| SP0484 LD 8888 |
First Regular Session - 124th Maine Legislature Text:
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LR 1870 Item 1 |
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| Bill Tracking | Chamber Status | ||
JOINT RESOLUTION MEMORIALIZING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION TO PROTECT THE LIVES AND HEALTH OF MEMBERS OF THE MAINE NATIONAL GUARD
WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the First Regular Session, most respectfully present and petition the President of the United States and the United States Congress as follows:
WHEREAS, the Commission to Protect the Lives and Health of Members of the Maine National Guard, hereafter referred to as "the commission," was established by the 123rd Maine Legislature to develop and recommend measures, changes in protocols and other procedures to prevent future noncombat deaths and disabilities and to save the lives and improve the health of members of the Maine National Guard on both active and inactive duty; and
WHEREAS, the commission has met, held public hearings and developed a number of recommendations, many of which have been adopted in Maine and which would help the United States Armed Forces as a whole; and
WHEREAS, a number of recommendations require federal approval and we forward the recommendations to you as follows:
That increased efforts to diagnose and treat illnesses, such as those found in veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the global war on terror, be undertaken immediately;
That all anthrax vaccine safety data be made available for expert analysis, especially to decision makers and independent scientists;
That research using the Defense Medical Surveillance System databases specifically investigate the relationship between anthrax vaccine and chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other pain disorders, undiagnosed illnesses and Gulf War syndrome;
That Congress request the Institute of Medicine to perform a review of the military smallpox program in an identical manner to its review of the civilian smallpox program, and ask the Secretary of Defense to follow the recommendations of the institute with respect to future smallpox vaccinations;
That electronic medical records be established that are seamlessly and rapidly transferable between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs;
That existing regulations to improve the medical disability process for service members be enforced and that current standards be improved;
That Congress ensure the Department of Defense's Disability Evaluation System be expanded as quickly as possible, and
That service members be granted the benefit of a doubt when they file a valid disability claim for service-connected injuries or illnesses and be provided health care benefits and compensation as soon as possible; and
WHEREAS, these recommendations of the commission, if adopted for members of the United States Armed Forces, could save the lives and protect the health of all United States military personnel; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and request that the President of the United States and the United States Congress review and adopt these recommendations to protect the lives and health of members of the Maine National Guard and the United States Armed Forces; and be it further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the Honorable Barack H. Obama, President of the United States, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and to each Member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.