IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 243 
Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2011 
Ms. CHU (for herself, Mr. WU, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. 
HONDA, Mr. STARK, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. RICHARDSON, Ms. SPEIER, 
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. SCHIFF, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. 
JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. RUSH, 
Mr. CLAY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. GEORGE 
MILLER of California, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. NADLER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
CROWLEY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mrs. 
MALONEY, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. 
WOOLSEY, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, 
Mr. FILNER, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. CLARKE of 
Michigan, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. 
MCNERNEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. 
Whereas the United States joins together each May to pay 
tribute to the contributions of generations of Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the 
Nation’s history; 
Whereas the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Island-
ers in the United States is inextricably tied to the story 
of the Nation; 
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•HRES 243 IH 
Whereas today, according to the United States Census Bu-
reau, the Asian American and Pacific Islander commu-
nity is one of the fastest growing and most diverse popu-
lations in the United States, comprised of over 45 dis-
tinct ethnicities and over 28 language groups in the com-
munity; 
Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there 
are 17,300,000 United States residents who identify 
themselves as Asian alone or in combination with one or 
more other races and 1,200,000 United States residents 
who identify themselves as Native Hawaiian and other 
Pacific Islander alone or in combination with one or more 
other races; 
Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by 
2050, there will be 40,600,000 United States residents 
identifying as Asian alone or in combination with one or 
more other races, to comprise 9 percent of the United 
States population, and there will be 2,600,000 United 
States residents identifying as Native Hawaiian and 
Other Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian and Other Pa-
cific Islander in combination with one or more other 
races, to comprise 0.6 percent of the total population; 
Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 
American Heritage Month due to the following two his-
torical events, first, May 7, 1843, when the first Japa-
nese immigrants arrived in the United States, and sec-
ond, May 10, 1869, when, with substantial contributions 
from Chinese immigrants, the first transcontinental rail-
road was completed; 
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced 
injustices throughout United States history, such as the 
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Japanese American 
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•HRES 243 IH 
internment, unpunished hate crimes including the murder 
of Vincent Chin, and other events; 
Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially 
designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage 
Month, and requests the President to issue each year a 
proclamation calling on the people of the United States 
to observe this month with appropriate programs, cere-
monies, and activities; 
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as civil 
rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, Medal of Honor recipient 
Herbert Pililaau, the first Asian American Congressman 
Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American Congress-
woman Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian American member 
of a presidential cabinet Norman Y. Mineta, and others 
have made significant strides in the political and military 
realms; 
Whereas the Presidential Cabinet includes a record three 
Asian Americans, including Energy Secretary Steven 
Chu, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Veterans Af-
fairs Secretary Eric Shinseki; 
Whereas the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a 
bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating on 
behalf of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, is com-
posed of 30 Members this year, including Senate Presi-
dent Pro Tempore Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, the high-
est ranking Asian American in United States history; 
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made 
history by assuming office in a number of new and his-
torically significant positions, including Nikki Haley, the 
first Asian American and first female governor of South 
Carolina, Edwin M. Lee, the first Asian American Mayor 
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•HRES 243 IH 
of San Francisco, California, and Jean Quan, the first 
Asian American and first woman to serve as Mayor of 
Oakland, CA; 
Whereas today, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders 
are serving in a record number of State legislatures 
across the Nation, in States as diverse as Alaska, Ari-
zona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, 
Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Washington; 
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen to 
some of the highest positions in President Obama’s Ad-
ministration, including Pete Rouse as the first Asian 
American to serve as White House Chief of Staff, Tina 
Tchen as Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, 
Chris Lu as White House Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal 
as Acting Solicitor General of the United States, Rajiv 
Shah as Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International 
Development 
(USAID), 
L. 
Tammy 
Duckworth as Assistant Secretary for Public and Inter-
governmental Affairs at the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, Anthony M. Babauta as Assistant Secretary for In-
sular Areas at the Department of Interior, and many oth-
ers; 
Whereas there has been a commitment to judicial diversity 
through the nomination of high caliber Asian American 
and Pacific Islander jurists at all levels of the Federal 
bench; 
Whereas significant outreach efforts to the Asian American 
and Pacific Islander community have been made through 
the reestablishment of the White House Initiative on 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to coordinate 
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