•HCON 215 EH
merce, typifies the public-spirited contributions made by
the chambers of commerce;
Whereas, on June 30, 1903, the Detroit Board of Commerce
was formally organized with 253 charter members;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce played a prominent
role in the formation of the United States Chamber of
Commerce;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce participated in the
‘‘Good Roads for Michigan’’ campaign in 1910 and 1911,
helping to gain voter approval of a $2,000,000 bond pro-
posal to improve the roads of Wayne County, Michigan;
Whereas, in 1925, the Safety Council of the Detroit Board
of Commerce helped develop the first traffic lights in De-
troit;
Whereas, in 1927, the Detroit Board of Commerce brought
together all of the cities, villages, and townships in south-
east Michigan to tentatively establish boundaries for a
metropolitan district for Detroit, embracing all or parts
of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, and Washtenaw
Counties at the request of the United States Census Bu-
reau in advance of the 1930 census;
Whereas, in 1932, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board des-
ignated the Detroit Board of Commerce as the authorized
agent for stock subscriptions in the Federal Home Loan
Bank, as an early response to the Great Depression;
Whereas, in 1945, the Detroit Board of Commerce promoted
the extension of Victory Loans to veterans returning
from service in the United States Armed Forces during
World War II as a way of expressing gratitude for the
veterans’ wartime service, and raised more than half of
•HCON 215 EH
the total amount contributed in Wayne County, Michi-
gan;
Whereas, in 1969, the Detroit Board of Commerce, then
known as the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce,
was instrumental in the establishment of a bus network
connecting inner-city workers with their jobs, which re-
sulted in the creation of the Southeast Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, now known as SMART;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce has been known by
several names during its century of existence, eventually
becoming known as the Detroit Regional Chamber in No-
vember 1997;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is the largest cham-
ber of commerce in the United States and has been in
existence for over 100 years;
Whereas more than 19,000 businesses across southeast
Michigan have decided to make an initial investment in
the Detroit Regional Chamber to help develop the region;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has supported the
concept of regionalism in southeast Michigan, rep-
resenting the concerns of businesses and the region as a
whole;
Whereas the mission of the Detroit Regional Chamber is to
help power the economy of southeastern Michigan;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber successfully advocates
public policy concerns on behalf of its members at the
local, regional, State, and National levels;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has implemented pro-
grams promoting diversity in its work force and has won
recognition for such efforts;
•HCON 215 EH
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is committed to pro-
moting the interests of its members in the global market-
place through economic development efforts; and
Whereas on June 30, 2003, the Detroit Regional Chamber
celebrates its 100th anniversary: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress honors and congratulates
chambers of commerce for their efforts that contribute to
the improvement of their communities and the strength-
ening of their local and regional economies.
Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2003.
Attest:
Clerk.