible;
       (3) It is sound tax administration policy to foster 
     administration and collection of the federal sales tax at the 
     state level in return for a reasonable administration fee to 
     the states; and
       (4) A business that must collect and remit taxes should 
     receive reasonable compensation for the cost of doing so, and
       Whereas, the 16th Amendment to the United States 
     Constitution should be repealed: Now, Therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: That 
     the Legislature of the State of Florida, with all due 
     respect, does hereby urge the United States Congress to enact 
     H.R. 25, the Fair Tax Act of 2013, which eliminates the 
     personal income tax, the alternative minimum tax, the 
     inheritance tax, the gift tax, the capital gains tax, the 
     corporate income tax, the self-employment tax, and the 
     employee and employer payroll tax and replaces them with a 
     national retail sales tax, and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this memorial be dispatched to the 
     President of the United States, to the President of the 
     United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida 
     delegation to the United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-273. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California calling upon the Congress and the 
     President of the United States to formally and consistently 
     recognize and reaffirm the historical truth that the 
     atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted 
     genocide; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 21

       Whereas, During the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 1.5 
     million men, women, and children of Armenian descent lost 
     their lives at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in its 
     attempt to systematically eliminate the Armenian race; and
       Whereas, Despite Armenians' historic presence, stewardship, 
     and autonomy in the region, Turkish' rulers of the Ottoman 
     Empire subjected Armenians to severe and unjust persecution 
     and brutality including, but not limited to, widespread and 
     wholesale massacres beginning in the 1890s, most notably the 
     Hamidian Massacres from 1894 to 1896 and the Adana Massacre 
     of 1909; and
       Whereas, The earlier massacres and subsequent genocide of 
     the Armenians constitute one of the most atrocious violations 
     of human rights in the history of the world; and
       Whereas, Adolph Hitler, in persuading his army commanders 
     that the merciless persecution and killing of Jews, Poles, 
     and other people would. bring no retribution, declared, 
     ``Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the 
     Armenians?''; and
       Whereas, Unlike other people and governments that have 
     admitted and denounced the abuses and crimes of predecessor 
     regimes, and despite the overwhelming proof of genocidal 
     intent, the Republic of Turkey has inexplicably and adamantly 
     denied the occurrence of the crimes against humanity 
     committed by the Ottoman and Young Turk rulers. Those denials 
     compound the grief of the few remaining survivors of the 
     atrocities, desecrate the memory of the victims, and cause 
     continuing pain to the descendants of the victims; and
       Whereas, The Republic of Turkey has escalated its 
     international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, 
     maintained its blockade of Armenia and increased its pressure 
     on the small but growing movement in Turkey acknowledging the 
     Armenian Genocide and seeking justice for this systematic 
     campaign of destruction of millions of Armenians, Greeks, 
     Assyrians, Pontians, Syriacs, and other Christians upon their 
     biblical-era homelands; and
       Whereas, Those citizens of Turkey, both Armenian and non-
     Armenian, who continue to speak the truth about the Armenian 
     Genocide, such as human rights activist and journalist Hrant 
     Dink, continue to be silenced by violent means; and
       Whereas, The accelerated level and scope of denial and 
     revisionism, coupled with the passage of time and the fact 
     that very few survivors remain who can serve as reminders of 
     the indescribable brutality and the lives that were 
     tormented, compel a sense of urgency in efforts to solidify 
     recognition of historical truth; and
       Whereas, The United States is on record as having 
     officially recognized the Armenian Genocide in the United 
     States government's May 28, 1951, written statement to the 
     International Court of Justice regarding the Reservations to 
     the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime 
     of Genocide, through President Ronald Reagan's April. 22, 
     1981, Proclamation No. 4838, and by Congressional 
     legislation/including House Joint Resolution 148 adopted on 
     April 8, 1975, and House Joint Resolution 247 adopted on 
     September 10, 1984; and
       Whereas, Even prior to the Convention on the Prevention and 
     Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the United States has a 
     record of having sought to justly and constructively address 
     the consequence's of the Ottoman Empire's intentional 
     destruction of the Armenian people, including through Senate 
     Concurrent Resolution 12 adopted on February 9, 1916, Senate 
     Resolution 359 adopted on May 11, 1920, and President Woodrow 
     Wilson's November 22, 1920, decision entitled, The Frontier 
     between Armenia and Turkey; and
       Whereas, By consistently remembering and forcefully 
     condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians, 
     and honoring the survivors as well as other victims of 
     similar heinous conduct, we guard against repetition of such 
     acts of genocide and provide the American public with a 
     greater understanding of history; and
       Whereas, This measure would declare that the Legislature 
     deplores the persistent, ongoing efforts by any person, in 
     this country or abroad, to deny the historical fact of the 
     Armenian Genocide; and
       Whereas, California is home to the largest Armenian-
     American population in the United States, and Armenians 
     living in California have enriched our state through their 
     leadership and contribution in business, agriculture, 
     academia, government, and the arts; and
       Whereas, The State of California has been at the forefront 
     of encouraging and promoting a curriculum relating to human 
     rights and genocide in order to empower future generations to 
     prevent the recurrence of genocide; and
       Whereas, On April 24, 2013, the President of the United 
     States stated, ``A full, frank, and just acknowledgment of 
     the facts is in all of our interests. Nations grow stronger 
     by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the 
     past, thereby building a foundation for a more just and 
     tolerant future''; and
       Whereas, President Obama entered office having stated his 
     ``firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an 
     allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but 
     rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming 
     body of historical evidence'' and affirmed his record of 
     ``calling for Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian 
     Genocide''; and
       Whereas, The United States' national interests in 
     establishing equitable, constructive, stable, and durable 
     relations between Armenians and Turks cannot be meaningfully 
     advanced by circumventing or otherwise seeking to avoid the 
     central political, legal, security, and meal issue between 
     these two nations: Turkey's denial of truth and justice for 
     the Armenian Genocide: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature hereby designates 
     the month of April

