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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 185 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 185

  Recognizing the significance of May 2015 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 21, 2015

 Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Reid, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kirk, 
  Mr. Heller, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Gardner, Mr. 
  Durbin, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Brown, Mr. Franken, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Casey, 
Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Markey, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Recognizing the significance of May 2015 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;
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 
        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 Congressman, 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, and others 
        have made significant contributions in both the Government and military 
        of the United States;
Whereas the year 2015 marks several important milestones for the Asian American 
        and Pacific Islander community, including the--

    (1) 50th anniversary of the passage of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-236), landmark legislation that reversed 
restrictive immigration policies against immigrants from Asia;

    (2) 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War;

    (3) 40th anniversary of the Southeast Asian diasporic communities in 
the United States;

    (4) 30th anniversary of the mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery 
of Ellison Shoji Onizuka, the first Asian American in space; and

    (5) 25th anniversary of the date of enactment of Public Law 105-225, 
signed by President George H. W. Bush, designating May to be Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month;

Whereas the actions of the Hmong in Laos in support of the United States during 
        the Vietnam War saved the lives of countless people of the United 
        States;
Whereas as a result of Hmong support of the United States, the Hmong were forced 
        to leave Laos when the new communist regime seized control of Laos;
Whereas May 14, 2015, marks the 40th anniversary of the forced exit from Laos of 
        Hmong people, many of whom later resettled in the United States, 
        following the withdrawal of United States troops from Vietnam;
Whereas, in 2015, 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 48 Members, including 13 Members 
        of Asian or Pacific Islander descent;
Whereas in 2015, 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, 
        New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, 
        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
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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the significance of May 2015 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; and
            (2) recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander 
        community enhances the rich diversity of and strengthens the 
        United States.
                                 <all>
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