[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14525-14526]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 53--HONORING AND CONGRATULATING CHAMBERS 
  OF COMMERCE FOR THEIR EFFORTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF 
   COMMUNITIES AND THE STRENGTHENING OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIES

  Mr. LEVIN (for himself, and Ms. Stabenow) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                            S. Con. Res. 53

       Whereas chambers of commerce throughout the United States 
     contribute to the improvement of their communities and the 
     strengthening of their local and regional economies;
       Whereas in the Detroit, Michigan area, the Detroit Regional 
     Chamber, originally known as the Detroit Board of Commerce, 
     typifies the public-spirited contributions made by the 
     chambers of commerce;
       Whereas, on June 30, 1903, the Detroit Board of Commerce 
     was formally organized with 253 charter members;
       Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce played a prominent 
     role in the formation of the United States Chamber of 
     Commerce;
       Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce participated in the 
     Good Roads for Michigan campaign in 1910 and 1911, helping to 
     gain voter approved of a $2,000,000 bond proposal to improve 
     the roads of Wayne County, Michigan;
       Whereas, in 1925, the Safety Council of the Detroit Board 
     of Commerce helped develop the first traffic lights in 
     Detroit;
       Whereas, in 1927, the Detroit Board of Commerce brought 
     together all of the cities, villages, and townships in 
     southeast Michigan to tentatively establish boundaries for a 
     metropolitan district for Detroit, embracing all or parts of 
     Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties at the 
     request of the United States Census Bureau in advance of the 
     1930 census;
       Whereas, in 1932, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board 
     designated the Detroit Board of Commerce as the authorized 
     agent for stock subscriptions in the Federal Home Loan Bank, 
     as an early response to the Great Depression;

[[Page 14526]]

       Whereas, in 1945, the Detroit Board of Commerce promoted 
     the making of Victory Loans to veterans returning from 
     service in the United States Armed Forces during World War II 
     as a way of expressing thanks for the veterans' wartime 
     service, and raised more than half of the total amount 
     contributed in Wayne County, Michigan, to fund Victory Loans;
       Whereas, in 1969, the Detroit Board of Commerce, then known 
     as the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce, was instrumental 
     in the establishment of a bus network connecting inner-city 
     workers and jobs, which resulted in the creation of the 
     Southeast Metropolitan Transportation Authority, now known as 
     SMART;
       Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce has been known by 
     several names during its century of existence, eventually 
     becoming known as the Detroit Regional Chamber in November 
     1997;
       Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is the largest chamber 
     of commerce in the United States and has been in existence 
     for over 100 years;
       Whereas more than 19,000 businesses across southeast 
     Michigan have decided to make an initial investment in the 
     Detroit Regional Chamber to help develop the region;
       Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has supported the 
     concept of regionalism in southeast Michigan, representing 
     the concerns of business and the region as a whole;
       Whereas the mission of the Detroit Regional Chamber is to 
     help power the economy of southeastern Michigan;
       Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber successfully advocates 
     public policy concerns on behalf of its members at the local, 
     regional, State, and national levels;
       Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has implemented 
     programs promoting diversity in its work force and has won 
     recognition for such efforts;
       Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is committed to 
     promoting the interests of its members in the global 
     marketplace through economic development efforts; and
       Whereas, on June 30, 2003, the Detroit Regional Chamber 
     celebrates its 100th anniversary: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), that Congress honors and congratulates chambers 
     of commerce for their efforts that contribute to the 
     improvement of their communities and the strengthening of 
     their local and regional economies.

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