[[Page 11264]]

     2014, as ``California Month of Remembrance for the Armenian 
     Genocide of 1915-1923''; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature commends its conscientious 
     educators who teach about human rights and genocide; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully calls upon the 
     Congress and the President of the United States to act 
     likewise and to formally and consistently recognize and 
     reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed 
     against the Armenian people constituted genocide; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the Legislature calls on the President to 
     work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable 
     Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of 
     Turkey's full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing 
     consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and 
     comprehensive international resolution of this crime against 
     humanity; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon the Republic of 
     Turkey to acknowledge the facts of the Armenian Genocide and 
     to work toward a just resolution; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to 
     each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States, the Governor, and the Turkish 
     Ambassador to the United States.
                                  ____

       POM-274. A memorial adopted by the Legislature of the State 
     of Florida urging the President of the United States to issue 
     final approval for construction and completion of the 
     Keystone XL pipeline project; to the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations.

                           House Memorial 281

       Whereas, Floridians consume approximately 26 million 
     gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel daily and approximately 
     9.5 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel annually, and
       Whereas, across party lines, Floridians have long 
     recognized the dependence of the state's tourism and 
     agricultural economy on access to reliable and affordable 
     petroleum products, and
       Whereas, many other Florida industries, including 
     fertilizer, agrochemical, plastic, manufacturing, bakeries, 
     juice processing, pulp and paper, road construction, metals, 
     restaurants, and grocery stores, are heavily dependent on 
     access to reliable and affordable petroleum products to 
     transport goods, and
       Whereas, Gulf state refineries produce the vast majority of 
     the gasoline and diesel fuel crude oil delivered and consumed 
     in Florida, and
       Whereas, the Keystone XL pipeline will be capable of 
     transporting more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day 
     to 57 Gulf state refineries, and
       Whereas, the crude oil transported through the Keystone XL 
     pipeline could replace oil from unstable regions of the world 
     with oil from Canada, a friendly and historically reliable 
     neighbor and our principal source of imported crude oil, and
       Whereas, according to the United States Department of 
     Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety 
     Administration, pipelines are one of the safest and most 
     cost-effective means to transport petroleum products, and
       Whereas, the Keystone XL pipeline could reduce the large 
     numbers of tankers and barges carrying crude oil through the 
     Straits of Florida and across the Gulf of Mexico, and
       Whereas, the Keystone XL pipeline will not encounter the 
     disruptions experienced by tankers and barges delivering 
     crude oil to Gulf state refineries during hurricanes in the 
     Gulf of Mexico, thus enhancing Florida's energy security 
     during emergencies, and
       Whereas, the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline 
     has already been approved and construction is proceeding, and
       Whereas, according to the United States Department of 
     State, construction of the United States portion of the 
     Keystone XL pipeline is a $3.3 billion project that will 
     create thousands of American jobs, and
       Whereas, the Keystone XL pipeline project has been subject 
     to the most thorough public consultation process of any 
     proposed United States pipeline, and
       Whereas, according to the Supplementary Environmental 
     Impact Statement issued by the United States Department of 
     State, multiple environmental impact statements and studies 
     have concluded that the Keystone XL pipeline poses the least 
     impact to the environment and is much safer than other modes 
     of transporting crude oil, and
       Whereas, the Keystone XL pipeline project has received 
     bipartisan support in the United States Congress, including a 
     letter to the President signed by 53 Senators urging the 
