H. Con. Res. 4

[WhateverUSMC]

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. CON. RES. 4
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to prevent the closure or consolidation of post offices.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 7, 2009
Mrs. EMERSON submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform


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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to prevent the closure or consolidation of post offices.

Whereas the United States Postal Service has announced that it may consider closing post offices that do not cover their costs;

Whereas the Constitution of the United States grants Congress the authority to `establish Post Offices', recognizing that mail services are essential to binding the citizenry of this Nation together;

Whereas Congress has stated, time and time again, that post offices should not be closed or consolidated solely for operating at a deficit, it being the intent of Congress that effective postal services be ensured for all Americans, whether residing in urban, suburban, or rural communities;

Whereas many communities have only limited means of communication, and rely on the post office to allow them to correspond with persons elsewhere in the Nation or around the world; and

Whereas the post office is an essential institution within every community: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the United States Postal Service--

(1) should provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to all communities, including rural areas and small towns where post offices may not be self-sustaining; and

(2) should take all necessary steps to ensure that post offices are not closed or consolidated.

[terekon]

Parental Right to Decide Protection Act (Introduced in House)

HR 3188 IH

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3188

To prohibit Federal funding or other assistance for mandatory human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 13, 2009

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia (for himself, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. AKIN, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. PITTS, Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. PENCE, Mr. POSEY, Mr. HENSARLING, and Mr. BRADY of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To prohibit Federal funding or other assistance for mandatory human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Parental Right to Decide Protection Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) HPV, the human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 6,200,000 Americans become infected with HPV each year and that over half of all sexually active men and women become infected at some time in their lives. On average, there are 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 deaths attributed to it in the United States each year.

(2) Early detection is the key to diagnosing and curing cervical cancer, and therefore the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that all women get regular Pap tests. The Pap test looks for cell changes caused by HPV, so the cervix can be treated before the cells turn into cancer. The FDA also states the Pap test can also find cancer in its early stages so it can be treated before it becomes too serious, and reaches the conclusion that it is rare to die from cervical cancer if the disease is caught early.

(3) On June 8, 2006, the FDA approved Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous genital lesions, and genital warts due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18. Gardasil is a recombinant vaccine, it does not contain a live virus, and it is given as three injections over a six-month period. The vaccine is approved for use in females 9-26 years of age. However, the FDA also states that since the vaccine is new, more studies need to be done to determine how long women will be protected from HPV. For example, the FDA does not know if a booster is needed after a couple of years to ensure continuity of protection.

(4) As detailed by the FDA, four studies were conducted in 21,000 women, one in the United States and three multinational, to show how well Gardasil worked in women between the ages of 16 and 26. The study period was not long enough for cervical cancer to develop; however, preventing cervical precancerous lesions is believed highly likely to result in the prevention of cervical cancer.

(5) In January 2007 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued changes to the previous childhood and adolescent immunization schedule. The ACIP recommends the new human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) to be administered in a 3-dose schedule with the second and third doses administered 2 and 6 months after the first dose. Routine vaccination with HPV is recommended for females aged 11-12 years, the vaccination series can be started in females as young as age 9 years, and a catch up vaccination is recommended for females aged 13-26 years who have not been vaccinated previously or who have not completed the full vaccine series.

(6) In July 2008 Judicial Watch, a Washington-based public interest group, reported that there have been close to 9,000 health complaints as a result of Gardasil. These complaints have surfaced because Gardasil recipients have experienced everything from massive wart outbreaks to paralysis, and even death in 18 cases.

(7) States historically have maintained the practice of applying immunization recommendations to their school admittance policies so as to protect schoolchildren from outbreaks of contagious disease. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons states that there is no public health purpose for mandating HPV vaccine for schoolchildren. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease.

(8) With a number of states entertaining legislation which takes the unprecedented step in requiring young girls to obtain a vaccine for a disease that is not spread by casual contact in order to attend school, many organizations and associations have come out against mandatory HPV vaccine programs.

(9) The American College of Pediatricians and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons are opposed to any legislation which would require HPV vaccination for school attendance. They have stated that excluding children from school for refusal to be vaccinated for a disease spread only by intercourse is a serious, precedent-setting action that trespasses on the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children as well as on the rights of the children to attend school.

