July 29, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 134 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 134
(Senate - July 29, 2020)
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[Pages S4581-S4585] From the Congressional Record Online through the 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-217. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of Louisiana urging the United States Congress and the Louisiana congressional delegation to remove the revenue sharing cap on the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) of 2006 for Gulf producing states and to take such actions as are necessary to rectify the federal revenue sharing inequities between coastal and interior energy producing states; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. House Concurrent Resolution No. 11 Whereas, many of the energy resources enjoyed by the entire United States are dependent upon the health of Gulf Coast ecosystems which provide access to those resources and related infrastructure and protection for communities that house its workforce; and Whereas, Louisiana is home to thirty percent of the nation's wetlands and ninety percent of its wetlands loss, a crisis that impacts communities, ecosystems, and the very economic engines that contribute to the nation's energy security; and Whereas, under the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920, fifty percent of the mineral revenues generated from federal lands onshore are shared with the host state to offset impacts of the federal mineral development; this includes royalties, severance taxes, and bonuses, all under no cap: and Whereas, under GOMESA. Gulf producing states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, share only thirty-seven and one half percent of the mineral revenues generated by oil and gas production from active leases since 2006 in federal waters and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and Whereas, currently annual GOMESA revenues for Gulf producing states are capped at three hundred seventy-five million dollars per year, apportioned to the mineral activity supported by each Gulf state; and Whereas, according to the most recent data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), Louisiana, within its territorial boundaries, is the ninth largest producer of oil in the United States, but it is the second largest oil producer in the country if oil production from adjacent federal waters is included; and Whereas, according to the most recent data from the EIA, Louisiana, within its territorial boundaries, is the fourth largest producer of gas in the United States, but it is the second largest gas producer in the country if gas production from adjacent federal waters is included; and Whereas, Louisiana contributes to the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve with two facilities located in the state consisting of twenty-nine caverns capable of holding nearly three hundred million barrels of crude oil; and Whereas, with a number of onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and others [[Page S4582]] already permitted, more LNG facilities than any other state in the country, and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the nation's only deepwater oil port, Louisiana plays an essential role in the movement of natural gas and crude oil from the United States Gulf Coast region to markets throughout the country and the world; and Whereas, the majority of the oil and gas production from the Gulf of Mexico enters the United States through coastal Louisiana with all of the infrastructure necessary to receive and transport such production; and Whereas, because Louisiana is losing more coastal wetlands than any other state in the country, in 2006 the people of Louisiana overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment dedicating revenues received from OCS oil and gas activity through GOMESA to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund for the purposes of coastal protection, including conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure directly impacted by coastal wetland losses; and Whereas, the state of Louisiana has developed, through a science-based and stakeholder-involved process, a ``Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast'' which identifies and prioritizes the most efficient and effective projects in order to meet the state's critical coastal protection and restoration needs and has received many accolades from the country's scientific community; and Whereas, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is making great progress implementing the projects contained in the ``Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast'' with all available funding, projects that are essential to the protection of the infrastructure that is critical to the energy needs of the United States; and Whereas, for the state of Louisiana and our coastal parishes, the GOMESA revenue stream is a critical recurring source of revenue that allows our state and coastal parishes to address our coastal protection and restoration needs to support our working coast. Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress and the Louisiana congressional delegation to remove the revenue sharing cap on the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 for Gulf producing states and to take such actions as are necessary to rectify the federal revenue sharing inequities between coastal and interior energy producing states. 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-218. