August 2, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5991 

elections, and that the political parties do 

more to prevent individual candidates from 

engaging in vote buying; 

(4) a finding that major violations of principles of administrative neutrality during 

the elections by government officials occurred, and a recommendation that civil 

service and non-elected offices need to be 

further de-politicized; 

(5) a finding that verified data does not 

exist on campaign financial resources and 

expenditures and it seemed likely that campaign spending exceeded campaign finance 

limits, and recommendations that enforcement and public promotion of campaign 

spending laws be strengthened and loopholes 

closed and that the longstanding issue of 

KMT party assets, including their source, 

use, and investments be resolved; 

(6) a finding that the Government of the 

People’s Republic of China attempted to influence the elections by sending agricultural 

purchasing missions to southern Taiwan as a 

sign of support for the sitting President, reducing the number of tourist groups allowed 

to travel to Taiwan to signal the ability to 

reduce tourism if the ‘‘wrong candidate’’ 

won, and by discounting flights from China 

to Taiwan to make it easier for Taiwanese 

businessmen living in China to return to Taiwan to vote; 

(7) a finding that actions and statements 

by the United States Government and its officials might have influenced the elections, 

noting that in the three months preceding 

the election, there were more visits by highlevel United States officials to Taipei than 

during any calendar year in recent history; 

less than one month before the elections, the 

Department of State announced Taiwan’s 

candidacy for participation in the visa waiver program; and a senior United States official stated anonymously through the Financial Times that the DPP’s presidential candidate Tsai ‘‘left us with distinct doubts 

about whether she is both willing and able to 

continue the stability in cross-Strait relations the region has enjoyed in recent 

years’’; and 

(8) a finding that media outlets gave preferential treatment to a particular party or 

candidate based on the outlet’s political affiliation; 

Whereas Taiwan’s native-grown democratic experience serves as a model for countries in the region and around the world aspiring to establish democratic rule; 

Whereas Taiwan’s free and open society 

plays a stabilizing role in the Asia Pacific region and is thus conducive to the interests of 

states of the region, including the United 

States, in furthering peace, prosperity and 

stability; and 

Whereas the United States remains committed to the continued strengthening and 

development of democratic institutions in 

Taiwan, and to ensuring the ability of the 

people of Taiwan to determine their own future free from outside interference or coercion: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) applauds the progress made by the people of Taiwan toward the consolidation of democracy over the past two decades, and commends their enduring commitment to the 

values of democracy, rule of law, and the 

protection of human rights; 

(2) encourages the people and the Government of Taiwan to take steps to continue to 

strengthen the protection of democratic values and human rights in their country, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press; 

(3) encourages the people and the Government of Taiwan to take into consideration 

the conclusions and recommendations of 

international election monitoring missions, 

including the final International Election 

Observation Mission (IEOM) report, as they 

seek to strengthen their democratic practices and human rights protections; 

(4) urges the President and Government of 

the United States to continue to support democracy and human rights in Taiwan; 

(5) encourages all outside parties to remain 

neutral in Taiwan’s elections; and 

(6) affirms that the future of Taiwan 

should be resolved peacefully, in accordance 

with democratic principles, and with the assent of the people of Taiwan. 

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I 

rise to submit a resolution relating to 

the January 2012, presidential and legislative elections held in Taiwan. On 

January 14, 2012, Mr. Ma Ying-jeou, the 

nominee of the Chinese Nationalist 

Party, KMT, was re-elected as President of Taiwan with 51.6 percent of the 

vote. The KMT also won 64 seats of the 

113-member Legislative Yuan, while 

the Democratic Progressive Party, 

DPP, won 40 seats. 

Former United States Senator Frank 

Murkowski participated in an international election observation mission 

made up of 19 observers from 8 countries. Recently, the mission submitted 

its final report on the elections, concluding that they were mostly free but 

only partly fair. 

The resolution I am submitting takes 

note of the mission’s final report, and 

urges the people and government of 

Taiwan to take the report’s findings 

and recommendations into consideration as they continue their commitment to the values of democracy, the 

rule of law, and human rights. 

f 

SENATE RESOLUTION 543—TO EXPRESS THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION 

Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. KERRY, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. MIKULSKI, 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. 

LANDRIEU, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. MURRAY, 

Mr. RUBIO, Mr. LEAHY, and Mr. KIRK) 

submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations: 

S. RES. 543 

Whereas international parental child abduction is a tragic and common occurrence; 

Whereas the abduction of a child by one 

parent is a heartbreaking loss for the left-behind parent and deprives the child of a relationship with 2 loving parents; 

Whereas, according to the Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the 

Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction of the United States Department of 

State from April 2010, research shows that 

abducted children are at risk of significant 

short- and long-term problems, including 

‘‘anxiety, eating problems, nightmares, 

mood swings, sleep disturbances, [and] aggressive behavior’’; 

Whereas, according to that report, left-behind parents may also experience substantial 

psychological and emotional issues, including feelings of ‘‘betrayal, sadness over the 

loss of their children or the end of their marriage, anger toward the other parent, anxiety, sleeplessness, and severe depression’’, 

as well as financial strain while fighting for 

the return of a child; 

Whereas, since 1988, the United States, 

which has a treaty relationship under the 

Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, done at The Hague 

October 25, 1980 (TIAS 11670) (referred to in 

this preamble as the ‘‘Hague Abduction Convention’’) with 69 other countries, has agreed 

with its treaty partners to follow the terms 

of the Hague Abduction Convention; 

Whereas the Hague Abduction Convention 

provides a legal framework for securing the 

prompt return of wrongfully removed or retained children to the countries of their habitual residence where competent courts can 

make decisions on issues of custody and the 

best interests of the children; 

Whereas, according to the United States 

Department of State, the number of new 

cases of international child abduction from 

the United States increased from 579 in 2006 

to 941 in 2011; 

Whereas, in 2011, those 941 cases involved 

1,367 children who were reported abducted 

from the United States by a parent and 

taken to a foreign country; 

Whereas, in 2011, more than 660 children 

who were abducted from the United States 

and taken to a foreign country were returned 

to the United States; 

Whereas 7 of the top 10 countries to which 

children from the United States were most 

frequently abducted in 2011 are parties to the 

Hague Abduction Convention, including 

Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ecuador, Brazil, and Colombia; 

Whereas Japan, India, and Egypt are not 

parties to the Hague Abduction Convention 

and were also among the top 10 countries to 

which children in the United States were 

most frequently abducted in 2011; 

Whereas, in many countries, such as Japan 

and India, international parental child abduction is not considered a crime, and custody rulings made by courts in the United 

States are not typically recognized by courts 

in those countries; and 

Whereas Japan is the only member of the 

Group of 7 major industrialized countries 

that has not ratified the Hague Abduction 

Convention: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That— 

(1) the Senate— 

(A) condemns the unlawful international 

abduction of all children; 

(B) urges countries identified by the 

United States Department of State as noncompliant or demonstrating patterns of noncompliance with the Convention on the Civil 

Aspects of International Child Abduction, 

done at The Hague October 25, 1980 (TIAS 

11670) (referred to in this resolution as the 

‘‘Hague Abduction Convention’’) to fulfill 

their commitment under international law 

to expeditiously implement the provisions of 

the Hague Abduction Convention; 

(C) calls on all countries to accede to or 

ratify the Hague Abduction Convention and 

to promptly institute measures to equitably 

and transparently address cases of international parental child abduction; and 

(D) calls on all countries that have not acceded to or ratified the Hague Abduction 

Convention to develop a mechanism for the 

resolution of current and future cases of 

international parental child abduction that 

occur before those countries accede to or ratify the Hague Abduction Convention in order 

to facilitate the prompt return of children 

abducted to those countries to the children’s 

countries of habitual residence; and 

(2) it is the sense of the Senate that the 

United States should— 

(A) aggressively pursue the return of each 

child abducted by a parent from the United 


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S5992 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 2, 2012 

