[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9182-9183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, today I rise as a member of the 
Congressional Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus to pay tribute to 
the millions of Americans of Asian and Pacific heritage for their 
valuable contributions to our great country.
  The district I represent has benefited from the economic and social 
contributions from the Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. That 
includes the Cities of Monterey Park, known as Little Taipei, Rosemead 
and West Covina, as well as other neighboring communities in San 
Gabriel Valley. In my district, there are approximately 120,000 API 
descendants.
  For example, according to the Chamber of Commerce, Chinese Americans 
own at least two-thirds of Monterey Park's more than 5,000 businesses.
  Many of the constituents I represent came to America in the hopes of 
providing for their loved ones and plan to reunite with their families.
  This month comes at a tough time, especially for many of those of 
Asian descent, particularly those that were affected by the recent 
earthquake in China. My sympathies go to their families.
  I look forward to continuing to work with the API community and 
others to bridge the gap to provide better services to all our 
residents and grow our economy.

[[Page 9183]]



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