[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 20, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2554-S2555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 589--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, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez 
Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Mr. Kaine, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Rosen, Mr. 
Schatz, Ms. Smith, Mr. Van Hollen, and Ms. Warren) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 589

       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 as Asian and approximately 
     1,600,000 residents of the United States who identify 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 2020 marks several important milestones for the 
     Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, including--
       (1) the 35th anniversary of the mission aboard the Space 
     Shuttle Discovery of Ellison Shoji Onizuka, the first Asian 
     American in space;
       (2) the 45th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and 
     the beginning of the Southeast Asian diaspora to communities 
     across the United States;
       (3) the 45th anniversary of the completion of the double-
     hulled voyaging canoe, Hokulea, marking the first traditional 
     Polynesian voyaging canoe built in Hawaii in more than 600 
     years;
       (4) the 55th anniversary of the enactment of the Act 
     entitled ``An Act to amend the Immigration and Nationality 
     Act, and for other purposes'', approved October 3, 1965 (79 
     Stat. 911), landmark legislation that reversed restrictive 
     immigration policies against immigrants from Asia; and
       (5) the 110th anniversary of the establishment of Angel 
     Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay, California, 
     which served as a major port of entry for immigrants coming 
     to the United States from Asia and the Pacific;
       Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made 
     significant contributions to the United States at all levels 
     of the Federal Government and in 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;

[[Page S2555]]

       (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 2020, 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 76 Members, including 19 Members of Asian or 
     Pacific Islander descent;
       Whereas, in 2020, 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, 
     Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, 
     Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, 
     Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North 
     Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, 
     Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming; and
       (2) the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
       Whereas, in 2020, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
     honorably serve throughout the Federal judiciary;
       Whereas, since January 2020, the increased use of anti-
     Asian terminology and rhetoric related to the 2019 novel 
     coronavirus (COVID-19) has perpetuated an anti-Asian stigma 
     and has resulted in a dramatic increase in reports of hate 
     crimes and incidents against individuals of Asian descent;
       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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