[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 769 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 769

Expressing support for the designation of March 9, 2018, as a national 
       day of remembrance in honor of the life, legacy, and many 
                  accomplishments of Billy Frank, Jr.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2018

   Mr. Heck (for himself, Mr. Kilmer, and Mrs. Torres) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing support for the designation of March 9, 2018, as a national 
       day of remembrance in honor of the life, legacy, and many 
                  accomplishments of Billy Frank, Jr.

Whereas, in the 1850s, the United States Government signed a series of treaties 
        with Washington State Tribes under which the Tribes granted millions of 
        acres of land to the United States in exchange for the establishment of 
        reservations and the recognition of traditional hunting, fishing, and 
        gathering rights;
Whereas Billy Frank, Jr., was born to Willie Frank, Sr., and Angeline Frank on 
        March 9, 1931, at Frank's Landing on the banks of the Nisqually River in 
        Washington State;
Whereas the tireless efforts and dedication of Billy Frank, Jr., led to a 
        historic legal victory that ensured that the United States would honor 
        promises made in treaties with the Washington Tribes;
Whereas Billy Frank, Jr., was first arrested in December of 1945, at the age of 
        14, for fishing for salmon in the Nisqually River;
Whereas Billy Frank, Jr., was subsequently arrested more than 50 times for 
        exercising his treaty-protected right to fish for salmon;
Whereas over the years, Billy Frank, Jr., and other Tribal members staged 
        ``fish-ins'' that often placed the protestors in danger of being 
        arrested or attacked;
Whereas during these fish-ins, Billy Frank, Jr., and others demanded that they 
        be allowed to fish in historically Tribal waters, a right the Nisqually 
        had reserved in the Treaty of Medicine Creek;
Whereas declining salmon runs in Washington waters resulted in increased arrests 
        of Tribal members exercising their fishing rights under the Treaty of 
        Medicine Creek;
Whereas, on February 12, 1974, in the case of United States v. Washington, Judge 
        George Hugo Boldt of the United States District Court for the Western 
        District of Washington issued a decision that affirmed the right of 
        Washington treaty Tribes to take up to half of the harvestable salmon in 
        western Washington, reaffirmed Tribal treaty-reserved rights, and 
        established the Tribes as comanagers of the salmon resource;
Whereas the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United 
        States upheld the Boldt decision;
Whereas after the Boldt decision, Billy Frank, Jr., continued his fight to 
        protect natural resources, salmon, and a healthy environment;
Whereas the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, where Billy Frank, Jr., 
        served as chairman, assists its 20 member Tribes in managing fisheries 
        and works to establish relationships with State agencies and non-Indian 
        groups to restore and protect habitats, and protect Tribal treaty 
        rights;
Whereas Billy Frank, Jr., refused to be bitter in the face of jail, racism, and 
        abuse, and his influence was felt not just in Washington State but 
        around the world;
Whereas Billy Frank, Jr., was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for 
        Humanitarianism, the Common Cause Award for Human Rights Efforts, the 
        American Indian Distinguished Service Award, the Washington State 
        Environmental Excellence Award, and the Wallace Stegner Award for his 
        years of service and dedication to his battle;
Whereas, in 2015, Billy Frank, Jr., was posthumously awarded the Presidential 
        Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama;
Whereas, in 2015, Congress passed the Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act 
        (Public Law 114-101), renaming the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in 
        honor of Billy Frank, Jr., and establishing a national memorial at 
        nearby McAllister Creek, where the Medicine Creek Treaty was signed in 
        1854 between the United States Government and the Nisqually, 
        Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Squaxin Island Tribes;
Whereas the legacy of Billy Frank, Jr., will live on in stories, in memories, 
        and every time a Tribal member exercises his or her right to harvest 
        salmon in Washington State; and
Whereas the legacy of Billy Frank, Jr., continues to inspire those still around 
        today and those still to come: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports a national day 
of remembrance in honor of the life, legacy, and many accomplishments 
of Billy Frank, Jr.
                                 <all>