[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 243 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 243

           Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2011

 Ms. Chu (for herself, Mr. Wu, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Matsui, Mr. 
   Honda, Mr. Stark, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Richardson, Ms. Speier, Mr. 
 Faleomavaega, Mr. Schiff, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Towns, Mr. Jackson of 
Illinois, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Rush, Mr. Clay, Mrs. 
   Davis of California, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. George Miller of 
  California, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Crowley, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hinojosa, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. Hanabusa, Mr. 
     Connolly of Virginia, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Larson of 
   Connecticut, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, Mr. Filner, Mr. Lewis of 
 Georgia, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, 
 Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Clarke of Michigan, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Conyers, 
 Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. McNerney) submitted the following resolution; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

Whereas the United States joins together each May to pay tribute to the 
        contributions of generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
        who have enriched the Nation's history;
Whereas the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United 
        States is inextricably tied to the story of the Nation;
Whereas today, according to the United States Census Bureau, the Asian American 
        and Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest growing and most 
        diverse populations in the United States, comprised of over 45 distinct 
        ethnicities and over 28 language groups in the community;
Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there are 17,300,000 United 
        States residents who identify themselves as Asian alone or in 
        combination with one or more other races and 1,200,000 United States 
        residents who identify themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific 
        Islander alone or in combination with one or more other races;
Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by 2050, there will be 
        40,600,000 United States residents identifying as Asian alone or in 
        combination with one or more other races, to comprise 9 percent of the 
        United States population, and there will be 2,600,000 United States 
        residents identifying as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander or 
        Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in combination with one or 
        more other races, to comprise 0.6 percent of the total population;
Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 
        due to the following two historical events, first, May 7, 1843, when the 
        first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, and second, May 
        10, 1869, when, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants, 
        the first transcontinental railroad was completed;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced injustices throughout 
        United States history, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the 
        Japanese American internment, unpunished hate crimes including the 
        murder of Vincent Chin, and other events;
Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially designates May 
        as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, and requests the President to 
        issue each year a proclamation calling on the people of the United 
        States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
        activities;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as civil rights activist 
        Yuri Kochiyama, Medal of Honor recipient Herbert Pililaau, the first 
        Asian American Congressman Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American 
        Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian American member of a 
        presidential cabinet Norman Y. Mineta, and others have made significant 
        strides in the political and military realms;
Whereas the Presidential Cabinet includes a record three Asian Americans, 
        including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, 
        and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki;
Whereas the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a bicameral caucus of 
        Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian Americans and Pacific 
        Islanders, is composed of 30 Members this year, including Senate 
        President Pro Tempore Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, the highest ranking 
        Asian American in United States history;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made history by assuming 
        office in a number of new and historically significant positions, 
        including Nikki Haley, the first Asian American and first female 
        governor of South Carolina, Edwin M. Lee, the first Asian American Mayor 
        of San Francisco, California, and Jean Quan, the first Asian American 
        and first woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland, CA;
Whereas today, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders are serving in a 
        record number of State legislatures across the Nation, in States as 
        diverse as Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, 
        Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, 
        Virginia, Utah, and Washington;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen to some of the highest 
        positions in President Obama's Administration, including Pete Rouse as 
        the first Asian American to serve as White House Chief of Staff, Tina 
        Tchen as Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Chris Lu as White 
        House Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal as Acting Solicitor General of the 
        United States, Rajiv Shah as Administrator of the United States Agency 
        for International Development (USAID), L. Tammy Duckworth as Assistant 
        Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs, Anthony M. Babauta as Assistant Secretary for Insular 
        Areas at the Department of Interior, and many others;
Whereas there has been a commitment to judicial diversity through the nomination 
        of high caliber Asian American and Pacific Islander jurists at all 
        levels of the Federal bench;
Whereas significant outreach efforts to the Asian American and Pacific Islander 
        community have been made through the reestablishment of the White House 
        Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to coordinate 
        multiagency efforts to ensure more accurate data collection and access 
        to services for this community;
Whereas even with these exceptional milestones crossed by the community, there 
        remains much to be done to ensure that linguistically and culturally 
        isolated Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have access to resources, 
        a voice in the United States Government, and continue to advance in the 
        Nation's political landscape; and
Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month provides the people of 
        the United States with an opportunity to recognize the achievements, 
        contributions, history, and address the challenges faced by Asian 
        Americans and Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American 
        Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the 
        significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific 
        Islanders to the Nation's history; and
            (2) recognizes that Asian American and Pacific Islander 
        communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States and 
        strengthen the Nation.
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