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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1357 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1357

Recognizing the significance of the 20th anniversary of the signing of 
  the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by President Ronald Reagan and the 
 greatness of America in her ability to admit and remedy past mistakes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2008

  Ms. Matsui (for herself, Mr. Honda, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. 
  Roybal-Allard, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Abercrombie, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. 
 Sutton, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. 
   Wu, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Berman, Mr. Baca, Ms. Zoe 
   Lofgren of California, Ms. Solis, Mr. Filner, Mrs. Tauscher, Ms. 
 Bordallo, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, and Ms. 
 Hirono) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing the significance of the 20th anniversary of the signing of 
  the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by President Ronald Reagan and the 
 greatness of America in her ability to admit and remedy past mistakes.

Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on 
        February 19, 1942, which authorized the forced exclusion of 120,000 
        Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens from the west coast of the 
        United States and the internment of United States citizens and legal 
        permanent residents of Japanese ancestry in confinement sites during 
        World War II without the benefit of due process;
Whereas no person of Japanese ancestry, who was confined during World War II 
        under the authority of Executive Order 9066, was convicted of espionage, 
        treason, or sabotage against the United States;
Whereas Japanese American men proved their loyalty to the United States with 
        battlefield valor serving in the 442d Regimental Combat Team, the 100th 
        Infantry Battalion, Army Air Corps, and the Military Intelligence 
        Service, and Japanese American women served with distinction in the 
        Women's Army Corps and Army Nurse Corps;
Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive Order 9066 on 
        February 19, 1976, in his speech, ``An American Promise'';
Whereas Congress adopted legislation which was signed by President Jimmy Carter 
        on July 31, 1980, establishing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and 
        Internment of Civilians to investigate the claim that the incarceration 
        of Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens during World War II was 
        justified by military necessity;
Whereas the Commission held 20 days of hearings and heard from over 750 
        witnesses on this matter and published its findings in a report entitled 
        ``Personal Justice Denied'';
Whereas the Commission reports conclusions were that the promulgation of 
        Executive Order 9066 was not justified by military necessity and that 
        the decision to issue the order was shaped by ``race prejudice, war 
        hysteria, and a failure of political leadership'';
Whereas Congress enacted, with bipartisan support, the Civil Liberties Act of 
        1988, in which it acknowledged the ``fundamental injustices'' resulting 
        from Executive Order 9066, apologized on behalf of the people of the 
        United States for those injustices, and vowed to ``discourage the 
        occurrence of similar injustices and violations of civil liberties in 
        the future'';
Whereas President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law 
        on August 10, 1988, proclaiming that ``Here we admit a wrong. Here we 
        affirm our commitment as a Nation to equal justice under the law''; and
Whereas the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 
        provides an opportunity for all United States citizens to appreciate the 
        greatness of our Nation in having the willingness to admit and remedy 
        its past mistakes and for political leaders to learn from those past 
        mistakes by not adopting racially motivated governmental policies: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms our Nation's commitment to equal justice 
        under the law for all people in celebration of the 20th 
        anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988; and
            (2) continues to support the congressional goal embodied in 
        the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that all persons living under 
        protection of the United States Constitution have a right to 
        enjoy freedom and equality without the constraint of prejudice 
        and discrimination or the lack of due process.
                                 <all>
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