(10) Federal funds should not be used to implement a mandatory vaccine program for a disease that does not threaten the public health of schoolchildren in the course of casual, daily interaction between classmates and inserts the government into the lives of children, parents, and physicians.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST FUNDING FOR MANDATORY HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) VACCINATION PROGRAMS.

No Federal funds or other assistance may be made available to any State or political subdivision of a State to establish or implement any requirement that individuals receive vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV).

[Godot]

I'll take a swing at the first one.

The Constitution in Article I section 8 provides that

"Section 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States ; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;.....

.......To establish Post Offices and post Roads;"


I didnt see anything about making them pay for themselves.
-------------
the second one I wouldnt touch with the proverbial 10 foot pole

[WhateverUSMC]

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that President Barack Obama should immediately work to reverse damaging and illegal actions taken by the Bush/Cheney Administration... (Introduced in House)

HRES 417 IH


111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 417
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that President Barack Obama should immediately work to reverse damaging and illegal actions taken by the Bush/Cheney Administration and collaborate with Congress to proactively prevent any further abuses of executive branch power.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 7, 2009
Ms. BALDWIN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Select Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned


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RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that President Barack Obama should immediately work to reverse damaging and illegal actions taken by the Bush/Cheney Administration and collaborate with Congress to proactively prevent any further abuses of executive branch power.

Whereas over the past several years, serious questions have been raised about the conduct of high ranking Bush/Cheney Administration officials in relation to some of the most basic elements of our democracy: respect for the rule of law, the principle of checks and balances, and the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration misled the American public and the U.S. Congress regarding the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and alleged, despite all evidence to the contrary, a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, and this deceit dragged our country into a preemptive and unjustified war that has taken the lives of more than 4,000 U.S. troops, injured 30,000 more, and will cost our Nation more than a trillion dollars;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration undermined national security by manipulating and exaggerating evidence of Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities despite no real evidence that Iran had the intention or capability of attacking the U.S., and then deliberately downplayed the December 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that reported with `high confidence' that Iran stopped developing nuclear weapons in 2003 because of international pressure;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration undertook a broad assault on civil liberties through the suspension of habeas corpus and claiming the power to declare any person an `enemy combatant,' blatantly ignoring the Geneva Convention protections that the U.S. helped create, ratify, and which carry the weight of law;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration endorsed the torture and rendition of prisoners in violation of stated American policy and values, as well as international law, and then destroyed videotapes which may have substantiated such torture;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration violated the Fourth Amendment and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 by spying on Americans without a court order or oversight;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration abused the state secrets privilege in recent legal challenges regarding warrantless wiretapping, torture, and rendition, and this administration's use of the state secrets privilege was to the detriment of the rights of private litigants harmed by egregious misconduct, as well as Americans' trust in the judicial system;

Whereas Bush/Cheney Administration officials consistently impeded congressional investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas;

Whereas the Bush/Cheney Administration claims that then-senior presidential advisers were immune from congressional subpoenas impeded congressional oversight, undermined the rule of law, damaged our democracy, and were rejected by a U.S. District Court;

Whereas U.S. Attorneys pursued politically motivated prosecutions in violation of the law, and allegedly at the direction of the Bush/Cheney Administration;

Whereas Bush/Cheney Administration officials in the Department of Justice systematically violated the law and committed misconduct in basing hiring decisions for career prosecutor positions, detailees to senior Department offices, and immigration judgeships on the applicants' political affiliations and view;

Whereas it appears Bush/Cheney Administration officials intentionally revealed the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert agent of the CIA for political retribution, and then intentionally obstructed justice by disseminating false information through the White House press office;

Whereas President Bush showed contempt for the legislative branch and disregard for the law through the excessive expansion of presidential power in misusing signing statements that declared his intent to ignore provisions of legislation he signed into law;

Whereas Bush/Cheney Administration officials systematically shielded from access and destroyed public documents relevant to the conduct of the Administration by utilizing non-governmental e-mail accounts for official communications;

Whereas Vice President Cheney consistently placed self-interest over serving the American people, exemplified by his claim that the Office of the Vice President is not an entity within the executive branch for the alleged purpose of shielding the activities of his office from public scrutiny;

Whereas President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and other Bush/Cheney Administration officials were presented with ample opportunities to collaborate with Congress and reverse the above listed damaging and abusive actions;

