The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S12764-S12766 on Nov. 14, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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-212. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of California relative to the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' military policy; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 11
Whereas, Since the 1994 codification into law by the United States Congress, and by the signature of the President, the policy now known as ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass'' (National Defense Authorization Act of 1994
(Public Law 103-160)) has led to the discharge of a great number of lesbian and gay service members, thus ending their careers and burdening them with a lifelong stigma; and
Whereas, The capacity of the Armed Forces of the United States to carry out its missions, like the Global War on Terror, is hindered when competent and qualified individuals are involuntarily discharged from those forces; and
Whereas, The Armed Forces of the United States have been forced to retain Reserve and National Guard service members on active duty past standard deployment lengths in order to carry out its missions during the Global War on Terror; and
Whereas, The ability of the Armed Forces to recruit and retain the best and brightest Americans is hindered by excluding a section of the population solely because of sexual orientation; and
Whereas, Lesbian and gay service members have served honorably throughout United States history and continue to serve with distinction on active duty in the Global War on Terror, including in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq; and
Whereas, These men and women have achieved military honors, decorations, and promotions to the highest ranks of their respective services for their valor and service to the people of the United States; and
Whereas, America's allies in the war on terror, like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Israel, all allow lesbian and gay service members to serve openly; and
Whereas, The Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other federal departments handling national security allow their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender personnel to serve openly; and
Whereas, A February 2005 Government Accountability Office report shows that more than 9,488 service members have been discharged under the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy, including at least 757 service members in ``critical occupations,'' such as counterintelligence experts, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $190 million; and
Whereas, The Department of Defense reported that 209 language specialists have been discharged from the military under the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy, including 54 Arabic and 9 Farsi translators, vitally important positions to intelligence gathering and in critical shortage; and
Whereas, Evidence from a study conducted by the Center for the Study Of Sexual Minorities in the Military suggests that the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy increases gay troops' stress levels, lowers their morale, impairs their ability to form trusting bonds with their peers, restricts their access to medical care, psychological services and religious consultations, and limits their ability to advance professionally and their willingness to join and remain in the services; and
Whereas, Every Department of Defense authorized study has shown that there is no correlation between sexual orientation and unit cohesion in the Armed Forces; and
Whereas, The majority of American citizens support keeping trained and skilled openly gay and lesbian service members in the military; and
Whereas, The United States military's readiness to protect and defend our nation is severely compromised because of the discriminatory ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy that is arbitrarily enforced by commanders whose personal beliefs may influence their disciplinary actions; and
Whereas, Discharges under ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' are historically fewer when troop strength is low, as in times of war, which denotes the tacit recognition by the military that lesbian and gay service members are fit and capable of military service, thereby further illustrating the arbitrary enforcement of this policy; and
Whereas, California has 26 military bases which are home to tens of thousands of military personnel and their families, and, according to a 2004 Urban Institute study, an estimated 137,000 lesbian and gay veterans live in California; and
Whereas, The Legislature and courts of the State of California have extended protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity that affirm the equality under the law of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens in order to prevent invidious discrimination; and
Whereas, In 2004 the California Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, legislation that protects nonfederally recognized personnel in the California State Military from the threat of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell''; and
Whereas, Military readiness is enhanced when every qualified, capable American, regardless of sexual orientation, is welcomed into our Armed Forces and has their talents utilized in the best interest of our national security; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California respectfully urge the President and the Congress of the United States to adopt the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2005 (H.R. 1059) to end the discriminatory federal policy of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell''; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, to each Senator and Representative in the Congress of the United States, and to the presiding officer of each house of each state legislature of the several states.
