HCR 1029

1HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
2STATE OF OKLAHOMA
32nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
4  HOUSE CONCURRENT
 RESOLUTION 1029  By: Munson and Pae of the House
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                                                                   and
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                                                            Kirt of the Senate
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10AS INTRODUCED
11A Resolution honoring May as Asian/Pacific American
            Heritage Month; recognizing the cultural and economic
12impact of Asian/Pacific Americans and immigrants; and
            honoring Oklahomans of Asian/Pacific descent.
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15      WHEREAS, May is recognized by the United States Congress as
16 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, honoring the contributions
17 and paying tribute to generations of Asian Americans and Pacific
18 Islanders (AAPI) who have made our state and nation their home; and
19      WHEREAS, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in
20 May to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the
21 United States in May of 1843; and
22      WHEREAS, May also marks the anniversary of the completion of the
23 transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.  The majority of those
24 who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants; and
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 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments.
1WHEREAS, the Chinese were the first Asian group to settle in
2  Oklahoma, living in the Guthrie Territory after the Land Run of
3  1889; and
4WHEREAS, the Japanese population quickly grew in Oklahoma in the
5  1920s and 1940s, and during World War II, several fought for the
6  United States, including four sons of Kutaro Nishimuta, a farmer in
7  Payne County.  His sons served in the U.S. Army 442nd Regimental
8  Unit, an all-Japanese outfit and one of the most decorated units in
9  the war; and
10      WHEREAS, nearly three percent of all Oklahomans identify as
11 Asian American or Pacific Islander, citing origins in Cambodia,
12 China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine
13 Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific
14 Islands; and
15      WHEREAS, Oklahoma City is home to "Little Saigon", the Asian
16 District made up of the state's largest population of Asian
17 descendants, predominately Vietnamese.  Visitors flock to the
18 district each year to experience the international cuisine, culture,
19 and shopping; and
20      WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander citizens have made
21 a tremendous impact on our state and nation, serving in vital roles
22 as state and national leaders, starting businesses, making
23 breakthroughs in science and technology, serving in our military,
24 excelling in sports, arts, education, and more.
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1NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2  OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 60TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE SENATE
3  CONCURRING THEREIN:
4THAT the month of May is recognized by the Oklahoma State
5  Legislature as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
6THAT the Oklahoma Legislature recognizes the contributions of
7  Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of Oklahoma and
8  the United States.
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10 DIRECT TO CALENDAR.
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 HCR1029 HFLR  Page 3
 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments.