California Senate Bill SJR5 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SJR 5AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 19, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Senator Nguyen  (   Coauthor:   Senator   Hertzberg   )  (Coauthors: Assembly Members  Chu   Chvez,   Chu,  and Kim) MARCH 10, 2015 Relative to humanitarian resettlement. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SJR 5, as amended, Nguyen. Vietnam: humanitarian resettlement. This measure would urge Congress and the President of the United States to expand the Humanitarian Resettlement Program to allow disabled veteran officers of the South Vietnamese Army currently living in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to enter the United States. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, The Vietnamese-American community plays an important role in the social, cultural, and economic landscape of the State of California and the United States; and WHEREAS, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam's human rights violations and corrupt judicial system have resulted in the incarceration of peaceful dissidents without due process; and WHEREAS, Despite the renewal of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1995, and the launching of the United States-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013, significant human rights violations continue to persist; and WHEREAS, The Global Network for Rights and Development's 2014 International Human Rights Rank Indicator ranks the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as one of the 15 countries who are the worst offenders of human rights in the world; and WHEREAS, The United States government and the American people have a commitment to assisting individuals that fought as allies in the Vietnam War  who   and  continue to face persecution and threats from the Communist government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; and WHEREAS, The veterans of the South Vietnamese Army, also known as the Qu[n L?c Vi?t Nam C?ng Ha, showed their commitment to the United States by fighting alongside the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and have suffered greatly since April 30, 1975; and WHEREAS, The Humanitarian Resettlement Program, also known as the Orderly Departure Program, has allowed for the resettlement to the United States of former reeducation center detainees, former Vietnamese employees of the United States government, and former Vietnamese employees of private American companies and organizations prior to April 30, 1975; and WHEREAS, Disabled veterans of the South Vietnamese Army, also known as the Qu[n L?c Vi?t Nam C?ng Ha, have suffered a lifetime of great challenges and discrimination. Yet, disabled veterans were excluded from the Humanitarian Resettlement Program because they were not detained in reeducation camps for the requisite number of years due to their physical disabilities; and WHEREAS, Thousands of disabled veterans of the South Vietnamese Army, also known as the Qu[n L?c Vi?t Nam C?ng Ha, and their families are still living in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, facing continued persecution from the government, including a lack of access to jobs, housing, and education; and WHEREAS, April 30, 2015, marks the 40th year since the Fall of Saigon; and WHEREAS, Amending the Humanitarian Resettlement Program, also known as the Orderly Departure Program, to include disabled veterans of the South Vietnamese Army, also known as the Qu[n L?c Vi?t Nam C?ng Ha, would rightfully bring these veterans into a program that was meant to include them but inadvertently left them out; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature respectfully urges the President and the Vice President of the United States and the United States Congress to expand the Humanitarian Resettlement Program to allow disabled veterans of the South Vietnamese Army currently living in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to enter the United States; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United States, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.