S1078 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 13, 2020

should immediately resign from office, and if in this preamble as the ‘‘Yellow River S. RES. 500 he does not resign, the President should re- Band’’) to the Twin Lakes Reservation; and Whereas the World Health Organization move him from office. (2) later submitted a petition to United has designated 2020 as the ‘‘International States General John Tipton that challenged f Year of the Nurse and the Midwife’’; the validity of the Yellow River Treaty; Whereas 2020— Whereas, after the 2-year period for the SENATE RESOLUTION 499—AC- (1) marks the 200th birthday of Florence KNOWLEDGING THE REPREHEN- Yellow River Band to move west expired, White settlers who wanted to occupy the Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; SIBLE POLICY OF THE UNITED lands of the Twin Lakes Reservation peti- and STATES REGARDING THE tioned Governor David Wallace for (2) is an appropriate time to reflect on the FORCED RELOCATION OF THE protection, and, in response, Governor Wal- high-quality health care that nurses and PEOPLE FROM lace authorized General Tipton to mobilize a midwives provide in all settings across the THEIR HOMELAND EAST OF THE militia of 100 volunteers to forcibly remove ; TO the Yellow River Band from the reservation; Whereas, with approximately 4,000,000 reg- Whereas, on August 30, 1838, General Tip- istered nurses in the United States and AND OKLAHOMA AND THE DEV- 20,700,000 registered nurses worldwide, nurses ASTATING HARDSHIPS THE POT- ton and a volunteer militia surprised the Yellow River Band at the Twin Lakes Res- and midwives— AWATOMI PEOPLE ENDURED ervation, and, over the next several days, the (1) represent nearly 50 percent of the global DURING THE MARCH WEST, soldiers burned the crops and destroyed the health workforce; and KNOWN AS THE ‘‘POTAWATOMI village of the Yellow River Band to discour- (2) comprise the largest component of the TRAIL OF DEATH’’ age anyone from trying to return; health care workforce in many countries; Whereas on September 4, 1838, the forced Whereas investing in nurses and midwives Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Ms. STABE- relocation of 859 members of the Yellow provides great value to communities; NOW, and Mr. PETERS) submitted the River Band proceeded from Twin Lakes, In- Whereas a report of the High-Level Com- following resolution; which was re- diana, under the armed escort of the militia, mission on Health Employment and Eco- ferred to the Committee on Indian Af- including the Potawatomi leaders Menom- nomic Growth of the United Nations con- fairs: inee, Makkatahmoway, and Pepinawa, who cluded that ‘‘investments in education and S. RES. 499 were treated as prisoners of war and rode job creation in the health and social sectors along in a wagon under armed guard; result in a triple return of improved health Whereas the Potawatomi people, collec- Whereas, over the course of 61 days, outcomes, global health security, and inclu- tively known as the ‘‘Potawatomi Nation’’, through deprivation and often brutal heat sive economic growth’’; are comprised of members of the many vil- along the march west, known as the ‘‘Trail Whereas nurses and midwives have contrib- lages, communities, and bands that resided of Death’’, that extended from Twin Lakes, uted to major achievements in global health, for millennia in their homeland in the south- Indiana, through the States of and including— ern Great Lakes region of the present day Missouri to the eventual destination of the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, (1) the eradication of smallpox; and Yellow River Band some 660 miles away in and Wisconsin; (2) reductions in maternal and child mor- Osawatomie, Kansas, some 42 Potawatomi Whereas the advanced farming techniques, tality; individuals died, including 28 children; and extensive trade and commerce networks, and Whereas nurses and midwives are known to Whereas some of the Potawatomi Nation, well-established transportation routes of the be patient advocates, acting to protect the including the Pokagon Band, the Potawatomi Nation had a significant influ- lives of the individuals under their care; Nottawaseppi Huron Band, the Gun Lake ence on the early history of North America; Whereas nurses and midwives, in caring for Band, and the Hannahville Indian Commu- Whereas Potawatomi leaders entered into patients and their families in all stages of nity, evaded forced relocation and the dev- 44 treaties with the United States, including life, serve as vital members of the health astating consequences of the Trail of Death a series of treaties the Potawatomi people care workforce who improve patient out- by fleeing to other locations in the Great were pressured