AK
Alaska House Bill HJR8

Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska House Bill HJR8 Compare Versions

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2-HJR008b -1- CSHJR 8(MLV)
2+HJR008a -1- HJR 8
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10-CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8(MLV)
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11+ HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8
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1213 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
1314
1415 THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
1516
16-BY THE HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIR S
17+BY REPRESENTATIVE NELSON
1718
18-Offered: 3/5/25
19-Referred: Rules
19+Introduced: 2/3/25
20+Referred: House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs
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21-Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVES NELSON, Prax, Foster, Kopp, Bynum, Mina, Elam, Story, Saddler
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2223 A RESOLUTION
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2425 Encouraging the United States Congress to award the Hmong veterans of the Vietnam 1
2526 War the Congressional Gold Medal. 2
2627 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
2728 WHEREAS, beginning in 1960, the United States Central Intelligence Agency 4
2829 recruited thousands of Hmong people to fight against the Communist Pathet Lao and North 5
2930 Vietnamese Army regulars in Laos; and 6
3031 WHEREAS, in July 1961, Brigadier General Edward G. Lansdale wrote in a memo to 7
3132 General Maxwell D. Taylor that about 9,000 Hmong tribesmen had been equipped for guerilla 8
3233 operations and these operations were being conducted with considerable effectiveness in 9
3334 Communist-dominated territory in Laos; and 10
3435 WHEREAS as many as 100,000 Hmong soldiers were recruited and trained as 11
3536 Special Guerrilla Units to engage the North Vietnamese Army; and 12
3637 WHEREAS the United States relied heavily on the Hmong Special Guerrilla Units, 13
3738 although outnumbered by enemy forces, to intercept and prevent the flow of troops and war 14
3839 supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail; and 15
39-WHEREAS the Hmong soldiers conducted tactical guerrilla actions, flew thousands 16 34-LS0482\I
40-CSHJR 8(MLV) -2- HJR008b
40+WHEREAS the Hmong soldiers conducted tactical guerrilla actions, flew thousands 16 34-LS0482\N
41+HJR 8 -2- HJR008a
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4344 of deadly combat missions in support of the United States Armed Forces and the United 1
4445 States Central Intelligence Agency, and fought in conventional and guerilla combat with an 2
4546 extremely high number of casualties; and 3
4647 WHEREAS the Hmong soldiers protected United States personnel, guarded United 4
4748 States Air Force radar installations, gathered critical intelligence about enemy operations, and 5
4849 undertook rescue missions to save the lives of downed United States pilots; and 6
4950 WHEREAS approximately 40,000 Hmong soldiers lost their lives defending 7
5051 democracy, approximately 50,000 Hmong soldiers were seriously injured and disabled, and 8
5152 approximately 3,000 Hmong soldiers were missing in action; and 9
5253 WHEREAS Hmong soldiers died at 10 times the rate of United States soldiers in the 10
5354 Vietnam War; and 11
5455 WHEREAS, because the war effort of the United States in Laos was covert, the 12
5556 accounts of the sacrifices and service of the Hmong soldiers remain largely unknown; and 13
5657 WHEREAS many Hmong soldiers became refugees because the United States 14
5758 government encouraged them to fight for the United States, and, as a result, thousands of 15
5859 family members of Hmong soldiers were evacuated to a United States air base in Thailand to 16
5960 avoid bloody vengeance by the communists in Laos and Vietnam; and 17
6061 WHEREAS, after the conclusion of the Vietnam War, thousands of Hmong soldiers 18
6162 suffered acts of retribution and atrocities by the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army, 19
6263 causing hundreds of thousands of Hmong refugees to flee to neighboring Thailand; and 20
6364 WHEREAS approximately 50,000 Hmong veterans reside in the United States, and 21
64-approximately 150,000 Hmong and Lao-born children have graduated from schools in this 22
65+approximately 150,000 Hmong and Laotian-born children have graduated from schools in this 22
6566 country; and 23
6667 WHEREAS the Hmong warriors were promised that they would be treated just like 24
6768 other United States veterans; 25
6869 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the United States 26
6970 Congress to award the Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War the Congressional Gold Medal. 27
7071 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 28
7172 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of
7273 the United States and 29
7374 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 30
74-Representatives; the Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 31 34-LS0482\I
75-HJR008b -3- CSHJR 8(MLV)
75+Representatives; the Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 31 34-LS0482\N
76+HJR008a -3- HJR 8
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7879 Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the 1
79-Honorable Charles Schumer, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Douglas 2
80-Collins, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and 3
81-the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 4
80+Honorable Charles Schumer, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Todd B. 2
81+Hunter, Acting United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski 3
82+and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 4
8283 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and all other members of the 5
8384 119th United States Congress. 6