[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3063-S3064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 218--RECOGNIZING 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 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez 
Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Mr. 
Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. 
Murray, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Schatz, and Ms. Smith) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 218

       Whereas the people of the United States join 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, composed 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 over the last decade, surging nearly 72 percent 
     between 2000 and 2015;
       Whereas there are approximately 22,000,000 residents of the 
     United States who identify themselves as Asian and 
     approximately 1,600,000 residents of the United States who 
     identify themselves as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific 
     Islander, making up nearly 7 percent of the total population 
     of the United States;
       Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 
     American Heritage Month because the first Japanese immigrants 
     arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the first 
     transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with 
     substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants;
       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 2019 marks several important milestones for the 
     Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including--
       (1) the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the 
     Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a bicameral 
     caucus of Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian 
     Americans and Pacific Islanders, which, in 2019, is composed 
     of 73 Members, including 19 Members of Asian or Pacific 
     Islander descent;
       (2) the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Asian 
     Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, which 
     was founded alongside the Congressional Asian Pacific 
     American Caucus by former Secretary of Commerce and Secretary 
     of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and former Delegate to the 
     United States House of Representatives from Guam Robert 
     Underwood;
       (3) the 40th anniversary of the first Asian/Pacific 
     American Heritage Week, designated in 1979 by President Jimmy 
     Carter through Presidential Proclamation No. 4650;
       (4) the 45th anniversary of Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 
     (1974), in which the Supreme Court of the United States 
     determined that inadequate supplemental language instruction 
     for students of Chinese ancestry with limited English 
     proficiency violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, expanding 
     equal educational opportunities and paving the way for 
     bilingual programs and additional English language 
     instruction in public schools;
       (5) the 95th anniversary of the enactment of the 
     Immigration Act of 1924 (commonly known as the ``Johnson-Reed 
     Act'') (43 Stat. 153, chapter 190), which imposed national 
     origin quotas that limited the number of immigrants allowed 
     entry to the United States and prohibited the entry of Asian 
     immigrants; and
       (6) the 150th anniversary of the completion of the first 
     transcontinental railroad, which--
       (A) in 1869, connected the Central Pacific Railroad and the 
     Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah; and

[[Page S3064]]

       (B) involved more than 12,000 Chinese laborers who faced 
     racial and wage discrimination despite being entrusted with 
     the most laborious tasks;
       Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made 
     significant contributions to the United States at all levels 
     of the Federal Government and the United States Armed Forces, 
     including--
       (1) Daniel K. Inouye, a Medal of Honor and Presidential 
     Medal of Freedom recipient who, as President Pro Tempore of 
     the Senate, was the highest-ranking Asian American government 
     official in the history of the United States;
       (2) Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American 
     Congressman;
       (3) Patsy T. Mink, the first woman of color and Asian 
     American woman to be elected to Congress;
       (4) Hiram L. Fong, the first Asian American Senator;
       (5) Daniel K. Akaka, the first Senator of Native Hawaiian 
     ancestry;
       (6) Norman Y. Mineta, the first Asian American member of a 
     Presidential cabinet; and
       (7) Elaine L. Chao, the first Asian American woman member 
     of a Presidential cabinet;
       Whereas, in 2019, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are 
     serving in State and Territorial legislatures across the 
     United States in record numbers, including in--
       (1) the States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, 
     Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, 
     Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New 
     Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, 
     Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, 
     Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming; and
       (2) the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
       Whereas, in 2019, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
     honorably serve throughout the Federal judiciary;
       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, 
     and to understand the challenges faced by, Asian Americans 
     and Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (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 history of the United States; and
       (2) recognizes that Asian American and Pacific Islander 
     communities enhance the rich diversity of and strengthen the 
     United States.

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