States to another country through all appropriate means, consistent with the Hague Abduction Convention, and through extradition, when appropriate, and facilitate access by the left-behind parent if the child is 

not returned; 

(B) take all appropriate measures to ensure 

that a child abducted to a country that is a 

party to the Hague Abduction Convention is 

returned to the country of habitual residence 

of the child in compliance with the provisions of the Hague Abduction Convention; 

(C) continue to use diplomacy to encourage 

other countries to accede to or ratify the 

Hague Abduction Convention and to take the 

necessary steps to effectively fulfill their responsibilities under the Hague Abduction 

Convention; 

(D) use diplomacy to encourage countries 

that have not acceded to or ratified the 

Hague Abduction Convention to develop an 

institutionalized mechanism to transparently and expeditiously resolve current 

and future cases of international child abduction that occur before those countries accede to or ratify the Hague Abduction Convention; and 

(E) review the advisory services made 

available to United States citizens by the 

United States Department of State, the 

United States Department of Justice, and 

other United States Government agencies— 

(i) to improve the prevention of international parental child abduction from the 

United States; and 

(ii) to ensure that effective and timely assistance is provided to United States citizens 

who are parents of children abducted from 

the United States and taken to foreign countries. 

f 

SENATE RESOLUTION 544—CONGRATULATING THE NAVY DENTAL CORPS ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY 

Mr. MANCHIN (for himself and Mr. 

COBURN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to: 

S. RES. 544 

Whereas on August 22, 1912, Congress 

passed an Act recognizing Navy dentistry as 

a distinct branch among naval medical professions; 

Whereas in the last century, the Navy Dental Corps has supported the Navy by sustaining Sailor and Marine readiness and providing routine and emergency dental care, 

ashore and afloat, in peace and in war; 

Whereas the Navy Dental Corps works continuously to improve the health of Sailors, 

Marines, and their families by supporting individual and community prevention initiatives, good oral hygiene practices, and treatment; 

Whereas the Navy Dental Corps endeavors 

to improve oral health worldwide by participating in the spectrum of military combat, 

peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations 

and exercises; 

Whereas the Navy Dental Corps, in collaboration with national and international dental organizations, promotes dental professionalism and quality of care; 

Whereas the Navy Dental Corps supports 

the mission of the Federal dental research 

program and endorses improved dental technologies and therapies through research and 

adherence to sound scientific principles; and 

Whereas the Navy Dental Corps recognizes 

the importance of continuing professional 

dental education, requiring and supporting 

specialty dental education and postgraduate 

residencies and fellowships for its members: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) congratulates the Navy Dental Corps on 

its 100th anniversary; 

(2) commends the Navy Dental Corps for 

working to sustain the dental readiness and 

the oral health of a superb fighting force; 

and 

(3) recognizes the thousands of dentists 

who have served in the Navy Dental Corps 

over the last 100 years, providing dental care 

to millions of members of the Armed Forces 

and their families. 

f 

SENATE RESOLUTION 545—COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF AIR FORCE WEATHER 

Mr. JOHANNS (for himself and Mr. 

NELSON of Nebraska) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to: 

S. RES. 545 

Whereas the United States Army Air Corps 

assumed responsibility for military weather 

services on July 1, 1937, beginning a legacy of 

superior service to Army and Air Force commanders for the next 75 years; 

Whereas the United States Army Air 

Forces activated the Weather Wing on April 

14, 1943, in time to provide General Dwight D. 