     President to support the pipeline, and
       Whereas, a recent Pew Research Center survey has found that 
     two-thirds of Americans support the Keystone XL pipeline 
     project: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida, That 
     the President of the United States is strongly urged to issue 
     final approval for construction and completion of the 
     Keystone XL pipeline project; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this memorial be dispatched to the 
     President of the United States, to the President of the 
     United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida 
     delegation to the United States Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-275. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado urging and requesting members of 
     Congress to increase the federal minimum wage and thereafter 
     tie it to inflation to help ensure that hard-working 
     Americans can earn a fair wage and afford to care for their 
     families; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions.

                     House Joint Resolution 14-1012

       Whereas, The federal minimum wage was established through 
     the ``Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938'', in response to the 
     Great Depression, to ensure that workers earned enough to pay 
     for necessities and minimum monthly expenses; and
       Whereas, Since then, the cost of living has steadily 
     increased while the federal minimum wage has generally 
     remained stagnant; and
       Whereas, Congress has only raised the minimum wage twice in 
     the past 20 years; and
       Whereas, The federal minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, 
     has declined from its peak of $10.72 in 1968 to $7.25 today, 
     a 33% decrease in purchasing power; and
       Whereas, Under the current minimum wage, it is possible to 
     work full time and still be under the minimum federal poverty 
     line; and
       Whereas, It is virtually impossible for a minimum-wage 
     worker to afford a two-bedroom apartment in any state while 
     working a 40-hour week; and
       Whereas, Raising the federal minimum wage would decrease 
     American dependency on public assistance programs, such as 
     Section 8 housing vouchers and food stamps, in order to pay 
     for living expenses and raising families; and
       Whereas, The majority of those who would benefit from a 
     minimum wage increase are full-time workers who are 
     supporting their families in moderate- to low-income 
     households; and
       Whereas, For the vast majority of low-skilled or unskilled 
     workers, the minimum wage should be simply a starting salary 
     that gets them employed and gives them a chance to advance; 
     and
       Whereas, Increasing the minimum wage would immediately 
     boost the wages of about 15 million low-income workers; and
       Whereas, Raising the federal minimum wage is projected to 
     significantly boost the economy at large by increasing 
     purchasing power of workers, thereby increasing the United 
     States gross domestic product; and
       Whereas, In 2006, Colorado voters decisively voted to 
     approve Initiative 42, which raised the state minimum wage 
     and tied it to inflation in order to preserve the purchasing 
     power of Colorado workers and help ensure that they can 
     support themselves and their families; and
       Whereas, Colorado raised the minimum wage in 2011 and 2012 
     over the federal minimum, which contributed to a decrease in 
     the unemployment rate from 8.73% to 7.2% during that two-year 
     period; and
       Whereas, Several other states have notably raised their 
     minimum wages during times of high unemployment, including 
     Washington, Oregon, Ohio, and Arizona, and those states all 
     experienced decreases of at least 1.5% in unemployment during 
     the same two-year period; and
       Whereas, Raising the minimum wage not only will stimulate 
     the economy but will also lift millions of Americans out of 
     poverty: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth 
     General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate 
     concurring herein,  That we, the Colorado General Assembly, 
     urge and request members of Congress to increase the federal 
     minimum wage and thereafter tie it to inflation to help 
     ensure that hard-working Americans can earn a fair wage and 
     afford to care for their families; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice 
     President of the United States, the Speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of 
     the United States Senate, the Majority and Minority Leaders 
     of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, and 
     the Majority and Minority Whips of the United States House of 
     Representatives and Senate.
                                  ____

