85R24153 BPG-D     By: Button H.R. No. 1593       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, May 2017 has been set aside as Asian American and   Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize the accomplishments   and wide-ranging contributions of individuals who trace their   ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands; and          WHEREAS, Originally established by the United States   Congress as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week, the observance   celebrates the diverse culture, traditions, and history of people   from the Asian continent and the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia,   and Polynesia in the Pacific; it was officially expanded into a   monthlong celebration in 1992; and          WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen for this commemorative   period because of two key events in our nation's history; on May 7,   1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived, and on May 10, 1869, a   workforce largely composed of Chinese laborers completed the   Transcontinental Railroad; and          WHEREAS, In 2013, the Pew Research Center released a report   highlighting the tremendous progress that has been made by Asian   Americans; the study noted that a century ago, most were   low-skilled, low-wage laborers subject to official discrimination;   today, however, Asian Americans rank as the racial group with the   highest levels of income and education in the nation; since about   2000, Asian Americans have also constituted the fastest-growing   racial group in the United States, largely because of immigration;   in addition, Asians who have recently arrived in this country are   about three times more likely than other immigrants to be sponsored   for permanent residency by an employer; the Pew report further   noted that more than 60 percent of new Asian immigrants age 25 to 64   held at least a bachelor's degree; and          WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to generations of   Americans who take great pride in their family roots in Asia and the   Pacific Islands, and this annual observance provides a welcome   opportunity to celebrate their significant contributions to the   prosperity and cultural vibrancy of our nation; now, therefore, be   it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas   Legislature hereby recognize May 2017 as Asian American and Pacific   Islander Heritage Month.