2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2942/1
SEJ:emw
2025 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 40
April 29, 2025 - Introduced by Senators HABUSH SINYKIN, WALL, CARPENTER,
DASSLER-ALFHEIM, DRAKE, HESSELBEIN, L. JOHNSON, LARSON, PFAFF,
RATCLIFF, ROYS, SMITH and SPREITZER, cosponsored by Representatives
TENORIO, MAYADEV, HONG, ANDERSON, ANDRACA, ARNEY, BARE, BILLINGS,
BROWN, CLANCY, DESANTO, DESMIDT, EMERSON, GOODWIN, HAYWOOD,
HYSELL, J. JACOBSON, JOERS, KIRSCH, MADISON, MCCARVILLE, MCGUIRE,
MELOTIK, MIRESSE, MOORE OMOKUNDE, NEUBAUER, ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI,
PHELPS, PRADO, RIVERA-WAGNER, ROE, SINICKI, SNODGRASS, SNYDER, SPAUDE,
STROUD, STUBBS, JOHNSON, UDELL and VINING. Referred to Committee on
Senate Organization.
Relating to: recognizing Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
(AANHPI) Heritage Month as a time to honor the important contributions of
Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the
history of the United States.
Whereas, the people of Wisconsin join together each May to pay tribute to the
generations of AANHPI who have enriched the history of the United States; and
Whereas, the history of AANHPI in Wisconsin is inextricably tied to the story
of Wisconsin; and
Whereas, there are approximately 24 million U.S. residents who identify as
Asian and approximately 1.6 million U.S. residents who identify as Native
Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, comprising about 7 percent of the total
population; and
Whereas, Wisconsin[s AANHPI population totaled 194,173 in 2020 and has
increased 82 percent since the 2000 Census; and
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14 2025 - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-2942/1
SEJ:emw
Whereas, the AANHPI community is an inherently diverse population,
composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects;
and
Whereas, the immigration of Hmong refugees from Laos to Wisconsin from
1975 through the 1990s enriched the state immeasurably as Wisconsin has the
third largest Hmong population in the U.S.; and
Whereas, the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage
Month because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May
7, 1843, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869,
with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; and
Whereas, the recent enactment of 2023 Wisconsin Act 266 ensures that the
unique histories and cultures of Asian Americans and Hmong Americans are
taught to schoolchildren throughout Wisconsin; and
Whereas, AANHPI Heritage Month provides the people of Wisconsin with an
opportunity to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and history
of AANHPI communities and understand the challenges they face; now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin
State Legislature recognizes AANHPI Heritage Month as an important time to
celebrate the significant contributions of Asians, Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of Wisconsin, and recognizes that
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 2025 - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-2942/1
SEJ:emw
Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities
strengthen and enhance the rich diversity of Wisconsin.
(END)
1
2
3