III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 157 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 26, 2005 Mr. Coburn (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Congratulating Carrie Underwood for winning the American Idol television program and thanking her for being a positive role model.

Whereas Carrie Underwood was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1983, but Checotah, Oklahoma, lays complete claim to her as a native; Whereas Carrie’s parents are Stephen and Carole Underwood of the Onapa area of Oklahoma; Whereas Carrie has two older sisters, Shanna Underwood Means, who teaches in Liberty Mounds, Oklahoma, and Stephanie Underwood Shelton, who teaches in Arkhoma, Oklahoma; Whereas Carrie has delighted the residents of Checotah with her singing since her elementary school days; Whereas during high school, Carrie sang in the Checotah High School’s award winning chorus and excited audiences every year at the Robbin Emerson Memorial Talent Show, which raises money for scholarships; Whereas Carrie was often kind enough to sing the National Anthem at high school basketball games; Whereas Carrie excelled academically in high school and was the salutatorian of her 2001 Checotah High School graduating class; Whereas Carrie began attending Northeastern State University after high school, where she is a senior majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in journalism; Whereas Carrie performed for 2 years in Northeastern’s Downtown Country Show in Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Whereas Carrie auditioned in August 2004, in St. Louis, Missouri, for the American Idol television show; Whereas Carrie was named to the top 24 on American Idol in mid-February 2005, and has been in Hollywood, California, performing weekly since; Whereas although people in Checotah and Oklahoma are extremely proud of Carrie’s phenomenal talent, they are even more proud of the kind of young person she has always been; and Whereas Carrie Underwood is intelligent, kind, and considerate—undoubtedly one of the finest young women anyone will ever meet: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)takes great pride in congratulating Carrie Underwood of Checotah, Oklahoma, for winning the television program American Idol; and (2)thanks Carrie Underwood for being a positive public role model and representing Oklahoma so superbly before an audience of millions of television viewers in this Nation and around the world.