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of Louisiana urging the United States Congress and the Louisiana congressional delegation to take such actions as are necessary to clarify and provide guidance regarding the ability of freshwater fisherman or fishery- related businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to receive assistance funding from CARES Act dollars; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. House Concurrent Resolution No. 16 Whereas, three hundred million dollars in fisheries assistance funding has been provided by Section 12005 of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: and Whereas, the United States Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, has allocated fourteen million seven hundred eighty-five thousand two hundred forty-four dollars with the specific purpose of assisting Louisiana commercial fishermen, charter businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, subsistence users, processors, and other fishery-related businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through direct aid payments; and Whereas, the United States Department of Commerce's determination has limited qualified applicants to those who participate in various sectors of coastal and marine fisheries, thereby precluding eligibility for freshwater fisheries; and Whereas, Louisiana has thousands of commercially licensed freshwater fishermen; and Whereas, in 2019 the freshwater fisheries harvest, including wild caught crawfish, accounted for a dockside value of nearly twenty million dollars, illustrating how vital freshwater fisheries are to the people and the economy of Louisiana; and Whereas, the full scale of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on freshwater fisheries has not yet been determined; however, these fisheries have been directly impacted; and Whereas, the impacts to freshwater fisheries and other Louisiana fisheries participants result in individuals who would benefit greatly from a direct payment program; and Whereas, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with developing programs to expend these funds; and Whereas, the Legislature of Louisiana supports the development of direct payment programs to industry participants: Therefore be it Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress and the Louisiana congressional delegation to take such actions as are necessary to clarify and provide guidance regarding the ability of freshwater fishermen or fishery-related businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to receive assistance funding from CARES Act dollars; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation. ____ POM-219. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of Louisiana urging the United States Congress to extend certifications for an 8(a) business by one additional year if the business was certified by January 1, 2020; to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 22 Whereas, the 8(a) Business Development Program (program) is a business assistance program that exists to level the playing field for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people or entities; and Whereas, the program offers a broad scope of assistance to businesses that are at least fifty-one percent owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals whose personal net worth is two hundred fifty thousand dollars or less, and who own four million dollars or less in assets; and Whereas, the 8(a) program is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream or American society and helps thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs to gain a foothold in government contracting; and Whereas, beginning as early as March 11, 2020, many states declared a public health emergency as a result of the imminent threat posed by the outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus known commonly as COVID-19; and Whereas, the Centers for Disease Control suggested aggressive measures for limiting the possible interaction of the public with individuals who are exposed to or test positive for the virus; and Whereas, the response by many states to the contagion of COVID-19 required a large scale disruption of the state economies as many businesses were closed in order to protect the public health and to prevent a spike in demand for health care services that would have overwhelmed the capacity of the health care system to provide services; and Whereas, a participant in the certified 8(a) Business Development Program receives a program term of nine years from the date of the Small Business Administration's approval letter certifying admission to the program, including four years in the developmental stage and five years in the transitional stage; and Whereas, efforts to slow or disrupt the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the temporary closure of many 8(a) certified businesses; and Whereas, temporary closures of 8(a) certified businesses may have prevented these businesses from reaching the program goal of maintaining a balance between their commercial and government business, and this may result in poor performance reviews, incomplete business planning, and unfair evaluations due to the unforeseen and unavoidable consequences of COVID- 19: Therefore be it Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes the Congress of the United States to extend certifications for 8(a) businesses for one additional year beyond the requisite nine-year term, thereby allowing those 8(a) certified businesses that are in the first four years of certification to remain in the developmental stage an additional year if the business was certified before January 1, 2020, and similarly, the 8(a) certified businesses currently in the five-year transitional stage would be extended by one additional year; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States Congress. ____ POM-220. A joint resolution adopted by the legislature of the State of Colorado urging the