[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14523-14537]
[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-216. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Resilient Federal Forests Act; to the Committee on 
     Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1011

       Whereas, national forest lands are the largest single 
     source of water in the United States and, in some regions of 
     the west, contribute nearly 50% of the overall water supply; 
     and
       Whereas, the unhealthy state of these forests has resulted 
     in catastrophic wildfires that are threatening the 
     reliability, volume and quality of water for tens of millions 
     of Americans; and
       Whereas, severe drought and record-breaking wildfire 
     seasons have highlighted the need for the implementation of a 
     process that would require and provide for the United States 
     Forest Service to accelerate restoration work in our national 
     forests, which would protect critical headwaters and make 
     forest lands more resilient against prolonged dry conditions, 
     insect infestation and fire; and
       Whereas, failure to take quick action will result in a 
     continued increase in the frequency and intensity of 
     destructive wildfires, impacting the nation's water resources 
     for decades at considerable cost to stakeholders and United 
     States taxpayers; and
       Whereas, the customs, cultures and economic well-being of 
     our local communities, as well as important historic and 
     cultural aspects of our local heritage, are being ignored, 
     which adversely affects the lives and jobs of the people of 
     the United States and devastates local and state economies; 
     and
       Whereas, on June 4, 2015, Representative Bruce Westerman 
     introduced H.R. 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests Act. The 
     bill passed in the House on July 9, 2015 and was transmitted 
     to the Senate, where it died in committee; and
       Whereas, the Resilient Federal Forests Act expedites and 
     improves forest management activities through a collaborative 
     process, resulting in the protection of water resources.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representative concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress enact the Resilient 
     Federal Forests Act.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies 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-217. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to small unmanned aircraft 
     systems; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 18

       Whereas, In the western United States, water is a vital and 
     scarce resource, the availability of which has and continues 
     to circumscribe growth, development, economic well-being, and 
     environmental quality of life; and
       Whereas, The wise use, conservation, development, and 
     management of our water resources is critical to maintaining 
     human life, health, safety, and property; and
       Whereas, The western United States is currently 
     experiencing serious drought conditions that are predicted to 
     worsen; and
       Whereas, Agricultural irrigation uses a significant amount 
     of water, making the agricultural sector one of the most 
     important sectors to examine when considering water 
     conservation; and
       Whereas, Even modest improvements in agricultural water use 
     can result in significant amounts of water not being depleted 
     regionwide, which can then be utilized elsewhere; and
       Whereas, Precision agricultural management studies have 
     shown than farmers can reduce the amount of water, 
     fertilizer, and pesticide needed by their fields by utilizing 
     high-resolution, high-quality remotely sensed imagery to 
     guide their application efforts of water, fertilizer, and 
     pesticide; and

[[Page 14524]]

       Whereas, Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have the 
     capability to quickly provide expansive, high-resolution, and 
     high-quality remotely sensed imagery that can measure 
     specific bands in the solar spectrum, such as the thermal 
     infrared band, which allows farmers to better understand and 
     manage their water use; and
       Whereas, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is 
     currently in the process adopting rules for the usage of sUAS 
     in agricultural management; and
       Whereas, Flights of sUAS, for the purposes of precision 
     agricultural management, could occur safely at low altitudes, 
     in rural areas removed from other air traffic and human 
     populations, and in accordance with the FAA's proposed 
     guidelines; and
       Whereas, Small unmanned aircraft systems have been used in 
     precision agricultural management in Japan for a decade, 
     successfully optimizing and monitoring the management of 2.5 
     million acres of farmland, 40 percent of which are rice 
     fields, without any significant reported incidents; and
       Whereas, Several University of California campuses and the 
     California State University system are developing precision 
     agriculture applications with sUAS to help save water and 
     improve crop and environmental monitoring. For example, the 
     Mechatronics Embedded Systems and Automation Lab at the 
     University of California, Merced, has developed numerous 
     innovations for precision agricultural management with sUAS; 
     and
       Whereas, Flights of sUAS also have the capacity for 
     detecting invasive plant species that deplete high amounts of 
     water such as yellow star thistle, arundo, tamarisk, and 
     cheatgrass, which serve no agricultural purpose and removal 
     of which would help in water conservation efforts; and
       Whereas, The use of sUAS is an emerging technology and has 
     great promise for the development of models that forecast and 
     predict economic impacts of droughts and meteorological 
     phenomena: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That, due to the severity of the drought 
     gripping the western United States, the California 
     Legislature respectfully requests the President of the United 
     States and the United States Secretary of Transportation, 
     more specifically the FAA, to allow for the operation of sUAS 
     by farmers and rangeland managers pursuant to emergency rules 
     adopted by the administration before the FAA rules for sUAS 
     are finalized. The emergency rules should be based on the 
     proposed FAA rules for sUAS that were released in February 
     2015 and that incorporate all of the following:
       (a) That the emergency FAA rules for sUAS operation be 
     applicable to counties located in the western portion of the 
     United States that are projected to be in drought during the 
     current growing season, as defined by the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Association's Seasonal Drought Outlook.
       (b) That the emergency FAA rules for sUAS operation allow 
     Farmers to contract with sUAS flight service providers to 
     execute missions on their behalf in the airspace overlying 
     lands that they own or control under the proposed FAA rules 
     for sUAS.
       (c) That the emergency FAA rules for sUAS operations that 
     allow universities and government agencies seeking to operate 
     or procure providers for sUAS missions for drought-related 
     research or precision management applications be given 
     expedited approval.
       (d) That the emergency FAA rules for sUAS operation also 
     allow farmers and rangeland managers to use sUAS imagery to 
     detect highly water-depletive invasive species on their land 
     or public lands that they manage; 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 Leader of the Senate, each Senator and 
     Representative from California in the Congress of, the United 
     States, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
                                  ____

       POM-218. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to federal transportation 
     funding; to the Committee on Commerce, Science and 
     Transportation.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 24

       Whereas, California's transportation infrastructure is 
     aging and in serious need of repair with the state facing a 
     $59 billion shortfall to bring the existing state highway 
     system to a state of good repair over the next decade and 
     with California cities and counties facing a $78 billion 
     shortfall in restoring their own systems over the same 
     period; and
       Whereas, California motorists spend $17 billion annually in 
     extra maintenance and car repair bills, more than $700 per 
     driver, due to the state's poorly maintained roads; and
       Whereas, Freight, transportation is critical to the 
     economic vitality of the United States and robust investment 
     in safe and efficient transportation facilities and 
     infrastructure is essential to promoting strong economic 
     growth in California and throughout the nation; and
       Whereas, California has the most extensive, complex, and 
     interconnected freight system in the country, including a 
     system of seaports stretching from the City of Humboldt to 
     the City of San Diego, six international land ports of entry 
     along the United States-Mexico border, and a vast network of 
     freight rail lines and truck routes which enable the state to 
     serve as the nation's gateway to international trade; and
       Whereas, California's freight network moves 1.8 billion 
     tons of goods, valued at more than $2 trillion, throughout 
     the state; the vast majority of which travels to destinations 
     beyond the state's borders; and
       Whereas, Freight shipments into, out of, and within 
     California, are projected to grow approximately 180 percent 
     by the year 2040; and
       Whereas, California's freight system. is responsible for 
     the creation of 800,000 freight jobs and stimulates the 
     creation of millions of other jobs throughout the economy; 
     and
       Whereas, Expansion of public transportation is a key 
     element of California's strategy to improve mobility while 
     meeting critical greenhouse gas reduction targets; yet the 
     California Transit Association reports that the state's 
     public transit agencies face a 10-year $72 bi11ion capital 
     and operating shortfall; and
       Whereas, In December 2015, the United States Congress 
     passed, and President Barack Obama signed, the Fixing. 
     America's Surface Transportation Act (FASTAct), which 
     represents the first long-term federal transportation bill in 
     more than a decade; and
       Whereas, The FAST Act provides California and other states 
     with long-term certainty and stability in financing 
     transportation projects by providing marginal increases in 
     most existing highway and transit programs, as well as $2.1 
     billion annually in new freight investment; and
       Whereas, The FAST Act still falls short of the level of 
     investment needed to rebuild California's and the nation's 
     infrastructure because the United States congress has not 
     raised the federal fuel excise tax that traditionally has 
     funded transportation since 1993, and meanwhile, the tax has 
     lost more than 55 percent of its purchasing power and 
     Congress has been unable to agree on an alternative to 
     restore that funding gap: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature commends. Congress 
     and the President of the United States for enacting the FAST 
     Act to provide stability and reliability in federal 
     transportation funding over the next five years; and be it 
     further,
       Resolved, That the Legislature urges Congress and the 
     President to fully fund the Transportation Investment 
     Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program at a level of 
     $525 million in the 2017 fiscal year to provide additional 
     critical transportation investment in California and 
     elsewhere; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature urges Congress and the 
     President to work together to finally find a long-term, 
     sustainable funding solution to restore the lost purchasing 
     power of the federal fuel excise tax, and provide California 
     and the rest of the country with the resources needed to 
     rebuild its infrastructure, invest in its people through 
     good, well-paying jobs, and restore our economy; 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, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-219. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the-United States Congress to 
     act to prohibit federal agencies from recommending and 
     identifying Arizona's public lands as wilderness areas 
     without express congressional consent; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1014

       Whereas, through federal land management planning and 
     associated guidelines, federal agencies are recommending and 
     identifying Arizona's public lands as wilderness areas; and
       Whereas, these administratively recommended wilderness 
     areas circumvent congressional intent and lack full and 
     appropriate National Environmental. Policy Act (NEPA) 
     analyses; and
       Whereas, the identification of these de facto wilderness 
     areas has resulted in significant restrictions on public 
     access and recreation, paralyzing restrictions on the Arizona 
     Game and Fish Department's ability to manage wildlife and 
     potentially catastrophic restrictions on vegetation and 
     habitat improvement projects, including fire management 
     activities; and
       Whereas, the conservation of wildlife resources is the 
     trust responsibility of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, 
     and this responsibility extends to all lands within Arizona 
     to ensure abundant wildlife resources for current and future 
     generations; and
       Whereas, the designation of Arizona's public lands as 
     wilderness areas has resulted in the erosion of the Arizona 
     Game and Fish Department's ability to comply with its federal 
     mandate to proactively recover threatened and endangered 
     species; and

[[Page 14525]]

       Whereas, according to federal land management agency 
     guidelines, an administratively recommended wilderness area 
     must be managed to ``protect and maintain the social and 
     ecological characteristics that provide the basis for 
     wilderness recommendation'' in perpetuity or until Congress 
     takes action to formally designate the area as a wilderness 
     area; and
       Whereas, allowable activities within administratively 
     recommended wilderness areas will be left to the discretion 
     of federal staff and deciding officers, resulting in even 
     greater restrictions and limitations than those formally 
     vetted and designated by Congress; and
       Whereas, congressionally designated wilderness provides 
     clearer guidance for management and coordination with this 
     state, specific processes for wildlife management exemptions 
     and direction for collaboration via existing state agreements 
     and guidelines; and
       Whereas, administratively recommended wilderness areas 
     circumvent the spirit of NEPA and congressional intent and 
     lack transparency; and
       Whereas, with the implementation of federal land management 
     plans, recommended wilderness areas constitute a significant 
     and immediate change in management without a fully disclosed 
     impact analysis required by NEPA; and
       Whereas, the federal land management plans lack full NEPA 
     disclosure of potential impacts to this state and the public, 
     assurances protecting this state's ability to proactively 
     manage wildlife and fulfill its public trust responsibility, 
     including specific management activities, and analyses of the 
     cumulative impacts of further loss of public lands that 
     provide for multiple-use and wildlife-related recreational 
     and economic opportunities; and
       Whereas, the areas being recommended as wilderness were not 
     included within the original wilderness designations with 
     purposeful intent by Congress; and
       Whereas, the subsequent expansion of previously designated 
     wilderness is an overreach of the federal agencies and 
     disingenuous to the public, subverting original 
     collaboration, coordination, negotiation and agreements; and
       Whereas, the federal agency planning documents suggest that 
     no significant management action or recommendation to 
     Congress will take place before further NEPA analyses are 
     completed. Within the recently released Prescott and Apache-
     Sitgreaves National Forest recommended wildernesses, the 
     United States Forest Service indicates that these areas are 
     simply preliminary administrative recommendations and that 
     further NEPA analyses are necessary, However, in transmittal 
     letters, the United States Forest Service states that ``the 
     Final Environmental Impact Statement for the . . . Forest's 
     Revised Resource Management Plan contains the NEPA analysis 
     necessary to support a legislative proposal.'' This is an 
     egregious lack of transparency.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the Congress of the United States act to prohibit 
     federal agencies from recommending and identifying Arizona's 
     public lands as wilderness areas without express 
     congressional consent.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies 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-220. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania relative to establishing 
     drinking water standards for certain chemicals; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                       Senate Resolution No. 384

