,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #fdi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #b1 
#bjbj,mrs4 ,feinstein 7for herself1 ,ms4
 ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,sullivan7 submitted 
the following resolution2 which was     
considered and agreed to  ,,resolution  
,expressing support for the designation 
of ,july #bjbj as ,american ,grown      
,flower ,month4  ,whereas cut flower    
growers in the ,united ,states are      
hard-working1 dedicated individuals who 
bring beauty1 economic stimulus1 and    
pride to their communities and the      
,united ,states2 ,whereas the people of 
the ,united ,states have a long history 
of using flowers and greens grown in the
 ,united ,states to bring beauty to     
important events and express affection  
for loved ones2 ,whereas consumers spend
 almost #bg1jjj1jjj1jjj each year on    
floral products1 including cut flowers1 
garden plants1 bedding1 and indoor      
plants2 ,whereas1 each year1 nearly #cj 
percent of households in the ,united    

,states purchase fresh cut flowers and  
greens from more than #af1jjj florists  
and floral establishments2 ,whereas the 
people of the ,united ,states           
increasingly want to support            
domestically produced foods and         
agricultural products and would prefer  
to buy locally grown flowers whenever   
possible1 yet a majority of domestic    
consumers do not know where the flowers 
they purchase are grown2 ,whereas1 in   
response to increased demand1 the       
,certified ,american ,grown ,flowers    
logo was created in ,july #bjad in order
 to educate and empower consumers to    
purchase flowers from domestic          
producers2 ,whereas1 as of ,april #bjag1
 millions of stems of domestically grown
 flowers are now ,certified ,american   
,grown2 ,whereas domestic flower farmers
 produce thousands of varieties of      
flowers across the ,united ,states1 such
 as peonies in ,alaska1 ,gerbera daisies
 in ,california1 lupines in ,maine1     
tulips in ,washington1 lilies in        

,oregon1 and larkspur in ,texas2        
,whereas the five flower varieties      
produced in the largest quantities in   
the ,united ,states are tulips1 ,gerbera
 daisies1 lilies1 gladiolas1 and irises2
 ,whereas people in every ,state have   
access to domestically grown flowers1   
yet only one in five flowers sold in the
 ,united ,states is domestically grown2 
,whereas the domestic cut flower        
industry creates almost #db1jjj1jjj in  
economic impact daily and supports      
hundreds of growers1 thousands of small 
businesses1 and tens of thousands of    
jobs in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas   
more people in the ,united ,states are  
expressing interest in growing flowers  
locally1 which has resulted in an       
increase of approximately #bj percent in
 the number of domestic cut flower farms
 between #bjjg and #bjab2 ,whereas most 
domestic cut flowers and greens are sold
 in the ,united ,states within #bd to   
#dh hours after harvest and last longer 
than flowers shipped longer distances2  

,whereas flowers grown domestically     
enhance the ability of the people of the
 ,united ,states to festively celebrate 
weddings and births and honor those who 
have passed2 ,whereas flower giving has 
been a holiday tradition in the ,united 
,states for generations2 ,whereas       
flowers speak to the beauty of          
motherhood on ,mother's ,day and to the 
spirit of love on ,valentine's ,day2    
,whereas flowers are an essential part  
of other holidays such as ,thanksgiving1
 ,christmas1 ,hanukkah1 and ,kwanzaa2   
,whereas flowers help commemorate the   
service and sacrifice of members of the 
,armed ,forces on ,memorial ,day and    
,veterans ,day2 and ,whereas the ,senate
 encourages the cultivation of flowers  
in the ,united ,states by domestic      
flower farmers3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  
,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 supports the   
designation of ,july #bjbj as ,american 
,grown ,flower ,month2  7#b7 recognizes 
that purchasing flowers grown in the    
,united ,states supports the farmers1   

small businesses1 jobs1 and economy of  
the ,united ,states2  7#c7 recognizes   
that growing flowers and greens in the  
,united ,states is a vital part of the  
agricultural industry of the ,united    
,states2  7#d7 recognizes that          
cultivating flowers domestically        
enhances the ability of the people of   
the ,united ,states to festively        
celebrate holidays and special          
occasions2 and  7#e7 urges all people of
 the ,united ,states to proactively     
showcase flowers and greens grown in the
 ,united ,states in order to show       
support for the flower farmers1         
processors1 and distributors in the     
,united ,states as well as agriculture  
in the ,united ,states overall4