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 Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S4489-S4490 on March 23, 1995.
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-35. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of West Virginia; ordered to lie on the table.
``Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 16
``Whereas, the constitution of the United States of America is the most perfect example of a contract between a people and their government; and
``Whereas, the congress of the United States is currently considering an amendment to the constitution, known as the
``Balanced Budget Amendment''; and
``Whereas, the House of Representatives has already approved its version of such a balanced budget amendment; and
``Whereas, the House of Representatives approved its version without obtaining a projection of how it would be implemented; and
``Whereas, the House of Representatives rejected a version of the balanced budget amendment, offered by Representative Bob Wise of West Virginia, that would have protected against cuts in social security and would have allowed for both a capital and operating budget; and
``Whereas, the proposal for a balanced budget amendment is now under active consideration in the United States Senate; and
``Whereas, United States Senators Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia have called for a `right to know' provision so that the senators would know before they vote how a balanced budget would be achieved; and
``Whereas, the treasury department of the United States has projected that a balanced budget amendment implemented by across-the-board cuts would reduce federal grants to West Virginia state government by $765 million, requiring the Legislature to increase state taxes to compensate for such losses or eliminate the programs and services currently provided to our citizens by federal funds; and
``Whereas, many citizens of West Virginia would likely suffer from cuts imposed to meet the requirements of the proposed balanced budget amendment, including thousands of our citizens who receive social security, veterans benefits, medicare, medicaid and other essential benefits; and
``Whereas, through the efforts of Senator Robert C. Byrd and other members of our congressional delegation appropriations have been made for numerous projects in West Virginia, including completion of the Appalachian corridor highway system, relocation of the federal bureau of investigation center
[[Page S4490]] to West Virginia and a myriad of other projects; and
``Whereas, these benefits and projects are vital to the economic development and well being of the people of our state and deserve to be protected if the constitution is amended to require a balanced budget; and
``Whereas, West Virginia receives $1.45 in federal benefits for each dollar in federal taxes; and
``Whereas, on a per capita basis, each man, woman and child receives approximately $2,000 more in benefits from the federal government that he or she pays in federal taxes; and
``Whereas, a proposal to balance the federal budget by returning the programs to the states would mean that West Virginia would be required to either raise its taxes by
$2,000 dollars for each man, woman and child or eliminate the programs and services currently provided to our citizens by federal funds; and
``Whereas, the balanced budget amendment would be submitted to the Legislature for ratification if approved by the congress; and
``Whereas, this Legislature will be unable to establish its own budget without knowing what reductions will be made by the congress to effect the balanced budget amendment; and
``Whereas, this Legislature therefore has a right to know what effect the proposed balanced budget amendment would have on state government, but more importantly, on the people of our state; Now, therefore, be it
``Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, That the Legislature recognize that a balanced federal budget is a desirable objective; and, be it
``Further resolved, That the Legislature commends the president and the congress for their efforts toward this objective by supporting and enacting legislation that will result in the reduction of the federal deficit for three years in a row; and, be it
``Further resolved, That the Legislature will be asked to vote for ratification of a balanced budget amendment to the constitution if such a measure is submitted to the states by the congress; and, be it
``Further resolved, That the Legislature, acting on behalf of the citizens of West Virginia in deciding whether to ratify such an amendment, is entitled to be fully informed of its consequences on our people; and, be it
``Further resolved, That the congress is hereby urged to submit such an amendment to the states for ratification only if congress provides a detailed projection of what reductions will be made in the federal budget and how these will affect the government and people of West Virginia, including but not limited to, the effect on social security benefits, veterans benefits, medicare, medicaid, education, highway moneys, including completion of the Appalachian corridor system, and other programs necessary for the health and well-being of the people of our state; and, be it
``Further resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the president of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and each member of the West Virginia congressional delegation.''