       Whereas, Decades after the United States Navy used an 
     unregulated contaminant in firefighting training on two 
     former Bases, Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve 
     Base in Horsham and Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster, in 
     Montgomery and Bucks Counties, chemicals are appearing in 
     elevated levels in public and private water wells; and
       Whereas, The chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) 
     and perfluorooctansic acid (PFOA), are used in a variety of 
     products such as fabric, carpets, nonstick cookware and 
     firefighting foam; and
       Whereas, PFOS and PFOA are ``extremely persistent in the 
     environment and resistant to typical environmental 
     degradation processes,'' according the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA also states, 
     ``The toxicity, mobility and bioaccumulation potential of 
     PFOS and FOA pose potential adverse effects for the 
     environment and human health'; and
       Whereas, A growing body of science has established 
     associations between PFOS and PFOA and a range of health 
     effects including a variety of cancers; and
       Whereas, The chemicals were first discovered in local 
     public water supplies near the former military bases by an 
     EPA testing program in 2013 and 2014, resulting in a health 
     advisory that took several public water wells offline; and
       Whereas, On Thursday, May 19, 2016, the EPA issued an 
     update to its health advisory for PFOS and PFOA that 
     significantly reduced the amount considered safe in drinking 
     water. In the worst possible case, water containing the 
     chemicals at an amount previously deemed safe would now be 
     more than eight times over the recommended limits; and
       Whereas, The new recommended levels have resulted in 
     officials from the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority, 
     Warminster Municipal Authority and Warrington Township Water 
     and Sewer Department shutting down contaminated public 
     drinking water wells, including 16 municipal wells in 
     Horsham, Warrington and Warminster Thownships and an 
     estimated 80 private wells; and
       Whereas, While the Senate of Pennsylvania acknowledges the 
     current efforts of the EPA and the Department of Defense 
     (DOD) as well as the Department of Environmental Protection 
     to provide bottled water to local residents, more needs to be 
     done to fully address this situation: Therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania wage the President, the Congress of the United 
     States and the EPA to expeditiously determine if a Federal 
     drinking water standard should be issued for PFOSs and PFOAs 
     that can be enforced in the same manner as lead and arsenic; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania urge the 
     President and the Congress of the United States to work with 
     the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to take all necessary action 
     to ensure that the communities of Horsham, Warminster and 
     Warrington Townships in Montgomery and Bucks Counties have 
     safe drinking water and to direct the EPA and the DOD to use 
     all their resources to discover the extent of the 
     contamination, provide complete remediation, fully evaluate 
     the health consequences and provide assistance to residents 
     and military personnel who have been impacted by the water 
     contamination from these former military installations; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania urge the Congress 
     of the United States to consider the appropriation of 
     additional funds to the EPA and DOD to address this issue; 
     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, to each member of Congress from 
     Pennsylvania, to the United States Environmental Protection 
     Agency and to the United States Department of Defense.
                                  ____

       POM-221. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Iowa supporting the federal renewable fuel standard; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                         Senate Resolution 118

       Whereas, in accordance with the federal Energy Policy Act 
     of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58, as amended by the federal Energy 
     Independence and Security Act of 2007, Pub. L. No. 110-140, 
     the United States has demonstrated its commitment to the 
     long-term policy of increasing the domestic production of 
     clean renewable fuels according to a renewable fuel standard, 
     referred to as the ``RFS''; and
       Whereas, the RFS is the one of the single most successful 
     energy policies in our nation's history; and
       Whereas, the RFS is a federal policy that requires a 
     minimum percentage of motor fuel sold in our nation to 
     contain renewable fuels; and
       Whereas, under the RFS, renewable fuels have access to a 
     retail market in the face of a vertically integrated 
     petroleum market; and
       Whereas, the RFS represents a congressional promise to 
     American biofuels producers, farmers, communities, and 
     investors that the blend levels of the RFS will increase each 
     year; and
       Whereas, this congressional policy supporting the RFS will 
     continue to build the long-term capacity of the renewable 
     fuels industry and will encourage the development of new 
     types of clean fuels; and
       Whereas, the RFS helps support over 73,000 jobs in 
     agriculture, biofuels production, and associated businesses 
     in Iowa; and
       Whereas, the renewable fuels industry in Iowa helps pay $5 
     billion in wages annually to this state's employment force; 
     and
       Whereas, renewable fuels create additional markets for Iowa 
     farmers with more than 47 percent of Iowa's corn supply 
     supporting ethanol production: Now therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That the Iowa Senate calls upon the 
     Congress of the United States, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency, the President of the United 
     States, and this country's future President of the United 
     States and administration, to continue to support the RFS in 
     order to encourage American energy production and to 
     strengthen rural communities; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be sent to the 
     President of the United States, the Administrator of the 
     United States Environmental Protection Agency, the President 
     and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and 
     Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to 
     the members of Iowa's congressional delegation.

[[Page 14526]]

     
                                  ____
       POM-222. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of California urging the President of the United States 
     and the United States Congress to take all necessary action 
     to restore honor to, and rectify the mistreatment by the 
     United States Military of, any sailors who were unjustly 
     blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago 
     disaster; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                        Senate Resolution No. 69

       Whereas, On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport 
     vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on 
     the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in 
     a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked 
     the naval base and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago, 
     located 1.5 miles away; and
       Whereas, Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was 
     killed instantly--some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of 
     whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 
     military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 
     African American enlisted men; and
       Whereas, The two ships and the large loading pier were 
     totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property 
     damage was caused by the huge blast; and
       Whereas, This single, stunning disaster accounted for 
     nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties 
     during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front 
     disaster of the war; and
       Whereas, The specific cause of the explosion was never 
     officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect 
     clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility for the 
     disaster and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying 
     the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American 
     enlisted men who died in the explosion; and
       Whereas, Following the incident, many of the surviving 
     African American sailors were transferred to nearby Camp 
     Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two 
     of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks in 
     Vallejo near Mare Island and another division returned to 
     Port Chicago to help with cleaning up and rebuilding the 
     base; and
       Whereas, Many of these men were in a state of shock, 
     troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; 
     however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or 
     medical screening, except for those who were obviously 
     physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been 
     hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to 
     visit their families before being reassigned to regular 
     duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at 
     the Court of Inquiry; and
       Whereas, Captain Merrill T. Kinne, Officer-in-Charge of 
     Port Chicago, issued a statement praising the African 
     American enlisted men and stating that ``the men displayed 
     creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency 
     conditions''; and
       Whereas, After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 
     days' leave to visit their families--according to survivors, 
     this was the standard for sailors involved in a disaster--
     while only African American sailors were ordered back to work 
     the next day to clean and remove human remains; and
       Whereas, After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island 
     for the arrival of African American sailors included moving 
     the barracks of white sailors away from the loading area in 
     order to be clear of the ships being loaded in case of 
     another explosion; and
       Whereas, The survivors and new personnel who later were 
     ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their 
     opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the 
     first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men 
     from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; 
     the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were 
     arrested and confined for three days on a large barge 
     tethered to the pier; and
       Whereas, Fifty of these men were selected as the 
     ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, 
     after only 80 minutes of a military court, all 50 men were 
     found guilty of mutiny--10 were sentenced to 15 years in 
     prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, 
     and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably 
     discharged from the Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny 
     trial in the United States to this day; and
       Whereas, After a massive outcry the next year, in January 
     1946, 47 of the Port Chicago men were released from prison 
     and ``exiled'' for one year overseas before returning to 
     their families; and
       Whereas, In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy 
     stated that ``there is no doubt that racial prejudice was 
     responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted 
     personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago''; and
       Whereas, In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy, 
     prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine 
     assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to 
     manual labor was clearly motivated by race; and
       Whereas, The United States Congress reduced the death 
     benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the 
     normal amount given, to $3,000, simply because the sailors 
     were African American; and
       Whereas, in many eases, families of sailors killed in the 
     disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration 
     for the death of their relative; and
       Whereas, In 2009, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial 
     site was designated as part of the National Park Service; and
       Whereas, Despite the gross injustice faced by these 
     sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a 
     pardon by President Clinton in 1998: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the 
     Senate urges the President and the Congress of the United 
     States to take all necessary action to restore honor to, and 
     rectify the mistreatment by the United States Military of, 
     any sailors who were unjustly blamed for and convicted of 
     mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster, which occurred in the 
     town of Port Chicago, California, in 1944; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Senate further urges the President and 
     the Congress of the United States to take action to ensure 
     that the treatment of sailors by the United States Military 
     after the Port Chicago disaster is rectified by providing for 
     the full exoneration of all those who were wrongfully court-
     martialed and having the military records of those involved 
     cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references that were 
     other than honorable, regardless of whether those sailors are 
     alive or deceased; 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.
                                  ____

       POM-223. A joint resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     State of California urging the passage of H.R. 4745, the 
     Interim Consolidated Storage Act of 2016; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 23

       Whereas, Millions of ratepayer and taxpayer dollars are 
     spent monitoring and overseeing spent nuclear fuel each year 
     and millions of dollars more are programmed to be spent on 
     settlement payments related to nuclear waste disposition; and
       Whereas, Much of the spent nuclear fuel and high-level 
     radioactive waste currently stored is at sites that are 
     vulnerable to natural disasters and located near large 
     metropolitan centers; and
       Whereas, The United States Department of Energy concluded 
     in 2013 that a geologic repository for the permanent disposal 
     of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste will 
     not be available until 2048, at the earliest; and
       Whereas, The President's Blue Ribbon Commission on 
     America's Nuclear Future recommended that efforts he made to 
     develop a permanent disposal site for spent nuclear fuel and 
     high-level radioactive waste; and
       Whereas, The spent nuclear fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear 
     Generating Station, a decommissioning site, should be 
     promptly and safely moved to a consolidated storage site, as 
     recommended by the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on 
     America's Nuclear Future, and as would be advanced by H.R. 
     4745, the Interim Consolidated Storage Act of 2016, which 
     would give priority for storage to high-level nuclear waste 
     and spent nuclear fuel located on a site without an operating 
     nuclear reactor: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully urges the passage of H.R. 4745 and 
     supports the development and passage of complementary 
     legislation; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of California 
     respectfully urges the United States Department of Energy to 
     implement the prompt and safe relocation of spent nuclear 
     fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to a 
     licensed and regulated interim consolidated storage facility; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies 
     of this resolution to the 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, and to the 
     Secretary of Energy.
                                  ____

       POM-224. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     oppose the implementation of certain rules for existing 
     electric utility generating units; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 2016

       Whereas, the Clean Air Act (CAA) is a federal law designed 
     to protect air quality nationwide; and
       Whereas, jurisdiction to implement the CAA lies primarily 
     with the states; and
       Whereas, in 1970, Congress enacted the CAA, mandating 
     comprehensive state and federal regulations for both 
     stationary and nonstationary sources of pollution; and
       Whereas, while Americans support efforts to improve air 
     quality, such efforts should be carefully balanced to ensure 
     that the cost of new regulations on the economy do not exceed 
     potential benefits; and

[[Page 14527]]

