![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.489583333333333in"
height="1.15625in"}**Legislative
Bulletin................................................April 9, 2008**

> **Contents:**
>
> **H.Res. 838**---Welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first
> apostolic visit to the United States
>
> **H.Res. 865**---Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives
> that the March 2007 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and
> Crime and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
> makes an important contribution to the understanding of the high
> levels of crime and violence in the Caribbean, and that the United
> States should work with Caribbean countries to address crime and
> violence in the region
>
> **H.R. 5489**---To designate the facility of the United States Postal
> Service located at 6892 Main Street in Gloucester, Virginia, as the
> "Congresswoman Jo Ann S. Davis Post Office"
>
> **H.R. 5472**---To designate the facility of the United States Postal
> Service located at 2650 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street,
> Indianapolis, Indiana, as the "Julia M. Carson Post Office Building"
>
> **H.R. 5395**---To designate the facility of the United States Postal
> Service located at 11001 Dunklin Drive in St. Louis, Missouri, as the
> "William 'Bill' Clay Post Office Building"
>
> **H.Res. 1038**---Recognizing the fifth anniversary of the Department
> of Homeland Security and honoring the Department's employees for their
> extraordinary efforts and contributions to protect and secure our
> Nation
>
> **H. Res. XXX---**Recognizing the plumbing industry and supporting the
> goals and ideas of "National Plumbing Industry Week"

**H. Res. 838---** **Welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his
first apostolic visit to the United States (McCotter, R-MI)**

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. Res. 838 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H. Res. 838 would express the sense that the
House of Representatives welcomes His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his
first apostolic visit to the United States.

The resolution lists a number of findings, including:

-   "Joseph Alois Ratzinger ascended to the Papacy and chose the name
    Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005, becoming the 265th reigning Pope in
    the history of the Roman Catholic Church;

-   "he was born and baptized on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn,
    Germany;

-   "his priestly vocation was evident from a young age to family and
    friends;

-   "he was required to leave seminary at the age of 16 and forced into
    compulsory military service for Nazi Germany;

-   "he risked grave danger by defecting from the Nazi anti-aircraft
    corps in 1945 and subsequently spent time in an Allied prisoner of
    war camp;

-   "he was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1951;

-   "he is a highly regarded theologian and scholar, having served in
    various university posts from 1959 until 1977;

-   "he participated as a theological advisor to the monumental Second
    Vatican Council from 1962 until 1965;

-   "he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany on
    March 24, 1977, and ordained a bishop on May 28, 1977;

-   "he was elevated to cardinal on June 27, 1977;

-   "he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
    the Faith and President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission on
    November 25, 1981;

-   "he was elected Dean of the College of Cardinals on November 27,
    2002;

-   "Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was installed as Bishop of Rome on April
    24, 2005;

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has made repeated calls for peaceful resolutions
    to international conflicts, especially with respect to North Korea's
    nuclear ambitions;

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has made reconciliation and peace an important
    goal of his Papacy on an ecumenical level reaching out to both
    Orthodox and Protestant Churches and in an inter-religious manner
    with Judaism and Islam;

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has affirmed the dignity of the human person with
    respect to refugees, exiles, evacuees, and other migrant persons;

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has written 25 books and given thousands of hours
    of lectures, making him one of the most prolific theologians in
    modern times;

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has decried the imminent dangers terrorism and
    extremism pose to Western Civilization; and

-   "Pope Benedict XVI has identified the failed revolutions and violent
    ideologies of the 20th century as being the result of the
    'Dictatorship of Relativism' stating that 'absolutizing what is not
    absolute but relative is called totalitarianism'."

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H. Res. 838 was introduced on
December 4, 2007, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
which took no official action.\
\
**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: The resolution does not authorize
expenditures.\
\
**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin; 202-226-0718;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>.

**H. Res. 865---** **Expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives that the March 2007 report of the United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime and the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development makes an important contribution to the understanding of the
high levels of crime and violence in the Caribbean, and that the United
States should work with Caribbean countries to address crime and
violence in the region *(Clarke, D-NY)***

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. Res. 865 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H. Res. 865 would express the sense that the
House:

-   "welcomes the recommendations contained in the March 2007 UNODC and
    World Bank report, 'Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs,
    and Policy Options in the Caribbean';

-   "urges the United States Government to consider fully and carefully
    the recommendations in the UNODC and World Bank Report and to take
    the recommendations into account when developing United States
    policy toward the region;

-   "urges the governments of United States and other drug-consuming
    countries to increase counter-narcotics assistance to the Caribbean
    region;

-   "urges the United States Government to increase coordination on
    policy development and implementation with Caribbean governments to
    help combat crime and violence in the region;

-   "urges the Department of State and the Department of Homeland
    Security to work with Caribbean governments to mitigate the negative
    effects of United States deportation policy; and

-   "urges governments of Caribbean countries to consider fully and
    carefully the recommendations in the UNODC and World Bank Report,
    and to take the recommendations into account, especially regarding
    improvements in their criminal justice systems."

