Reps. Espinoza, Miller, McDowell, Gleason, Alma Smith, Sheltrown, Farrah, Plakas, Garfield, Polidori, Moore, Accavitti, Byrum, Clack, Condino, Gillard, Gonzales, Hopgood, Kathleen Law, Leland, Lemmons, III, Lemmons, Jr., Lipsey, Meisner, Murphy, Sak, Virgil Smith, Tobocman, Vagnozzi, Waters and Zelenko offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 200.

            A resolution to express opposition to the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) plan to develop a database identifying veterans and others with mental impairments.

            Whereas, The TSA has developed a plan to build new databases to help screen airline passengers.  This database would include information about military personnel from Department of Defense files and veterans from Department of Veterans Affairs files; and

            Whereas, These new data sources would include lists of persons who have been declared "mental defectives."  Because the term "mental defective" is not clearly defined by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, we are concerned that soldiers who suffer post traumatic stress disorder or other mental health problems related to their service might be determined to be mental defectives.  Various studies indicate that up to 17 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms consistent with major depression, generalized anxiety, or post traumatic stress disorder; and

            Whereas, Putting veterans, including those who have fought in the War on Terror, on a watch list because they suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, or other disorder related to their service, is a betrayal to those who sacrificed so much for the defense of our country.  National security should not be used as a blanket rationale to dig into the private medical records of our veterans and to misuse those records by treating veterans like enemies of the country they risked their lives to defend; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we express opposition to the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) plan to develop a database identifying veterans and others with mental impairments; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.