       Whereas, on October 23, 2015, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final rules 
     in the Federal Register regulating greenhouse gas emissions 
     from existing electric utility generating units, also known 
     as the Clean Power Plan; and
       Whereas, the EPA has issued a proposed federal plan that 
     will be imposed on existing electric utility generating units 
     in the State of Arizona if the State of Arizona does not 
     adopt its own plan implementing the Clean Power Plan 
     regulating greenhouse gas emissions; and
       Whereas, the EPA's Clean Power Plan exceeds the agency's 
     legal authority to require reductions in carbon dioxide 
     emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating 
     units under Section 111(d) of the CAA and interferes with the 
     electric system of Arizona; and
       Whereas, addressing greenhouse gas emissions under Section 
     111(d) is a discretionary duty of the EPA as outlined in the 
     CAA; and
       Whereas, devoting resources to discretionary duties like 
     regulating greenhouse gas emissions takes resources away from 
     nondiscretionary duties that are better suited to protect the 
     public health and safety in the near term; and
       Whereas, it is important to Arizona's economy to have a 
     diverse energy portfolio that provides reliable and 
     affordable electric service to Arizona residents and 
     businesses while also protecting the public health and 
     safety; and
       Whereas, fossil fuels, including coal and natural gas, 
     provide an abundant and affordable domestic energy source 
     that is important to Arizona's economy and enhance the 
     availability and reliability of electric service; and
       Whereas, the EPA's final Clean Power Plan impedes the 
     ability of this state to oversee its own electricity supply 
     and transmission system; and
       Whereas, the EPA's Clean Power Plan will have adverse 
     impacts on the customs, culture, history, heritage and 
     economies of this state and local communities.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress oppose the 
     implementation of rules for existing electric utility 
     generating units that exceed the EPA's legal authority under 
     Section 111(d) of the CAA and interfere with the prerogative 
     of Arizona to regulate electricity and ensure an affordable 
     and reliable supply of electricity for its citizens.
       2. That the United States Congress oppose the 
     implementation of rules for existing electric utility 
     generating units that do not recognize the primary role of 
     states in establishing and implementing plans to achieve 
     emissions reductions for existing units under Section 111(d) 
     of the CAA.
       3. That the United States Congress exercise oversight over 
     the EPA to ensure that the primary role of states in 
     establishing and implementing plans to achieve emissions 
     reductions from existing electric utility generating units 
     under Section 111(d) of the CAA is respected.
       4. That the Governor and the Attorney General of the State 
     of Arizona take appropriate actions to uphold this state's 
     responsibilities with respect to the CAA and defend this 
     state against overreaching regulations.
       5. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit a copy 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, each 
     Member of Congress from the State of Arizona, the 
     Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection 
     Agency, the Governor of the State of Arizona and the Attorney 
     General of the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-225. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency to reinstate the previous 
     ozone concentration standard of 75 parts per billion; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1007

       Whereas, on October 1, 2015, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reduced the national 
     ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone from 75 
     parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb; and
       Whereas, the State of Arizona will have great difficulty in 
     implementing this new ozone concentration standard due to 
     factors that are outside of this state's control, including 
     its proximity to California, extreme heat and intense summer 
     sunshine; and
       Whereas, before the implementation of the new ozone 
     concentration standard, the EPA reported that 358 counties in 
     the nation would violate a standard of 70 ppb based on 
     monitoring data from 2011 through 2013; and
       Whereas, nonattainment area designations will limit 
     economic and job growth by restricting new and expanded 
     industrial and manufacturing facilities, imposing emission 
     ``offset'' requirements on new and modified major sources of 
     nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emissions, 
     constraining oil and gas extraction and raising electricity 
     prices for industries and consumers; and
       Whereas, low-income and fixed-income citizens will bear the 
     brunt of higher energy costs and utility bills; and
       Whereas, air quality continues to improve, and nitrogen 
     oxide emissions are already down to 60% nationwide since 
     1980, which, after adjusting for economic growth, implies a 
     90% reduction in emission rates from the relatively 
     uncontrolled 1990 rates for nitrogen oxide-emitting sources; 
     and
       Whereas, average ozone concentrations have decreased 
     significantly in both urban and rural areas over the past two 
     decades in response to state and federal emission control 
     programs; and
       Whereas, instead of giving states enough time to meet the 
     previous ozone concentration standard of 75 ppb through 
     ongoing emission reduction programs, the EPA moved the 
     goalpost by imposing a lower standard; and
       Whereas, reinstating the previous ozone concentration 
     standard of 75 ppb would provide for continued air quality 
     improvement throughout the nation as emission reduction 
     programs under EPA regulations are implemented.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Environmental Protection Agency 
     reinstate the previous ozone concentration standard of 75 
     ppb.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the Administrator of the 
     United States Environmental Protection Agency, 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-226. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Stopping EPA Overreach Act; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1015

       Whereas, the Stopping EPA Overreach Act seeks to prevent 
     the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 
     exceeding its statutory authority in ways that were not 
     contemplated by the United States Congress; and
       Whereas, in the Stopping EPA Overreach Act, the State of 
     Arizona urges Congress to find that;
       (1) The EPA has exceeded its statutory authority by 
     promulgating regulations that were not contemplated by 
     Congress in the authorizing language of the statutes enacted 
     by Congress;
       (2) The EPA was correct not to classify greenhouse gases as 
     pollutants prior to 2009;
       (3) No federal agency has the authority to regulate 
     greenhouse gases under current law; and
       (4) No attempt to regulate greenhouse gases should be 
     undertaken without further congressional action; and
       Whereas, the Stopping EPA Overreach Act should clarify that 
     federal agencies do not have the authority to regulate 
     climate change or global warming, thereby voiding certain EPA 
     rules, and requires the Administrator of the EPA to provide 
     an analysis of any regulation, rule or policy that describes 
     its impacts on employment, and jobs in the United States 
     before proposing or finalizing that regulation, rule or 
     policy; and
       Whereas, any federal agency seeking to promulgate a 
     regulation, rule or policy should be required to provide the 
     cost-benefit analysis and peer-reviewed science that were 
     used in proposing the regulation, rule or policy; and
       Whereas, penalties should be imposed for knowingly 
     providing false information as support for a proposed 
     regulation, rule or policy; and
       Whereas, the people of Arizona fully support the Stopping 
     EPA Overreach Act,
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress enact the Stopping EPA 
     Overreach Act,
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate 
     and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-227. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency to reinstate the previous 
     ozone concentration standard of 75 parts per billion; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1007

       Whereas, on October 1, 2015, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reduced the national 
     ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone from 75 
     parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb; and
       Whereas, the State of Arizona will have great difficulty in 
     implementing this new ozone concentration standard due to 
     factors that are outside of this state's control, including 
     its proximity to California, extreme heat and intense summer 
     sunshine; and
       Whereas, before the implementation of the new ozone 
     concentration standard, the EPA

[[Page 14528]]

     reported that 358 counties in the nation would violate a 
     standard of 70 ppb based on monitoring data from 2011 through 
     2013; and
       Whereas, nonattainment area designations will limit 
     economic and job growth by restricting new and expanded 
     industrial and manufacturing facilities, imposing emission 
     ``offset'' requirements on new and modified major sources of 
     nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emissions, 
     constraining oil and gas extraction and raising electricity 
     prices for industries and consumers; and
       Whereas, low-income and fixed-income citizens will bear the 
     brunt of higher energy costs and utility bills; and
       Whereas, air quality continues to improve, and nitrogen 
     oxide emissions are already down to 60% nationwide since 
     1980, which, after adjusting for economic growth, implies a 
     90% reduction in emission rates from the relatively 
     uncontrolled 1990 rates for nitrogen oxide-emitting sources; 
     and
       Whereas, average ozone concentrations have decreased 
     significantly in both urban and rural areas over the past two 
     decades in response to state and federal emission control 
     programs; and
       Whereas, instead of giving states enough time to meet the 
     previous ozone concentration standard of 75 ppb through 
     ongoing emission reduction programs, the EPA moved the 
     goalpost by imposing a lower standard; and
       Whereas, reinstating the previous ozone concentration 
     standard of 75 ppb would provide for continued air quality 
     improvement throughout the nation as emission reduction 
     programs under EPA regulations are implemented.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Environmental Protection Agency 
     reinstate the previous ozone concentration standard of 75 
     ppb.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the Administrator of the 
     United States Environmental Protection Agency, 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-228. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     oppose the implementation of certain rules for existing 
     electric utility generating units; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1016

       Whereas, the Clean Air Act (CAA) is a federal law designed 
     to protect air quality nationwide; and
       Whereas, jurisdiction to implement the CAA lies primarily 
     with the states; and
       Whereas, in 1970, Congress enacted the CAA, mandating 
     comprehensive state and-federal regulations for both 
     stationary and nonstationary sources of pollution; and
       Whereas, while Americans support efforts to improve air 
     quality, such efforts should be carefully balanced to ensure 
     that the cost of new regulations on the economy do not exceed 
     potential benefits; and
       Whereas, on October 23, 2015, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final rules 
     in the Federal Register regulating greenhouse gas emissions 
     from existing electric utility generating units, also known 
     as the Clean Power Plan; and
       Whereas, the EPA has issued a proposed federal plan that 
     will be imposed on existing electric utility generating units 
     in the State of Arizona if the State of Arizona does not 
     adopt its own plan implementing the Clean Power Plan 
     regulating greenhouse gas emissions; and
       Whereas, the EPA's Clean Power Plan exceeds the agency's 
     legal authority to require reductions in carbon dioxide 
     emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating 
     units under Section 111(d) of the CAA and interferes with the 
     electric system of Arizona; and
       Whereas, addressing greenhouse gas emissions under Section 
     111(d) is a discretionary duty of the EPA as outlined in the 
     CAA; and
       Whereas, devoting resources to discretionary duties like 
     regulating greenhouse gas emissions takes resources away from 
     nondiscretionary duties that are better suited to protect the 
     public health and safety in the near term; and
       Whereas, it is important to Arizona's economy to have a 
     diverse energy portfolio that provides reliable and 
     affordable electric service to Arizona residents and 
     businesses while also protecting the public health and 
     safety; and
       Whereas, fossil fuels, including coal and natural gas, 
     provide an abundant and affordable domestic energy source 
     that is important to Arizona's economy and enhance the 
     availability and reliability of electric service; and
       Whereas, the EPA's final Clean Power Plan impedes the 
     ability of this state to oversee its own electricity supply 
     and transmission system; and
       Whereas, the EPA's Clean Power Plan will have adverse 
     impacts on the customs, culture, history, heritage and 
     economies of this state and local communities.
       Wherefore, your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress oppose the 
     implementation of rules for existing electric utility 
     generating units that exceed the EPA's legal authority under 
     Section 111(d) of the CAA and interfere with the prerogative 
     of Arizona to regulate electricity and ensure an affordable 
     and reliable supply of electricity for its citizens.
       2. That the United States Congress oppose the 
     implementation of rules for existing electric utility 
     generating units that do not recognize the primary role of 
     states in establishing and implementing plans to achieve 
     emissions reductions for existing units under Section 111(d) 
     of the CAA.
       3. That the United States Congress exercise oversight over 
     the EPA to ensure that the primary role of states in 
     establishing and implementing plans to achieve emissions 
     reductions from existing electric utility generating units 
     under Section 111(d) of the CAA is respected.
       4. That the Governor and the Attorney General of the State 
     of Arizona take appropriate actions to uphold this state's 
     responsibilities with respect to the CAA and defend this 
     state against overreaching regulations.
       5. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit a copy 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, each 
     Member of Congress from the State of Arizona, the 
     Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection 
     Agency, the Governor of the State of Arizona and the attorney 
     General of the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-229. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1008

       Whereas, on April 13, 2015, Representative Bill Shuster 
     introduced H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection 
     Act; and
       Whereas, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act protects 
     landowners from intrusive government regulation and ensures 
     the protection of personal property; and
       Whereas, the Regulatory. Integrity Protection Act came in 
     response to efforts by the Obama Administration, the United 
     States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United 
     States Army Corps of Engineers to implement the Clean Water 
     Rule, which vastly expands the federal government's ability 
     to regulate waterways; and
       Whereas, the final rule became effective on August 28, 
     2015; and
       Whereas, the final rule is far too broad, allowing the 
     federal government to regulate everything from puddles of 
     rainwater to agricultural irrigation systems; and Whereas, 
     the final rule allows waters that have traditionally been off 
     limits to federal regulation to be subject to the rulemaking 
     process of the EPA and the Clean Water Act; and
       Whereas, the customs, cultures and economic well-being of 
     our local communities, as well as important historic and 
     cultural aspects of our local heritage, are being ignored, 
     which adversely affects the lives and jobs of the people of 
     the United States and devastates local and state economies; 
     and
       Whereas, the State of Arizona is one of 27 states that have 
     brought legal challenges against the Clean Water Rule and 
     successfully obtained a nationwide stay barring the rule's 
     enforcement; and
       Whereas, if passed by Congress, the Regulatory Integrity 
     Protection Act would require the EPA and the United States 
     Army Corps of Engineers to develop a new rule that takes into 
     consideration all public comments received on the matter as 
     well as input received from state and local governments. 
     Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the Congress of the United States enact the 
     Regulatory Integrity Protection Act.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies 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-230. 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 review the 
     Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination 
     Provision Social Security benefit reductions and to consider 
     eliminating or reducing them; to the Committee on Finance.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 12

       Whereas, the Congress of the United States of America has 
     enacted both the Government Pension Offset (GPO), reducing 
     the spousal and survivor Social Security benefit, and the 
     Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), reducing the earned 
     Social Security benefits payable to any person who also 
     receives a public pension benefit; and
       Whereas, the GPO negatively affects a spouse or survivor 
     receiving a federal, state,

