III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 49 

Recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska 

into the Union as the 49th State. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 30, 2007 

Mr. STEVENS (for himself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

FEBRUARY 15, 2007 

Reported by Mr. LEAHY, without amendment 

MARCH 23, 2007 

Considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 

entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State. 

Whereas July 7, 2008, marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Alaska Statehood Act as approved by the 

United States Congress and signed by President Dwight 

D. Eisenhower; 

Whereas the Alaska Statehood Act authorized the entry of 

Alaska into the Union on January 3, 1959; 

Whereas the land once known as ‘‘Seward’s Folly’’ is now regarded as critical to the strategic defense of the United 


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SRES 49 ATS 

States and important to our national and economic security; 

Whereas the people of Alaska remain committed to the preservation and protection of the Union, with among the 

highest rates of veterans and residents in active military 

service of any State in the Nation; 

Whereas Alaska is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost State of the Union, encompassing an area onefifth the size of the United States; 

Whereas the State of Alaska has an abundance of natural resources vital to the Nation; 

Whereas Alaska currently provides over 16 percent of the 

daily crude oil production in the United States and has 

44 percent of the undiscovered oil resources and 36 percent of undiscovered conventional gas in the United 

States; 

Whereas Alaska’s 34,000 miles of shoreline form a gateway 

to one of the world’s greatest fisheries, providing over 60 

percent of the country’s commercial seafood harvest; 

Whereas over 230 million acres of Alaska are set aside in national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other 

conservation units for the benefit of the entire country; 

Whereas over 58 million acres are designated wilderness in 

Alaska, representing 55 percent of the wilderness areas 

in the United States; 

Whereas Alaska Natives, the State’s first people, are an integral part of Alaska’s history, and preserving the culture 

and heritage of Alaska’s Native people is of primary importance; 


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SRES 49 ATS 

Whereas the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 

Act in 1971 signaled a new era of economic opportunity 

for Alaska Natives; 

Whereas Alaska’s Native people have made major contributions to the vitality and success of Alaska as a State; 

Whereas the people of Alaska represent the pioneering spirit 

that built this great Nation and contribute to our cultural and ethnic diversity; and 

Whereas the golden anniversary, on January 3, 2009, provides an occasion to honor Alaska’s entry into the Union: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That Congress recognizes and celebrates 

2 the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union 

3 as the 49th State. 

Æ 


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