| 1 | 1 | | IV |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. RES. 376 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Expressing support for the designation of May 4, 2025, as a ‘‘National |
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| 6 | 6 | | Day of Reason’’ and recognizing the central importance of reason in |
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| 7 | 7 | | the betterment of humanity. |
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| 8 | 8 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 9 | 9 | | MAY1, 2025 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Mr. R |
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| 11 | 11 | | ASKIN(for himself, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. JOHNSONof |
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| 12 | 12 | | Georgia, Ms. T |
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| 13 | 13 | | LAIB, and Ms. NORTON) submitted the following resolu- |
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| 14 | 14 | | tion; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government |
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| 15 | 15 | | Reform |
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| 16 | 16 | | RESOLUTION |
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| 17 | 17 | | Expressing support for the designation of May 4, 2025, |
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| 18 | 18 | | as a ‘‘National Day of Reason’’ and recognizing the |
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| 19 | 19 | | central importance of reason in the betterment of human- |
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| 20 | 20 | | ity. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Whereas the application of reason has been the essential pre- |
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| 22 | 22 | | condition for humanity’s extraordinary scientific, medical, |
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| 23 | 23 | | technological, and social progress since before the found- |
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| 24 | 24 | | ing of the United States; |
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| 25 | 25 | | Whereas reason provides the necessary framework for con- |
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| 26 | 26 | | fronting the crises of today, including— |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) for cultivating our common defense of the rule |
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| 28 | 28 | | of law, the separation of church and state, strong demo- |
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| 29 | 29 | | cratic institutions, justice, and peace among nations; |
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| 30 | 30 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 May 01, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR376.IH HR376 |
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| 31 | 31 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | •HRES 376 IH |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) for providing an antidote to the fear and |
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| 34 | 34 | | disinformation that have fed the rise of authoritarianism |
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| 35 | 35 | | in the United States; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) for advancing civil liberties and human rights for |
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| 37 | 37 | | all; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) for confronting the civilizational emergency of |
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| 39 | 39 | | climate change; |
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| 40 | 40 | | Whereas America’s Founders insisted upon the primacy of |
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| 41 | 41 | | reason and knowledge in public life, and drafted the Con- |
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| 42 | 42 | | stitution to prevent official establishment of religion and |
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| 43 | 43 | | to protect freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry in civil |
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| 44 | 44 | | society; |
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| 45 | 45 | | Whereas the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise |
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| 46 | 46 | | Clause, grounded in the principle of reason, protect the |
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| 47 | 47 | | rights of people of all religious faiths and of none at all |
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| 48 | 48 | | and ensure the United States remains a pluralistic de- |
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| 49 | 49 | | mocracy capable of withstanding theocratic threats to |
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| 50 | 50 | | secular governance; |
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| 51 | 51 | | Whereas James Madison, author of the First Amendment |
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| 52 | 52 | | and fourth President of the United States, stated, ‘‘The |
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| 53 | 53 | | advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only |
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| 54 | 54 | | guardian of true liberty’’, and ‘‘Knowledge will forever |
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| 55 | 55 | | govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own |
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| 56 | 56 | | governors, must arm themselves with the power knowl- |
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| 57 | 57 | | edge gives’’; |
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| 58 | 58 | | Whereas Thomas Paine, an American Founding Father and |
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| 59 | 59 | | luminary patriot of the Enlightenment and American |
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| 60 | 60 | | Revolution, wrote that reason is ‘‘the most formidable |
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| 61 | 61 | | weapon against errors of every kind’’; |
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| 62 | 62 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 May 01, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR376.IH HR376 |
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| 63 | 63 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 |
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| 64 | 64 | | •HRES 376 IH |
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| 65 | 65 | | Whereas, today. some of our Nation’s leaders would replace |
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| 66 | 66 | | knowledge, facts, and evidence with propaganda, |
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| 67 | 67 | | disinformation, and superstition; and |
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| 68 | 68 | | Whereas May 4, 2025, would be an appropriate date to des- |
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| 69 | 69 | | ignate as a ‘‘National Day of Reason’’: Now, therefore, |
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| 70 | 70 | | be it |
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| 71 | 71 | | Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 |
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| 72 | 72 | | (1) supports the designation of a ‘‘National 2 |
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| 73 | 73 | | Day of Reason’’; and 3 |
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| 74 | 74 | | (2) encourages all persons in the United States 4 |
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| 75 | 75 | | to observe this day and uplift the central importance 5 |
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| 76 | 76 | | of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and 6 |
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| 77 | 77 | | free inquiry to resolving social problems and pro-7 |
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| 78 | 78 | | moting the welfare of humankind. 8 |
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| 79 | 79 | | Æ |
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| 80 | 80 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 May 01, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR376.IH HR376 |
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| 81 | 81 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB |
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