       POM-276. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Illinois acknowledging the 
     role of optimal infant nutrition during the first year of 
     life and that new mothers require information, guidance, and 
     support to provide the best nutritional start for their 
     babies; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions.

                        House Resolution No. 419

       Whereas, Scientific research demonstrates that good 
     nutrition beginning in utero and extending throughout the 
     first year of life is critical to the healthy growth and 
     development of infants and that breastfeeding is the best 
     form of infant nutrition by providing certain health benefits 
     for both the mother and child; and

[[Page 11265]]

       Whereas, The United States Surgeon General and the American 
     Academy of Pediatrics recommend babies be exclusively fed 
     with breast milk for the first 6 months of life, and continue 
     on with breast milk through the first year of life; and
       Whereas, Healthy People 2020, an initiative that comprises 
     science-based, ten-year national objectives to improve the 
     health of all Americans, administered under the U.S. 
     Department of Health and Human Services, aims to increase the 
     percentage of women initiating breastfeeding to 81.9% and 
     still continuing to breastfeed when their newborn is 6 months 
     of age to 60.6%; and
       Whereas, It is a mother's choice in how she feeds her baby, 
     and the choice is often made based on the best feeding option 
     for her infant given her and her family's life circumstance, 
     including familial, cultural, and community issues as well as 
     based on barriers to breastfeeding, including returning to 
     work, medical difficulties, and lack of breastfeeding 
     support; and
       Whereas, The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support 
     Breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other 
     public health organizations do promote breastfeeding goals, 
     and some go beyond this to promote other dietary guidance for 
     feeding an infant under age 2 or identify what a mother 
     should do if she cannot or chooses not to breastfeed, or 
     needs to supplement breastfeeding; and
       Whereas, An example of this is provided in the U.S. 
     Department of Agriculture Food & Nutrition Service 
     publication, ``Feeding Your Baby in the first Year'', which 
     gives participants in the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) 
     food program a basic overview of the best sources of 
     nutrition for their babies in the first year, starting with 
     breastfeeding, including infant formula if needed, following 
     with the introduction of solid foods; and
       Whereas, Infant nutrition research has generated a range of 
     iron-fortified infant formulas (as well as specialized infant 
     formulas for premature babies and for those babies with 
     medical conditions needing sustenance to survive and thrive) 
     that address a critical need in providing a safe and 
     nutritious alternative to breast milk for mothers who are 
     unable to breastfeed: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-
     Eighth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we 
     acknowledge the role of optimal infant nutrition during the 
     first year of life and that new mothers require information, 
     guidance, and support to provide the best nutritional start 
     for their babies; and be it further
       Resolved, That we recognize the scientific research 
     documenting that breastfeeding is the best form of infant 
     nutrition and supports breastfeeding promotion policies; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That we aspire for mothers to make informed 
     choices about how to feed their infants by requiring that 
     mothers receive, prior to and/or after birth, complete and 
     balanced information on all infant nutrition options; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That we call on the U.S. Department of Health and 
     Human Services to publish and distribute maternal and infant 
     nutrition information approved by the U.S. Surgeon General to 
     mothers prior to and after birth; and be it further
       Resolved, That we urge state health departments to 
     facilitate public-private collaboration with families and 
     communities to increase maternal and infant nutrition 
     awareness, particularly in underserved areas, and provide 
     access to nutritional programs for mothers and their children 
     beginning in utero and throughout their first year of life; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the Vice-President of the 
     United States, members of the Illinois Delegation of the U.S. 
     House of Representatives, Illinois Senators Richard J. Durbin 
     and Mark Kirk, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health 
     and Human Services, the United States Surgeon General, the 
     Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other 
     federal and state government officials as appropriate.
                                  ____