[[Page 14529]]

     or local government retirement or pension benefit who would 
     also be entitled to a Social Security benefit earned by a 
     spouse; and
       Whereas, the GPO formula reduces the spousal or survivor 
     Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the amount of the 
     federal, state, or local government retirement or pension 
     benefit received by the spouse or survivor, in many cases 
     completely eliminating the Social Security benefit even 
     though their spouses paid Social Security taxes for many 
     years; and
       Whereas, the GPO has a harsh effect on hundreds of 
     thousands of citizens and undermines the original purpose of 
     the Social Security dependent/survivor benefit; and
       Whereas, according to recent Social Security Administration 
     figures, more than half a million individuals nationally are 
     affected by the GPO; and
       Whereas, the WEP applies to those persons who have earned 
     federal, state, or local government retirement or pension 
     benefits, in addition to working in employment covered under 
     Social Security and paying into the Social Security system; 
     and
       Whereas, the WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefit 
     using an averaged indexed monthly earnings formula and may 
     reduce Social Security benefits for affected persons by as 
     much as one-half of the retirement benefit earned as a public 
     servant in employment not covered under Social Security; and
       Whereas, the WEP causes hardworking individuals to lose a 
     significant portion of the Social Security benefits that they 
     earn themselves; and
       Whereas, according to recent Social Security Administration 
     figures, more than one and a half million individuals 
     nationally are affected by the WEP; and
       Whereas, in certain circumstances both the WEP and GPO can 
     be applied to a qualifying survivor's benefit, each 
     independently reducing the available benefit and in 
     combination eliminating a large portion of the total Social 
     Security benefit available to the survivor; and
       Whereas, because of the calculation characteristics of the 
     GPO and the WEP, they have a disproportionately negative 
     effect on employees working in lower-wage government jobs, 
     like policemen, firefighters, teachers, and state employees; 
     and
       Whereas, Louisiana is making every effort to improve the 
     quality of life of its citizens and to encourage them to live 
     here lifelong, yet the current GPO and WEP provisions 
     compromise their quality of life; and
       Whereas, the number of people affected by GPO and WEP is 
     growing every day as more and more people reach retirement 
     age; and
       Whereas, individuals drastically affected by the GPO or WEP 
     may have no choice but to return to work after retirement in 
     order to make ends meet, but the earnings accumulated during 
     this return to work can further reduce the Social Security 
     benefits the individual is entitled to; and
       Whereas, the GPO and WEP are established in federal law, 
     and repeal of the GPO and the WEP can only be enacted by 
     congress. Therefore be it
       Resolved that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to review the Government Pension Offset and 
     the Windfall Elimination Provision Social Security benefit 
     reductions and to consider eliminating or reducing them. 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-231. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Hawaii requesting the Hawaii 
     sister-state committee to review and consider the 
     establishment of a state/province relationship between the 
     State of Hawaii of the United States of America and the 
     Province of Aklan of the Republic of the Philippines; to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations.

                        House Resolution No. 77

       Whereas, the State of Hawaii is actively seeking to expand 
     its international ties and has an abiding interest in the 
     developing goodwill, friendship, and economic relations 
     between the people of Hawaii and the people of Asian and 
     Pacific countries; and
       Whereas, as part of its effort to achieve this goal, Hawaii 
     has established a number of sister-state relationships with 
     provinces in the Pacific region; and
       Whereas, because of the historical relationship between the 
     United States of America and the Republic of the Philippines, 
     there continue to exist valid reasons to promote 
     international friendship and understanding for the mutual 
     benefit of both countries to achieve lasting peace and 
     prosperity as it serves the common interests of both 
     countries; and
       Whereas, there are historical precedents exemplifying the 
     common desire to maintain a close cultural, commercial, 
     educational, and financial bridge between ethnic Filipinos 
     living in Hawaii with their relatives, friends, and business 
     counterparts in the Philippines, such as the previously 
     established sister-city relationship between the City and 
     County of Honolulu and the City of Cebu in the Province of 
     Cebu; and
       Whereas, similar state-province relationships exist between 
     the State of Hawaii and the Provinces of Cebu, Ilocos Norte, 
     Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, and Isabela, where cooperation and 
     communication have served to establish exchanges in the areas 
     of business, trade, education, agriculture and industry, 
     tourism, disaster preparedness, beach restoration, sports, 
     health care, social welfare, and other fields of human 
     endeavor; and
       Whereas, a similar state-province relationship would 
     reinforce and cement this common bridge for understanding and 
     mutual assistance/between ethnic Filipinos of both the State 
     of Hawaii and the Province of Aklan, Republic of the 
     Philippines; and
       Whereas, the Province of Aklan has vast fertile land 
     resources, fishery and fabric industries, the world renowned 
     Boracay Island, and Aklan State University; and
       Whereas, the major industries of the Province of Aklan are 
     agriculture, including sugarcane, corn, coconut, and rice; 
     tourism; pina fabric; and materials for mats, pots, bags, 
     fans, and decor; and
       Whereas, the Province of Aklan is emerging as a 
     technological center in the Central Philippines with its 
     growing business process outsourcing and other technology-
     related industries; and
       Whereas, the Province of Aklan is a top international 
     tourist destination in the Republic of the Philippines, 
     making the province much like Hawaii: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2016, That there is authorized and established a sister-
     state/province relationship, as advised by the Hawaii Sister-
     State Committee, between the State of Hawaii and the Province 
     of Aklan, Republic of the Philippines; and be it Further
       Resolved, That the Governor or the Governor's designee is 
     requested to keep the Legislature fully informed of the 
     process in establishing the sister-state/province 
     relationship and involved in its formalization to the extent 
     practicable; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Province of Aklan be afforded the 
     privileges and honors that Hawaii extends to its sister-
     states and provinces; and be it further
       Resolved, That if by June 30, 2020, the sister-state/
     province relationship with the Province of Aklan has not 
     reached a sustainable basis by providing mutual economic 
     benefits through local community support, the sister- state/
     province relationship shall be withdrawn; and be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, President 
     of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States 
     House of Representatives, Hawaii's Congressional Delegation, 
     President of the Republic of the Philippines through its 
     Honolulu Consulate General, Governor and Provincial Board of 
     the Province of Aklan, Republic of the Philippines, Governor 
     of the State of Hawaii, the Director of the State Department 
     of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and the 
     Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State Committee.
                                  ____

       POM-232. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     continue to take action to prevent the United States from 
     entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty or other 
     similar treaties; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1013

       Whereas, United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 
     2117, which was adopted on September 26, 2013, ``[c]alls for 
     Member States to support weapons collection, disarmament, 
     demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, as well as 
     physical security and stockpile management programmes by 
     United Nations peacekeeping operations where so mandated''; 
     and
       Whereas, the UN Arms Trade Treaty strives to place a global 
     ban on the import and export of small firearms, affecting all 
     private gun owners in the United States, and to implement an 
     international gun registry on all private guns and 
     ammunition; and
       Whereas, Senator James Inhofe introduced an amendment to 
     the budget in 2013 that would prevent the United States from 
     entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty ``[t]o 
     uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States 
     from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty,'' 
     which passed on a 53-46 vote.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress continue to take action 
     to prevent the United States from entering into the UN Arms 
     Trade Treaty or other similar treaties that would interfere 
     with the Second Amendment rights of United States citizens.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate 
     and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-233. A memorial adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona urging the members of the United States Congress from 
     the

[[Page 14530]]

     State of Arizona to officially recognize the persecution of 
     Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East 
     as genocide; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                          Senate Memorial 1001

       Whereas, Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities 
     in the Middle East are being subjected to systematic and 
     violent persecution at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq 
     and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist groups; and
       Whereas, these people are being murdered, kidnapped, 
     sexually abused, tortured and victimized in other ways that 
     violate the laws of their own nations, the international 
     community and the United Nations Convention on the Prevention 
     and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Convention); and
       Whereas, the victims of this brutal persecution are being 
     specifically targeted based on their religious or ethnic 
     affiliation with the intent to facilitate the annihilation or 
     forced migration of communities with long-standing ties to 
     their region; and
       Whereas, the Convention defines ``genocide'' as killing 
     members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, 
     causing them serious bodily or mental harm, intentionally 
     enforcing living conditions designed to cause the partial or 
     total physical destruction of the group, preventing births 
     within the group or transferring the children of the group to 
     another group with the intent to destroy the group in total 
     or in part; and
       Whereas, the Convention holds that genocide is a crime that 
     governments are obligated to prevent and for which 
     perpetrators are to be held responsible; and
       Whereas, the United States Commission on Religious Freedom, 
     the Hudson Institute for Religious Freedom, the International 
     Association of Genocide Scholars, Pope Francis, Hillary 
     Clinton and many other organizations and religious and 
     political leaders have called on the United States to 
     recognize the persecution of Christians and other religious 
     minorities in the Middle East as genocide; and
       Whereas, the United States Congress has introduced House 
     Concurrent Resolution 75, Senate Resolution 340 and at least 
     five other bills designed to recognize the genocide and 
     facilitate expedited support and aid for Christians and other 
     religious minorities in the Middle East; and
       Whereas, the designation of the persecution of Christians 
     and other religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide 
     has real, practical policy implications and can help expedite 
     various solutions to the crisis; and
       Whereas, the Members of the Senate of the State of Arizona 
     officially recognize the persecution of Christians and other 
     religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, prays:
       1. That each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona 
     cosponsor legislation similar to House Concurrent Resolution 
     75, support other congressional efforts to aid victims of the 
     persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in 
     the Middle East and encourage the United States government to 
     take greater concrete action to end the genocide.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States 
     Senate and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-234. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the President of the United 
     States, the Secretary of State, and the United States 
     Congress to secure the safe release of Robert Levinson from 
     Iran; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                     House Concurrent Memorial 2010

       Whereas, it is a time-honored tradition that the United 
     States of America strives to ensure that all United States 
     citizens held captive overseas are returned safely to their 
     families and loved ones; and
       Whereas, Robert Levinson honorably served the United States 
     as a law enforcement officer in both the United States Drug 
     Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; 
     and
       Whereas, Robert Levinson was taken captive on the Kish 
     Island in Iran on March 9, 2007; and
       Whereas, several Americans who have been held captive in 
     Iran were recently released, but Robert Levinson was not 
     among them; and
       Whereas, it is a duty and obligation of the United States 
     to Robert Levinson and his family to ascertain his 
     whereabouts and secure his safe release.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the President of the United States, the United 
     States Congress, the United States Secretary of State and all 
     public officials under their charge follow the policy of the 
     United States as stated in United States Senate Concurrent 
     Resolution 16:
       It is the policy of the United States that--
       (1) [T]he Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should 
     immediately . . . cooperate with the United States Government 
     to locate and return Robert Levinson: and
       (2) [T]he United States Government should undertake every 
     effort using every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure 
     [his] immediate release,
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Secretary of State of the United States, 
     the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 
     the President of the United States Senate and each Member of 
     Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-235. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to women's reproductive 
     health; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 19

