Bill Text: NJ SR161 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials in all levels of government or made, supported or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 14-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-10-24 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee [SR161 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SR161-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator GERALD CARDINALE
District 39 (Bergen and Passaic)
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators T.Kean, Connors, O'Scanlon, Corrado, Brown, Holzapfel, Pennacchio, Thompson, Bateman, Oroho, Doherty and A.R.Bucco
SYNOPSIS
Condemns all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials in all levels of government or made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution condemning all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials in all levels of government or made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America.
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
Whereas, The Founders conceived America as a haven of refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution, and emphasized that the Nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and livelihood for their families; and
Whereas, The immigration of people from all over the world and their citizen descendants, who collectively possess an ever-growing exposure to multicultural diversity and values, have defined every stage of American history and propelled our social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic, and technological progress as a people; and
Whereas, American patriotism is defined not by country of origin, race, ethnicity, or religious beliefs but by devotion to the Constitutional ideals of equality, liberty, inclusion, and democracy; and
Whereas, Describing the country's rich multicultural history, President John F. Kennedy, whose family came to the United States from Ireland, stated in his 1958 book "A Nation of Immigrants" that, "The contribution of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education, even in athletics and entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Immigrants have enriched and strengthened every fabric of American life."; and
Whereas, America is unique among nations because it draws its people and its strength from every country and every corner of the world, and by doing so, through these immigrants and their citizen descendants of many races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, America is a continuously renewed and enriched nation; and
Whereas, Whenever racist or discriminatory comments are directed at elected officials at any level of government or are made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America, they legitimize fear and hatred of new Americans, people of different races, people of different ethnicities, and people holding different religious beliefs; and
Whereas, This House believes that immigrants and their citizen descendants have made America stronger, and that those people who newly take the oath of citizenship are every bit as American as those people, regardless of country of origin, race, ethnicity, or religious beliefs, whose families have lived in the United States for many generations; now, therefore,
1. This House strongly condemns all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials at any level of government or are made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America, as those comments legitimize fear and hatred of new Americans, people of different races, people of different ethnicities, and people holding different religious beliefs, and they diminish the legitimacy of political debate over matters for which different, substantive policy positions exist.
2. Copies of this resolution as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, every member of Congress elected from this State, every county executive, clerk, sheriff, and surrogate of the State, every board of chosen freeholders of the State, and for purposes of informing the elected mayors, other chief executives, and municipal governing bodies in the State, to the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials in all levels of government or made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America. The preamble to this resolution states that whenever these types of comments are directed at elected officials at any level of government or are made, supported, or ignored by such officials, they legitimize fear and hatred of new Americans, people of different races, people of different ethnicities, and people holding different religious beliefs. A negative and harmful consequence of such comments is the fact that they diminish the legitimacy of political debate over matters for which different, substantive policy positions exist. Copies of this resolution would be provided to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, every member of Congress elected from this State, every county executive, clerk, sheriff, and surrogate of the State, every board of chosen freeholders of the State, and for purposes of informing the elected mayors, other chief executives, and municipal governing bodies in the State, to the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
Condemns all racist and discriminatory comments directed at elected officials in all levels of government or made, supported, or ignored by such officials as part of political discourse in America.