The resolution lists a number of findings, including:

-   "in his 2006 New Year's address, then Prime Minister of Jamaica,
    P.J. Patterson, said, 'Without a doubt, the high level of violent
    crime remains our most troubling and pressing problem.';

-   "in opening the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago in September 2005,
    President George Maxwell Richards said his country was in crisis due
    to the escalating crime rate;

-   "in March 2007, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
    and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World
    Bank) issued a report entitled, 'Crime, Violence, and Development:
    Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean'\';

-   "the UNODC and World Bank report presents detailed analyses of crime
    and violence in the Caribbean region and offers possible policy
    responses;

-   "the UNODC and World Bank report draws on input from governments,
    civil society organizations, and Caribbean experts;

-   "the UNODC and World Bank offer the following facts about crime in
    the Caribbean:

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-   "the Caribbean region has the highest murder and assault rates in
    the world, with murder rates at 4 times the level of the United
    States; and

-   "Trinidad and Tobago doubled its kidnapping rate between 1999 and
    2005;

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-   "the UNODC and World Bank report that high crime levels have long
    term developmental effects on the Caribbean:

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-   "crime cost the Jamaican economy \$12,400,000,000 in Jamaican
    dollars, 3.7 percent of its gross domestic product, in 2001; and

-   "reducing the region-wide homicide rate by 1/3 could over double the
    rate of economic growth per capita; and

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-   "the UNODC and World Bank report reached the following conclusions:

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-   "Caribbean countries are transit points and not producers of
    cocaine. Interdiction needs to be complemented by other strategies
    outside the region: principally demand reduction in consumer
    countries and eradication and/or alternative development in producer
    countries;

-   "expansion of gun ownership and illegal gun trafficking is a
    dangerous outgrowth of the drug trade. Although reducing gun
    ownership is difficult, better gun registries, marking, and tracking
    can help, as can improved gun interdiction in ports. Policies should
    also focus on limiting the availability of firearms and on providing
    meaningful alternatives to youth;

-   "deaths and injuries from youth violence constitute a major threat
    to public health and social and economic progress across the
    Caribbean. Youth are disproportionately represented in the ranks of
    both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence;

-   "although the average deportee from the United States to the
    Caribbean is not involved in criminal activity, a minority of
    deportees may be causing serious problems, both by direct
    involvement in crime and by providing a perverse role model for
    youth. The report recommends that more services be offered to
    reintegrate deportees, with deporting countries contributing to the
    cost of these programs;

-   "in general, there is an over-reliance on the criminal justice
    system to reduce crime in the region, but some types of crime, such
    as organized crime, and drug and firearms trafficking, are generally
    impervious to prevention initiatives; their control requires an
    efficient criminal justice system. Urgent priorities for improving
    the criminal justice system in the region include: the development
    of management information systems, tracking of justice system
    performance, monitoring of reform programs, and increased
    accountability to citizens;

-   "several Caribbean countries are increasingly investing in crime
    prevention---using approaches such as integrated citizen security
    programs, crime prevention through environmental design, and a
    public health approach that focuses on risk factors for violent
    behaviors;

-   "youth violence is a particularly serious problem in the region, and
    youth homicide rates in several countries of the region are
    significantly above the world average. To address issues of youth
    violence, Caribbean policymakers should invest in programs that have
    been shown to be successful in careful evaluations such as: (i)
    early childhood development and mentoring programs; (ii)
    interventions to keep high risk youth in secondary schools;
    and (iii) opening schools after hours and on weekends to offer
    additional activities and training; and

-   "many of the issues facing the Caribbean transcend national
    boundaries and require a coordinated regional and international
    response. Demand for drugs emanates from Europe and the United
    States; deportees are sent back to the region from the United
    States, the United Kingdom, and Canada; and many weapons that are
    trafficked are brought from the United States."

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H. Res. 865 was introduced on
December 11, 2007, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
which took no official action.

**[Conservative Concern]{.underline}**: Some conservatives may be
concerned that the findings include "... reducing gun ownership is
difficult, better gun registries, marking, and tracking can help, as can
improved gun interdiction in ports. Policies should also focus on
limiting the availability of firearms and on providing meaningful
alternatives to youth."

