AJR 38, Eduardo Garcia. Foreign nationals: CHANGE Act.
This measure would urge the United States Congress to pass, and the President of the United States to sign, the Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act.
WHEREAS, California has over 10 million immigrants - one in four of the foreign-born population nationwide;
WHEREAS, California is home to large groups of immigrants from more than 60 countries; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants are projected to make up 27 percent of the state’s population in 2030, the same share as in 2013; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants are a keystone part of our culture, politics, and society and have helped shape California’s strong identity; and
WHEREAS, More than a third of working-age adults in the state are immigrants, contributing largely to our state’s entrepreneurial and economic success; and
WHEREAS, Immigration remains at the center of national debate and particular words have become hurtful; and
WHEREAS, The terms “illegal” and “alien,” when used in reference to people, have undergone demeaning and derogatory connotations and have become increasingly associated with racist sentiments; and
WHEREAS, The legitimacy of the word “alien” as a legal definition is being called into question with our state’s passage of Senate Bill 432 in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Prominent media and newspaper organizations nationwide have stopped using the terms “illegal” and “alien” to describe people immigrating to, and residing in, the United States; and
WHEREAS, Assembly Bill 1850 of the 2015-16 Regular Session would delete the word “illegal” and would also replace the word “alien” with “foreign national” in provisions of the California Education Code if federal law also makes the same changes; and
WHEREAS, United States House Representative Joaquin Castro has introduced H.R. 3785 in the 114th Congress, also known as the Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act, that would prohibit federal executive agencies from using the derogatory term “alien” to refer to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urge the United States Congress to pass, and the President of the United States to sign, the Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
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