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POM-213. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Michigan relative to expressing opposition to the study and construction of an international border crossing in the Downriver area; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Senate Resolution No. 57
Whereas, The Detroit-Windsor and Port Huron-Sarnia border crossings of Southeast Michigan/Southwest Ontario are the busiest international crossings in North America, representing nearly 50 percent of the traffic volume crossing the United States/Canadian border. In 2000, American trade with Ontario reached $243 billion, which is larger than the total U.S. trade with Japan; and
Whereas, More than 75,000 vehicles use the Southeast Michigan/Southwest Ontario border crossings each day. Traffic at the Michigan and Canadian ports of entry has grown 44 percent from 19.7 million vehicles in 1990 to 28.4 million vehicles in 2000. Truck traffic at these ports has more than doubled from 2.5 million vehicles in 1990 to 5.1 million in 2000. Over the next thirty years, the cross-border traffic along the Detroit-Windsor corridor is projected to increase 40 percent in car traffic and 120 percent in truck traffic. This corresponds to an increase in daily cross-border car trips from 52,000 to 70,000 and an increase in daily cross-border truck trips from 13,000 to 28,000; and
Whereas, The Canada-US-Ontario-Michigan Border Transportation Partnership is conducting a Planning/Need and Feasibility Study to examine existing and future cross-border transportation problems and opportunities within the Southeast Michigan and Southwest Ontario region. In June 2005, the partnership proposed several international crossing alternatives that address these identified transportation problems and opportunities. Each alternative would involve massive reconfiguration to either the I-275 or I-75 interchange area and significant expansion of either King Road, Pennsylvania Road, or Eureka Road to connect the proposed interchange areas to the river crossing plazas; and
Whereas, The Detroit River International Crossing Study proposes 12 river crossing plazas along the riverfront from Belle Isle to Grosse Ile. Four of the proposed plazas are located in the Downriver area. The first plaza consists of 173 acres located on the northeast corner of Fort Street and King Road in Trenton near the McLouth Steel property. The second proposed plaza is located in Trenton on the east side of Jefferson Avenue, north of King Road, on 217 acres owned by McLouth Steel. The third proposed plaza consists of 85 acres located at the Atofina Chemical Company, located south of Pennsylvania Road, west of Longsdorf Street in Riverview. The fourth proposed Downriver plaza is located at the Atofina Chemical Company on 85 acres located off Pennsylvania Road, east of Biddle Avenue, and south of Wyandotte Shores Golf Club in Wyandotte; and
Whereas, The reconfiguration of an interchange, the expansion of major roadways, and the construction of a plaza will have adverse effects on the quality of life in Downriver's 19 cities and townships. In particular, these wholesale transportation-related transformations will lead to plummeting property values that will have a devastating financial impact on the whole of Wayne County, particularly public schools. These changes will bring about excessive traffic-related noise that may have to be mitigated by the erection of intrusive noise barriers, thereby eroding community aesthetics and fueling negative public perception; and
Whereas, These transportation-related changes will also result in increased passenger vehicle and truck traffic. Residents near the recommended bridge plaza will face unacceptable health risks from the degraded local air quality caused by heavy-duty truck exhaust emissions. Heavy-duty trucks burn diesel fuel and are major emitters of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Nitrogen oxides emitted by on-road vehicles are a major contributor to high ozone levels in Southeast Michigan. The Downriver area will incur significant costs just to control emissions from current vehicle traffic in order to attain the federal ozone standard. Fine particulate matter emitted by diesel and gasoline engines is implicated as the cause of premature death in persons with cardiac and/or respiratory ailments after short-term exposure as well as being linked to an increased risk of lung cancer following long-term exposure; and
Whereas, The partnership also proposes the construction of one of three alternative bridges connecting the river crossing plazas to Ontario via Grosse Ile. Anyone of the alternative bridges would produce intolerable traffic noise that could not be mitigated by noise barriers, vegetation, buffer zones, or any other noise abatement method. The proposed King Road plazas bridge would span Grosse Ile along Horse Mill road, with an attendant plaza facility near Church and East River Roads. This proposed facility would either destroy or have a decidedly negative impact on hundreds of privately-owned residences, a Presbyterian Church and cemetery, a Roman Catholic Church and cemetery, sensitive wetlands, marshes, woods and transitional prairies, and a number of locations on the Michigan Register of Historic Sites. The proposed facility would also obliterate the historical landing site of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who camped on Grosse Ile more than 300 years ago before proceeding upriver to settle modern-day Detroit. The two proposed Pennsylvania Road plaza bridges would extend over Hennepin Point, located on the northern end of Grosse Ile. Any one of the proposed bridges will pose significant problems for pilots flying out of Grosse Ile Municipal Airport; endanger the 27 species of waterfowl, 17 species of raptors (eagles, hawks, and falcons), 48 species of nonraptors (loons, warblers, neotropical songbirds, cranes, and shore birds); and bring peril to numerous species of dragonflies and butterflies that migrate to the Grosse Ile coastal wetlands; and
Whereas, The construction of an international bridge crossing in the Downriver area will have a detrimental impact on the Detroit River, the first river to be designated a bi-national Heritage River and an International Wildlife Refuge. As such, the river's marshes, coastal wetlands, islands, shoals, and other natural features are to be preserved and restored to protect wildlife habitat. The Detroit River is also a primary source of drinking water for Wayne County. This is important because an international bridge crossing may involve the dredging of the Black Lagoon, which is directly downstream from the McLouth Steel property. Sediments in this area have been well documented to contain high levels of mercury, PCBs, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, zinc, oils, and grease, substances that are known to be hazardous to humans, wildlife, and aquatic species. Lead contamination levels in this vicinity also exceed human contact standards. Moreover, the construction of an international bridge will have injurious consequences on the small streams, ponds, and other sensitive ecosystems of the Downriver watershed caused by road salt runoff. Road deicing salts are contributing to the gradual salinization of the Detroit River and area groundwater supplies; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we express opposition to the study and construction of an international border crossing in the Downriver area; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Governor, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