**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: The resolution does not authorize
expenditures.\
\
**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin; 202-226-0718;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>.

H. R. 5489--- To designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 6892 Main Street in Gloucester, Virginia, as the
"Congresswoman Jo Ann S. Davis Post Office" (Wittman, R-VA)

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. R. 5489 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H.R. 5489 would designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 6892 Main Street in Gloucester,
Virginia, as the "Congresswoman Jo Ann S. Davis Post Office."

**[Additional Background]{.underline}**: According to the sponsor's
office:

> Jo Ann Davis made history when she was elected to the U.S. Congress in
> 2000, becoming the first female Republican elected to the U.S. House
> of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia. In Congress, she
> was a passionate advocate for better government, lower taxes, and a
> strong defense.
>
> As a tireless advocate for our brave service members, Jo Ann supported
> legislation that strengthened our armed services and improved benefits
> for our men and women in uniform. Her first piece of legislation
> increased life insurance benefits for the families of service members
> who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.
>
> As the Co-Chair and founding member of the Shipbuilding Caucus, Jo Ann
> worked tirelessly to ensure that the Congress adequately provide for
> our Navy. She worked to secure funding for the Navy's next-generation
> aircraft carrier.
>
> Jo Ann fought a two-year battle with cancer and we were all deeply
> saddened by her loss. While her common-sense values will be missed on
> Capitol Hill, it is fitting to honor her legacy. Because of her
> diligent and devoted service to her country, she truly deserves the
> honor of having a post office in her hometown, Gloucester, Virginia
> bear her name.

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H.R. 5489 was introduced on February
26, 2008, and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, which held a mark-up and reported the bill by voice vote on
March 13, 2008.

[**Cost to Taxpayers**:]{.underline} A CBO score for H.R. 5489 is
unavailable, but the only costs associated with a U.S. post office
renaming are those for sign and map changes, none of which significantly
affect the federal budget.

**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Comply with House Rules Regarding Earmarks/Limited Tax
Benefits/Limited Tariff Benefits?]{.underline}** A Committee Report
citing compliance with rules regarding earmarks, limited tax benefits,
or limited tariff benefits was not available. Such a report is not
required because the bill is being considered under a suspension of the
rules.

**[Constitutional Authority]{.underline}**: Although no committee report
citing constitutional authority is available, Article I, Section 8,
Clause 7 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to establish
Post Offices and post roads.

**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>; 202-226-0718.

H. R. 5472--- To designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 2650 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Indianapolis,
Indiana, as the "Julia M. Carson Post Office Building" *(Visclosky,
D-IN)*

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. R. 5472 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H.R. 5472 would designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 2650 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, as the "Julia M. Carson Post Office
Building."

**[Additional Background]{.underline}**: Julia M. Carson served as a
Member of the United States House of Representatives for Indiana's 7th
congressional district from 1997 until her death in 2007. Ms. Carson was
the first woman and first African American to represent Indiana's 7th
District. Furthermore, Ms. Carson was the second African American woman
elected to Congress from Indiana. Ms. Carson passed away on December 15,
2007.

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H.R. 5472 was introduced on February
14, 2008, and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, which held a mark-up and reported the bill by voice vote on
March 13, 2008.

[**Cost to Taxpayers**:]{.underline} A CBO score for H.R. 5472 is
unavailable, but the only costs associated with a U.S. post office
renaming are those for sign and map changes, none of which significantly
affect the federal budget.

**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Comply with House Rules Regarding Earmarks/Limited Tax
Benefits/Limited Tariff Benefits?]{.underline}** A Committee Report
citing compliance with rules regarding earmarks, limited tax benefits,
or limited tariff benefits was not available. Such a report is not
required because the bill is being considered under a suspension of the
rules.

**[Constitutional Authority]{.underline}**: Although no committee report
citing constitutional authority is available, Article I, Section 8,
Clause 7 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to establish
Post Offices and post roads.

**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>; 202-226-0718.

H. R. 5395--- To designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 11001 Dunklin Drive in St. Louis, Missouri, as the
"William 'Bill' Clay Post Office Building" *(Carnahan, D-MO)*

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. R. 5395 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H.R. 5395 would designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 11001 Dunklin Drive in St.
Louis, Missouri, as the "William 'Bill' Clay Post Office Building."