       Whereas, January 22, 2016, marks the anniversary of the 
     United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. 
     Wade, which acknowledged that every woman has a fundamental 
     right to control her own reproductive decisions and decide 
     whether to end or continue a pregnancy, and is an occasion 
     that deserves recognition; and
       Whereas, The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, making access to 
     abortion safe and legal, has greatly improved the health of 
     women and families; and
       Whereas, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of women's 
     remarkable strides toward equality in the past four decades, 
     and reproductive freedom is critical to a woman's ability to 
     participate fully in the social, political, and economic life 
     of the community; and
       Whereas, California is committed to protecting the public 
     health and welfare of all its residents, and recognizes that 
     access to reproductive health services, including family 
     planning and prenatal care, supports individuals and their 
     families by ensuring that babies are planned, wanted, and 
     healthy; and
       Whereas, California recognizes the importance of Planned 
     Parenthood as one of California's largest providers of 
     women's preventive and reproductive health care services, 
     operating 115 community-based health centers across the 
     state, which provide more than 1.6 million patient visits a 
     year; and
       Whereas, Planned Parenthood provides comprehensive health 
     care services to women and men, which may include well-woman 
     examinations, birth control, testing and treatment of 
     sexually transmitted infections and HIV, pregnancy tests, 
     life-saving cancer screenings, sex education, prenatal care, 
     primary care services, and abortion services; and
       Whereas, Nationwide, during 4.6 million health center 
     visits in 2013, Planned Parenthood provided services, 
     including nearly 400,000 Pap smear tests, 500,000 breast 
     examinations, 1.1 million pregnancy tests, 3.6 million 
     provisions of birth control information and services, and 4.5 
     million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted 
     illnesses (including HIV), to approximately 2.7 million 
     patients, almost 80 percent of whom were living with incomes 
     at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level; and
       Whereas, By providing millions of women with access to 
     contraceptive services, public funding of Planned Parenthood 
     helps women to avoid an estimated 516,000 unplanned 
     pregnancies each year nationwide; and
       Whereas, A sudden defunding of Planned Parenthood's health 
     centers by federal or state governments would put patients 
     across California, particularly members of underserved 
     communities, at a significant disadvantage relating to their 
     general health care because Planned Parenthood is often the 
     only source of health care services for so many Californians; 
     and
       Whereas, Violence against abortion providers and laws that 
     create barriers to abortion endanger the lives of both men 
     and women; and
       Whereas, Reports have found that threats of harassment, 
     intimidation, and violence against women's health clinics 
     have doubled since 2010, and as recently as November 27, 
     2015, a Planned Parenthood clinic was the target of a heinous 
     act of domestic terrorism which resulted in the deaths of 
     three people and nonfatal injuries to nine others; and
       Whereas, The State of California stands in strong support 
     of Roe v. Wade and the work of Planned Parenthood, and of 
     women's reproductive health, and respects the principle that 
     each woman has a fundamental right to make decisions 
     regarding her pregnancy; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President 
     of the United States and Congress to express their support 
     for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, 
     including the services provided by Planned Parenthood and a 
     woman's fundamental right to control her own reproductive 
     decisions, and to strongly oppose efforts to eliminate 
     federal funding for Planned Parenthood; 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.
                                  ____

       POM-236. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     California requesting the

[[Page 14531]]

     United States Congress to pass the Helping Families in Mental 
     Health Crisis Act of 2016 and that the President of the 
     United States sign the legislation; to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                        Senate Resolution No. 86

       Whereas, The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act 
     of 2016 (the act) would make available needed psychiatric, 
     psychological, and supportive services for individuals with 
     mental illness and families in mental health crisis; and
       Whereas, The act would enhance crisis response services, 
     increase mental health workforce, promote early intervention 
     for mental illness, and support integration of mental health, 
     substance use, and primary care; and
       Whereas, Mental illness affects all segments of society, 
     and can have a devastating effect on the lives and families 
     it touches, especially if left untreated; and
       Whereas, Nearly 10 million Americans have serious mental 
     illness, but millions are going without treatment as families 
     struggle to find care for their loved ones; and
       Whereas, The act has wide bipartisan support and recently 
     passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a 
     vote of 53-0: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the 
     Senate of the State of California requests the Congress of 
     the United States to pass the Helping Families in Mental 
     Health Crisis Act of 2016 (H.R. 2646), and further requests 
     President Barack Obama to sign that legislation; 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, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-237. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to EpiPen; to the Committee 
     on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 29

       Whereas, Millions benefit from lifesaving drugs and 
     devices, including Americans with allergies that can be 
     treated by epinephrine; and
       Whereas, Last year, doctors wrote 3.6 million prescriptions 
     for EpiPen, which stops allergic reactions by quickly and 
     safely injecting epinephrine; and
       Whereas, In 2007 Mylan NV purchased the rights to EpiPen 
     and immediately began raising its price. In 2008 and 2009, 
     Mylan raised the price by 5 percent, and at the end of 2009 
     it raised the price by another 19 percent. From 2010 to 2013, 
     Mylan imposed a series of 10-percent price hikes. And from 
     the fourth quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2016, 
     Mylan raised EpiPen prices 15 percent every other quarter; 
     and
       Whereas, A pack of two EpiPen devices now has a list price 
     of over $600, an increase of 548 percent since Mylan began 
     selling the drug, according to Truven Health Analytics; and
       Whereas, The formula of EpiPen did not change, and it is no 
     more effective in protecting against allergic reactions in 
     2016 than it was in 2007; and
       Whereas, During the same time, Mylan began an aggressive 
     marketing and lobbying effort to increase demand for EpiPen, 
     which included the passage of federal and state legislation. 
     The United States Congress passed the School Access to 
     Emergency Epinephrine Act in 2013 to provide an incentive to 
     states to boost the stockpile of epinephrine at schools. A 
     number of states, including California, passed laws requiring 
     public schools to have epinephrine. In 2010, the United 
     States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed its 
     recommendations so that two EpiPen devices be sold in a 
     package instead of one and that they be prescribed for at-
     risk patients, not just those with confirmed allergies; and
       Whereas, The rising cost of EpiPen has implications for 
     taxpayers. Over half of California's children are insured 
     through Medi-Cal, therefore the taxpayers are paying a large 
     share of the cost of this medication; and
       Whereas, Mylan has an effective monopoly that it is using 
     to maximize profit because there is no equivalent generic 
     competitor; and
       Whereas, Patients who have to pay retail prices are being 
     forced to buy EpiPen abroad, where it is cheaper, and are 
     resorting to other devices that deliver epinephrine, 
     including do-it-yourself syringes; and
       Whereas, Even some ambulance providers in California have 
     stopped the use of EpiPen to treat allergic shock and instead 
     are drawing from a vial and injecting epinephrine by syringe. 
     First responders in Seattle have developed such a kit and 
     have sold them to public health agencies in five other 
     states. There is a demonstration project in New York called 
     ``Check and Inject New York'' that trains first responders to 
     use syringe epinephrine kits in place of EpiPen to save 
     money; and
       Whereas, After recent widespread criticism, Mylan said it 
     would expand access and increase benefits to programs that it 
     uses to help consumers pay less, but those changes do not 
     alter the prices that insurers and employers pay. Those 
     institutions will still face the brunt of the impact from the 
     price hikes; and
       Whereas, Offering copayment assistance and free product to 
     consumers is part of the standard playbook for manufacturers 
     of expensive drugs. Efforts by drug makers to shield 
     consumers from the out-of-pocket costs associated with the 
     rapidly increasing cost of their medications ignores the fact 
     that insurance companies bear the brunt of these unreasonable 
     price increases, which results in higher premiums for all 
     consumers; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature declares 
     unnecessary and unexplained increases in pharmaceutical 
     pricing is a harm to our health care system that will no 
     longer be tolerated because the system cannot sustain it; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature urges the United States Food 
     and Drug Administration to reconsider its denial of approval 
     for generic alternatives to EpiPen; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the 
     United States to investigate the impact that Mylan's monopoly 
     has had on the price hikes for EpiPen; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress and 
     President of the United States to take action to limit the 
     unrestrained ability of drug manufacturers to increase prices 
     based only on what the market can bear rather than on 
     providing a fair return on investment; 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, to the Secretary of the United 
     States Department of Health and Human Services, and to the 
     Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-238. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California relative to blood donations; to the 
     Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 26

       Whereas, Since 1983, the United States Food and Drug 
     Administration (FDA), an agency under the United States 
     Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had prohibited 
     the donation of blood by any man who has had sex with another 
     man (MSM) at any time since 1977; and
       Whereas, In December 2015, based on recommendations from 
     the NHS Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and 
     Availability, the FDA promulgated revised regulations to 
     allow an MSM to donate blood only if he has not been sexually 
     active for the past 12 months. Despite these recent steps 
     toward a policy change, a double standard still exists under 
     the policy as revised because it still treats gay and 
     bisexual men differently from heterosexual men; and
       Whereas, California law prohibits discrimination against 
     individuals on the basis of actual or perceived sex, sexual 
     orientation, gender identity, and gender-related appearance 
     and behavior; and
       Whereas, Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, 
     Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain have adopted 
     blood donor policies that measure risk against a set of 
     behaviors, sexual and otherwise, rather than the sex of a 
     person's sexual partner or partners; and
       Whereas, The FDA currently does not allow gay and bisexual 
     men in committed relationships to donate blood because, while 
     one partner may be monogamous, that individual cannot 
     guarantee that the other partner is monogamous. The FDA does 
     not apply this same logic to heterosexual relationships, 
     which in effect discriminates against gay and bisexual men; 
     and
       Whereas, The FDA is in the process of again reevaluating 
     and considering updating its blood donor deferral policies as 
     new scientific information becomes available, including the 
     feasibility of moving from the existing time-based deferrals 
     related to risk behaviors to alternate deferral options, such 
     as the use of individual risk assessments; and
       Whereas, A 12-month deferral policy for gay and bisexual 
     men to donate blood is overly stringent given the scientific 
     evidence, advanced testing methods, and the safety and 
     quality control measures in place within the different FDA-
     qualified blood donating centers; and
       Whereas, The American Public Health Association has stated 
     that no specific scientific rationale is provided to justify 
     the 12-month deferral policy. The technology can identify 
     within 7 to 10 days with 99.9 percent accuracy whether or not 
     a blood sample is HIV-positive, and the chance of the blood 
     test being inaccurate within the 10-day window is about 1 in 
     2,000,000; and
       Whereas, The General Social Survey conducted by NORC at the 
     University of Chicago estimates that 8.5 percent of men in 
     the United States have had at least one male sex partner 
     since 18 years of age, 4.1 percent of

[[Page 14532]]

     men report at least one male sex partner in the last 5 years, 
     and 3.8 percent report a male sex partner in the last 12 
     months; and
       Whereas, An estimated 45.4 percent of men (54 million) in 
     the United States are eligible to donate blood, but only 8.7 
     percent of eligible men actually do. There are 15.7 million 
     donations of blood per year made by 9.2 million donors, 
     yielding approximately 1.7 donations per donor; and
       Whereas, The Williams Institute of the University of 
     California at Los Angeles School of Law estimates that, based 
     on the population of eligible and likely donors among the MSM 
     community, lifting the federal lifetime deferral policy on 
     blood donation by an MSM would result in 4.2 million newly 
     eligible male donors, of which 360,600 would likely donate, 
     generating 615,300 additional pints of blood. Applying 
     national estimates to the California population, the 
     Institute further estimates that lifting the ban on MSM blood 
     donations would add an additional 510,000 eligible men to the 
     current blood donor pool, of which 43,917 would likely 
     donate, resulting in an additional 74,945 donated pints in 
     California; and
       Whereas, One hundred fifteen members of the Congress of the 
     United States sent a letter to the FDA Commissioner, Dr. 
     Robert M. Califf, M.D., urging him to finally put an end to 
     this outdated blood donation policy and update it to reflect 
     science, not fear; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the California State Legislature 
     calls upon the President of the United States to encourage 
     the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and 
     Human Services to adopt policies to repeal the current 
     discriminatory donor suitability policies of the United 
     States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding blood 
     donations by men who have had sex with another man and, 
     instead, direct the FDA to develop science-based policies 
     such as criteria based on risky behavior in lieu of sexual 
     orientation; 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 Secretary of the United States 
     Department of Health and Human Services, 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.
                                  ____

       POM-239. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     protest and take action to fully restore the Tucson Postal 
     Processing and Distribution Center; to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1009

       Whereas, the Tucson Postal Processing and Distribution 
     Center (Cherrybell) serves the entire southern portion of 
     Arizona covering the counties of Pima, Santa Cruz and 
     Cochise. Currently, Southern Arizona is facing a potential 
     economic downfall due to the initial decision made by the 
     United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors to 
     close Cherrybell; and
       Whereas, more than 1.8 million people and 23,197 businesses 
     use the Cherrybell postal services. According to USPS 
     officials, over 3 million pieces of mail go through 
     Cherrybell each day as it is the 15th largest facility 
     serving the 33rd largest population area in our nation. The 
     processing and sorting operations at Cherrybell that are 
     proposed to be moved to Phoenix affect approximately 280 jobs 
     in Southern Arizona; and
       Whereas, Southern Arizona, which includes both the Tohono 
     O'odham nation and Pasqua Yaqui tribal lands, encompasses the 
     California and Arizona border at Yuma south to Nogales, 
     across to Douglas and Bisbee in Cochise County and the 
     military installations located at Fort Huachuca and Davis 
     Monthan, depends on the Cherrybell Post office; and
       Whereas, Southern Arizona is home to many military veterans 
     who depend on the USPS both for timely delivery of medical 
     prescriptions and for employment, as the USPS employs more 
     veterans than any entity other than the United States 
     Department of Defense; and
       Whereas, in an extensive community survey conducted in 
     2015, 84% of individuals and 86% of businesses reported a 
     noticeable delay in mail delivery due to the partial closure 
     of Cherrybell; and
       Whereas, Tucson City Council Member Richard Fimbres went on 
     record opposing the closure of Cherrybell and requested that 
     the Council work directly with Tucson's congressional 
     delegation and community members to frame a campaign to 
     protect the vital jobs at Cherrybell; and
       Whereas, Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez objects to 
     the closure of Cherrybell and firmly believes that, due to 
     the higher number of voters each year on the permanent early 
     voting list, this change will clearly impact the activities 
     of the state and county elections officials in Arizona and 
     will cause a detrimental impact to voters. The information 
     provided to the public by the USPS is based entirely on 
     economic considerations with no apparent regard for the 
     impact of the change on the fundamental right of all citizens 
     to vote and, in particular, the significant additional 
     detrimental impact to Native American voters in the region; 
     and
       Whereas, the people of Arizona applaud the efforts of 
     United States Representative Martha McSally and the other 
     members of the Arizona Congressional Delegation, including 
     Representatives Trent Franks, Ann Kirkpatrick, Matt Salmon, 
     Paul Gosar, Ruben Gallego, Kyrsten Sinema and Raul Grijalva, 
     who have asked for more detailed and complete information 
     regarding the proposal Cherrybell closure; and
       Whereas, thousands of people have written letters and 
     signed online petitions urging the USPS Board of Governors 
     not to close Cherrybell.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the Congress of the United States protest the 
     proposed closing of the Tucson Postal Processing and 
     Distribution Center and take any action necessary to fully 
     restore operations of this vital postal facility.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies 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-240. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     act to increase the number of United States Customs and 
     Border Protection personnel at the ports of entry in Arizona; 
     to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1006