Department of Defense to permanently base the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) in Colorado; to the Committee on Armed Services. Senate Joint Resolution No. 20-018 Whereas, Our nation and the world have significantly benefitted from technological and scientific advances resulting from space exploration and aerospace activities, and Colorado is paving the way for new discoveries in the frontiers of space by having a rich history in aerospace development and being at the forefront of space travel, exploration, and aerospace research; and Whereas, Colorado is ranked number one in the country for aerospace employment with a strategically located aerospace center of excellence with over 30,000 Coloradans directly employed in aerospace and a payroll exceeding $3.9 billion; an aerospace cluster that supports more than 190,000 jobs; and 7.5 percent of Colorado's labor income derived from Department of Defense (DoD) employment, and 6.5 percent of the state's gross state product that is DoD-related; and Whereas, Colorado is a leader for business growth, with the number one economy in the [[Page S4583]] country in 2019 according to the U.S. News & World Report and ranked fourth in high-tech employment and fourth on the State Technology and Science Index, supporting Colorado's position as a top aerospace state economy and workforce; and Whereas, Colorado's aerospace industry is home to a broad range of companies that create products and systems for commercial, military, and civil space applications, such as spacecraft, launch vehicles, satellites, command and control software, sensors, and navigation operations. These companies include Ball Aerospace, Boeing, DigitalGlobe, Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Teledyne Brown Engineering, and United Launch Alliance, which make up the aerospace sector; and Whereas, Colorado is uniting global partners around the world to ensure space access for developing nations via the first planned United Nations space mission. Sierra Nevada Corporation, located in Louisville, Colorado, together with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, will use its Dream Chaser spacecraft to allow developing countries the opportunity to develop and fly microgravity payloads for an extended duration in orbit; and Whereas, Colorado has an existing educated workforce, ranked second in the nation with residents with a bachelor's degree or higher, and a pipeline of higher institutions to sustain future growth. We are home to the United States Air Force Academy and many colleges and universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Denver, Colorado Mesa University, and Fort Lewis College. Altogether, they provide access to world-class aerospace-related degrees and offer aerospace companies one of the country's most educated workforces; and Whereas, Colorado is home to some of the most prestigious research institutions, such as the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. It began in 1948, a decade before NASA, and is the world's only research institute to have sent instruments to all eight planets and to Pluto, combining all aspects of space exploration through science, engineering, mission operations, and scientific data analysis; and Whereas, Colorado is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, a world-leading center of predictions of the solar and near-Earth space environment and the nation's official source of watches, warnings, and alerts of incoming solar storms, using satellite observations to protect and save lives and property; and Whereas, Colorado is strategically located at the center of our national and space defense. We are the home to five key strategic military commands: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), United States Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) Missile Warning Center, the United States Air Force Space Command, and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command; and five military installations, including United States Air Force bases Buckley, Cheyenne Mountain, Peterson, and Schriever and Fort Carson Army base; and Whereas, The 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base provides operational command and control of three constellations of space-based infrared missile warning systems, has been defending America continuously since 1970, and is a critical part of global defense and national security; and Whereas, Colorado is already the center for United States military space operations and strategy. According to the Colorado Space Coalition (CSC), the state's military commands are the primary customers for space-based research, development, acquisitions, and operations, representing nearly 90 percent of space-related expenditure by the military. Moving the United States Space Command to any other location than Colorado will be incredibly disruptive to the National Defense Strategy. In addition, it will cause a major upheaval in existing infrastructure and jobs in the state, which will result in higher costs and less efficient outcomes for the United States military; and Whereas, Colorado leads the charge in bringing current and future global positioning system (GPS) assets to life, a service provided free to the world by Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs. From the operation of GPS satellites by Schriever Air Force Base to GPS III, the most powerful GPS satellite to date being designed and built by Lockheed Martin and launched by United Launch Alliance with Raytheon developing the command and control capabilities, and with companies such as Boeing, Harris Corporation, Braxton Technologies, and Infinity Systems Engineering also supporting GPS development and operations from locations in Colorado, our GPS