[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S3451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 200--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DESIGNATION 
      OF THE MONTH OF MAY AS ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. Inouye, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Feinstein, and 
Mr. Reid of Nevada) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 200

       Whereas each May, the people of the United States join 
     together to pay tribute to the contributions of the 
     generations of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have 
     enriched the history of the United States;
       Whereas the history of Asian-Americans and Pacific 
     Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the 
     history of the United States;
       Whereas as of 2011, according to the United States Census 
     Bureau, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community is 
     1 of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the 
     United States and is comprised of more than 45 distinct 
     ethnicities and more than 28 language groups;
       Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there 
     are--
       (1) 17,300,000 United States residents who identify 
     themselves as Asian alone or in combination with 1 or more 
     other races; and
       (2) 1,200,000 United States residents who identify 
     themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 
     alone or in combination with 1 or more other races;
       Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by 
     the year 2050--
       (1) there will be 40,600,000 United States residents 
     identifying themselves as Asian alone or in combination with 
     1 or more other races, comprising 9 percent of the total 
     population of the United States; and
       (2) there will be 2,600,000 United States residents 
     identifying themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific 
     Islander alone or as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific 
     Islander in combination with 1 or more other races, 
     comprising 0.6 percent of the total population of the United 
     States;
       Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 
     American Heritage Month due to the facts that on May 7, 1843, 
     the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, 
     and on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was 
     completed, with substantial contributions from Chinese 
     immigrants;
       Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced 
     injustices throughout the history of the United States, 
     including the Act of May 5, 1892 (27 Stat. 25, chapter 60) 
     (commonly known as the ``Geary Act'' or the ``Chinese 
     Exclusion Act''), the internment of Japanese-Americans during 
     World War II, unpunished hate crimes, such as 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 an annual 
     proclamation calling on the people of the United States to 
     observe the month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
     activities;
       Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as Yuri 
     Kochiyama, a civil rights activist, Herbert Pililaau, 
     recipient of the Medal of Honor, Dalip Singh Saund, the first 
     Asian-American Congressman, Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian-
     American Congresswoman, and Norman Y. Mineta, the first 
     Asian-American member of a presidential cabinet, have made 
     significant strides in the political and military realms;
       Whereas the Presidential Cabinet of the Obama 
     Administration includes a record 3 Asian-Americans, including 
     Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Commerce Gary 
     Locke, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki;
       Whereas in 2011, the Congressional Asian Pacific American 
     Caucus, a bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating 
     on behalf of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, includes 
     30 Members of Congress;
       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 the 
     State 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, California;
       Whereas as of the date of approval of this resolution, 
     Asian-American and Pacific Islander leaders are serving in 
     State legislatures across the United States in record 
     numbers, including in the States of 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 staff levels in the Obama Administration, 
     including Pete Rouse, who is the first Asian-American to 
     serve as White House Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, Chief of 
     Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Chris Lu, White House 
     Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal, Acting Solicitor General of 
     the United States, Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, L. Tammy 
     Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and 
     Intergovernmental Affairs of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, Anthony M. Babauta, Assistant Secretary for Insular 
     Areas of the Department of Interior, and many others;
       Whereas the commitment of the United States to judicial 
     diversity has been demonstrated through the nomination of 
     high caliber Asian-Americans and other minority 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 the community;
       Whereas even with the exceptional milestones achieved by 
     the Asian-American and Pacific Islander 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 Federal Government, 
     and continue to advance in the political landscape of the 
     United States; and
       Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 
     provides the people of the United States with an opportunity 
     to recognize the achievements, contributions, and history of 
     Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders and to appreciate the 
     challenges faced by Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the significance of the designation of the 
     month of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month;
       (2) encourages the celebration during Asian/Pacific 
     American Heritage Month of the significant contributions 
     Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to the United 
     States; and
       (3) recognizes that the Asian-American and Pacific Islander 
     community strengthens and enhances the rich diversity of the 
     United States.

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