87R17892 CJM-D
 
  By: Button H.R. No. 826
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, May 2021 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, According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau estimate,
  Asian Americans represent approximately 5 percent of the country's
  population, while about 1.5 million Americans trace their origins
  to Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands; among U.S.
  states, Texas has the third-largest Asian American population and
  the fourth-largest Pacific Islander population; and
         WHEREAS, In 2017, the Pew Research Center released a factual
  analysis highlighting the growth and progress of the Asian American
  community; the study established Asian Americans as the
  fastest-growing of all the major racial or ethnic groups in the
  United States in recent years, with a population increase of 72
  percent between 2000 and 2015; the Pew analysis further noted that
  the Asian American population as a whole had higher than average
  levels of economic well-being and that more than half of Asian
  Americans age 25 and older 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 87th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize May 2021 as Asian American and Pacific
  Islander Heritage Month.