| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 648 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, May 2019 has been set aside as Asian American and |
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| 3 | 3 | | Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize the accomplishments |
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| 4 | 4 | | and wide-ranging contributions of individuals who trace their |
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| 5 | 5 | | ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands; and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Originally established by the United States |
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| 7 | 7 | | Congress as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week, the observance |
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| 8 | 8 | | celebrates the diverse culture, traditions, and history of |
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| 9 | 9 | | people from the Asian continent and the islands of Melanesia, |
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| 10 | 10 | | Micronesia, and Polynesia in the Pacific; it was officially |
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| 11 | 11 | | expanded into a monthlong celebration in 1992; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen for this commemorative |
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| 13 | 13 | | period because of two key events in our nation's history; on |
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| 14 | 14 | | May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived, and on |
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| 15 | 15 | | May 10, 1869, a workforce largely composed of Chinese laborers |
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| 16 | 16 | | completed the Transcontinental Railroad; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, In 2013, the Pew Research Center released a report |
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| 18 | 18 | | highlighting the tremendous progress that has been made by Asian |
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| 19 | 19 | | Americans; the study noted that a century ago, most were |
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| 20 | 20 | | low-skilled, low-wage laborers subject to official discrimination; |
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| 21 | 21 | | today, however, Asian Americans rank as the racial group with the |
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| 22 | 22 | | highest levels of income and education in the nation; since |
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| 23 | 23 | | approximately 2000, Asian Americans have also constituted the |
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| 24 | 24 | | fastest-growing racial group in the United States, largely |
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| 25 | 25 | | because of immigration; in addition, Asians who have recently |
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| 26 | 26 | | arrived in this country are about three times more likely than |
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| 27 | 27 | | other immigrants to be sponsored for permanent residency by an |
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| 28 | 28 | | employer; the Pew report further noted that over 60 percent of |
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| 29 | 29 | | new Asian immigrants age 25 to 64 held at least a bachelor's |
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| 30 | 30 | | degree; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to generations of |
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| 32 | 32 | | Americans who take great pride in their family roots in Asia and |
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| 33 | 33 | | the Pacific Islands, and this annual observance provides a |
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| 34 | 34 | | welcome opportunity to celebrate their significant contributions |
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| 35 | 35 | | to the prosperity and cultural vibrancy of our nation; now, |
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| 36 | 36 | | therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th |
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| 38 | 38 | | Legislature, hereby recognize May 2019 as Asian American and |
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| 39 | 39 | | Pacific Islander Heritage Month. |
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| 40 | 40 | | Paxton, Alvarado |
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| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | President of the Senate |
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| 43 | 43 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 44 | 44 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 45 | 45 | | the Senate on May 1, 2019. |
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| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 48 | 48 | | ________________________________ |
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| 49 | 49 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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| 50 | 50 | | ________________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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