[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 191 (Thursday, December 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7082-S7083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CELEBRATING THE HERITAGE OF ROMANI AMERICANS

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 408, S. Res. 
124.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 124) celebrating the heritage of 
     Romani Americans.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations, with an amendment to strike all after the resolving clause 
and insert the part in italic, and with an amendment to strike the 
preamble and insert the part printed in italic as follows:

                              S. Res. 124

       Whereas the ancestry of the Romani people, also called the 
     Roma, can be traced to the Indian subcontinent;
       Whereas Romani people have been a part of European 
     immigration to the United States since the colonial period 
     and particularly following the abolition of the enslavement 
     of Romani people in the historic Romanian principalities;
       Whereas Romani people live across the world and throughout 
     the United States;
       Whereas the Romani people have made distinct and important 
     contributions in many fields, including agriculture, art, 
     crafts, literature, medicine, military service, music, 
     sports, and science;
       Whereas, on April 8, 1971, the First World Romani Congress 
     met in London, bringing Romani people together from across 
     Europe and the United States with the goal of promoting 
     transnational cooperation among Romani people in combating 
     social marginalization and building a positive future for 
     Romani people everywhere;
       Whereas April 8 is therefore celebrated globally as 
     International Roma Day;
       Whereas Romani people were victims of genocide carried out 
     by Nazi Germany and its Axis partners, and an estimated 
     200,000 to 500,000 Romani people were killed by Nazis and 
     their allies across Europe during World War II;
       Whereas, on the night of August 2-3, 1944, the so-called 
     ``Gypsy Family Camp'' where Romani people were interned at 
     Auschwitz-Birkenau was liquidated, and in a single night, 
     between 4,200 and 4,300 Romani men, women, and children were 
     killed in gas chambers;
       Whereas many countries are taking positive steps to 
     remember and teach about the genocide of Romani people by 
     Nazi Germany and its Axis partners; and
       Whereas the United States Congress held its first hearing 
     to examine the situation of Romani people in 1994: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved,
     That the Senate--
       (1) remembers the genocide of Romani people by Nazi Germany 
     and its Axis partners and commemorates the destruction of the 
     ``Gypsy Family Camp'' where Romani people were interned at 
     Auschwitz;
       (2) commends the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 
     for its role in promoting remembrance of the Holocaust and 
     educating about the genocide of Romani people;
       (3) supports International Roma Day as an opportunity to 
     honor the culture, history, and

[[Page S7083]]

     heritage of the Romani people in the United States as part of 
     the larger Romani global diaspora; and
       (4) welcomes the Department of State's participation in 
     ceremonies and events celebrating International Roma Day and 
     similar engagement by the United States Government.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I further ask that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution, as 
amended, be agreed to; the committee-reported substitute amendment to 
the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and 
the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table 
with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was 
agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 124), as amended, was agreed to.
  The committee-reported amendment to the preamble in the nature of a 
substitute was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.

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