III 

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; 


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•SRES 185 ATS 

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 


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•SRES 185 ATS 

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; 


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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; 


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•SRES 185 ATS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the significance of May 2015 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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