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POM--36. A resolution adopted by the Cooperative Agricultural Bargaining and Marketing Associations relative to the USDA; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
POM--37. A resolution adopted by the Agricultural Bargaining Council relative to the USDA; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
POM--38. a resolution adopted by the Senate of the Legislature of the State of California; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Senate Resolution No. 9
``Whereas, the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced in the Federal Register on November 15, 1994, that the government of Mexico has requested that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) allows the importation into certain areas of the United States of fresh Hass avocado fruit grown in approved orchards in approved municipalities in Michoacan, Mexico; and
``Whereas, in response, APHIS has held two public meetings, one in Florida and one in California, for the purpose of receiving public comment prior to deciding whether to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would allow the importation of avocados as requested by the Mexican government; and
``Whereas, the request of the Mexican government would require that the USDA substantially modify its current policy relating to pest quarantine, which has served to protect United States agriculture from the threat of pest infestation by the full array of injurious pest species known to exist in Mexico; and
``Whereas, the negative economic impact resulting from the presence of these exotic pests in California would be devastating to a wide spectrum of California agriculture, including apples, apricots, avocados, citrus, and pears; and
``Whereas, a programmatic environmental impact report prepared by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in June 1993, states that a Mexican fruitfly infestation in California would cause increased cost to the private sector totaling $124.4 million and lead to the use of as much as 5,560,000 pounds of pesticide; and
``Whereas, an eradication of a fruitfly infestation often requires intensive ground and aerial spraying of urban areas; and
``Whereas, in 1989, Mediterranean fruitfly, melon fruitfly, and oriental fruitfly cost the agricultural industry $300 million in lost markets and $5.4 million in damaged produce and postharvest treatments; and
``Whereas, California and the federal government have spent more than $500 million since 1975 in their continuing effort to eradicate exotic pests in California; and
``Whereas, California has recently announced that pest discoveries increased 195 percent over 1993, and there is a significant increase in prohibited fruit discoveries in violation of domestic quarantines; and
``Whereas, the USDA announced in July 1994, that it had imposed a hiring freeze; and
``Whereas, the scientific data submitted by Mexico--a research study and pest survey data--to support its request--lacks scientific integrity and ignores the fact that virtually every quarantine pest known to infest Hass avocados has been detected during border interceptions at El Paso, Texas; and
``Whereas, these quarantine pests are the same species that Mexico claims to have eradicated in Michoacan and are the very ones upon which the current USDA pest quarantine is based; and
``Whereas, the proposed modification of the USDA pest quarantine makes no provision for costs incurred by federal and state governments and by the California agricultural industry if a pest infestation occurs as a result of a modified quarantine; now, therefore, be it
``Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the request by the Mexican government that the United States permit the importation of fresh Hass avocado fruit grown in Michoacan, Mexico into this country be denied due to a lack of valid scientific data; and be it further
``Resolved, That the USDA consider no further proposals of this nature unless the request contains all of the following:
(1) baseline information on the seasonal abundance, geographical distribution, and biology of all of the quarantine pests known to infest Mexican avocados, and a declaration that that information has been collected and analyzed by scientists representing the USDA and Mexican and Californian agricultural interests; (2) laboratory and field studies that conclusively establish the host susceptibility of Hass avocados to fruitfly infestation through scientifically credible and reproducible data; (3) an identification of definite areas and districts free from injurious, quarantined pests known to attack Hass avocados;
(4) a showing that scientifically valid pest surveys have been conducted in these definite areas over a minimum period of 12 months with oversight by the USDA, the Mexican government, and private sector entomologists and that those survey results are negative; and (5) proof that the Mexican government has adopted and enforced regulations that will prevent the introduction of quarantined pests into any of the designated areas that form the pest-free zones; and be it further
``Resolved, That the burden of alleviating risks associated with the shipment of pest infested Mexican avocados into the United States should remain with Mexico and the United States should not assume this burden; 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 each Senator and Representative from California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas in the Congress of the United States, and to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture.''
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