[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 74 (Thursday, May 23, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S3878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 129 and 
the Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 129) recognizing the significance of 
     May 2013 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an 
     important time to celebrate the significant contributions of 
     Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the 
     United States.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
Hirono amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble, as 
amended, be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the 
table, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 129) was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1143) was agreed to, as follows:

       In the fifth whereas clause of the preamble, strike 
     ``nearly 6 percent'' and insert ``approximately 5.5 percent 
     and 0.4 percent, respectively,''.

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 129

       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 history 
     of the United States;
       Whereas the history of Asian Americans and Pacific 
     Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the 
     story of the United States;
       Whereas the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community 
     is an inherently diverse population comprised of more than 45 
     distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects;
       Whereas, according to the Bureau of the Census, the Asian-
     American population grew faster than any other racial or 
     ethnic group in the United States during the last decade, 
     surging nearly 46 percent between 2000 and 2010, which is a 
     growth rate 4 times faster than that of the total population 
     of the United States;
       Whereas the 2010 decennial census estimated that there are 
     approximately 17,300,000 residents of the United States who 
     identify as Asian and approximately 1,200,000 residents of 
     the United States who identify themselves as Native Hawaiian 
     or other Pacific Islander, making up approximately 5.5 
     percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, of the total 
     population of the United States;
       Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 
     American Heritage Month because the first immigrants from 
     Japan arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the 
     first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 
     1869, with substantial contributions from immigrants from 
     China;
       Whereas 2013 marks 70 years since the repeal of the Act of 
     May 5, 1892 (27 Stat. 25, chapter 60) (commonly known as the 
     ``Geary Act'' or the ``Chinese Exclusion Act''), and 25 years 
     since the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (50 
     U.S.C. App. 1989b et seq.) that granted reparations to 
     Japanese Americans interned during World War II, both cases 
     in which Congress acted to address discriminatory laws that 
     targeted people of Asian descent;
       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, in 2013, 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 40 Members, including 13 Members of Asian or 
     Pacific Islander descent;
       Whereas, in 2013, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are 
     serving in State legislatures across the United States in 
     record numbers, including in the States of Alaska, Arizona, 
     California, Connecticut, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, 
     Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, 
     Vermont, Virginia, and Washington;
       Whereas the number of Federal judges who are Asian 
     Americans or Pacific Islanders more than doubled between 2009 
     and 2013, reflecting a commitment to diversity in the Federal 
     judiciary that has resulted in the confirmations of high 
     caliber Asian-American and Pacific Islander judicial 
     nominees;
       Whereas there remains much to be done to ensure that Asian 
     Americans and Pacific Islanders have access to resources and 
     a voice in the Government of the United States 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 May 2013 as Asian/
     Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to 
     celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans 
     and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States; 
     and
       (2) recognizes that the Asian-American and Pacific Islander 
     community enhances the rich diversity of and strengthens the 
     United States.

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