Whereas each May, the people of the United States join together to pay tribute to the contributions of the generations of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the history of the United States;

   Whereas the history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the history of the United States;

   Whereas as of 2011, according to the United States Census Bureau, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community is 1 of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the United States and is comprised of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 28 language groups;

   Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there are--

   (1) 17,300,000 United States residents who identify themselves as Asian alone or in combination with 1 or more other races; and

   (2) 1,200,000 United States residents who identify themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone or in combination with 1 or more other races;

   Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by the year 2050--

   (1) there will be 40,600,000 United States residents identifying themselves as Asian alone or in combination with 1 or more other races, comprising 9 percent of the total population of the United States; and

   (2) there will be 2,600,000 United States residents identifying themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone or as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander in combination with 1 or more other races, comprising 0.6 percent of the total population of the United States;

   Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month due to the facts that on May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, and on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants;

   Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced injustices throughout the history of the United States, including the Act of May 5, 1892 (27 Stat. 25, chapter 60) (commonly known as the ``Geary Act'' or the ``Chinese Exclusion Act''), the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, unpunished hate crimes, such as the murder of Vincent Chin, and other events;

   Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month and requests the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities;

   Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as Yuri Kochiyama, a civil rights activist, Herbert Pililaau, recipient of the Medal of Honor, Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian-American Congressman, Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian-American Congresswoman, and Norman Y. Mineta, the first Asian-American member of a presidential cabinet, have made significant strides in the political and military realms;

   Whereas the Presidential Cabinet of the Obama Administration includes a record 3 Asian-Americans, including Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki;

   Whereas in 2011, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, includes 30 Members of Congress;

   Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have made history by assuming office in a number of new and historically significant positions, including Nikki Haley, the first Asian-American and first female Governor of the State of South Carolina, Edwin M. Lee, the first Asian-American Mayor of San Francisco, California, and Jean Quan, the first Asian-American and first woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland, California;

   Whereas as of the date of approval of this resolution, Asian-American and Pacific Islander leaders are serving in State legislatures across the United States in record numbers, including in the States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Washington;

   Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen to some of the highest staff levels in the Obama Administration, including Pete Rouse, who is the first Asian-American to serve as White House Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Chris Lu, White House Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal, Acting Solicitor General of the United States, Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, L. Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Anthony M. Babauta, Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas of the Department of Interior, and many others;

   Whereas the commitment of the United States to judicial diversity has been demonstrated through the nomination of high caliber Asian-Americans and other minority jurists at all levels of the Federal bench;

   Whereas significant outreach efforts to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community have been made through the reestablishment of the White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders to coordinate multiagency efforts to ensure more accurate data collection and access to services for the community;

   Whereas even with the exceptional milestones achieved by the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, there remains much to be done to ensure that linguistically and culturally isolated Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have access to resources, a voice in the Federal Government, and continue to advance in the political landscape of the United States; and

   Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders and to appreciate the challenges faced by Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes the significance of the designation of the month of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month;

    (2) encourages the celebration during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month of the significant contributions Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to the United States; and