Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 3.djvu/665

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CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—JUNE 5, 1997 111 STAT. 2753 have included some type of domestic violence provisions in their plans, (b) SENSE OF SENATE. —It is the sense of the Senate that the provisions of this resolution assume that— (1) States should not be subject to any numerical limits in granting domestic violence good cause waivers under section 402(a)(7)(A)(iii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(7)(A)(iii)) to individuals receiving assistance, for all requirements where compliance with such requirements would make it more difficult for individuals receiving assistance to escape domestic violence; and (2) any individual who is granted a domestic violence good cause waiver by a State shall not be included in the States' 20 percent hardship exemption under section 408(a)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)). SEC. 330. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING ASSISTANCE TO AMTRAK. (a) FINDINGS. — The Senate finds that— (1) Amtrak is in a financial crisis, with growing and substantial debt obligations approaching $2,000,000,000; (2) Amtrak has not been authorized since 1994; (3) the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation favorably reported legislation to reform Amtrak during the last two Congresses, but no legislation was enacted; (4) the Finance Committee favorably reported legislation in the last Congress that created a dedicated trust fund for Amtrak, but no legislation was enacted; (5) in 1997 Amtrak testified before the Congress that it cannot survive beyond 1998 without comprehensive legislative reforms and a dedicated source of capital funding; and (6) Congress is obligated to invest Federal tax dollars responsibly and to reduce waste and inefficiency in Federal programs, including Amtrak. OD) SENSE OF THE SENATE.— I t is the sense of the Senate that the provisions of this resolution assume that— (1) legislative reform is urgently needed to address Amtrak's financial and operational problems; (2) Congress should allocate additional Federal dollars to Amtrak in conjunction with reforms requested by Amtrak to address its precarious financial situation; and (3) the distribution of money from any new fund to finance an intercity rail passenger fund should be implemented in conjunction with legislation to reauthorize and reform the ' National Rail Passenger Corporation. SEC. 331. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN'S HEALTH. (a) FINDINGS. —The Senate makes the following findings: (1) Today's children and the next generation of children are the prime beneficiaries of a balanced Federal budget. Without a balanced budget, today's children will bear the increasing burden of the Federal debt. Continued deficit spending would doom future generations to slower economic growth, higher taxes, and lower living standards. (2) The health of children is essential to the future economic and social well-being of the Nation. (3) The Medicaid Program provides health coverage for over 17,000,000 children, or 1 out of every 4 children.