,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #bah ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjai,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 and ,ms4 ,smith7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,recognizing the significance of ,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 people of the ,united ,states join 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 population1 composed 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 over the last decade1 surging nearly #gb percent between #bjjj and #bjae2 ,whereas there are approximately #bb1jjj1jjj residents of the ,united ,states who identify themselves as ,asian and approximately #a1fjj1jjj residents of the ,united ,states who identify themselves as ,native ,hawaiian or other ,pacific ,islander1 making up nearly #g percent of the total population of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the month of ,may was selected for ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,month because the first ,japanese immigrants arrived in the ,united ,states on ,may #g1 #ahdc1 and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on ,may #aj1 #ahfi1 with substantial contributions from ,chinese immigrants2 ,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 #bjai marks several important milestones for the ,asian-,american and ,pacific ,islander community1 including-- 7#a7 the #beth anniversary of the establishment of the ,congressional ,asian ,pacific ,american ,caucus1 a bicameral caucus of ,members of ,congress advocating on behalf of ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders1 which1 in #bjai1 is composed of #gc ,members1 including #ai ,members of ,asian or ,pacific ,islander descent2 7#b7 the #beth anniversary of the establishment of the ,asian ,pacific ,american ,institute for ,congressional ,studies1 which was founded alongside the ,congressional ,asian ,pacific ,american ,caucus by former ,secretary of ,commerce and ,secretary of ,transportation ,norman ,y4 ,mineta and former ,delegate to the ,united ,states ,house of ,representatives from ,guam ,robert ,underwood2 7#c7 the #djth anniversary of the first ,asian_/,pacific ,american ,heritage ,week1 designated in #aigi by ,president ,jimmy ,carter through ,presidential ,proclamation ,no4 #dfej2 7#d7 the #deth anniversary of ,lau v4 ,nichols1 #dad ,u4,s4 #efc 7#aigd71 in which the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states determined that inadequate supplemental language instruction for students of ,chinese ancestry with limited ,english proficiency violated the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd1 expanding equal educational opportunities and paving the way for bilingual programs and additional ,english language instruction in public schools2 7#e7 the #ieth anniversary of the enactment of the ,immigration ,act of #aibd 7commonly known as the ,johnson-,reed ,act7 7#dc ,stat4 #aec1 chapter #aij71 which imposed national origin quotas that limited the number of immigrants allowed entry to the ,united ,states and prohibited the entry of ,asian immigrants2 and 7#f7 the #aejth anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad1 which-- 7,a7 in #ahfi1 connected the ,central ,pacific ,railroad and the ,union ,pacific ,railroad at ,promontory ,summit1 ,utah2 and 7,b7 involved more than #ab1jjj ,chinese laborers who faced racial and wage discrimination despite being entrusted with the most laborious tasks2 ,whereas ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders have made significant contributions to the ,united ,states at all levels of the ,federal ,government and the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 including-- 7#a7 ,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 the history of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 ,dalip ,singh ,saund1 the first ,asian-,american ,congressman2 7#c7 ,patsy ,t4 ,mink1 the first woman of color and ,asian-,american woman to be elected to ,congress2 7#d7 ,hiram ,l4 ,fong1 the first ,asian-,american ,senator2 7#e7 ,daniel ,k4 ,akaka1 the first ,senator of ,native ,hawaiian ancestry2 7#f7 ,norman ,y4 ,mineta1 the first ,asian-,american member of a ,presidential cabinet2 and 7#g7 ,elaine ,l4 ,chao1 the first ,asian-,american woman member of a ,presidential cabinet2 ,whereas1 in #bjai1 ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders are serving in ,state and ,territorial legislatures across the ,united ,states in record numbers1 including in-- 7#a7 the ,states of ,alaska1 ,arizona1 ,california1 ,connecticut1 ,florida1 ,georgia1 ,hawaii1 ,idaho1 ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,kentucky1 ,maryland1 ,massachusetts1 ,michigan1 ,minnesota1 ,nevada1 ,new ,hampshire1 ,new ,jersey1 ,new ,mexico1 ,new ,york1 ,north ,carolina1 ,ohio1 ,oklahoma1 ,oregon1 ,pennsylvania1 ,tennessee1 ,texas1 ,utah1 ,virginia1 ,washington1 ,wisconsin1 and ,wyoming2 and 7#b7 the ,territories of ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands2 ,whereas1 in #bjai1 ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders honorably serve throughout the ,federal judiciary2 ,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 of1 and to understand the challenges faced by1 ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the significance of ,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 ,asian-,american and ,pacific ,islander communities enhance the rich diversity of and strengthen the ,united ,states4