       POM-277. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Illinois encouraging states 
     that provide Medicaid coverage to examine the benefits of 
     routine nutritional screening and therapeutic nutrition 
     treatment for those who are malnourished or at risk for 
     malnutrition, as well as examine the benefits of nutrition 
     screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment as part of the 
     standard for evidenced-based hospital care; to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                        House Resolution No. 418

       Whereas, Leading health and nutrition experts agree that 
     nutrition status is a direct measure of patient health and 
     that good nutrition and good patient health can keep people 
     healthy and out of institutionalized health care facilities, 
     thus reducing healthcare costs; and
       Whereas, Inadequate or unbalanced nutrition, known as 
     malnutrition, is not routinely viewed as a medical concern in 
     the U.S., and that malnutrition is particularly prevalent in 
     vulnerable populations, such as older adults, hospitalized 
     patients, or minority populations that statistically shoulder 
     the highest incidences of the most severe chronic illnesses 
     such as diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease; 
     and
       Whereas, Illness, injury, and malnutrition can result in 
     the loss of lean body mass, leading to complications that 
     impact good patient health outcomes, including recovery from 
     surgery, illness, or disease; the elderly lose lean body mass 
     more quickly and to a greater extent than younger adults and 
     weight assessment (body weight and body mass index) can 
     overlook accurate indicators of lean body mass; and
       Whereas, The American Nursing Association defines 
     therapeutic nutrition as the administration of food and 
     fluids to support the metabolic processes of a patient who is 
     malnourished or at high risk of becoming malnourished; and
       Whereas, Access to therapeutic nutrition is critical in 
     restoring lean body mass such that it resolves malnutrition 
     challenges and, in turn, improves clinical outcomes, reduces 
     health care costs, and can keep people and our communities 
     healthy; and
       Whereas, Despite the recognized link between good nutrition 
     and good health, nutritional screening and therapeutic 
     nutrition treatments have not been incorporated as routine 
     medical treatments across the spectrum of health care: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-
     Eighth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That we 
     encourage states that provide Medicaid coverage to examine 
     the benefits of routine nutritional screening and therapeutic 
     nutrition treatment for those who are malnourished or at risk 
     for malnutrition, as well as examine the benefits of 
     nutrition screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment as 
     part of the standard for evidenced-based hospital care; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That we support an increased emphasis on 
     nutrition through the reauthorization of the Older Americans 
     Act, as well as for Medicare beneficiaries, to improve their 
     disease management and health outcomes; and be it further
       Resolved, That we encourage preventive and wellness 
     services, such as counseling for obesity and chronic disease 
     management, to be a part of the Essential Health Benefits 
     package included in the Patient Protection and Affordable 
     Care Act; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be presented to 
     the President of the United States, the Vice-President of the 
     United States, members of the Illinois delegation of United 
     States House of Representatives, Illinois Senators Richard J. 
     Durbin and Mark Kirk, and other federal and state government 
     officials as appropriate.
                                  ____

       POM-278. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the members of the United 
     States Congress to establish a Select Committee on POW and 
     MIA Affairs in the United States House of Representatives; to 
     the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

                     House Concurrent Memorial 2001

       Whereas, it is a troubling fact that, over the past 
     century, numerous American military personnel have been taken 
     prisoner of war by enemy forces or have gone missing in 
     action while in service to their country: and
       Whereas, these men and women have diligently served the 
     citizens of the United States through their efforts to 
     provide for the safety, security and well-being of this state 
     and nation. In so doing, they have sacrificed their time, 
     dreams and often their own health or lives to preserve our 
     liberties and freedom: and
       Whereas, we owe a special debt of respect and gratitude to 
     those who were captured and yet kept faith, even while being 
     deprived of their freedom and possibly tortured, and to those 
     whose fate remains unknown by their loved ones: and
       Whereas, it is fitting and proper that the United States 
     attempt to determine the fate of members of the American 
     armed forces who were taken prisoner or who went missing from 
     World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Cold War 
     missions, the Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
     Operation Enduring Freedom: and
       Whereas, a Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs in the 
     United States House of Representatives would be tasked with 
     conducting a full investigation of all unresolved matters 
     relating to any American personnel who are unaccounted for 
     from these conflicts, including MIAs and POWs who are missing 
     or were captured.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the Members of the United States Congress establish 
     a Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs in the United 
     States House of Representatives.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit a copy of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives and each Member of Congress from the State 
     of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-279. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     California urging the

