H.R. No. 1560

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, When the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon in
	1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees, including former
	military personnel, government officials, and those who had worked
	with the United States during the war, immigrated to surrounding
	areas and to America; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout the late 1970s to the mid-1980s,
	thousands of Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam
	aboard small wooden boats; approximately half of these emigrants
	perished at sea, but others reached refugee camps in Thailand,
	Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; and
	WHEREAS, Many Vietnamese who came to the United States chose
	to settle in the metropolitan areas and coastal regions of Texas;
	these first-generation Vietnamese Americans worked hard and
	flourished here, and now the state is home to the second largest
	Vietnamese population in the United States, with more than 200,000
	residents, nearly half of those living in the
	Houston-Sugarland-Baytown area; and
	WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have fully embraced all of the
	democratic principles that the United States offers, including
	human rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and protection
	against threats of aggression; and
	WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have denied the authority of
	the Vietnamese Communist Flag and pushed for governments to
	officially recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag,
	which symbolizes both the Vietnamese cultural heritage and a deeply
	rooted resilience and yearning for democracy; and
	WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans strongly support education,
	and their children are graduating from high schools and higher
	education institutions at high rates; and
	WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has benefited enormously from
	the contributions of its Vietnamese American residents; and
	WHEREAS, The Vietnamese American community plays a vital role
	in the business, professional, and cultural life not only of the
	Lone Star State but also of the country; the number of small
	businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans has grown substantially,
	and these firms have created more than 166,000 jobs nationwide,
	adding billions of dollars to the economy; in addition, Vietnamese
	Americans contribute to their communities in a myriad of ways, as
	teachers, lawyers, writers, actors, doctors, mayors, judges, and
	public servants; among the many Vietnamese Americans who have led
	notable careers are astronaut Eugene H. Trinh, former Dallas Cowboy
	Dat Nguyen, and scientist Nguyet Anh Duong, who developed the
	thermobaric weapon, which has been vital to U.S. military efforts;
	and
	WHEREAS, For many decades, people of Vietnamese descent have
	excelled in our society and economy, enriched our cultural
	tapestry, and helped enhance and secure the Lone Star State's
	reputation as a land of promise and possibility; now, therefore, be
	it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American
	Day at the State Capitol and extend to each participant best wishes
	for an informative and enjoyable day in Austin.
	Vo
	Button
	Wu
	Straus González Paddie
	Allen Guerra Parker
	Alonzo Guillen Paul
	Alvarado Gutierrez Peña
	Anchia Harless Phelan
	Anderson of Dallas Hernandez Phillips
	Anderson of McLennan Herrero Pickett
	Ashby Howard Price
	Aycock Huberty Raney
	Bell Hughes Raymond
	Bernal Hunter Reynolds
	Blanco Isaac Riddle
	Bohac Israel Rinaldi
	Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Rodriguez of Bexar
	Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rodriguez of Travis
	Burkett Keffer Romero, Jr.
	Burns Keough Rose
	Burrows King of Hemphill Sanford
	Button King of Parker Schaefer
	Canales King of Taylor Schofield
	Capriglione King of Uvalde Schubert
	Clardy Klick Shaheen
	Coleman Koop Sheets
	Collier Krause Sheffield
	Cook Kuempel Simmons
	Craddick Landgraf Simpson
	Crownover Larson Smith
	Cyrier Laubenberg Smithee
	Dale Leach Spitzer
	Darby Longoria Springer
	Davis of Dallas Lozano Stephenson
	Davis of Harris Lucio III Stickland
	Deshotel Márquez Thompson of Brazoria
	Dukes Martinez Thompson of Harris
	Dutton Martinez Fischer Tinderholt
	Elkins McClendon Turner of Collin
	Faircloth Metcalf Turner of Harris
	Fallon Meyer Turner of Tarrant
	Farias Miles VanDeaver
	Farney Miller of Comal Villalba
	Farrar Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Fletcher Moody Walle
	Flynn Morrison White of Bell
	Frank Muñoz, Jr. White of Tyler
	Frullo Murphy Workman
	Galindo Murr Wray
	Geren Naishtat Wu
	Giddings Nevárez Zedler
	Goldman Oliveira Zerwas
	Gonzales Otto
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1560 was adopted by the House on April
	8, 2015, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House