III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 481 

Recognizing the significance of May 2016 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage 

Month and as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions 

of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United 

States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 26, 2016 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. REID, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. CASEY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. KIRK, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. 

MARKEY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. BROWN, 

Mr. KAINE, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. HELLER, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. 

BENNET, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. WARREN, 

and Mr. MERKLEY) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the significance of May 2016 as Asian/Pacific 

American Heritage Month and as an important time 

to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United 

States. 

Whereas the people of the United States join together each 

May to pay tribute to the contributions of generations of 

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched 

the history of the United States; 


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•SRES 481 ATS 

Whereas the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the story 

of the United States; 

Whereas the Asian American and Pacific Islander community 

is an inherently diverse population, comprised of more 

than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language 

dialects; 

Whereas, according to the Bureau of the Census, the Asian 

American population grew at a faster rate than any other 

racial or ethnic group in the United States during the 

last decade, surging nearly 46 percent between 2000 and 

2010, a growth rate that is 4 times the rate of the total 

population of the United States; 

Whereas, according to the 2010 decennial census, there are 

approximately 17,300,000 residents of the United States 

who identify themselves as Asian and approximately 

1,200,000 residents of the United States who identify 

themselves as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 

making up approximately 5.5 percent and 0.4 percent, 

respectively, of the total population of the United States; 

Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 

American Heritage Month because the first immigrants 

from Japan arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, 

and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on 

May 10, 1869, with substantial contributions from immigrants from China; 

Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially 

designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage 

Month and requests that the President issue an annual 

proclamation calling on the people of the United States 


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•SRES 481 ATS 

to observe Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month with 

appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities; 

Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as 

Daniel K. Inouye, a Medal of Honor and Presidential 

Medal of Freedom recipient who as President Pro Tempore of the Senate was the highest-ranking Asian American government official in United States history, Dalip 

Singh Saund, the first Asian American elected to serve 

in Congress, Patsy T. Mink, the first woman of color and 

the first Asian American woman to be elected to Congress, Hiram L. Fong, the first Asian American Senator, 

Daniel K. Akaka, the first Senator of Native Hawaiian 

ancestry, Norman Y. Mineta, the first Asian American 

member of a presidential cabinet, Elaine L. Chao, the 

first Asian American woman member of a presidential 

cabinet, Mee Moua, the first Hmong American elected to 

a State legislature, and others have made significant contributions in both the Government and military of the 

United States; 

Whereas the year 2016 marks several important milestones 

for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, 

including— 

(1) the 115th anniversary of the arrival of Peter 

Ryu, the first Korean immigrant in the United States; 

(2) the 95th anniversary of the first premier in a 

United States film of an Asian American woman, Anna 

May Wong, in ‘‘Bits of Life’’; 

(3) the 70th anniversary of the passage of the 

amendments made by the Act of July 2, 1946 (commonly 

known as the ‘‘Luce–Cellar Act of 1946’’) (60 Stat. 416, 

chapter 534), which allowed Filipinos and Indians to imVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:25 May 27, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR481.ATS SR481

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•SRES 481 ATS 

migrate to the United States and become naturalized 

United States citizens; 

(4) the 70th anniversary of the passage of the First 

Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act of 

1946 (60 Stat. 6, chapter 30), which stripped military 

benefits from Filipino World War II veterans in the service of the United States Armed Forces; 

(5) the 60th anniversary of the election to the House 

of Representatives of Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian 

American, first Indian American, and first Sikh American elected to Congress; 

(6) the 40th anniversary of the election to the Senate of Dr. Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, the first Asian 

American elected to the Senate from a mainland State; 

(7) the 40th anniversary of Presidential Proclamation 4417, dated February 19, 1976 (41 Fed. Reg. 

7741), in which President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive Order 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 1407; relating to authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe military areas) and condemned the incarceration of United 

States citizens and lawful permanent residents of Japanese ancestry during World War II; 

(8) the 40th anniversary of the completion of the 

double-hulled voyaging canoe, Hokule’a, marking the first 

traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe built in Hawaii in 

over 600 years; 

(9) the 30th anniversary of the granting of United 

States citizenship to the Chamorros and Carolinians of 

the Northern Mariana Islands; and 

(10) the 20th anniversary of the election as the Governor of the State of Washington of Gary Locke, the first 

Asian American elected as a Governor of a mainland 

State; 


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Whereas, in 2016, family members of Filipino World War II 

veterans became eligible to apply for immigration benefits 

to come to the United States to be reunited with their 

aging Filipino veteran family members who are United 

States citizens and lawful permanent residents; 

Whereas, in 2016, the Congressional Asian Pacific American 

Caucus, a bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, is composed of 51 Members, including 13 Members of Asian or Pacific Islander descent; 

Whereas, in 2016, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are 

serving in State and territorial legislatures across the 

United States in record numbers, including the States of 

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, 

Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 

North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, 

West Virginia, and the territories of American Samoa, 

Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands; 

Whereas the number of Federal judges who are Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders doubled between 2001 and 2008 

and more than tripled between 2009 and 2015, reflecting 

a commitment to diversity in the Federal judiciary that 

has resulted in the confirmations of high-caliber Asian 

American and Pacific Islander judicial nominees; 

Whereas there remains much to be done to ensure that Asian 

Americans and Pacific Islanders have access to resources 

and a voice in the Government of the United States and 

continue to advance in the political landscape of the 

United States; and 


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Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 

provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and 

history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and to 

appreciate the challenges faced by Asian Americans and 

Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the significance of May 2016 as 

3 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month and as an 

4 important time to celebrate the significant contribu5 tions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to 

6 the history of the United States; and 

7 (2) recognizes that the Asian American and Pa8 cific Islander community enhances the rich diversity 

9 of and strengthens the United States. 

Æ 


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