[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1504 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1504
Recognizing the month of October 2024 as Filipino American History
Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and
their immense contributions to the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 25, 2024
Mr. Case (for himself, Mrs. Steel, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Moylan,
Ms. Barragan, Mr. Bera, Ms. Chu, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Kiggans
of Virginia, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Peters, Ms. Porter, Mr. Sablan, Mr.
Sherman, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tokuda, and Mr. Vargas) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of October 2024 as Filipino American History
Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and
their immense contributions to the United States.
Whereas the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental United
States was October 18, 1587, when the first ``Luzones Indios'' arrived
in Morro Bay, California, on board the Nuestra Senora de Esperanza, a
Manila-built galleon ship;
Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society recognizes 1763 as the
year in which the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United
States was established in St. Malo, Louisiana;
Whereas the recognition of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United
States adds a new perspective to the history of the United States by
bringing attention to the economic, cultural, social, and other notable
contributions made by Filipino Americans to the development of the
United States;
Whereas the Filipino American community is the third largest Asian American,
Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander group in the United States, with a
population of approximately 4,500,000;
Whereas, from 2000 to 2019, the Filipino American community grew 78 percent, and
Filipinos are the largest Asian community in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West
Virginia;
Whereas, from the Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Filipinos and
Filipino Americans have a longstanding history of serving in the Armed
Forces of the United States;
Whereas more than 250,000 Filipinos fought under the United States flag during
World War II to protect and defend the United States in the Pacific
theater;
Whereas a guarantee to pay back the service of Filipinos through veterans
benefits was reversed by the First Supplemental Surplus Appropriation
Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79-301; 60 Stat. 6) and the Second
Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79-
391; 60 Stat. 221), which provided that the wartime service of members
of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and the new Philippine
Scouts shall not be deemed to have been active service, and, therefore,
those members did not qualify for certain benefits;
Whereas 26,000 Filipino World War II veterans were granted United States
citizenship as a result of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-
649; 104 Stat. 4978), which was signed into law by President George H.W.
Bush on November 29, 1990;
Whereas, in 1991, the Filipino American National Historical Society made efforts
to recognize October as Filipino American History Month for the first
time;
Whereas, in 2009, Congress first recognized October as Filipino American History
Month (S. Res. 298; H. Res. 780);
Whereas, on February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5; 123
Stat. 115), which established the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation
Fund to compensate Filipino World War II veterans for their service to
the United States;
Whereas, since June 8, 2016, the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program
has allowed Filipino World War II veterans and certain family members to
be reunited more expeditiously than the immigrant visa process allowed
at that time;
Whereas, on December 14, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015
(Public Law 114-265; 130 Stat. 1376) to award Filipino veterans who
fought alongside troops of the United States in World War II the highest
civilian honor bestowed by Congress;
Whereas, on October 25, 2017, the Congressional Gold Medal was presented to
Filipino World War II veterans in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol
Building, a recognition for which the veterans had waited for more than
70 years;
Whereas Filipino Americans have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the
highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that may be
bestowed on an individual serving in the Armed Forces, and continue to
demonstrate a commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the Armed
Forces;
Whereas the late Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii and the late Thelma Garcia
Buchholdt of Alaska became the first Filipino American elected to public
office and the first Filipina American elected to a legislature in the
United States, respectively, inspiring their fellow Filipino Americans
to pursue public service in politics and government;
Whereas Filipino American farmworkers and labor leaders, such as Philip Vera
Cruz and Larry Itliong, played an integral role in the multiethnic
United Farm Workers movement, alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta,
and other Latino workers;
Whereas, on August 3, 1948, the late Victoria Manalo Draves became the first
Filipino American and Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal;
Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Lorna G. Schofield
to be a United States District Judge for the United States District
Court for the Southern District of New York, and she was confirmed by
the Senate on December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipina American in
United States history to serve as an Article III Federal judge;
Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role in the healthcare system of the
United States as nurses, doctors, first responders, and other medical
professionals, and approximately 1 in 4 working Filipino adults in the
United States is a frontline healthcare worker;
Whereas Filipino Americans contribute greatly to music, dance, literature,
education, business, hospitality, journalism, sports, fashion, politics,
government, science, technology, the fine arts, and other fields that
enrich the United States;
Whereas, as mandated in the mission statement of the Filipino American National
Historical Society, efforts should continue to promote the study of
Filipino American history and culture because the roles of Filipino
Americans and other people of color have largely been overlooked in the
writing, teaching, and learning of the history of the United States;
Whereas it is imperative for Filipino American youth to have positive role
models to instill--
(1) the significance of education, complemented by the richness of
Filipino American ethnicity; and
(2) the value of the Filipino American legacy; and
Whereas it is essential to promote the understanding, education, and
appreciation of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the
United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History
Month as--
(A) a testament to the advancement of Filipino
Americans;
(B) a time to reflect on and remember the many
notable contributions that Filipino Americans have made
to the United States; and
(C) a time to renew efforts toward the research and
examination of history and culture so as to provide an
opportunity for all people of the United States to
learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate
the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the
United States; and
(2) urges the people of the United States to observe
Filipino American History Month with appropriate programs and
activities.
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