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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 601 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 601

 Recognizing the importance of engagement with the Latino community to 
 get into the outdoors and participate in activities to protect United 
States natural resources, and expressing support for the designation of 
        the third week of July as ``Latino Conservation Week''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2023

 Ms. Barragan (for herself, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Soto, Ms. 
 Salinas, Mr. Correa, Mr. Costa, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Frost, Mr. Gallego, 
Mr. Gomez, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 
 Mr. Vargas, Ms. Velazquez, and Mr. Garcia of Illinois) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Recognizing the importance of engagement with the Latino community to 
 get into the outdoors and participate in activities to protect United 
States natural resources, and expressing support for the designation of 
        the third week of July as ``Latino Conservation Week''.

Whereas ``Latino Conservation Week'' was created by the Hispanic Access 
        Foundation to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and 
        participating in activities to protect United States natural resources;
Whereas, during this week, Latino community, nonprofit, faith-based, and 
        government organizations and agencies across the United States will go 
        on hiking or camping outings in National Conservation Lands, national 
        monuments, and parks and other public lands, learn about conservation 
        efforts in their community, and show their support for permanently 
        protecting United States land, water, and air;
Whereas local activities include community-wide public events, private events, 
        film screenings, discussion, ground hikes, birdwatching, picnics, 
        neighborhood cleanups, and more;
Whereas national monument designations celebrate the Latino community's 
        contribution to this country, contribute to local economies, and provide 
        beautiful spaces for outdoor recreation;
Whereas 78 percent of Latinos say they have directly experienced the effects of 
        climate change;
Whereas two-thirds of Latinos say air pollution and contaminants in drinking 
        water are serious threats to the health of their families;
Whereas Latino children in the United States are 40 percent more likely to die 
        from asthma than their White counterparts, in part due to the 
        disproportionate pollution burdens their communities are exposed to;
Whereas Latinos are more likely to lack access to health insurance and thus are 
        less able to treat health ailments caused by exposure to poor air 
        quality;
Whereas access to natural spaces--

    (1) provide mental and physical health benefits;

    (2) can save almost three dollars in health care on every dollar spent 
on creating and maintaining park trails; and

    (3) helps mitigate climate change and can aid economic recovery;

Whereas communities of color in the United States are 3 times as likely as White 
        communities to live in nature-deprived places, which means there are far 
        fewer parks, forests, streams, beaches, and other natural places near 
        Black, Latino, and Asian communities;
Whereas Latinos are 21 percent more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to live in 
        urban heat islands, or areas dominated by asphalt and concrete without 
        access to parks that provide shade for urban cooling;
Whereas public lands are a key component of the Latino identity, and they weave 
        a narrative of the diverse and complex history of the Nation;
Whereas Latinos are the largest minority group in America, with over 62.5 
        million people making up 19 percent of the Nation's population and are 
        projected to become nearly one-third of the population by 2050;
Whereas 4.4 million Latinos participate in fishing, averaging more outings per 
        year than the general fishing population;
Whereas all communities should have equitable access to nearby green space, the 
        ability to reach it, and features that honor and welcome diverse 
        languages, inclusive histories, and uses of parkland; and
Whereas the third week of July is an appropriate week to designate as Latino 
        Conservation Week: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the Latino community's commitment to 
        conservation and the importance of getting outdoors;
            (2) recognizes the future of public lands depends on 
        engaging and welcoming our diverse youth and Latino communities 
        that already deeply care about our environment and feel a moral 
        obligation to take care of it; and
            (3) supports the designation of ``Latino Conservation 
        Week''.
                                 <all>
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