BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                      HR 48


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          Date of Hearing:   June 23, 2016


                             ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES


                              Richard S. Gordon, Chair


          HR  
                      48 (Brown) - As Introduced  April 11, 2016


          SUBJECT:  the 4th of July


          SUMMARY:  Recognizes and celebrates the 4th of July, and the  
          240th anniversary of the birth of our nation and the signing of  
          the Declaration of Independence; calls upon all Californians and  
          Americans to obtain a greater knowledge and understanding of the  
          facts, circumstances, and principles that led to the Declaration  
          of Independence; and expresses thanks, appreciation and prayers  
          to those who served and currently serve in the Armed Forces of  
          the United States in recognition of the sacrifices and the role  
          they have placed in preserving, protecting and defending the  
          freedoms and liberties of all Americans.  Specifically, this  
          resolution makes the following legislative findings:


          1)July 4, 2016, marks the 240th anniversary of when the United  
            States of America officially came into being by the signing of  
            the Declaration of Independence; and it is the day when the  
            new nation declared as a "self-evident truth" the radical  
            notion that" all men are created equal endowed by their  
            Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are  
            life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

          2)On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee brought forth a resolution  
            which resolved that the colonies "ought to be, free and  
            independent states...and that all political connection between  
            them and the state of Great Britain, is , and ought to be,  
            totally dissolved?"; and after several days of debate, a  








                                                                      HR 48


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            "Committee of Five" which included Thomas Jefferson of  
            Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of  
            Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger  
            Sherman of Connecticut, was charged with drafting a  
            declaration of independence for consideration by the  
            Continental Congress.

          3)On July 4, 1776, after much debate and changes to the  
            committee document, the Continental Congress adopted the  
            Declaration of Independence establishing the United States of  
            America; and John Hancock signed the declaration that day with  
            55 other delegates representing the 13 colonies - now states  
            of the newly created nation - signing within the next several  
            weeks.

          4)Since its adoption, the Declaration of Independence has  
            inspired persons around the world to pursue freedom in their  
            own nation and remains an unrealized goal to which all  
            Americans must rededicate themselves just as the drafters and  
            signers of the Declaration of Independence did more than two  
            centuries ago.

          5)On this and every July Fourth, it is proper and fitting that  
            all Californians express gratitude and indebtedness to those  
            who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States, and  
            in particular, to those who have suffered injuries and who  
            have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting freedom and  
            liberty around the world.

          FISCAL EFFECT:  None


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:


          Support


          None on file


          Opposition








                                                                      HR 48


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          None on file


          Analysis Prepared by:Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800