TITLE: Recognizing April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American Day at the State Capitol.

SUMMARY: Recognizing April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American Day at the State Capitol.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, When the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees, including former military personnel, government officials, and those who had worked with the United States during the war, immigrated to surrounding areas and to America; and WHEREAS, Throughout the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, thousands of Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam aboard small wooden boats; approximately half of these emigrants perished at sea, but others reached refugee camps in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; and WHEREAS, Many Vietnamese who came to the United States chose to settle in the metropolitan areas and coastal regions of Texas; these first-generation Vietnamese Americans worked hard and flourished here, and now the state is home to the second largest Vietnamese population in the United States, with more than 200,000 residents, nearly half of those living in the Houston-Sugarland-Baytown area; and WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have fully embraced all of the democratic principles that the United States offers, including human rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and protection against threats of aggression; and WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have denied the authority of the Vietnamese Communist Flag and pushed for governments to officially recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, which symbolizes both the Vietnamese cultural heritage and a deeply rooted resilience and yearning for democracy; and WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans strongly support education, and their children are graduating from high schools and higher education institutions at high rates; and WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has benefited enormously from the contributions of its Vietnamese American residents; and WHEREAS, The Vietnamese American community plays a vital role in the business, professional, and cultural life not only of the Lone Star State but also of the country; the number of small businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans has grown substantially, and these firms have created more than 166,000 jobs nationwide, adding billions of dollars to the economy; in addition, Vietnamese Americans contribute to their communities in a myriad of ways, as teachers, lawyers, writers, actors, doctors, mayors, judges, and public servants; among the many Vietnamese Americans who have led notable careers are astronaut Eugene H. Trinh, former Dallas Cowboy Dat Nguyen, and scientist Nguyet Anh Duong, who developed the thermobaric weapon, which has been vital to U.S. military efforts; and WHEREAS, For many decades, people of Vietnamese descent have excelled in our society and economy, enriched our cultural tapestry, and helped enhance and secure the Lone Star State's reputation as a land of promise and possibility; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby recognize April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American Day at the State Capitol and extend to each participant best wishes for an informative and enjoyable day in Austin. Vo Button Wu Straus Gonz lez Paddie Allen Guerra Parker Alonzo Guillen Paul Alvarado Gutierrez Pe a Anchia Harless Phelan Anderson of Dallas Hernandez Phillips Anderson of McLennan Herrero Pickett Ashby Howard Price Aycock Huberty Raney Bell Hughes Raymond Bernal Hunter Reynolds Blanco Isaac Riddle Bohac Israel Rinaldi Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Rodriguez of Bexar Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rodriguez of Travis Burkett Keffer Romero, Jr. Burns Keough Rose Burrows King of Hemphill Sanford Button King of Parker Schaefer Canales King of Taylor Schofield Capriglione King of Uvalde Schubert Clardy Klick Shaheen Coleman Koop Sheets Collier Krause Sheffield Cook Kuempel Simmons Craddick Landgraf Simpson Crownover Larson Smith Cyrier Laubenberg Smithee Dale Leach Spitzer Darby Longoria Springer Davis of Dallas Lozano Stephenson Davis of Harris Lucio III Stickland Deshotel M rquez Thompson of Brazoria Dukes Martinez Thompson of Harris Dutton Martinez Fischer Tinderholt Elkins McClendon Turner of Collin Faircloth Metcalf Turner of Harris Fallon Meyer Turner of Tarrant Farias Miles VanDeaver Farney Miller of Comal Villalba Farrar Miller of Fort Bend Vo Fletcher Moody Walle Flynn Morrison White of Bell Frank Mu oz, Jr. White of Tyler Frullo Murphy Workman Galindo Murr Wray Geren Naishtat Wu Giddings Nev rez Zedler Goldman Oliveira Zerwas Gonzales Otto Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1560 was adopted by the House on April 8, 2015, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House