technologies enable an integral part of our global economy to have an incalculable impact that has improved the everyday lives of billions of people around the world; and Whereas, Various organizations are key to Colorado's prominence in aerospace, such as the Colorado Space Coalition, a group of industry stakeholders working to make Colorado a center of excellence for aerospace; the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, working to bring together aerospace stakeholders from the industry, government, and academia for roundtable discussions and business development and to encourage grassroots citizen participation in aerospace issues; the Colorado chapter of Citizens for Space Exploration, whose mission is to promote better understanding of aerospace and its importance in our economy and daily lives, as well as to promote the importance of human space exploration; Manufacturer's Edge, a statewide manufacturing assistance center that encourages the strength and competitiveness of Colorado manufacturers by providing on- site technical assistance through coaching, training, and consulting, by providing collaboration-focused industry programs, and by leveraging government, university, and economic development partnerships; and the Space Foundation, founded in 1983, with its world headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which holds an annual Space Symposium, bringing together civil, commercial, and national security space leaders from around the world to discuss, address, and plan for the future of space: Now, therefore, Be it resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-second General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly: (1) Recognizing Colorado's unique blend of military installations and major commands, private aerospace companies, academic and research institutions, and government entities, and the valuable synergies this ecosystem produces, strongly urge the Department of Defense to keep the existing United States Space Combatant Command in Colorado; (2) Furthermore, we strongly urge the Department of Defense to permanently base the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) in Colorado, recognizing that Colorado provides the existing command structure, base infrastructure, and communications platforms necessary to successfully host additional national security initiatives and ensure coordination of efforts without committing restrictive additional funds; (3) Proudly express that Colorado has deep ties with the Department of Defense and immense patriotic commitment to providing for the nation's security and bolstering our defense; (4) Express our most sincere and deepest appreciation to our service members and civilian employees working in and supporting military and civilian aerospace companies, military installations, and civil organizations in Colorado; and (5) Hereby declare Colorado to be the prime location for USSPACECOM; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to President Donald J. Trump; Vice President Michael R. Pence; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer; Senator Michael Bennet; Senator Cory Gardner; Congresswoman Diana DeGette; Congressman Joe Neguse; Congressman Scott Tipton; Congressman Ken Buck; Congressman Doug Lamborn; Congressman Jason Crow; Congressman Ed Perlmutter; Jim Bridenstine, NASA Administrator; James W. Morhard, NASA Deputy Administrator; Steve Dickson, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator; Governor Jared Polis; Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera; Major General Michael A. Loh, The Adjutant General, Colorado National Guard; Wayne R. Monteith, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration; General John W. ``Jay'' Raymond, Air Force Space Commander; Colonel Jacob Middleton, USAF, Commander Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado; Betty Sapp, Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Ross Garelick Bell, Executive Director, Aerospace States Association; Thomas E. Zelibor, Chief Executive Officer, Space Foundation; Dr. Ronald Sega, Co-chair, Colorado Space Coalition; Michael Gass, Co-chair, Colorado Space Coalition; and Stacey DeFore, Chair, Colorado Citizens Space Exploration. ____ POM-221. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Colorado strongly urging and requesting the government of the United States of America to take action to preserve and enhance United States leadership in space, and declaring March 10, 2020, ``Colorado Aerospace Day''; to the Committee on the Judiciary. Senate Resolution No. 20-004 Whereas, Our nation and the world have significantly benefitted from technological and scientific advances resulting from space exploration and aerospace activities; and Whereas, Colorado is the number one state per capita in the country for private aerospace employment; and Whereas, There are 30,020 Coloradans who are directly employed in aerospace, with the aerospace cluster supporting nearly 200,000 jobs; and Whereas, Colorado is home to the nation's top aerospace companies, including Ball Aerospace, Boeing, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin Space, Maxar Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Teledyne Brown Engineering, and United Launch Alliance, and close to 500 additional companies that support the aerospace sector by providing services and developing products, including spacecraft, launch [[Page S4584]] vehicles, satellites, command and control software, sensors, and navigation operations; and Whereas, Colorado is a strategic location for national space and cyber activity, with five key military commands-- North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the United States Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) Missile Warning