[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 40 (Monday, March 12, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S1581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITALIAN UNIFICATION

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 394, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 394) commemorating the 150th 
     anniversary of Italian unification and the beginning of the 
     warm and abiding relations between the people of the United 
     States and Italy.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that 
the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 394) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 394

       Whereas it has been 150 years since March 17, 1861, when 
     the parliament of a united Italy proclaimed Victor Emmanuel 
     II their king;
       Whereas the story of the Italian Risorgimento, in 
     particular Giuseppe Garibaldi's heroic adventures, have 
     inspired generations of Americans;
       Whereas, between 1880 to 1920, an estimated 4,000,000 
     Italian immigrants arrived in the United States to settle and 
     help build our Nation;
       Whereas today there are almost 18,000,000 Americans of 
     Italian ancestry whose contributions to our society are 
     diverse and profound;
       Whereas Italy has been a loyal NATO ally and a major 
     strategic partner for over 60 years;
       Whereas Italian-Americans have made enormous contributions 
     to the United States; and
       Whereas Italy remains a steadfast partner in the defense of 
     a shared vision of fundamental human rights and the 
     preservation of democratic ideals: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 150th anniversary of the foundation of 
     the modern state of Italy;
       (2) celebrates the ties of kinship and shared democratic 
     values that unite the two countries across the Atlantic;
       (3) honors the service and sacrifice of Italy's soldiers, 
     sailors, and airmen alongside United States forces most 
     recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya; and
       (4) reaffirms the friendship between the Government and 
     people of the United States and the Government and people of 
     Italy.

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