       Whereas, the United States Customs and Border Protection 
     (CBP) is one of the world's largest law enforcement 
     organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and 
     their weapons out of the United States while facilitating 
     lawful international travel and trade; and
       Whereas, as the world's first full-service border entity, 
     CBP takes a comprehensive approach to border management and 
     control, combining customs, immigration, border security and 
     agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive 
     activity; and
       Whereas, the need to increase the number of CBP personnel 
     in the Tucson sector along the border between the United 
     States and Mexico is critical to increasing border safety and 
     security as well as to ensuring economic stability in our 
     border communities; and
       Whereas, increasing the number of CBP personnel who work at 
     the ports of entry in Arizona will enhance the economic 
     stability in our border communities and will increase border 
     security between the United States and Mexico; and
       Whereas, an integrated approach to securing the border and 
     increasing economic stability along the border and in our 
     border communities is important to residents living along the 
     border and in our border communities; and
       Whereas, increasing the number of CBP personnel at the 
     ports of entry in Arizona will allow increased commercial 
     traffic and will result in increased economic growth and 
     stability for Arizona; and
       Whereas, all of the benefits of increased economic 
     stability in Arizona can be realized if the workload capacity 
     at each port of entry is increased, which would result in 
     less congestion and delay; and
       Whereas, increasing the number of CBP personnel at the 
     ports of entry in Arizona should be part of the 
     infrastructure improvements that are occurring at the ports 
     of entry; and
       Whereas, the establishment of a safe and secure border is a 
     crucial component of national security.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That, in order to secure the border between the United 
     States and Mexico, to enhance the safety and security of 
     people and their property in the currently unsecure regions 
     of the border and to increase economic growth and stability 
     for the residents of Arizona, the United States Congress act 
     to increase the number of CBP personnel at the ports of entry 
     in Arizona.
       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-241. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California urging the United States Congress to 
     appropriate $248 million in funding to complete Phase 2 of 
     the Calexico West Land Port of Entry reconfiguration and 
     expansion project in order to realize the benefits the 
     improvements of this project will have on the nation's 
     economy; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 22

       Whereas, The inclusion of $248 million in funding for Phase 
     2 of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry reconfiguration and 
     expansion project in the Financial Services and General 
     Government Appropriations bill is proposed by the President's 
     Fiscal Year 2017 Budget; and

[[Page 14533]]

       Whereas, This funding will ensure completion of the 
     project, which will improve domestic supply chains, 
     strengthen our national security, reduce the port's carbon 
     footprint, and facilitate economic growth, not only for the 
     County of Imperial and for California, but for the entire 
     nation; and
       Whereas, The Obama Administration's 2015 budget included a 
     $98,062,000 investment in Calexico West Land Port of Entry 
     Phase 1. This first phase of the expansion project is 
     currently underway and is expected to be completed in 2018. 
     Phase 2 will consist of the balance of the project, including 
     additional sitework, an expanded pedestrian processing 
     facility, administrative offices, and six additional 
     northbound privately owned vehicle inspection lanes; and
       Whereas, The completion of this project guarantees the 
     economic activity of the border will not be lost. On an 
     average day, more than 15,000 to 20,000 privately operated 
     vehicles and nearly 20,000 pedestrians enter the United 
     States through the Calexico Land Port of Entry; and
       Whereas, The United States' goods and private services 
     trade with Mexico totaled an estimated $583.6 billion in 
     2015, with exports totaling $267.2 billion and imports 
     totaling $316.4 billion; and
       Whereas, Mexico is currently our second largest goods 
     trading partner with almost $72 billion in two-way trade of 
     goods during 2015, with goods exports that totaled $26.8 
     billion and goods imports that totaled $45 billion; and
       Whereas, Ninety-nine percent of trade between California 
     and Mexico is carried by trucks, and the Calexico East Port 
     of Entry serves nearly all of the international truck traffic 
     crossings in the County of Imperial, with a total trade value 
     of over $12 billion in 2012; and
       Whereas, The San Diego Association of Governments 2050 
     Comprehensive Freight Gateway Study projects that the nearly 
     two million trucks that crossed the California-Mexico border 
     in 2007 will increase to nearly five million trucks in 2050; 
     and
       Whereas, Traffic congestion and delays at the borders of 
     the Counties of San Diego and Imperial cost the economies of 
     the United States and Mexico an estimated $8.63 billion in 
     gross output and more than 73,900 jobs in 2007; and
       Whereas, The collaboration between federal, state, and 
     local agencies is essential for the development of border 
     infrastructure projects and security; and
       Whereas, The United States General Accountability Office 
     and the United States Department of Homeland Security 
     estimate that $6 billion in border infrastructure is needed 
     to fulfill their mission of preventing unlawful entry and 
     smuggling while facilitating legitimate trade and tourism: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully urges Congress to appropriate $248 
     million in funding to complete Phase 2 of the Calexico West 
     Land Port of Entry reconfiguration and expansion project in 
     order to realize the benefits the improvements of this 
     project will have on the nation's economy; 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.
                                  ____

       POM-242. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     enact the Dine College Act of 2015; to the Committee on 
     Indian Affairs.

                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1017

       Whereas, this state and the Navajo Nation maintain a 
     government-to-government relationship, and the Navajo people 
     residing in this state are citizens of both Arizona and the 
     Navajo Nation; and
       Whereas, in 1968, the Navajo Nation established Navajo 
     Community College, which later became Dine College, to 
     provide access to higher education to the Navajo people; and
       Whereas, Dine College's flagship campus is located in 
     Tsaile, Arizona, and there are community campuses in Tuba 
     City, Chinle and Window Rock; and
       Whereas, Dine College has dual credit agreements with 
     school districts and schools throughout Arizona, including 
     Red Mesa Unified School District #27, Chinle Unified School 
     District #24, Ganado Unified School District, St. Michaels 
     High School, Window Rock Unified School District #8, Many 
     Farms High School, Kayenta Unified School District, Pinon 
     Unified School District #4, Greyhills Academy High School, 
     Tuba City High School, Leupp Schools, Inc. and Phoenix Union 
     High School District; and
       Whereas, this state provides support to Dine College 
     through its Navajo Nation, Dine College-State of Arizona 
     funding compact, the tribal college dual credit funding 
     program and Proposition 301 monies; and
       Whereas, the United States Congress passed the Navajo 
     Community College Act, the Navajo Community College 
     Assistance Act of 1978 and the Navajo Nation Higher Education 
     Act of 2008, which collectively provide for maintenance, 
     operation and construction funding for Dine College; and
       Whereas, Representative Ann Kirkpatrick introduced the Dine 
     College Act of 2015 ``to fulfill the United States 
     Government's trust responsibility to serve the higher 
     education needs of the Navajo people and to clarify, unify, 
     and modernize prior Dine College legislation,'' and Dine 
     College has requested that Senator Jeff Flake introduce a 
     United States Senate companion bill; and
       Whereas, this state stands in support of the passage of the 
     Dine College Act of 2015.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the Congress of the United States enact the Dine 
     College Act of 2015.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the Governor of the State 
     of Arizona, 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-243. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California urging the federal government to 
     ensure that immigrant children are afforded due process under 
     the law in removal proceedings by providing government-funded 
     attorneys, trained in immigration law, to all indigent 
     children seeking an immigration remedy and urging the federal 
     government to first hear cases involving children that have 
     legal counsel and to immediately halt cases brought against 
     unrepresented immigrant children until lawyers are made 
     available to represent them; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 28

       Whereas, The Fifth Amendment to the United States 
     Constitution provides that a person shall not be deprived of 
     life, liberty, or property without due process of law, 
     thereby ensuring that he or she will receive a fundamentally 
     fair, orderly, and just judicial proceeding before being 
     deprived of his or her freedom; and
       Whereas, Former Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jack H. 
     Weil, a senior official in the United States Department of 
     Justice; asserted in a deposition that he has trained 
     toddlers in immigration law and can afford them a fair 
     hearing without the toddler being represented by legal 
     counsel; and
       Whereas, The assertion made by Judge Weil is contemptible 
     and offensive to our country's Fifth Amendment constitutional 
     mandate to provide all with due process under the law; and
       Whereas, Due process cannot be guaranteed in an adversarial 
     immigration removal proceeding without legal representation; 
     and
       Whereas, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights, adopted in 1948, states that ``Everyone has the right 
     to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from 
     persecution.'' Accordingly, children escaping from violence 
     in other countries, whether unaccompanied or accompanied by a 
     parent, are not ``illegal'' when they come to the United 
     States in search of asylum; and
       Whereas, The protections of Article 14 have been 
     incorporated by the United States Congress into domestic law, 
     which now protects all asylum seekers, including children, by 
     prohibiting the federal government from returning to their 
     home countries persons who have fled persecution due to race, 
     religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a 
     particular social group; and
       Whereas, It is our nation's legal and moral obligation to 
     open our arms to children who fear harm in their country of 
     origin and to foreign-born children in the United States who 
     cannot be reunified with one or both parents due to abuse, 
     neglect, or abandonment and who are therefore eligible for 
     Special Immigrant Juvenile Status or any other immigration 
     remedy; and
       Whereas, Respect for due process requires that all indigent 
     children seeking asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, 
     or other immigration remedies in defense of deportation be 
     afforded government-funded competent immigrant counsel; and
       Whereas, According to a study by the Transactional Records 
     Access Clearinghouse, the foremost authority on federal 
     immigration enforcement data, unrepresented children were 
     ordered to leave the United States in 86 percent of cases, 
     whereas represented children were ordered to leave the United 
     States in only 16 percent of cases; and
       Whereas, As demonstrated by the same study, the provision 
     of legal representation would improve the integrity of the 
     immigration court system, because children without legal 
     representation fail to appear in court and therefore are 
     ordered removed in absentia in 75 percent of cases. By 
     comparison, children with legal representation do 
     consistently appear in court and are therefore ordered 
     removed in absentia in only 3 percent of cases; and
       Whereas, The federal government is denying indigent 
     immigrant children in California their rights to a fair trial 
     under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution 
     because the federal government does not provide these 
     children with legal representation in immigration court. 
     These children therefore face the threat of deportation to 
     violent and dangerous conditions where they may face 
     persecution, violence, or even death; and

[[Page 14534]]