to sign between 1818 and 1828, comes and safety; Lakes region, including to Canada, and else- under which the Potawatomi people ceded Whereas better integration of nurses and where in the United States: Now, therefore, vast areas of the homeland of the Pota- midwives into health care systems is reduc- be it ing primary and maternity care provider watomi people in exchange for annuities, Resolved, small reservations in the States of Indiana shortages and improving maternal health SECTION 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT. and Illinois, and scattered individual allot- outcomes; The Senate— ments; Whereas nurses promote healthy lifestyles (1) recognizes— Whereas, in 1830, President Andrew Jack- and educate communities on disease preven- (A) the special legal and political relation- son signed the Act of May 28, 1830 (4 Stat. tion and health promotion; ship Indian Tribes have with the United 411, chapter 148) (commonly known as the Whereas nurses and midwives are well-po- States; and ‘‘Indian Removal Act’’), into law, which au- sitioned to address and reduce health care (B) the solemn covenant that the Pota- thorized the President to provide land in the disparities that exist in the United States, watomi people of the United States share so-called Indian territory in the western including with respect to maternal health; with the land; and United States ‘‘for the reception of such Whereas many nurses are experienced re- (2) acknowledges the extreme hardship, vi- tribes or nations of Indians as may choose to searchers, and the work of nurses encom- olence, and maltreatment inflicted on the exchange the lands where they now reside, passes a wide scope of scientific inquiry re- Potawatomi people by the United States and remove there. . .’’; lating to clinical science, health systems and through the cruel and ill-conceived policy of Whereas 3 treaties signed by Potawatomi outcomes, and nursing education; forcible removal of the Potawatomi people leaders in October 1832 further reduced the Whereas nurses provide care that is sen- from their homeland east of the Mississippi remaining homeland of the Potawatomi peo- sitive to the cultures and customs of individ- River. ple in the States of Indiana and Illinois to uals across the United States; and SEC. 2. DISCLAIMER. several small reservations and individual al- Whereas many nurses can inform and work Nothing in this resolution— lotments, including a reservation at a vil- closely with legislators to improve the— (1) authorizes or supports any claim lage on the Yellow River in Twin Lakes, In- (1) recruitment, education, practice, and against the United States; or diana (referred to in this preamble as the retention of nurses; and (2) serves as a settlement of any claim ‘‘Twin Lakes Reservation’’), under a Pota- (2) health and safety of the patients for against the United States. watomi leader named Menominee; whom nurses care in all communities, in- Whereas pressure from United States nego- f cluding rural and underserved communities: tiators resulted in Potawatomi leaders sign- SENATE RESOLUTION 500—SUP- Now, therefore, be it ing a number of treaties between 1834 and PORTING THE GOALS AND Resolved, That the Senate— 1837, known as the ‘‘Whiskey Treaties’’, (1) supports the goals and ideals of the which ceded the remaining Potawatomi land IDEALS OF THE ‘‘INTER- ‘‘International Year of the Nurse and the in the State of Indiana and included a com- NATIONAL YEAR OF THE NURSE Midwife’’, as designated by the World Health mitment to move to reservations in the West AND THE MIDWIFE’’, AS DES- Organization; within 2 years; IGNATED BY THE WORLD (2) recognizes the significant contributions Whereas Menominee and a number of other HEALTH ORGANIZATION of nurses and midwives to the health care Potawatomi leaders— Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. system in the United States; and (1) refused to participate in the negotia- (3) encourages the people of the United tions that produced the Treaty of August 5, WICKER, Mr. JONES, and Mr. WYDEN) States to observe the International Year of 1836 (7 Stat. 505) (commonly known as the submitted the following resolution; the Nurse and the Midwife with appropriate ‘‘Yellow River Treaty’’), which purported to which was referred to the Committee recognition, ceremonies, activities, and pro- relinquish the rights of the Yellow River on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen- grams to demonstrate the importance of Band of the Potawatomi people (referred to sions: nurses and midwives to patients.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Feb 14, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A13FE6.040 S13FEPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE