[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1195 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1195

   Expressing condolences and sympathy to the people of the People's 
   Republic of China for the grave loss of life and vast destruction 
     caused by the earthquake of May 12, 2008, in Sichuan Province.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2008

Mr. Wu (for himself, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Berman, Ms. 
 Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Payne, Ms. Lee, Mr. Lampson, Ms. 
Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
 Meeks of New York, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Gene Green 
   of Texas, Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Terry, Mr. 
    Schiff, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Dreier, and Ms. Fallin) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing condolences and sympathy to the people of the People's 
   Republic of China for the grave loss of life and vast destruction 
     caused by the earthquake of May 12, 2008, in Sichuan Province.

Whereas on Monday, May 12, 2008, at 2:28 p.m. local time, a massive earthquake 
        measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck a mountainous region of 
        Sichuan Province in southwest China;
Whereas the epicenter of the earthquake was Wenchuan County, 60 miles northwest 
        of the provincial capital of Chengdu;
Whereas the earthquake destroyed 80 percent of structures in some of the towns 
        and small cities near the epicenter;
Whereas the death toll is currently estimated to exceed 12,000 and is expected 
        to rise as the scope of the damage becomes clearer;
Whereas tens of thousands of people across southwest China remain buried beneath 
        rubble, and hundreds of thousands of people are injured or homeless;
Whereas an estimated 900 eighth and ninth grade students and their teachers 
        remain trapped, with as many as hundreds dead, after a school collapsed 
        in Dujiangyan, a county located southeast of the epicenter;
Whereas another school with up to 1,000 students and teachers inside collapsed 
        in the city of Mianyang;
Whereas two chemical plants have collapsed in Shifang, northeast of the 
        epicenter, spilling 80 tons of toxic ammonia;
Whereas more than 150 people have been killed in the provinces of Gansu and 
        Shaanxi, and in Chongqing municipality;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has mobilized 50,000 police and civilian 
        rescue workers, who have been working tirelessly in disaster areas to 
        aid in rescue and recovery efforts;
Whereas the tremors of the powerful earthquake were felt as far south as Vietnam 
        and Thailand and set off another, smaller earthquake near the outskirts 
        of Beijing, 900 miles away;
Whereas the earthquake is China's largest natural disaster since a previous 
        earthquake struck the city of Tangshan in eastern China in 1976; and
Whereas the People's Republic of China has said that it is spending $120 million 
        on rescue efforts and that it would accept international aid to cope 
        with the disaster: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) extends its condolences and sympathy to the people of 
        the People's Republic of China for the grave loss of life and 
        vast destruction caused by the massive earthquake centered in 
        Sichuan Province;
            (2) vows its full support for the people of the People's 
        Republic of China as well as the members of the Chinese 
        American community in the United States who have relatives in 
        the affected areas of China; and
            (3) expresses confidence that the people of the People's 
        Republic of China will come together to help those in need and 
        succeed in overcoming the hardships incurred because of this 
        tragedy.
                                 <all>