       Whereas, Human Rights Watch filed an amicus brief in the 
     case of J.E.F.M. v Lynch, a nationwide lawsuit on behalf of 
     thousands of children who are challenging the federal 
     government's failure to provide the children with legal 
     representation in deportation hearings, arguing that the 
     failure of the United States government to appoint lawyers to 
     represent immigrant children facing deportation violates 
     their basic rights under international law; and
       Whereas, The California Attorney General has engaged in 
     efforts to close the legal services gap for unaccompanied 
     immigrant children across California and joined an amicus 
     brief in J.E.F.M. v. Lynch.
       Whereas, Since January 2014, at least 83 deportees, 
     including children, from the United States, were reported 
     murdered upon their return to Guatemala, Honduras, and El 
     Salvador, which remain three of the most violent countries in 
     the world; and
       Whereas, There are currently over 13,800 children in 
     California that are not represented by legal counsel in 
     immigration court; and
       Whereas, California has a duty to protect the welfare of 
     children within our state, including immigrant children; and
       Whereas, California values immigrant children and has made 
     this clear through legislative enactments, including Assembly 
     Bill 540 (2001), Assembly Bills 130 and 131 (2011); commonly 
     referred to as the California Dream Act, Senate Bill 1064 
     (2012), Senate Bill 873 (2014); commonly referred to as the 
     Unaccompanied Minors Program, Senate Bill 1210 (2014), 
     commonly referred to as the California DREAM Loan Program, 
     and Senate Bills 4 and 75 (2015), commonly referred to as the 
     Health4All Kids Act; and
       Whereas, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status under Section 
     1101(a)(27)(J) of Title 8 of the United States Code is 
     immigration relief that relies on a state's interest in the 
     welfare of children and provides for Special Immigrant 
     Juvenile Status where a state court determines that 
     reunification with one or both of the immigrant's parents is 
     not viable due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or similar 
     basis found under state law and that it would not be in the 
     child's best interest to return to his or her home country; 
     and
       Whereas, California makes an annual $3 million investment 
     to ensure that unaccompanied minors receive the legal 
     representation that they need to pursue Special Immigrant 
     Juvenile Status and other immigration relief; and
       Whereas, California passed Senate Bill 873 (2014) and 
     Assembly Bill 900 (2015) to ensure that California courts 
     issue the predicate orders necessary for children to apply 
     for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status; and
       Whereas, California is disadvantaged when California's 
     children are denied their rights under the United States 
     Constitution, including their right to due process; and
       Whereas, California has a strong interest in ensuring that 
     the children living in this state are not unfairly deported. 
     Schools are disrupted when children are pulled from classes, 
     communities are thrown into disorder when families are torn 
     apart, the health and welfare of these children are put at 
     risk; and the state is denied the potential societal and 
     economic contributions of these children: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California urges the federal government to take action to 
     remedy this injury to the State of California, through 
     appropriate measures within the United States Department of 
     Justice, the United States Department of Homeland Security, 
     and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and ensure that 
     immigrant children are afforded due process under the law 
     when they are fighting to remain in the United States of 
     America, by providing government-funded attorneys, trained in 
     immigration law, to all indigent children fighting 
     deportation and seeking an immigration remedy; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of California 
     urges the federal government to rearrange its dockets to 
     first hear the cases of children who have legal 
     representation and to immediately halt cases it is pursuing 
     against unrepresented immigrant children until lawyers are 
     made available to represent them; 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, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-244. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Louisiana memorializing the 
     United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary 
     to reimburse the state of Louisiana for state-expended 
     dollars used to comply with federal mandates related to 
     illegal immigration including but not limited to education, 
     medical care, welfare, and law enforcement services; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                        House Resolution No. 219

       Whereas, pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the 
     Constitution of the United States, the federal government has 
     the authority to regulate immigration; and
       Whereas, the federal government has forced states to comply 
     with federal mandates that require states to provide various 
     essential services to illegal immigrants including but not 
     limited to education, medical care, welfare, and law 
     enforcement, with little to no reimbursement of state-
     expended costs; and
       Whereas, the federal government historically has failed to 
     adequately control the influx of undocumented immigrants into 
     this country; and
       Whereas, the failure of the federal government to 
     adequately control the borders, in addition to the imposition 
     of huge mandated but unreimbursed costs to the state of 
     Louisiana, has led to blatant inequities in terms of 
     exploitation of undocumented laborers and abuse of wage, 
     safety, and child labor laws, as well as lowering wage levels 
     for Louisiana's working poor; and
       Whereas, the state of Louisiana has been severely affected 
     by the impact of state budgetary cutbacks; and
       Whereas, the costs incurred by the state of Louisiana in 
     addressing illegal immigration are increasing and continuing 
     to burden the limited resources of the state; and
       Whereas, the Louisiana Legislature created the Task Force 
     on Illegal Immigration (task force) by House Resolution No. 
     175 of the 2015 Regular Session of the Legislature to study 
     and report the fiscal, medical, nutritional, educational, 
     judicial, criminal, penal, and economic impact of federal 
     mandates on the state of Louisiana relative to illegal 
     immigration; and
       Whereas, the purpose of the task force was to provide 
     useful and critical information and statistical data to guide 
     the efforts of Louisiana's private and public sectors in 
     addressing the concerns of Louisiana residents regarding 
     illegal immigration; and
       Whereas, during the task force meeting held on October 22, 
     2015, task force members were presented with statistical data 
     and information on the fiscal impact on the state of 
     Louisiana associated with providing essential services to 
     undocumented immigrants. Estimated dollar amounts were 
     provided by the following state agencies:
       (1) The Department of Public Safety and Corrections 
     presented information on the impact of incarcerating illegal 
     immigrants in Louisiana state correctional institutions 
     including incarceration and probation and parole costs. The 
     estimated cost to the state of Louisiana is approximately 
     three million two hundred ninety thousand dollars 
     ($3,290,000) annually out of the state general fund.
       (2) The Department of Education presented information on 
     the impact on the Louisiana school system relative to the 
     enrollment of non-United States citizens and data on the 
     number of English Language Learners (ELL) for Louisiana 
     public and charter schools for K-12. The estimated cost to 
     the state of Louisiana for one public school district is 
     approximately three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually.
       (3) The Department of Health and Hospitals presented 
     information regarding federally mandated Medicaid services 
     for undocumented workers including Medicaid eligibility 
     requirements for unborn children and the costs attributed to 
     illegal immigration on Louisiana's medical systems as a 
     whole. The estimated cost to the state of Louisiana is 
     approximately sixteen million one hundred thousand dollars 
     ($16,100,000) annually, assisting nearly five thousand 
     (5,000) individuals with unverified immigration status.
       (4) The Department of Children and Family Services 
     presented information on the eligibility of non-United States 
     citizens for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 
     (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
     (TANF). Based on testimony, public assistance was provided to 
     a population of five thousand three hundred ninety-nine 
     (5,399) non-United States citizens through Louisiana's SNAP 
     program with a total cost to the state of Louisiana of fifty-
     five million dollars ($55,000,000) in administrative costs, 
     with an undetermined amount attributed to illegal immigrants.
       Whereas, the state of Louisiana in conjunction with local 
     governments expends approximately nine thousand dollars 
     ($9,000) to educate each student in Louisiana every year; and
       Whereas, federal limitations on the disclosure of 
     immigration status of public school children hinders the 
     determination of the financial impact of illegal immigration 
     on the Louisiana public school system as a whole; and
       Whereas, the annual costs associated with illegal 
     immigration have burdened the state of Louisiana and its 
     residents with expenses for law enforcement, healthcare, 
     education, incarceration, and other essential services, and 
     such costs have gone uncompensated by the federal government; 
     and
       Whereas, the costs associated with providing services to 
     illegal immigrants should never be borne by the state of 
     Louisiana because federal law controls the enforcement of 
     illegal immigration; and
       Whereas, the United States government should take immediate 
     action to reimburse the state of Louisiana for estimated 
     expenses

[[Page 14535]]

     that the state incurs annually as a result of the federal 
     government's policies and mandates related to illegal 
     immigration. Therefore, be it
       Resolved That the House of Representatives of the 
     Legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United 
     States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to 
     reimburse the state of Louisiana for the state dollars 
     expended annually to provide essential services including but 
     not limited to the education, welfare, medical care, law 
     enforcement, and incarceration of illegal immigrants; and be 
     it further
       Resolved That the house of representatives of the 
     legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United 
     States Congress to remove any impediments with respect to 
     disclosure of immigration status of public school children 
     such that the financial impact of illegal immigration on the 
     public school system in this state can be accurately 
     determined; 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 o tie Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-245. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California urging the United States Congress and 
     the President of the United States to rename any federal 
     buildings, parks, roadways, or other federally owned property 
     that bear the names of elected or military leaders of the 
     Confederate States of America; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 15

       Whereas, The Confederate States of America and its 
     secessionist movement were rooted in the defense of slavery; 
     and
       Whereas, Using the names of elected or military leaders of 
     the Confederate States of America for federal buildings, 
     parks, roadways, or other federally owned property only 
     deepens the pain of those living under the legacy of slavery; 
     and
       Whereas, The United States of America continues to struggle 
     with racial equality and tolerance; and
       Whereas, The continued use of names of elected or military 
     leaders of the Confederacy in public places is offensive to 
     Americans who treasure the United States as one nation under 
     God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; and
       Whereas, The horrific shooting deaths of nine African 
     Americans attending church in South Carolina have once again 
     raised the searing issue of racial violence and intolerance; 
     and
       Whereas, The ensuing images of the killer wrapping himself 
     in the Confederate flag points to the continued use of that 
     emblem of cruel oppression as a way to further demean, 
     offend, and wound whole segments of our society; and
       Whereas, The use of Confederate leaders' names in public 
     schools, buildings, parks, roadways, or other federally owned 
     property in California only serves to further the 
     discriminatory agenda of current sympathizers of the ideology 
     of the Confederate States of America, and is antithetical to 
     California's mission of racial equality and tolerance; Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature respectfully urges 
     the Congress and the President of the United States to rename 
     any federal buildings, parks, roadways, or other federally 
     owned property that bear the names of elected or military 
     leaders of the Confederate States of America; 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.
                                  ____

       POM-246. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California urging the United States Congress to 
     lift an existing prohibition against publicly funded 
     scientific research on the causes of gun violence and its 
     effects on public health, and to appropriate funds for the 
     purpose of conducting that research; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 20

       Whereas, Every day, gun violence destroys lives, families, 
     and communities; and
       Whereas, From 2002 to 2013, inclusive, California lost 
     38,576 individuals to gun violence, of which 2,258 were 
     children; and
       Whereas, In 2013 alone, guns were used to kill 2,900 
     Californians, including 251 children and teenagers, and 
     hospitalized another 6,035 Californians for nonfatal gunshot 
     wounds, including 1,275 children and teenagers; and
       Whereas, There were over 350 recorded mass shootings in the 
     United States in 2015; and
       Whereas, Since 1996, Congress has adopted annual policy 
     riders, known as the ``Dickey Amendment'' and ``Rehberg 
     Amendment'' that effectively prohibit the federal Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies under 
     the federal Department of Health and Human Services from 
     conducting publicly funded scientific research on the causes 
     of gun violence or its effects on public health; and
       Whereas, The author of the original Dickey Amendment, 
     former Representative Jay Dickey (R-AR), has stated 
     repeatedly that he regrets offering the amendment and thinks 
     it should be repealed; and
       Whereas, Despite Representative Dickey's comments and 
     President Obama's executive action in 2013 directing the CDC 
     to resume gun violence research, Congress has provided no 
     funding, and the restrictive language remains in place; and
       Whereas, Since 1996, the federal government has spent $240 
     million per year on traffic safety research, which has saved 
     360,000 lives since 1970; and
       Whereas, During the same period there has been almost no 
     publicly funded research on gun violence, which kills the 
     same number of people every year; and
       Whereas, Recently, 110 Members of the Congress of the 
     United States signed a letter urging the leadership of the 
     House of Representatives to end the longstanding ban on 
     federal funding for gun violence research, and over 2,000 
     doctors in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia did 
     the same; and
       Whereas, Although Members of Congress may disagree about 
     how best to respond to the problem of gun violence, we should 
     be able to agree that a response should be informed by sound 
     scientific evidence; and
       Whereas, Whether it is horrific headline-generating 
     massacres or unseen violence that occurs every day--the 
     innocent child gunned down in crossfire, the mother murdered 
     during a domestic dispute, or the young life cut tragically 
     short during the heat of a petty argument--the call to action 
     is now clear; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of 
     California, jointly, That a comprehensive evidence-based 
     federal approach to reducing and preventing gun violence is 
     needed to ensure that our communities are safe from gun 
     violence; and be it further
       Resolved, That federal research is crucial to saving lives, 
     having driven policy to save lives from motor vehicle 
     accidents, sudden infant death syndrome, lead poisoning, and 
     countless other public health crises; and be it further
       Resolved That the Legislature urges the Congress of the 
     United States to promptly lift the prohibition against 
     publicly funded scientific research on the causes of gun 
     violence and its effects on public health, and to appropriate 
     funds to the federal Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention and other relevant agencies under the federal 
     Department of Health and Human Services to conduct that 
     research; 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, and to the author for 
     appropriate distribution.
                                  ____

       POM-247. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     direct the American Legion to expand its membership 
     eligibility; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                     House Concurrent Memorial 2009