Whereas despite these opportunities, they instead chose to show contempt for the Constitution and the legislative branch, compelling Americans and Congress to look to the next administration for executive branch accountability;

Whereas, on November 4, 2008, Americans elected President of the United States Barack Obama;

Whereas, on January 20, 2009, President Obama stood before the American people and took an oath of office, swearing to `. . . preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States';

Whereas this commitment and obligation is so fundamental to our democracy that our Nation's founders proscribed this oath in our Constitution;

Whereas no President or Congress has the authority to override that document, whereby `We the People' conferred upon the branches of government limited and defined power, and provided for meaningful checks and balances;

Whereas the actions taken by President Obama will impact the conduct of future Presidents, perhaps for generations;

Whereas President Obama has already begun work to reaffirm American values of justice and freedom;

Whereas President Obama issued a January 22, 2009, executive order requiring that Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed within one year and that until its closure, conditions of confinement at Guantanamo must comply with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and all other applicable laws;

Whereas President Obama issued a January 22, 2009, executive order to promote the safe, lawful, and humane treatment of individuals in United States custody by prohibiting any interrogation technique or approach, or any treatment related to interrogation, that is not authorized by and listed in Army Field Manual, and reaffirms that all terrorist suspects held by the United States abroad are protected under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions;

Whereas President Obama issued a January 22, 2009, executive order to establish a Special Task Force on Detainee Disposition to thoroughly review detention policy options and provide a report to the President within 6 months;

Whereas President Obama stated in his February 24, 2009, remarks to the Joint Session of Congress, `without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture';

Whereas President Obama issued a March 9, 2009, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Presidential Signing Statements to clarify his intention to issue signing statements `to address constitutional concerns only when it is appropriate to do so as a means of discharging my constitutional responsibilities' and to outline steps to promote greater transparency and accountability in issuing signing statements;

Whereas President Obama's efforts to renew America must include restoring executive branch accountability through proactively preventing future abuses of power by his or future administrations; and

Whereas the actions detailed below may assist in his work to restore the public's faith in our Government: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that President Obama should take the necessary steps to do the following--

(1) AFFIRM OUR NATION'S COMMITMENT TO UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES- President Obama must immediately and publicly reaffirm our Nation's commitment to the rule of law, the principle of checks and balances, respect for the legislative process, and the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

(2) FULLY INVESTIGATE BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS' ALLEGED CRIMES AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR ANY ILLEGAL ACTS- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional oversight efforts to establish an independent investigation, as well as to address potential statute of limitation concerns, in order to hold all Bush/Cheney Administration officials accountable for any crimes they may have committed.

(3) HOLD ACCOUNTABLE BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO SHOWED OR SHOW CONTEMPT FOR THE LEGAL DUTY TO COMPLY WITH CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS- President Obama must fully support Congress' constitutionally rooted right of access to the information it needs to perform its legislative and oversight functions enunciated in Article I of the Constitution.

(4) HOLD ACCOUNTABLE BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO DISCLOSED THE IDENTITY OF ANY COVERT INTELLIGENCE AGENT- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to ensure that the disclosure of the identity of any United States intelligence agent could give rise to criminal liability.

(5) HOLD ACCOUNTABLE BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO PURSUED POLITICALLY MOTIVATED PROSECUTIONS- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to restore faith in the American justice system by investigating and censuring any officials who engage in misconduct in Federal office.

(6) ENSURE THAT ANY BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL GUILTY OF A WAR CRIME IS PROSECUTED UNDER THE WAR CRIMES ACT AND THE ANTI-TORTURE ACT- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to repeal the redefinition of grave abuses of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions included in the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which limits the scope of the original War Crimes Act and makes this repeal retroactively operable to the beginning of the invasion of Iraq. President Obama must also cooperate fully with congressional investigations into the lack of prosecutions under the War Crimes Act and the Federal Anti-Torture Act despite countless allegations of serious violations.

(7) AFFIRM THAT IT IS THE SOLE LEGAL RIGHT OF CONGRESS TO DECLARE WAR- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to tighten the standards for when a declaration of war is required for military action.

[WhateverUSMC]

(8) CRIMINALIZE LYING TO CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT THE REASONS FOR GOING TO WAR- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to strengthen Federal perjury laws to prohibit the issuance of false statements, concealment, or false documentation in any matter related to a presidential request for a declaration of war.