Eisenhower with reports and forecasts vital 

to the success of Operation Overlord, the reentry of the Allies into Europe against resistance from German occupation forces, and 

subsequent operations in Europe and the Pacific; 

Whereas 68 personnel from the Weather 

Wing lost their lives in World War II; 

Whereas the Weather Wing was redesignated as the Army Air Forces Weather Service in 1945, and the Air Weather Service in 

1946; 

Whereas, in July of 1947, the Air Weather 

Service became a part of the newly formed 

United States Air Force with a mission to 

support both the Army and Air Force; 

Whereas, in 1948, the Air Weather Service 

issued its first tornado warning; 

Whereas the Air Weather Service provided 

critical reports and forecasts to commanders, planners, and aircrews in support 

of the Berlin Airlift, enabling the successful 

efforts to stare down Premier of the Soviet 

Union Joseph Stalin in the first major confrontation of the Cold War; 

Whereas the Air Weather Service has participated in every military operation from 

operations in Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan; 

Whereas the Air Weather Service was reorganized into a field operating agency on 

April 1, 1991, reporting directly to the Air 

Staff; 

Whereas, on October 15, 1997, the Air 

Weather Service was redesignated as the Air 

Force Weather Agency and subsequently 

headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; 

Whereas, in June 2008, construction was 

completed on a new 188,000-square-foot headquarters building for the Air Force Weather 

Agency at Offutt Air Force Base; 

Whereas the civilian community surrounding Offutt Air Force Base fully recognizes the tremendous dedication and contributions of the personnel stationed at 

Offutt Air Force Base to the global fighting 

force, and likewise, base personnel express 

constant praise and appreciation to the civilian community for its outstanding support; 

Whereas, in close cooperation with the National Weather Service, Air Force Weather 

has supported a wide variety of missions 

from its base in Nebraska, including space 

launches and solar observation; and 

Whereas Air Force Weather has continued 

to produce timely, accurate, and continuous 

weather information to locate targets in any 

battle around the world or in space: Now, 

therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of Air 

Force Weather and its prominent role in national security; 

(2) remembers the immeasurable contributions of Air Force Weather in protecting the 

lives of members of the Armed Forces and 

citizens of the United States through timely 

and accurate reporting and forecasting; and 

(3) honors the 1,200 personnel who currently serve within Air Force Weather and 

those who have carried on its tradition of excellence through their continued service at 

Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. 

f 

SENATE RESOLUTION 546—DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2012, AS ‘‘NATIONAL 

ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY 

LITERACY WEEK’’ 

Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. WEBB, Mr. 

WHITEHOUSE, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. JOHNSON

of South Dakota, Ms. MURKOWSKI, and 

Mr. ENZI) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to: 

S. RES. 546 

Whereas the National Assessment of Adult 

Literacy reports that 90,000,000 adults lack 

the literacy, numeracy, or English-language 

skills necessary to succeed at home, in the 

workplace, and in society; 

Whereas the literacy of the people of the 

United States is essential for the economic 

and societal well-being of the United States; 

Whereas the United States reaps the economic benefits of individuals who improve 

their literacy, numeracy, and English-language skills; 

Whereas literacy and educational skills are 

necessary for individuals to fully benefit 

from the range of opportunities available in 

the United States; 

Whereas the United States’ economy and 

position in the world marketplace depend on 

having a literate, skilled population; 

Whereas the unemployment rate in the 

United States is highest among those without a high school diploma or an equivalent 

credential, demonstrating that education is 

important to economic recovery; 

Whereas the educational skills of a child’s 

parents and the practice of reading to a child 

have a direct impact on the educational success of the child; 

Whereas parental involvement in a child’s 

education is a key predictor of a child’s success, and the level of parental involvement 

in a child’s education increases as the educational level of the parent increases; 

Whereas parents who participate in family 

literacy programs become more involved in 

their children’s education and gain the tools 

necessary to obtain a job or find better employment; 

Whereas, as a result of family literacy programs, the lives of children become more 

stable, and their success in the classroom 

and in future endeavors becomes more likely; 

Whereas adults need to be part of a longterm solution to the educational challenges 

of the United States; 

Whereas many older people in the United 

States lack the reading, math, or English 

skills necessary to read a prescription and 

follow medical instructions, which endangers 

their lives and the lives of their loved ones; 


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