SJR40: Joint Resolution Text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE

LRB-2942/1

SEJ:emw

2025 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 40

April 29, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Habush Sinykin, Wall, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Larson, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith and Spreitzer, cosponsored by Representatives Tenorio, Mayadev, Hong, Anderson, Andraca, Arney, Bare, Billings, Brown, Clancy, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Emerson, Goodwin, Haywood, Hysell, J. Jacobson, Joers, Kirsch, Madison, McCarville, McGuire, Melotik, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Phelps, Prado, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Snyder, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Johnson, Udell and Vining. Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.

SJR40,1,4 Relating to: recognizing Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month as a time to honor the important contributions of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States.

SJR40,1,6 Whereas, the people of Wisconsin join together each May to pay tribute to the generations of AANHPI who have enriched the history of the United States; and

SJR40,1,8 Whereas, the history of AANHPI in Wisconsin is inextricably tied to the story of Wisconsin; and

SJR40,1,12 Whereas, there are approximately 24 million U.S. residents who identify as Asian and approximately 1.6 million U.S. residents who identify as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, comprising about 7 percent of the total population; and

SJR40,1,14 Whereas, Wisconsin’s AANHPI population totaled 194,173 in 2020 and has increased 82 percent since the 2000 Census; and

SJR40,2,3 Whereas, the AANHPI community is an inherently diverse population, composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects; and

SJR40,2,6 Whereas, the immigration of Hmong refugees from Laos to Wisconsin from 1975 through the 1990s enriched the state immeasurably as Wisconsin has the third largest Hmong population in the U.S.; and

SJR40,2,10 Whereas, the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; and

SJR40,2,13 Whereas, the recent enactment of 2023 Wisconsin Act 266 ensures that the unique histories and cultures of Asian Americans and Hmong Americans are taught to schoolchildren throughout Wisconsin; and

SJR40,2,17 Whereas, AANHPI Heritage Month provides the people of Wisconsin with an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and history of AANHPI communities and understand the challenges they face; now, therefore, be it

SJR40,3,2 Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin State Legislature recognizes AANHPI Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of Wisconsin, and recognizes that Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities strengthen and enhance the rich diversity of Wisconsin.

SJR40,3,3 (end)