[[Page 11266]]

     President of the United States to take executive action to 
     suspend any further deportations of unauthorized individuals 
     with no serious criminal history; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                        Senate Resolution No. 40

       Whereas, According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2011, 
     there were 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants living in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, Deportations have reached record levels under 
     President Obama, rising to an annual average of nearly 
     400,000 since 2009; and
       Whereas, According to Congress Members Raul M. Grijalva and 
     Yvette Clarke, although the Obama Administration reportedly 
     prioritized deporting only criminals, many individuals with 
     no serious criminal history consistently have been deported; 
     and
       Whereas, Increased deportations and a continuously broken 
     immigration system exacerbate the living conditions of United 
     States citizen children whose parents have been deported; and
       Whereas, Separation of children from their parents, 
     irrespective of immigration status, always results in severe 
     consequences for young children who are left with no parental 
     guidance or care and a highly unstable financial situation; 
     and
       Whereas, As immigration continues to be at the center of a 
     national debate, President Obama and Congress must implement 
     a more humanitarian immigration policy that keeps families 
     together; and
       Whereas, California is home to approximately 10.3 million 
     immigrants of which approximately 2.6 million are 
     unauthorized to live in the United States; and
       Whereas, Many Members of Congress recently signed a letter 
     requesting President Obama to suspend any further 
     deportations; and
       Whereas, Since California is home to a large number of 
     unauthorized immigrants from all parts of the world, this 
     state should make it a priority to keep families together and 
     continue to press President Obama and Congress for a solution 
     to our broken federal immigration system: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the 
     Senate urges President Obama to take executive action to 
     suspend any further deportations of unauthorized individuals 
     with no serious criminal history; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the 
     United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to 
     each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-280. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado urging and requesting members of 
     Congress to update the formula in Section 4 of the federal 
     ``Voting Rights Act of 1965'', as amended, as quickly as 
     possible to ensure Section 5 of the act can be restored and 
     every citizen's voice is heard and every vote is counted; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     House Joint Resolution 14-1009

