Bill Text: PA HR535 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designating the month of November 2009 as "National Native American Heritage Month" in Pennsylvania.

Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 30-18)

Status: (Passed) 2009-12-07 - Adopted [HR535 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR535-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 2902
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 535 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY BROWN, McILVAINE SMITH, BEYER, BOYD, BOYLE, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GROVE, GRUCELA, HELM, HENNESSEY, HORNAMAN, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KULA, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANDERINO, MANN, McCALL, McGEEHAN, MILLARD, MUNDY, MURPHY, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PARKER, PASHINSKI, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, RAPP, READSHAW, ROEBUCK AND SANTARSIERO, NOVEMBER 16, 2009
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, NOVEMBER 16, 2009
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of November 2009 as "National Native
American Heritage Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The first Native American Day was celebrated in May
1916 in New York; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed a joint
congressional resolution designating November 1990 as "National
American Indian Heritage Month"; and
WHEREAS, Native Americans were the indigenous inhabitants of
the land that now constitutes the United States; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania was once inhabited by many Native
American tribes. The tribes consisted of the Delawares, an
Algonquian-speaking tribe that lived at the basin of the
Delaware River. This tribe merged with the Algonquian-speaking
Mahicans, a tribe related to the Mohegans of Connecticut. The
Conoys and the Nanticokes also merged with the Delawares. The
Susquehannocks were another Algonquian-speaking tribe, who lived
along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and Maryland; and
WHEREAS, Native American tribal governments developed the
fundamental principles of freedom of speech and separation of
powers that helped form the foundation of the United States
Government; and
WHEREAS, Native Americans have traditionally exhibited a
respect for the finiteness of natural resources through a
reverence for the earth; and
WHEREAS, Native Americans served with valor in all of
America's wars beginning with the Revolutionary War through the
conflict in the Persian Gulf, and often the percentage of Native
Americans who served exceeded significantly the percentage of
Native Americans in the population of the United States as a
whole; and
WHEREAS, Native Americans have made distinct and important
contributions to the United States and the rest of the world in
many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language
and art; and
WHEREAS, Native Americans deserve to be recognized for their
individual contributions to the United States as local and
national leaders, artists, athletes and scholars; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
November 2009 as "National Native American Heritage Month" in
Pennsylvania.
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