Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR281 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	IV
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. RES. 281
5	5	Urging the people of the United States to observe the month of March
6	6	2025 as ‘‘Bulgarian-American Heritage Month’’.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	MARCH31, 2025
9	9	Mr. W
10	10	ILSONof South Carolina (for himself, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. DUNNof
11	11	Florida, and Mr. N
12	12	EAL) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
13	13	ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
14	14	RESOLUTION
15	15	Urging the people of the United States to observe the month
16	16	of March 2025 as ‘‘Bulgarian-American Heritage Month’’.
17	17	Whereas, since the 19th century, Bulgarian immigrants and
18	18	their descendants have made significant contributions to
19	19	America, enriching its cultural fabric through their vi-
20	20	brant traditions and heritage, and greatly influencing
21	21	American society in the fields of science and research,
22	22	business, literature and the arts, engineering and tech-
23	23	nology, and academia while enriching the economy and
24	24	society;
25	25	Whereas the enduring Bulgarian-American people-to-people
26	26	ties date back to 1860–1861, when 2 schools opened by
27	27	American missionaries in Bulgaria later merged into the
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30	30	•HRES 281 IH
31	31	American College, one of the oldest American educational
32	32	institutions outside the United States;
33	33	Whereas young people sent by American missionaries in Bul-
34	34	garia for studies were among the first Bulgarian immi-
35	35	grants in the United States;
36	36	Whereas Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known as Christo,
37	37	along with his partner Jeanne-Claude, created monu-
38	38	mental public art projects such as The Gates in Central
39	39	Park, New York City, which attracted millions of visitors
40	40	and demonstrated the impact of art in community spaces;
41	41	Whereas Ivan Kristoff, known as ‘‘The Human Spider’’, pro-
42	42	moted safety and innovation in high-altitude rescue mis-
43	43	sions, with significant work conducted in Miami, Florida,
44	44	and other metropolitan areas;
45	45	Whereas Nina Dobrev, a celebrated actress who grew up in
46	46	Atlanta, Georgia, has elevated the visibility of Bulgarian
47	47	heritage on a global stage through her roles in prominent
48	48	television series and films;
49	49	Whereas Sylvia Radev, a leading mathematician and com-
50	50	puter scientist based in Boston, Massachusetts, has ad-
51	51	vanced research in artificial intelligence and natural lan-
52	52	guage processing, impacting technological innovation
53	53	across the globe;
54	54	Whereas Dimitar Sasselov, an astrophysicist at Harvard Uni-
55	55	versity in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has contributed to
56	56	the understanding of exoplanets and the potential for life
57	57	beyond Earth;
58	58	Whereas the Philip Kutev National Folklore Ensemble and
59	59	Bulgarian cultural organizations have performed in major
60	60	cultural hubs such as Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, Cali-
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63	63	•HRES 281 IH
64	64	fornia; and the District of Columbia, showcasing Bul-
65	65	garian music and dance;
66	66	Whereas Bulgarian-Americans have established thriving busi-
67	67	ness communities in cities like Detroit, Michigan, and
68	68	Las Vegas, Nevada, fostering economic growth and entre-
69	69	preneurship;
70	70	Whereas educators such as Dr. Maria Tzvetanova, based in
71	71	Austin, Texas, have advanced knowledge in neuroscience
72	72	and other fields, inspiring students and contributing to
73	73	academic excellence;
74	74	Whereas the first United States Diplomatic Agent to Bul-
75	75	garia presented his credentials on September 19, 1903,
76	76	marking the beginning of United States-Bulgarian diplo-
77	77	matic relations;
78	78	Whereas, in May 1909, the United States welcomed Bulgaria
79	79	into the commonwealth of sovereign and independent
80	80	states;
81	81	Whereas Bulgarian-American communities, with the support
82	82	of Governors and mayors in major United States cities,
83	83	raise the Bulgarian national colors (flags) each year to
84	84	commemorate the National Day of Bulgaria;
85	85	Whereas the United States and Bulgaria concluded their first
86	86	agreement on a most-favored-nation status in 1906;
87	87	Whereas the first Special Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary
88	88	of Bulgaria to the United States, Stefan Panaretov, pre-
89	89	sented his credentials to President Woodrow Wilson on
90	90	December 22, 1914;
91	91	Whereas United States-Bulgarian relations were strengthened
92	92	by President Wilson’s advocacy of Bulgaria’s territorial
93	93	integrity and national sovereignty at the Paris Peace
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96	96	•HRES 281 IH
97	97	Conference in 1919, and by the contributions of countless
98	98	Bulgarian and American officials, diplomats, and citizens;
99	99	Whereas a vibrant Bulgarian-American community today con-
100	100	tributes to America’s prosperity, including its remarkable
101	101	economic achievements, maintaining its technological
102	102	edge, and enriching American culture and society through
103	103	its diverse talents, rich traditions, art, literature, opera,
104	104	music, dance, cuisine, and language;
105	105	Whereas Bulgaria’s presence in the world’s largest library,
106	106	the United States Library of Congress, is marked by a
107	107	collection of over 50,000 volumes of Bulgarian cultural
108	108	heritage, collected by the Library of Congress in coopera-
109	109	tion with Bulgarian individuals and institutions since the
110	110	1880s;
111	111	Whereas Bulgaria is the birthplace of the Bulgarian alphabet,
112	112	also known as Cyrillic, which was developed by the
113	113	Preslav literary school in the 9th century, becoming a
114	114	valuable contribution to the world’s cultural heritage;
115	115	Whereas the Bulgarian language is the fourth language into
116	116	which the Bible was translated, and the Bulgarian alpha-
117	117	bet is the third official alphabet in the European Union,
118	118	along with Latin and Greek;
119	119	Whereas the Bulgarian Caucus in the House of Representa-
120	120	tives was formed in June 2002, and the following year
121	121	a Friendship Group with the United States was formed
122	122	in the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria;
123	123	Whereas recognizing and celebrating Bulgarian-American
124	124	Heritage Month provides an opportunity for all Ameri-
125	125	cans to gain a deeper appreciation of Bulgarian culture
126	126	and history; and
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129	129	•HRES 281 IH
130	130	Whereas it is fitting and proper that March 2025 be observed
131	131	as Bulgarian-American Heritage Month throughout the
132	132	United States: Now, therefore, be it
133	133	Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
134	134	(1) urges the people of the United States to ac-2
135	135	knowledge ‘‘Bulgarian-American Heritage Month’’ 3
136	136	and to observe the month with appropriate events 4
137	137	and activities; 5
138	138	(2) recognizes the enduring partnership between 6
139	139	the United States of America and the Republic of 7
140	140	Bulgaria as friends, strategic partners, and allies; 8
141	141	(3) reaffirms the significance of intensifying co-9
142	142	operation in innovations, research, and high tech-10
143	143	nologies; 11
144	144	(4) recognizes the significant contributions of 12
145	145	Bulgarian-Americans to the United States; 13
146	146	(5) recognizes that the Bulgarian-American cul-14
147	147	ture and heritage strengthens and enriches the di-15
148	148	versity of the United States; and 16
149	149	(6) looks forward to continued collaboration be-17
150	150	tween the United States and Bulgaria in advancing 18
151	151	shared interests in the years ahead. 19
152	152	Æ
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