       Whereas, The Colorado General Assembly has always supported 
     the federal ``Voting Rights Act of 1965'', as amended, and 
     its legacy of protecting American citizens; and
       Whereas, The Voting Rights Act was one of the greatest 
     achievements of the Civil Rights Movement and helped to not 
     only allow equal access at the ballot box, but to facilitate 
     advancement in other areas of life for minorities across the 
     country; and
       Whereas, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the 
     United States Constitution in 1869, giving black men the 
     right to vote, but attempted and actual barriers to political 
     participation remain consistently introduced in capitols and 
     Congress even today; and
       Whereas, In 1964, fewer than seven percent of eligible 
     black citizens were registered to vote in Mississippi and, by 
     the end of 1966, that figure had risen to nearly 60 percent, 
     and during the same period Alabama voter registration rates 
     climbed from below 20 percent to over 50 percent; and
       Whereas, The so-called Jim Crow laws of the South made 
     voter registration and election rules more restrictive, 
     intentionally reducing political participation by minority 
     voters with the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, and 
     record-keeping and identification requirements; and
       Whereas, In 1964, only five black citizens held seats in 
     Congress (with none from any Southern state) and a total of 
     94 black citizens served in all legislatures, and today the 
     Congressional Black Caucus has 43 members while over 600 
     African Americans hold seats in all legislatures, with 
     another 8,800 being mayors, sheriffs, school board members, 
     and other elected officials; and
       Whereas, Forty-seven percent of these public officials live 
     in the seven states originally covered by the Voting Rights 
     Act; and
       Whereas, Voter turnout in the South dropped drastically due 
     to segregation-era voting laws, and as a result, by 1910 not 
     a single black voter was registered in 27 of 60 parishes in 
     the state of Louisiana, and black voters were completely 
     eliminated from the rolls in North Carolina from 1896 to 
     1904; and
       Whereas, In a five-to-four decision in June 2013, the 
     United States Supreme Court ruled that Section 4 of the 
     Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional, which section sets 
     forth the formula under which states and jurisdictions must 
     seek preclearance from the United States Department of 
     Justice before enacting new voter laws and regulations or 
     making changes to existing laws; and
       Whereas, The preclearance provision in Section 5 of the 
     Voting Rights Act relied on the formula contained in Section 
     4 to protect the voting rights of all citizens; and
       Whereas, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in her 
     dissent to the Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder case, stated, 
     ``Just as buildings in California have a greater need to be 
     earthquake-proofed, places where there is greater racial 
     polarization in voting have a greater need for prophylactic 
     measures to prevent purposeful race discrimination.''; and
       Whereas, Prior to the United States Supreme Court's 
     invalidation of Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, federal 
     district courts in several preclearance states, including 
     Texas, Florida, and Alabama, ruled their proposed voting law 
     changes unconstitutional; and
       Whereas, Sufficient data has been established from numerous 
     studies and surveys that could serve as the basis for a new 
     formula, including data found from calculating the overall 
     size of the minority population, voter turnout among all 
     groups, the number of voting discrimination lawsuits as well 
     as number of cases that have been lost or settled, and the 
     prevalence of racially polarized or biased voting as a factor 
     in voter preferences; and
       Whereas, Congress has repeatedly extended the Voting Rights 
     Act, which was first passed in 1965 and then reauthorized for 
     five years in 1970, for seven years in 1975, and for 25 years 
     in 1982, and Congress renewed the act in 2006 for 25 years 
     after holding extensive hearings from which they found 
     persistent racial discrimination at the polls; and
       Whereas, When the Voting Rights Act passed in 2006, it 
     enjoyed wide bipartisan support and was signed into law by 
     President George W. Bush: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth 
     General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate 
     concurring herein, That the Colorado General Assembly urges 
     and requests members of Congress to update the formula in 
     Section 4 of the federal ``Voting Rights Act of 1965'', as 
     amended, as quickly as possible to ensure Section 5 of the 
     act can be restored and every citizen's voice is heard and 
     every vote is counted; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice 
     President of the United States, the members of the United 
     States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, 
     the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Black Caucus of 
     State Legislators, the National Organization of Black Elected 
     Legislative Women, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
                                  ____

       POM-281. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognizing the month of May 
     2014 as ``Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month''; to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary.

                       Senate Resolution No. 367

       Whereas, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better 
     known as Lou Gehrig's Disease; and
       Whereas, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease 
     characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the upper and 
     lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn 
     of the spinal cord; and
       Whereas, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the 
     skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and
       Whereas, As ALS progresses, the patient experiences 
     difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and
       Whereas, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy and the 
     patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and
       Whereas, Patients with ALS typically remain alert and aware 
     of their loss of motor functions and the inevitable outcome 
     of continued deterioration and death; and
       Whereas, ALS affects military veterans at twice the rate of 
     the general population; and
       Whereas, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between 40 
     and 70 years of age, with the peak age of about 55, and 
     affects both men and women without bias; and
       Whereas, Annually, more than 5,000 new ALS patients are 
     diagnosed throughout the nation; and
       Whereas, In Pennsylvania, there are currently more than 
     1,000 individuals who have been formally diagnosed with ALS; 
     and
       Whereas, The $350,000 in State funding the General Assembly 
     appropriated for ALS patient care in fiscal year 2013-2014 
     provided services to more than 900 constituents and provided 
     a substantial savings to the State budget and to taxpayers; 
     and
       Whereas, The ALS Association reported in 2009 that on 
     average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive two to five 
     years from the time of diagnosis; and
       Whereas, ALS has no known cause, prevention or cure; and

[[Page 11267]]

       Whereas, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month 
     increases the public's awareness of ALS patients' 
     circumstances and acknowledges the terrible impact this 
     disease has not only on patients but on their families as 
     well and recognizes the research being done to eradicate this 
     horrible disease: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania designate the 
     month of May 2014 as ``Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 
     Awareness Month'' in Pennsylvania; and 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-282. A memorial adopted by the House of Representatives 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     restore the presumption of a service connection between Agent 
     Orange exposure and subsequent illnesses to United States 
     Vietnam War veterans who served in the waters, which is 
     defined as the combat zone, and in the airspace over the 
     combat; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                          House Memorial 2001

