IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 435 
Celebrating Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2009 
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. CLARKE, Ms. WAT-
SON, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. ARCURI, Ms. 
BALDWIN, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. COOPER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. 
CAO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. OLVER, Ms. 
CASTOR of Florida, Mr. PALLONE, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 
Mr. NADLER of New York, Ms. TSONGAS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. CONNOLLY 
of Virginia, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, Ms. KOSMAS, 
Mr. SPRATT, Mr. FARR, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. 
LEVIN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. REYES, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LORETTA 
SANCHEZ of California, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. KAGEN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 
TAYLOR, Mr. KIND, Mr. HILL, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. 
SIRES, Mr. BACA, Mr. RUSH, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. WALZ, Mr. DOGGETT, 
Mr. TONKO, Mr. COSTA, Mr. TANNER, Mrs. MALONEY, and Ms. RICH-
ARDSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Celebrating Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month. 
Whereas this year marks first time the United States is led 
by a President with close Asian ties, including President 
Obama’s childhood in Indonesia and Hawai’i, and the 
President has made unprecedented outreach efforts to the 
Asian-American and Pacific Islander community; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:05 May 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR435.IH
HR435
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
•HRES 435 IH 
Whereas the selection of May as the month for Asian/Pacific- 
American Heritage Month was significant due to two his-
torical events that occurred in May: first, May 7, 1843, 
when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United 
States, and second, May 10, 1869, when, with substantial 
contributions from Chinese immigrants, the first trans-
continental railroad was completed; 
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 Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month with 
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities; 
Whereas according to the Bureau of the Census, an estimated 
14,900,000 United States residents identify themselves 
as Asian alone or in combination with one or more other 
races, and an estimated 1,000,000 United States resi-
dents identify themselves as Native Hawaiian and other 
Pacific Islander alone or in combination with one or more 
other races; 
Whereas even though Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders 
faced the injustices of racial prejudice as exemplified by 
the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese 
Americans and Japanese/Latin-Americans, the Vincent 
Chin case, and other events, the community has made 
considerable contributions to the vast cultural, economic, 
educational, military, and technological advancements of 
the United States; 
Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders such as civil 
rights activist, Yuri Kochiyama, Medal of Honor recipi-
ent, Herbert Pililaau, the first Asian-American Congress-
man, Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian-American Con-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:05 May 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR435.IH
HR435
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
•HRES 435 IH 
gresswoman, Patsy Mink, and others have made signifi-
cant strides in the political and military realms; 
Whereas the Presidential Cabinet includes a record three 
Asian-Americans: Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Com-
merce Secretary Gary Locke, and Veterans Affairs Sec-
retary Eric Shinseki; and 
Whereas Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month provides the 
people of the United States with an opportunity to recog-
nize the achievements, contributions, history, and con-
cerns of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes that the incredible diversity of 
different racial and ethnic groups, including Asian- 
Americans and Pacific Islanders, is a source of 
strength for the United States; 
(2) recognizes that the Asian-American and Pa-
cific Islander community is influential and crucial to 
the society and culture of the United States; 
(3) reaffirms its commitment to the goals and 
ideals of Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month; 
and 
(4) celebrates the contributions of Asian-Ameri-
cans and Pacific Islanders to the United States. 
Æ 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
03:05 May 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR435.IH
HR435
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS