Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0224 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 224
5	5	By Jones J
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8	8	HJR0224
9	9	003625
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13	13	A RESOLUTION to commemorate Read Across America Week in
14	14	Tennessee, March 2-6, 2025.
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16	16	WHEREAS, reading introduces children to new ideas, cultures, and perspectives,
17	17	feeding their imaginations and stoking the fires of innovation that help them understand our
18	18	world as it is and pioneer ways to make it better; we know firsthand how reading can change
19	19	lives; and
20	20	WHEREAS, reading ignites imagination, insight, and inspiration; nourishes creativity and
21	21	curiosity; and inspires a passion for lifelong learning; books can challenge and inspire, teach
22	22	important lessons, and reveal new worlds, as well as enrich our understanding of our own—of
23	23	different people, perspectives, and cultures; and
24	24	WHEREAS, on March 2-6, 2025, communities across the United States will come
25	25	together to participate in Read Across America Week, a celebration organized by the National
26	26	Education Association that began as a single-day event to honor Dr. Seuss's birthday; this now
27	27	week-long event is dedicated to promoting literacy, inspiring a love for reading, and highlighting
28	28	the transformative power of words and stories; and
29	29	WHEREAS, during Read Across America Week, we celebrate the joy of learning and
30	30	give thanks to the parents, caregivers, educators, librarians, authors, and community members
31	31	who invest in our nation's children; and
32	32	WHEREAS, for many young Tennesseans, the path to literacy begins with treasured and
33	33	timeless traditions: being read to at bedtime, gathering in classrooms for story time, and
34	34	attending events at local libraries with family and friends; and
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39	39	WHEREAS, children's classics such as Green Eggs and Ham and Oh, the Places You'll
40	40	Go! have inspired a passion for reading and endless creativity that spans generations; as Dr.
41	41	Seuss once wrote, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you
42	42	learn, the more places you'll go"; and
43	43	WHEREAS, there is power that is unleashed by reading—discovering the comfort of
44	44	words in times of sorrow, finding inspiration to fuel our imagination, or having a clear-eyed
45	45	understanding of our past so we can forge a future of limitless possibilities; and
46	46	WHEREAS, today's stories and adventures are as diverse as the world in which we live,
47	47	and by reading them, we come to more fully understand the vibrant diversity of our State,
48	48	country, and world; this is especially important as young people learn, grow, and engage with
49	49	their own sense of identity, as books build each child's sense of belonging and can help
50	50	inculcate respect and empathy for others; and
51	51	WHEREAS, during Read Across America Week, we dedicate ourselves to helping each
52	52	new generation of readers and thinkers become the leaders who will write a more hopeful
53	53	chapter in our collective Tennessee story and in the story of our shared world; as the great
54	54	American writer Toni Morrison reminds us, "If you find a book you really want to read but it
55	55	hasn't been written yet, then you must write it"; and
56	56	WHEREAS, Read Across America Week encourages parents and children to read
57	57	together, explore their local library, and attend local events hosted by library systems and
58	58	schools throughout the State; and
59	59	WHEREAS, we recognize that there is still more work to do to improve literacy across
60	60	Tennessee and the country, and we are committed to supporting educators and improving
61	61	literacy for those of all ages and from all walks of life; now, therefore,
62	62	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
63	63	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
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68	68	CONCURRING, that we commemo rate March 2-6, 2025, as Read Across America Week,
69	69	joining states across the country in promoting the value and importance of fostering a lifelong
70	70	love of reading.
71	71	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
72	72	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
73	73	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
74	74	without House or Senate designation.
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