       Whereas, during the Vietnam War, the United States military 
     sprayed twenty-two million gallons of Agent Orange and other 
     herbicides over Vietnam to reduce forest cover and crops that 
     the enemy used. 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 (P.L. 102-4: 105 stat 11: 38 United States code 
     section 1116) that presumptively recognized as service-
     connected certain diseases among military personnel who 
     served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975. This presumption has 
     provided access to appropriate disability compensation and 
     medical care for Vietnam veterans who were 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 others yet to 
     be identified; and
       Whereas, pursuant to a 2001 directive, the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs policy 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 during their time of service, 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, ever since this 2001 directive was implemented, 
     the United States Navy has been excluded from receiving 
     benefits even though Agent Orange has been verified, through 
     various studies and reports, as a wide-spreading chemical 
     that was able to reach Navy ships through the air and 
     waterborne distribution routes; and
       Whereas, warships that were positioned off the Vietnamese 
     shore 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 that was used for drinking, cooking and washing. This 
     study was conducted by the Australian Department of Veterans 
     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. 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 dioxin did not discriminate 
     between soldiers on the ground and sailors on ships offshore; 
     and
       Whereas, more than thirty veterans service organizations 
     support the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013. By 
     not passing H.R. 543, a precedent could be set to selectively 
     provide certain groups with injury-related medical care while 
     denying other groups 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. 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 its veterans and 
     direct the United States 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, encompassing the 
     entire combat zone.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress restore the presumption 
     of a service connection between Agent Orange exposure and 
     subsequent illnesses to United States Vietnam War veterans 
     who served in the waters, which is defined as the combat 
     zone, and in the airspace over the combat zone.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 
     each Member of Congress from the state of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-283. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Missouri urging the President of the United 
     States and administration officials to support the increased 
     importation of oil from Canadian oil sands, to approve the 
     newly routed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, and to support 
     and facilitate permitting for oil production off the northern 
     coast of Alaska; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 4

       Whereas, high oil prices are having a major detrimental 
     impact on families, farms, and businesses in Missouri and are 
     likely to undercut the prospects for an economic recovery; 
     and
       Whereas, the United States currently imports almost half of 
     its oil and petroleum products, making it dependent on 
     foreign sources and subject to interruptions and price 
     fluctuations stemming from geopolitical forces; and
       Whereas, such instability has damaging consequences both 
     for our economy and our national security; and
       Whereas, the United States Geological Survey estimates a 
     resource of up to 27 billion barrels of oil in the Chukchi 
     and Beaufort seas of Alaska, providing a vast domestic oil 
     reserve, but opposition and regulatory hurdles are keeping 
     energy producers from accessing these resources; and
       Whereas, the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project seeks 
     to link expanded oil production from the Canadian oil sands 
     to refineries in the United States and to facilitate the flow 
     of oil from the Dakotas to the Gulf Coast, thereby decreasing 
     our dependence on oil from outside of North America; and
       Whereas, Canada is a close friend and ally, with whom we 
     share links of infrastructure and energy networks and other 
     ties, so that dollars spent on Canadian oil will likely 
     contribute to the success of the American economy; and
       Whereas, the TransCanada pipeline project is projected to 
     create construction and manufacturing jobs in the United 
     States, adding billions of dollars to the United States 
     economy; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the members of the House of Representatives 
     of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, Second Regular 
     Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby call upon 
     President Barack Obama and administration officials to:
       (1) Support the increased importation of oil from Canadian 
     oil sands and to approve the newly routed TransCanada 
     Keystone XL pipeline to reduce our oil dependency on unstable 
     governments, strengthen ties with an important ally, and 
     create jobs for American workers;
       (2) Support and facilitate permitting for oil production 
     off the northern coast of Alaska to decrease our dependence 
     on foreign oil and spur investment in the American economy: 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of 
     Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed 
     copies of this resolution for President Barack Obama, Vice 
     President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, United 
     States House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, and 
     each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.

                          ____________________