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POM-214. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of California relative to stem cell research; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 17
Whereas, An estimated 128 million Americans suffer from the crippling economic and psychological burden of chronic, degenerative, and acute diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; and,
Whereas, Chronic, degenerative, and acute disease result in extreme human loss and suffering for those who suffer from them and their families and caregivers, and result in hundreds of billions of dollars annually in medical treatment and lost productivity costs; and
Whereas, Stem cell research offers immense promise for developing new medical therapies for these debilitating diseases and a critical means to explore fundamental questions of biology and could lead to improved treatments and potential cures for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, burns, cancer, heart disease, and other diseases; and
Whereas, The United States has historically taken a leading role in funding biomedical research and has been a haven for open scientific inquiry and technological innovation, and, as a result, is the preeminent world leader in biomedicine and biotechnology; and
Whereas; On August 9, 2001, the President adopted a policy that restricts federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to a limited number of embryonic stem cell lines that were in existence as of that time, and subsequent research has found those existing stem cell lines to be significantly limited in their ability to support stem cell research; and
Whereas, The United States House of Representatives has twice passed legislation to prohibit some forms of stem cell research, but voted on May 24, 2005, to allow federal funding for stem cell research using excess embryos from fertility clinics; and
Whereas, California voters approved Proposition 71 in November 2004, which will provide $3 billion over 10 years for stem cell research in California; and
Whereas. The Legislature has enacted legislation declaring that research involving the derivation and use of human stem cells, human embryonic germ cells, and human adult stem cells from any source, including somatic cell nuclear transplantation, shall be permitted in California, calling for the development of ethical guidelines for stem cell research, and prohibiting human cloning; and
Whereas, In 2005, the National Academy of Sciences issued guidelines for conducting human embryonic stem cell research in an ethical and responsible manner; and
Whereas, Similar guidelines are being developed by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the State Department of Health Services; 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 hereby memorializes Congress and the President of the United States to: (1) lift restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research; (2) not impair the ability of researchers to conduct stem cell research applications that hold promise for developing therapies for treating and curing chronic diseases; (3) develop ethical guidelines for federally funded stem cell research; and (4) prohibit human cloning; 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, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
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POM-215. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania relative to the Low- Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Whereas, The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) was established by Congress as a federally funded program providing energy assistance to low-income persons for heating their homes; and
Whereas, Many Pennsylvanians received these energy assistance grants for several years; and
Whereas, Natural gas, electric and home heating oil prices have risen steadily over the past several years and are predicted to be even higher for this winter; and
Whereas, Home heating oil prices are predicted to increase by 52%; and
Whereas, Natural gas prices are predicted to increase by 36% or higher; and
Whereas, The Federal allocation for LIHEAP has remained at
$2 billion for years; and
Whereas, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will receive $120 million, the same amount it received last year; and
Whereas, More than 70% of eligible residential customers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are not able to receive assistance due to lack of funding; and
Whereas, Some increases in home heating prices is due to devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and
Whereas, While the Gulf Coast states were directly struck by Hurricane Katrina and Rita, northeastern states have felt the impact of the storms through a sharp increase in natural gas, electric and home heating oil costs; and
Whereas, Gas companies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania receive 80% of their natural gas supply from the Gulf Coast suppliers; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize Congress to appropriate supplemental LIHEAP funds as part of any disaster relief legislation to assist those states which will be impacted by higher prices and shortages in the midst of a predicted harsh winter; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Clerk of the United States Senate and the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
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POM-216. A resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of South Charleston, West Virginia relative to the withdrawal of troops from Iraq; to the Committee on Armed Services.
POM-217. A resolution adopted by the California State Lands Commission relative to opposing lifting of the Federal Moratorium on Oil and Gas Leasing off the California Coast; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
POM-218. A resolution adopted by the Jefferson Davis Parish Police Jury of the State of Louisiana relative to temporarily removing the embargo restrictions on Cuba; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
POM-219. A resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles of the State of California relative to supporting House Resolution 316 and House Concurrent Resolution 195 which relate to the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
POM-220. A resolution adopted by the Township Council, Township of South Brunswick, State of New Jersey relative to expressing disapproval of those sections of the Patriot Act that may infringe upon fundamental civil rights; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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