       Whereas, according to the American Legion, the organization 
     was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a 
     patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual 
     helpfulness. As the nation's largest wartime veterans service 
     organization, the American Legion is committed to mentoring 
     youth and sponsoring wholesome programs in our communities, 
     advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national 
     security and providing support to fellow servicemembers and 
     veterans; and
       Whereas, the American Legion limits membership eligibility 
     to those who have served federal active duty in the United 
     States Armed Forces during the World War I era, World War II 
     era, Korean War era, Vietnam War era, Lebanon/Grenada era, 
     Panama era or Persian Gulf War era and who have been 
     honorably discharged or are still serving; and
       Whereas, all honorably discharged military veterans deserve 
     the opportunity to participate in the American Legion.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress direct the American 
     Legion to expand its membership eligibility to include all 
     honorably discharged military veterans.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate 
     and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-248. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     direct the appropriate federal agencies to secure the borders 
     of the United States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

[[Page 14536]]



                    Senate Concurrent Memorial 1012

       Whereas, the United States is in the midst of a border 
     crisis; and
       Whereas, the sheriffs serving along the borders of the 
     United States are in the epicenter of this crisis; and
       Whereas, the porous borders of the United States have 
     resulted in the smuggling of contraband and illegal drugs, 
     the exploitation of human beings and the infiltration of 
     subversives bent on doing harm to this country; and
       Whereas, federal law mandates border security; and
       Whereas, the quality of life normally enjoyed by the 
     citizens of the United States is being jeopardized by an 
     unsecure border, which enables transnational criminals and 
     their accomplices to prey on the citizens of the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, border security must be a stand-alone priority for 
     the federal government; and
       Whereas, violence against public officials, law enforcement 
     and rival drug and human trafficking groups in Mexico 
     continues to escalate and cross international boundaries; and
       Whereas, the reduction of the federal government's 
     prosecution of the criminal element places the citizens of 
     the United States in harm's way, leaving the burden on local 
     governments to bear the costs associated with the 
     apprehension, prosecution and incarceration of this criminal 
     element; and
       Whereas, elected sheriffs have a statutory duty to protect 
     and secure the freedoms and liberties of United States 
     citizens and must do so with or without the help of their 
     federal law enforcement partners and policymakers; and
       Whereas, working with limited budgets and staffing, 
     sheriffs along the southwestern border of the United States 
     and sheriffs across the nation struggle to find ways to 
     enhance the quality of life and safety of those they serve 
     and to deter those who cross our borders to promote their 
     criminal activities; and
       Whereas, local governments are cognizant of the need to 
     bring relief to United States citizens who are impacted by 
     the lack of border security; and
       Whereas, without aggressive prosecution of all of those who 
     breach the border and commit criminal acts, the border will 
     continue to serve as an open opportunity for the criminal 
     element to exploit by entering the United States to prey on 
     this country and its citizens.
       Wherefore, Your memorialist, the Senate of the State of 
     Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress direct the appropriate 
     federal agencies to do the following:
       (a) Fully secure all of the borders of the United States,
       (b) Fully reimburse sheriffs for the costs associated with 
     the housing of illegal aliens who are being charged with 
     state crimes.
       (c) Return to the original guidelines as set forth in 
     Operation Streamline for the prosecution of persons crossing 
     the United States border illegally.
       2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona 
     transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the 
     United States, the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate 
     and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
                                  ____

       POM-249. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Colorado concerning restoring the presumption of service 
     connection for Agent Orange exposure for United States 
     Vietnam veterans through the ``Blue Water Navy Vietnam 
     Veterans Act of 2015''; to the Committee on Veterans'' 
     Affairs.

                        Senate Resolution 16-002

       Whereas, During the Vietnam War, the United States military 
     sprayed approximately 22 million gallons of Agent Orange and 
     other herbicides over the Republic of 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 to a 
     number of serious and disabling illnesses affecting thousands 
     of veterans; and
       Whereas, The United States Congress passed the federal 
     ``Agent Orange Act of 1991'' to address the plight of 
     veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in the Republic 
     of Vietnam, which 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, Presumptive status provides expedited claims 
     processing for 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, prostate cancer, Parkinson's Disease, 
     multiple myeloma, peripheral neuropathy, AL amyloidosis, 
     respiratory cancers, soft tissue carcinomas, and other 
     diseases yet to be identified; and
       Whereas, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs 
     Claims Adjudication Manual, more commonly known as the M21-1 
     Manual, originally allowed the presumption to be extended to 
     all veterans who had received the Vietnam Service Medal; and
       Whereas, In a February 2002 revision to the M21-1 Manual, 
     the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) added a 
     requirement that the veteran prove that he or she had set 
     foot on the land or entered an internal river or stream, 
     which means that since 2002 the VA has denied the presumption 
     of a service connection for herbicide-related illnesses to 
     Vietnam veterans who served in the waters off of the 
     Vietnamese coast or in bays and harbors and who cannot 
     furnish documentation that they had ``boots on the ground'' 
     in-country, making it virtually impossible for countless 
     United States Navy and Marine veterans to acquire VA 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, Personnel who served on ships in the ``Blue Water 
     Navy'' in Vietnamese territorial waters were, in fact, 
     exposed to dangerous airborne and waterborne toxins that did 
     not merely drift offshore in the air, 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 a 
     2002 Australian study found that the distillation process, 
     rather than removing toxins, concentrated and enhanced 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 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 
     when the United States Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention studied specific cancers among Vietnam veterans, 
     it, too, found a higher incidence of certain cancers among 
     United States Navy veterans; and
       Whereas, Additional studies, including those conducted by 
     the Institute of Medicine, show plausible pathways for Agent 
     Orange to have entered the South China Sea via contaminated 
     dirt and debris from rivers and streams; and
       Whereas, The 2009 ``Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to 
     Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to 
     Herbicides (Seventh Biennial Update)'' recommended that 
     veterans who served on ships off the coast of the Republic of 
     Vietnam not be excluded from the presumption of exposure; and
       Whereas, Herbicides containing TCDD/dioxin did not 
     discriminate between soldiers on the ground and sailors on 
     ships offshore; and
       Whereas, House Resolution 969 and identical companion bill 
     Senate 681, the ``Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 
     2015'', were introduced, respectively, in the U.S. House of 
     Representatives on March 6, 2015, by Representative 
     Christopher Gibson, and on March 19, 2015, by Senator Kirsten 
     Gillibrand in the U.S. Senate; and
       Whereas, More than 30 national veterans service 
     organizations support the Congressional House and Senate 
     legislation entitled ``Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act 
     of 2015''; and
       Whereas, Various agencies of the federal government have 
     recently demonstrated awareness of the hazards of Agent 
     Orange exposure through participation and funding of 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 
     by directing the United States Department of Veterans Affairs 
     to properly administer the federal ``Agent Orange Act of 
     1991'' and by passing House Resolution 969 and identical 
     companion bill Senate 681, the ``Blue Water Navy Vietnam 
     Veterans Act of 2015'', under the presumption that herbicide 
     exposure in the Republic of Vietnam includes service on the 
     offshore waters; now, therefore,
       Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General 
     Assembly of the State of Colorado:
       That we, the members of the Senate of the Colorado General 
     Assembly, hereby respectfully encourage the United States 
     Congress to restore the presumption of service connection for 
     Agent Orange exposure to United States veterans who served on 
     the waters off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam; and
       Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be 
     sent to President Barack Obama; Vice President and President 
     of the Senate Joe Biden; Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives Paul Ryan; Chairman of the Subcommittee on 
     Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs in the House of 
     Representatives; Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans 
     Affairs; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans 
     Affairs; and to each member of the Colorado Congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-250. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Hawaii urging the United States Congress to 
     amend federal law to allow funds for the burial of qualified 
     Filipino-American veterans in national and state veterans 
     cemeteries to cover the costs of transporting the remains of 
     Filipino-American veterans of World War II to the Philippines 
     and for funeral and burial services in the Philippines; to 
     the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 23

       Whereas, during World War II, the Philippines was a 
     Commonwealth of the United

[[Page 14537]]

     States, and, for four years, nearly 100,000 soldiers of the 
     Philippine Commonwealth Army fought alongside the United 
     States and Allied forces to defend and reclaim the Philippine 
     Islands from foreign aggression; and
       Whereas, these valiant Filipino soldiers fought, suffered, 
     and died in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II, 
     defending beleaguered Bataan and Corregidor, and thousands of 
     them became prisoners of war, enduring the infamous Bataan 
     Death March and years of captivity; and
       Whereas, the sacrifices of these Filipino soldiers played a 
     vital role in the Allied victory in the Pacific as their 
     numerous guerrilla actions provided United States forces with 
     time to build and prepare for the Allied counterattack; and
       Whereas, these Filipino soldiers fought side-by-side with 
     United States forces to secure their island nation as the 
     strategic base from which the final effort by Allied forces 
     to bring an end to World War II was launched; and
       Whereas, the United States promised these Filipino soldiers 
     pay and benefits for their military service under the United 
     States Armed Forces and for their oath of allegiance to the 
     Constitution of the United States; however, soon after the 
     war ended, legislation was passed that wrongfully took away 
     the benefits and recognition they had earned; and
       Whereas, because these World War II veterans had suffered a 
     great wrong, and recognizing that for those with family in 
     the Philippines the return of their remains to the 
     Philippines is a profound and fervent wish, the Legislature 
     in 2003 enacted Act 101, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, 
     requiring the Office of Veterans' Services to pay up to 
     $2,500 for the transport of their remains to the Philippines 
     and funeral and burial services in the Philippines; and
       Whereas, funding, however, has not been provided to fulfill 
     this statutory requirement; and
       Whereas, in the early 2000s, the United States also enacted 
     legislation requiring the Veterans Administration to pay the 
     full cost of burials at national and state veterans 
     cemeteries to the survivors of these World War II veterans; 
     however, this legislation failed to address coverage of the 
     costs of transport to and services in the Philippines to be 
     with their loved ones; and
       Whereas, though many years have transpired since World War 
     II, the words of United States President Harry S. Truman in 
     1946 remain the honest truth: ``I consider it a moral 
     obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of 
     Philippine Army veterans.''; and
       Whereas, for the small number of World War II Filipino-
     American veterans who are still living, this moral obligation 
     of the United States should extend to fulfilling their wish 
     for a resting place in the Philippines among their loved 
     ones, for this is an entitlement that they have clearly 
     sacrificed for and earned; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, By the House of Representatives of the Twenty-
     eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 
     2016, the Senate concurring, that Congress is urged to amend 
     federal law to allow funds for the burial of qualified 
     Filipino-American veterans in national and state cemeteries 
     to cover the costs of transporting the remains of eligible 
     Filipino-American veterans of World War II to the Philippines 
     and for funeral and burial services in the Philippines; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That certified copies of this Concurrent 
     Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United 
     States, Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, President of the United States Senate, 
     Hawaii's Congressional delegation, and the Director of the 
     Office of Veterans' Services.
                                  ____

       POM-251. A concurrent memorial adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Arizona urging the United States Congress to 
     adopt legislation similar to the Toxic Exposure Research Act 
     of 2015; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                     House Concurrent Memorial 2006

       Whereas, thousands of veterans have been exposed to Agent 
     Orange and other chemical agents during the course of their 
     service to the United States; and
       Whereas, today, many of the children and grandchildren of 
     veterans are suffering serious health issues that are related 
     to the veterans' exposure to chemical agents; and
       Whereas, the people of the United States owe it to their 
     veterans to better understand the impacts of these exposures 
     in order to guarantee that the children and grandchildren of 
     veterans receive appropriate treatment; and
       Whereas, the full effects of exposure to dangerous 
     chemicals such as Agent Orange is still unknown, and a 
     national research center is needed to further study the 
     impact these exposures have on veterans, their children and 
     their grandchildren; and
       Whereas, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 is a 
     critical step in protecting the veterans of the United 
     States.
       Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of 
     the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
       1. That the United States Congress adopt legislation 
     similar to H.R. 1769 and S. 901, the Toxic Exposure Research 
     Act of 2015, that would establish in the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for research 
     on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the 
     descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during 
     service in the armed forces of the United States that are 
     related to that exposure.
       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-252. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to immigration; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-253. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas 
     relative to refugees; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
       POM-254. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of Guam 
     expressing unequivocal support for the United Nations World 
     Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 
     (WHO-FCTC) in its efforts to address the global tobacco 
     epidemic; requesting that the President of the United States 
     support the WHO-FCTC, and submit it to the United States 
     Senate for ratification; and requesting that the United 
     States Senate ratify the WHO-FCTC; to the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations.

                          ____________________