The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the in the Senate section section on page S535 on Feb. 28.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 80--DESIGNATING FEBRUARY 2023 AS ``HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE
MONTH'' OR ```OLELO HAWAI`I MONTH''
Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Ms. Hirono) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 80
Whereas the Hawaiian language, or `Olelo Hawai`i--
(1) is the Native language of Native Hawaiians, the aboriginal, Indigenous people who--
(A) settled the Hawaiian archipelago as early as 300 A.D., over which they exercised sovereignty; and
(B) over time, founded the Kingdom of Hawai`i; and
(2) was once widely spoken by Native Hawaiians and non- Native Hawaiians throughout the Kingdom of Hawai`i, which held one of the highest literacy rates in the world prior to the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai`i in 1893 and the establishment of the Republic of Hawai`i;
Whereas the Republic of Hawai`i enacted a law in 1896 effectively banning school instruction in `Olelo Hawai`i, which led to the near extinction of the language by the 1980s when fewer than 50 fluent speakers under 18 years old remained;
Whereas, since the 1960s, Native Hawaiians have led a grassroots revitalization of their Native language, launching a number of historic initiatives, including--
(1) `Aha Punana Leo's Hawaiian language immersion preschools;
(2) the Hawaiian language immersion program of the Hawai`i State Department of Education; and
(3) the Hawaiian language programs of the University of Hawai`i system; and
Whereas the Hawaiian language revitalization movement inspired systemic Native language policy reform, including--
(1) the State of Hawai`i recognizing `Olelo Hawai`i as an official language in the Constitution of the State of Hawai`i in 1978;
(2) the State of Hawai`i removing the 90-year ban on teaching `Olelo Hawai`i in public and private schools in 1986;
(3) the enactment of the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) in 1990, which established the policy of the United States to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, practice, and develop Native American languages; and
(4) the State of Hawai`i designating the month of February as `` `Olelo Hawai`i Month'' to celebrate and encourage the use of the Hawaiian language: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates February 2023 as ``Hawaiian Language Month'' or `` `Olelo Hawai`i Month'';
(2) commits to preserving, protecting, and promoting the use, practice, and development of `Olelo Hawai`i in alignment with the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and
(3) urges the people of the United States and interested groups to celebrate `Olelo Hawai`i with appropriate activities and programs to demonstrate support for `Olelo Hawai`i.
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