**[Additional Background]{.underline}**: According to the sponsor's
office:

> Mr. Clay was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and began his political
> career in 1959, as a member of the St. Louis Board of Alderman, where
> he served until 1964. Prior to entering Congress in 1968, he worked as
> a real estate broker and later as a labor coordinator. He worked for
> the union of St. Louis city employees from 1961 to 1964, and then with
> a Steamfitters Union until 1967.
>
> Bill Clay is known as a true pioneer of civil rights. Throughout his
> tenure in Congress, he became a champion of social justice, working on
> behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. He has been credited with
> eradicating racial discrimination throughout his notable career. He
> remains today a valuable leader in our community, and this will be a
> fitting tribute to his years of dedication and service.
>
> Bill Clay represented Missouri's 1st Congressional District in the
> House for 32 years, was a co-founder of the Congressional Black
> Caucus, and Chairman of the House Committee on the Post Office and
> Civil Service.

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H.R. 5395 was introduced on February
12, 2008, and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, which held a mark-up and reported the bill by voice vote on
March 13, 2008.

[**Cost to Taxpayers**:]{.underline} A CBO score for H.R. 5395 is
unavailable, but the only costs associated with a U.S. post office
renaming are those for sign and map changes, none of which significantly
affect the federal budget.

**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Comply with House Rules Regarding Earmarks/Limited Tax
Benefits/Limited Tariff Benefits?]{.underline}** A Committee Report
citing compliance with rules regarding earmarks, limited tax benefits,
or limited tariff benefits was not available. Such a report is not
required because the bill is being considered under a suspension of the
rules.

**[Constitutional Authority]{.underline}**: Although no committee report
citing constitutional authority is available, Article I, Section 8,
Clause 7 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to establish
Post Offices and post roads.

**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>; 202-226-0718.

**H. Res. 1038---** **Recognizing the fifth anniversary of the
Department of Homeland Security and honoring the Department's employees
for their extraordinary efforts and contributions to protect and secure
our Nation *(Thompson, D-MS)***

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. Res. 1038 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H. Res. 1038 would express the sense that the
House of Representatives:

-   "recognizes the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland
    Security; and

-   "honors the Department's dedicated public servants for their
    extraordinary service to this Nation in helping preserve the safety
    and security of the American people."

The resolution lists a number of findings, including:

-   "in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Department of
    Homeland Security was created in an effort to consolidate our
    Nation's efforts to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and mitigate
    against threats to the homeland, including acts of terrorism,
    natural disasters, or other emergencies;

-   "the Department of Homeland Security marked its fifth year of
    full-scale operations on March 1, 2008;

-   "the Department has strived to integrate 22 disparate agencies and
    offices, while at the same time has been successful in helping
    prevent another terrorist attack over this period;

-   "the United States must continue to remain vigilant against all such
    threats;

-   "the employees of the Department of Homeland Security have spent the
    past 5 years enhancing our Nation's domestic preparedness and
    collective response to terrorism and standing ready to assist State,
    local, and tribal governments as they prepare for and prevent acts
    of terrorism and respond to natural disasters and other emergencies;

-   "the Department's employees work diligently to deter, detect, and
    prevent acts of terrorism and stand willing, ready, and able to
    respond in the event of a terrorist incident or other major
    emergency;

-   "the Department's employees have cooperated closely with the private
    sector to enhance emergency preparedness across the Nation;

-   "the American people rely on the Department's employees to protect
    our Nation's borders, airports, seaports, rail lines, and other
    transit systems;

-   "the continuing efforts of the Department's employees will be
    crucial to the security of our Nation in the years to come;

-   "the Department's employees have sacrificed, and will continue to
    sacrifice, time with their families and working long hours to
    fulfill the Department's vital mission;

-   "because the Nation depends on the Department's employees to keep
    the American people safe from harm, they deserve the best in
    training, testing, and equipment;

-   "the Department's employees often do not receive the recognition
    they deserve; and

-   "the Nation is indebted to the Department's employees for their
    sacrifices, efforts, and contributions."

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H. Res. 1038 was introduced on March
11, 2007, and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, which took
no official action.\
\
**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: The resolution does not authorize
expenditures.\
\
**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** No.\
\
**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin; 202-226-0718;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>.

**H. Res. \_\_\_---** **Recognizing the plumbing industry and supporting
the goals and ideas of "National Plumbing Industry Week" *(Velazquez,
D-NY)***

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: H. Res. \_\_\_\_ is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the resolution.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: Text for this legislation was not available
at press time.

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H. Res. \_\_\_\_ has yet to be
introduced.

**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: This information was not available
at press time.\
\
**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}** This information was not available at press
time.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}** This information was not
available at press time.

**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin; 202-226-0718;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>.