,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #aba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,march #ae1 #bjac   
,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida 7for himself 
and ,mr4 ,sires7 submitted the following
 resolution2 which was referred to the  
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in 
addition to the ,committee on the       
,judiciary1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,,resolution  ,honoring ,yoani ,snchez1 
a courageous blogger and activist for   
freedom in ,cuba4  ,whereas ,yoani      
,snchez has become a prominent voice    
through social media for millions of    
,cubans who reject the oppression of the
 ,castro regime2 ,whereas ,yoani ,maria 
,snchez ,cordero was born in ,havana1   
,cuba1 on ,september #d1 #aige1 and went
 on to major in ,spanish ,literature at 
the ,pedagogical ,institute before      
completing a degree in ,hispanic        

,philology at the ,university of ,havana
 in #bjjj2 ,whereas while working at    
,editorial ,gente ,nueva1 ,snchez came  
to the realization that1 like many      
,cubans1 the wages she earned legally   
were not enough to support her family   
and highly qualified individuals were   
unable to find sufficient work2 ,whereas
 disenchanted and seeking greater       
economic opportunities1 she moved to    
,switzerland in #bjjb but returned to   
,cuba in the summer of #bjjd1           
discovering her passion for computer    
science2 ,whereas in #bjjd1 ,snchez and 
a group of like-minded compatriots      
founded ,consenso1 a magazine of        
reflection and debate1 and three years  
later she worked as a web master1       
columnist1 and editor for the website   
,desde ,cuba2 ,whereas in ,april #bjjg1 
,snchez created the blog known as       
,generation ,y1 which started as an     
outlet for self-expression but has since
 found an audience with #ejj1jjj people 
around the world2 ,whereas through her  

weekly blog posts1 tweets1 and ,facebook
 updates1 ,snchez has provided an       
unfiltered glimpse into the realities of
 day-to-day life in ,cuba2 ,whereas the 
,castro regime has branded ,snchez as a 
dissident and1 since ,march #bjjh1      
blocked access to her blog from within  
,cuba1 where mobile phones1 flash       
drives1 and used laptop computers have  
become lifelines of communication given 
economic and government barriers to the 
,internet2 ,whereas ,snchez refused to  
be silenced and continued to write with 
the help of friends and volunteer       
collaborators abroad1 who post her      
entries in solidarity and have          
translated ,generation ,y into #bj      
languages2 ,whereas in #bjji1 she became
 the first blogger to ever interview    
,united ,states ,president ,barack      
,obama1 who applauded her efforts to    
empower fellow ,cubans to express       
themselves through the use of           
technology2 ,whereas ,snchez is the     
recipient of numerous honors and awards 

for her activism1 including the ,ortega 
y ,gasset ,award for ,digital           
,journalism in #bjjh1 being named one of
 ,time magazine's #ajj ,most            
,influential ,people in the ,world in   
the ,heroes and ,pioneers category for  
#bjjh1 the ,maria ,moore ,cabot ,prize  
from ,columbia ,university in #bjji for 
coverage of ,latin ,america1 and the    
,international ,woman of ,courage ,award
 from then ,secretary of ,state ,hillary
 ,rodham ,clinton in #bjaa2 ,whereas    
,snchez attempted to travel outside of  
,cuba on #bj occasions1 often at the    
invitation of universities and book     
fairs to honor her with awards1 but was 
repeatedly denied the required exit     
visa2 ,whereas in ,january #bjac1 the   
,cuban ,government lifted travel        
restrictions for citizens and issued    
,snchez a passport1 allowing her to     
embark on an #hj-;day international     
tour1 including ,brazil1 the ,czech     
,republic1 ,spain1 ,mexico1 and the     
,united ,states1 to share her           

experiences living under the ,castro    
regime firsthand2 ,whereas on her first 
,united ,states visit1 she will meet    
with ,members of ,congress in           
,washington1 ,,dc2 ,whereas ,snchez     
intends to return to ,havana1 where she 
lives with her husband ,reinaldo and    
their #bj-year-old son ,teo1 and dreams 
of starting an independent news outlet1 
saying1 ,life has taught me that the    
wall comes tumbling down only when you  
push it2 and ,whereas despite violent   
attacks and protests from ,castro       
supporters and leftists1 ,snchez has    
vowed to never stop writing until the   
people of ,cuba are able to express     
their views freely1 saying1 ,we ,cubans 
don't deserve what we are living        
through4 ,i think ,cubans deserve to be 
citizens of the #bast century1 in all   
senses1 to test the challenges of       
modernity43 ,now1 therefore1 be it      
,that the ,house of ,representatives--  
7#a7 honors ,yoani ,snchez1 a courageous
 blogger and activist for freedom in    

,cuba1 for her ongoing efforts to       
challenge political1 economic1 and      
social oppression by the ,castro regime2
  7#b7 joins ,snchez and her fellow     
activists in looking forward to the day 
when all ,cubans can freely express     
themselves in public without fear of    
reprisal2 and  7#c7 supports the first  
amendment rights of all people in the   
,united ,states1 and commends those     
individuals who have dedicated their    
lives to protecting and strengthening   
these rights in the face of adversity4