(9) RESTORE THE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS AS AN ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLE OF OUR DEMOCRACY- President Obama must reaffirm our Nation's treaty obligations under the Geneva Conventions and ensure all individuals held by the United States have access to the courts to petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

(10) ENSURE TORTURE IS UNIFORMLY PROHIBITED UNDER UNITED STATES LAW- While recognizing that President Obama has taken important steps in asserting his position that torture is antithetical to American values, he must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to codify strong anti-torture language and approve uniform standards for interrogation techniques applicable to individuals under control or custody of the United States Government.

(11) ENSURE RENDITION IS UNIFORMLY PROHIBITED UNDER UNITED STATES LAW- President Obama must cooperate fully with congressional efforts to outlaw torture `outsourcing' by prohibiting the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the U.S. for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a country listed by the Secretary of State as supporting torture, cruel, or degrading treatment used in detention or interrogation of individuals.

(12) RESPONSIBLY CLOSE THE GUANTANAMO BAY DETENTION CAMP- While President Obama has boldly declared his intention to close Guantanamo by January 2010, he must do everything in his power to ensure that all suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo are immediately tried in fair judicial proceedings and are not subjected to trial by secret evidence. He must also engage the international community to swiftly ensure the release of innocent detainees, including the Chinese Uighurs.

(13) ENSURE THAT AMERICANS CAN BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THEIR GOVERNMENT- President Obama must guarantee that the state secrets privilege shall not constitute grounds for dismissal of a case or claim and instead require independent judicial review of claims of state secrets privilege by executive branch officials.

(14) IMMEDIATELY TAKE AFFIRMATIVE STEPS TO PROTECT ALL BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION DOCUMENTS- President Obama must publicly reaffirm that the Office of the Vice President is part of the executive branch.

(15) PUBLICLY REVIEW POTENTIAL ABUSES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PARDON PROCESS- President Obama must collaborate fully with Congress to investigate the granting of presidential pardons and articulate comprehensive standards to guide future presidential pardons.

(16) FURTHER REFORM THE USE OF PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENTS- While President Obama has affirmed his intention to issue signing statements sparingly and with a high degree of transparency, he must commit to providing all signing statements for publication, affirm Congress' right to participate in court proceedings regarding the constitutionality of any presidential signing statements, and ensure that Congress can obtain testimony from administration officials who may attempt to claim executive privilege to explain or justify any signing statements.

[Vythica]

+1.

Will never pass though.

[Godot]

Nor should it pass, Pres. Obama should make use of the option of
signing statements. Its pretty obvious he'll never get bipartisan support
for ANY legislation proposed during his administration.
Striking that section I agree with the rest of the bill as proposed
but as Vy points out... it'll never happen.

[terekon]

Originally Posted by Godot

Nor should it pass, Pres. Obama should make use of the option of
signing statements. Its pretty obvious he'll never get bipartisan support
for ANY legislation proposed during his administration.
Striking that section I agree with the rest of the bill as proposed
but as Vy points out... it'll never happen.

Godot you surprise me, i agree. but i thought you were a facist...
(You obviously are not a facist which is where i am surprised)

[Godot]

lolz , no I'm not a facist, if you thought so because of my reply concerning
vacinations I only meant that in a libertarian sense in that I wouldnt infringe
on anyones rights (either by legislating compliance or by omission) and that
particular bill is tricky at best. No one wants to see any young lady get
cervical cancer but the vacine in question seems fraut with side effects
I would be afraid of if I were a female.

[Froste]

The vaccine issue is pretty irrelevant anyway, perhaps not about that specific vaccine; The WHO used to issue recommendations for vaccinations leaving it up to each sovereign nation to independently investigate the need for vaccinating their citizens, and even then vaccinations have typically been voluntary. In 2005 this changed, at least pertaining to pandemics, and the WHO can now issue orders to nations to start vaccinations.

Even more troubling since in may of 2009 -- because of the A-H1N1 virus -- they also decided to redefine what pandemic means: it used to have 3 pre-requisites and mean an infectious viral outbreak that was happening simultaneously in multiple parts of the world, with a high mortality rate.

The new definition omits the mortality requirement.

I'm sure you can see where I'm going.