BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 29| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: SCR 29 Author: Nguyen (R), et al. Introduced:3/10/15 Vote: 21 SUBJECT: Black April Memorial Month SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This resolution proclaims the month of April 2015 as Black April Memorial Month, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1.April 30, 2015, marks the 40th year since the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, to communism. 2.After the fall of Saigon, millions of Vietnamese and their families fled Vietnam to surrounding areas and the United States. From the late 1970s to mid-1980s thousands of Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam aboard small wooden boats to reach refugee camps in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; while approximately one-half of the people fleeing Vietnam in search of freedom and democracy perished at sea. 3.According to the 2010 United States Census, more than 580,000 SCR 29 Page 2 Vietnamese live in California, with the largest concentration of Vietnamese residents found outside of Vietnam residing in Orange County. 4.Vietnamese American communities throughout California will commemorate April 30, 2015, as Black April, a day of remembrance and rededication to the principles of freedom, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of press, and Internet freedom. 5.Californians should set aside moments of time every year on April 30 to give remembrance to the soldiers, medical personnel, and civilians who died during the Vietnam War in pursuit of freedom and democracy. This resolution proclaims the month of April 2015 as Black April Memorial Month, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Comments According to the author's office, this resolution seeks to educate California's children and future generations of the important lessons learned by the tragedy of the Vietnam War, as well as the conditions in Vietnam, which still lacks basic freedoms and human rights protections. Establishing April 2015 as Black April Memorial Month gives time for all Californians to remember the lives lost during the Vietnam War era and to hope for a more humane and just life for the people of Vietnam. Prior and Related Legislation HR 4 (Campos, 2015), as adopted by the Assembly, proclaims April 23 to SCR 29 Page 3 April 30, 2015, as Black April Memorial Week, to remember the countless lives lost during the Vietnam War era, and to hope for more justice and liberty for the people of Vietnam. SCR 111 (Correa, 2014) would have proclaimed the week of April 23 to April 30, 2014, as Black April Memorial Week, to remember the countless lives lost during the Vietnam War era, and to hope for more justice and liberty for the people of Vietnam. The resolution died in the Assembly Committee on Rules. SCR 34 (Correa, Resolution Chapter 90, Statutes of 2013) proclaimed April 23 to April 30, 2013, as Black April Memorial Week, to remember the countless lives lost during the Vietnam War era, and to hope for a more humane and just life for the people of Vietnam. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified3/16/15) None received OPPOSITION: (Verified3/16/15) None received Prepared by:Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520 3/18/15 15:33:56 **** END **** SCR 29 Page 4