Center, the United States Space Command, and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command--and three space-related United States Air Force bases--Buckley, Peterson, and Schriever; and Whereas, The United States Air Force Academy, along with Colorado's colleges and universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Denver, Colorado Mesa University, and Fort Lewis College provides access to world-class aerospace- related degrees and offers aerospace companies one of the country's most educated workforces; and Whereas, Various organizations are key to Colorado's prominence in aerospace, such as the Colorado Space Coalition, a group of industry stakeholders working to grow and promote Colorado as a center of excellence for aerospace, and the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, an organization that works to convene stakeholders from industry, government, and academia to advance aerospace business and workforce opportunities throughout the state, that together form the Colorado chapter of the Aerospace States Association, a nonpartisan organization of Lieutenant Governors and associate members from aerospace organizations and academia who represent states' interests in federal aerospace and aviation policy development; the Colorado chapter of Citizens for Space Exploration, in partnership with the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, whose mission is to promote better understanding of aerospace and its importance in our economy and daily lives as well as promoting the importance of human space exploration; and Manufacturer's Edge, a statewide manufacturing assistance center that encourages the strength and competitiveness of Colorado manufacturers by providing on-site technical assistance through coaching, training, and consulting and collaboration-focused industry programs and leveraging government, university, and economic development partnerships; and Whereas, The Colorado Air and Space Port seeks to serve as America's hub for commercial space transportation, research, and development and this horizontal launch facility will have the potential to become the foundation for a global suborbital transportation network connecting Colorado globally: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-second General Assembly of the State of Colorado: That we, the members of the Colorado Senate: (1) Strongly urge and request the government of the United States of America to take action to preserve and enhance United States leadership in space, spur innovation, and ensure our continued national and economic security by increasing funding for space exploration and activities, including regaining the ability of the United States to deliver astronauts to low Earth orbit in the next few years and to commit to and aggressively pursue sending the first woman and United States astronauts to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis program with a goal of sending a crewed mission to orbit Mars by 2033 using the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System to get there; (2) Recognize and appreciate Colorado's space and aerospace companies and organizations, especially the growing membership and activities of the Colorado chapter of Citizens for Space Exploration, in partnership with the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, whose activities to promote space exploration are helping to increase public understanding and enthusiasm for exploration funding; (3) Recognize and support our Congressional Delegation in urging the Department of Defense to reestablish the United States Space Command in Colorado; (4) Recognize and appreciate the contributions of Colorado's universities, colleges, and national research laboratories to the space and aerospace industries, including their expertise in exploration of the planets and the universe and space-based Earth observation; (5) Express our most sincere and deepest appreciation to the men and women working in our military installations in Colorado; and (6) Hereby declare March 10, 2020, to be ``Colorado Aerospace Day''; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be sent to President Donald Trump; Vice President Mike Pence; Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer; Senator Cory Gardner; Senator Michael Bennet; Congresswoman Diana DeGette; Congressman Joe Neguse; Congressman Scott Tipton; Congressman Ken Buck; Congressman Doug Lamborn; Congressman Jason Crow; Congressman Ed Perlmutter; Jim Bridenstine, NASA Administrator; Daniel K. Elwell, Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; Governor Jared Polis; Lieutenant Governor and Co-chair, Colorado Space Coalition, Dianne Primavera; Major General Michael A. Loh, The Adjutant General, Colorado National Guard; General John Raymond, Commander, U.S. Space Command, and Commander, Air Force Space Command; Colonel Devin Pepper, USAF, Commander of the 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado; Dr. Christopher Scales, Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Ross B. Garelick Bell, Executive Director, Aerospace States Association; Thomas E. Zelibor, Chief Executive Officer, Space Foundation; Dr. Ronald M. Sega, Co-chair, Colorado Space Coalition; Michael Gass, Co-chair, Colorado Space Coalition; Alires Almon, Chair, Colorado Space Business Roundtable; Stacey DeFore, Chair, Colorado Citizens for Space Exploration; Dave Ruppel, Director, Colorado Air and Space Port; and Debbie Brown, President, Colorado Space Business Roundtable. ____ POM-222. