,,iii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #dfj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjad ,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,reid1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,mr4 ,heller1 ,mr4 ,kirk1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 and ,mr4 ,warner7 submitted the following resolution2 which was considered and agreed to ,,resolution ,recognizing the significance of ,may #bjad as ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders to the history of the ,united ,states4 ,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 history of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the history of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders in the ,united ,states is inextricably tied to the story of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,asian ,american and ,pacific ,islander community is an inherently diverse population comprised of more than #de distinct ethnicities and more than #ajj language dialects2 ,whereas1 according to the ,bureau of the ,census1 the ,asian ,american population grew faster than any other racial or ethnic group in the ,united ,states during the last decade1 surging nearly #df percent between #bjjj and #bjaj1 which is a growth rate #d times faster than that of the total population of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the #bjaj decennial census estimated that there are approximately #ag1cjj1jjj residents of the ,united ,states who identify as ,asian and approximately #a1bjj1jjj residents of the ,united ,states who identify themselves as ,native ,hawaiian or other ,pacific ,islander1 making up approximately #e4e percent and #j4d percent1 respectively1 of the total population of the ,united ,states2 ,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 #g1 #ahdc1 and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on ,may #aj1 #ahfi1 with substantial contributions from immigrants from ,china2 ,whereas section #ajb of title #cf1 ,united ,states ,code1 officially designates ,may as ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,month and requests the ,president to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the ,united ,states to observe the month with appropriate programs1 ceremonies1 and activities2 ,whereas ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders1 such as ,daniel ,k4 ,inouye1 a ,medal of ,honor and ,presidential ,medal of ,freedom recipient who1 as ,president ,pro ,tempore of the ,senate1 was the highest-ranking ,asian ,american government official in ,united ,states history1 ,dalip ,singh ,saund1 the first ,asian ,american ,congressman1 ,patsy ,t4 ,mink1 the first woman of color and ,asian ,american woman to be elected to ,congress1 ,hiram ,l4 ,fong1 the first ,asian ,american ,senator1 and others have made significant contributions in both our government and our military1 including the first ,asian ,american cabinet member in #bjjj and the first female ,asian ,american cabinet member in #bjja2 ,whereas the year #bjad marks several important milestones for the ,asian ,american and ,pacific ,islander community1 including-- 7#a7 the #aeth anniversary of the establishment of the ,white ,house ,initiative on ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders under ,executive ,order #acabe by ,president ,william ,j4 ,clinton2 7#b7 the #bjth anniversary of the founding of the ,congressional ,asian ,pacific ,american ,caucus1 a bicameral caucus of ,members of ,congress advocating on behalf of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders2 and 7#c7 the #bjth anniversary of the creation of the ,asian ,pacific ,american ,institute for ,congressional ,studies2 ,whereas in #bjad1 the ,congressional ,asian ,pacific ,american ,caucus1 a bicameral caucus of ,members of ,congress advocating on behalf of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders1 is composed of #da ,members1 including #ac ,members of ,asian or ,pacific ,islander descent2 ,whereas in #bjad1 ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders are serving in ,state legislatures across the ,united ,states in record numbers1 including in the ,states of ,alaska1 ,arizona1 ,california1 ,connecticut1 ,colorado1 ,georgia1 ,hawaii1 ,idaho1 ,maryland1 ,massachusetts1 ,michigan1 ,new ,jersey1 ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 ,texas1 ,utah1 ,vermont1 ,virginia1 and ,washington2 ,whereas the number of ,federal judges who are ,asian ,americans or ,pacific ,islanders doubled between #bjja and #bjjh and more than tripled between #bjji and #bjad1 reflecting a commitment to diversity in the ,federal judiciary that has resulted in the confirmations of high caliber ,asian ,american and ,pacific ,islander judicial nominees2 ,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 ,states2 and ,whereas celebrating ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,month provides the people of the ,united ,states with an opportunity to recognize the achievements1 contributions1 and history of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders1 and to appreciate the challenges faced by ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the significance of ,may #bjad as ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders to the history of the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 recognizes that the ,asian ,american and ,pacific ,islander community enhances the rich diversity of and strengthens the ,united ,states4