BILL NUMBER: SCR 113 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senators Romero, Cedillo, and Soto (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Coto) (Coauthor: Senator Figueroa) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bermudez, Calderon, Oropeza, Saldana, and Torrico) APRIL 18, 2006 Relative to The Great American Boycott 2006. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 113, as introduced, Romero The Great American Boycott 2006 This measure would recognize May 1, 2006, as "The Great American Boycott 2006," to educate people in California and the United States about the contributions of immigrants in California. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, May 1, 2006, is declared "The Great American Boycott 2006" ; and WHEREAS, The United States has a tradition of historic boycotts, including the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott that galvanized the African-American community and resulted in the landmark 1956 United States Supreme Court ruling against segregation; and WHEREAS, The Great American Boycott 2006 observes that tradition and is intended to draw attention to the contributions of immigrants to the nation's economy, including $4.5 billion in state taxes in California each year, and more than $30 billion in federal taxes; and WHEREAS, Immigrants and their children comprise nearly half of the population in this state and live in virtually all 58 counties in California. More than one-quarter of all California residents are foreign born, a rate higher than any other state in the country; and WHEREAS, Immigrants participate in the workforce at rates higher than the national average. Ninety percent of Latino and Asian male immigrants are employed; and WHEREAS, Immigrants comprise approximately one-third of the labor force in California and figure prominently in key economic sectors in California, including agriculture, manufacturing, and services; and WHEREAS, Immigrants provide leadership and labor for the expansion of California's growing economic sectors, from agriculture, telecommunications, and information technology to health services and housing construction; and WHEREAS, Immigrants are among California's most productive entrepreneurs and have created jobs for tens of thousands of Californians. In San Jose alone, immigrant owners of technology companies created more than 58,000 jobs and generated more than $17 billion in sales during the late 1990s; and WHEREAS, The average immigrant-headed household in California contributes over $2,600 annually to federal Social Security, $539 more than the national average; and WHEREAS, Nearly 40 percent of California's foreign-born residents are United States citizens; and WHEREAS, There are currently 2.7 million immigrants in this state who are eligible for naturalization, 3.3 million are legal permanent residents, and millions more will soon be eligible for naturalization; and WHEREAS, California elected an immigrant to the highest post in the State of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the most recent gubernatorial election; and WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of California recognizes that The Great American Boycott 2006 is to educate people in California and across the United States about the tremendous contribution immigrants make on a daily basis to our society and economy; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That May 1, 2006, be recognized as The Great American Boycott 2006; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for distribution.