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Michigan urging the Congress of the United States to help the state of Michigan, schools, and local governments address revenue shortfalls during the COVID-19 pandemic; to the Committee on Finance. Senate Resolution No. 124 Whereas, The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to an unprecedented economic crisis in the United States. Governors across the country, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, have ordered non-essential businesses and schools to temporarily close and mandated that residents do not leave their homes, except for specific essential activities, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 and save lives; and Whereas, The cost of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting Michigan's citizens has been a dramatic decline in state tax revenue. As businesses are shut down and residents are out of work, the projected revenue from income, sales, and other taxes has dropped precipitously. In Michigan, projected General Fund revenue has been reduced by $2 billion and projected School Aid Fund revenue has declined by $1.2 billion for Fiscal Year 2020. Even as businesses re-open and restrictions on movement are lifted, the economic fallout from fighting COVID-19 will remain. Significant budget holes are projected in Fiscal Year 2021; and Whereas, Local governments and schools are also facing a dire fiscal situation. In addition to falling revenues from property, casino, and local income taxes, the fall in state revenue may necessitate severe cuts to state revenue sharing to local governments. Similarly, the substantial shortfall in School Aid Fund revenue may lead to similar cuts in state funding for local school districts; and Whereas, While government revenues have declined, the costs of providing some critical public services has increased as a result of the Pandemic. About 14,000 ``essential'' state employees are eligible for extra pay on each paycheck during the crisis. Several municipalities have enacted hazard pay for employees who are working during the crisis. In Wayne County, sheriff's deputies are receiving an additional $30 per day worked with additional hazard pay available for overtime shifts; and Whereas, While Congress has already enacted some federal aid for states and local governments, its limited scope and restrictions will be insufficient to weather the effects of the Pandemic. Michigan is currently expected to receive about $3.8 billion from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, but the funds may only be used for expenses associated with the Pandemic. In addition, since the act only provides direct aid to local governments with a population exceeding 500,000, only a handful of Michigan's nearly 2,000 local units of government will be eligible for direct payments from the federal government; and Whereas, Increasing the flexibility states have when using CARES Act aid will help mitigate these dramatic cuts. Allowing states and local governments to use CARES Act funding for costs that are not directly associated with the Pandemic will help to address their projected revenue shortfalls. Providing flexibility will ensure aid is available to local governments that were left out of the CARES Act and further address state and local budget shortfalls; Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to help the state of Michigan, schools, and local governments address revenue shortfalls during the COVID-19 Pandemic; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation. ____ POM-223. A resolution adopted by the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan urging the United States Congress to clarify its position on the legality of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970; to the Committee on the Judiciary. House Resolution No. 151 Whereas, Despite federal law criminalizing marijuana, many states have exercised their authority to enact marijuana laws that reflect the needs and interests of their citizens. [[Page S4585]] Currently, the state of Michigan is among a majority of states that have chosen to regulate marijuana under state law; and Whereas, The federal government's lack of clarity and inconsistency in its interpretation of the legality of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 has created confusion and uncertainty for states legislating marijuana operations. This, in turn, affects law enforcement, banking, taxation, and zoning; Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the Congress of the United States to clarify its position on the legality of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation. ____ POM-224. A resolution adopted by the Common Council of the City of Syracuse, New York, urging the President of the United States, the Senate, the United States Congress, the Supreme Court Justices, and the Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division) to enforce various sections of the United States Constitution and direct all States to eliminate their unconstitutional use of force policies through federal legislation; to the Committee on the Judiciary. POM-225. A resolution adopted by the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Hackensack, New Jersey, recognizing June 5, 2020 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day; to the Committee on the Judiciary. POM-226. A resolution adopted by the Ypsilanti Community School District Board of Education, Washtenaw County, Michigan, urging the federal government to provide revenue replacement for States; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. POM-227. A petition from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation relative to Amtrak's supplemental funding request for fiscal year (FY) 2021; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. POM-228. A petition from a citizen of the State of Texas relative to visa issuance; to the Committee on the Judiciary. ____________________
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