BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 107| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: SCR 107 Author: Lara (D), et al. Introduced:2/8/16 Vote: 21 SUBJECT: Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This resolution recognizes the week of April 11 to April 17, 2016, inclusive, as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week. Senate Floor Amendments of 4/6/16 make technical, non-substantive changes to the resolution and add Senator Leno as a coauthor. ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1)The relationship between the United States and Cambodia had been forged through educational and professional exchange, and therefore in 1975, with the impending overthrow of the government by the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime, the United States accepted over 4,000 Cambodian evacuees to ensure their safety. 2)Between April 17, 1975, and January 7, 1979, the Khmer Rouge of Democratic Kampuchea, led by Pol Pot, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, and other members of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their agents, committed acts of SCR 107 Page 2 genocide and other crimes against humanity which led to the deaths of over 1,700,000 Cambodians, which was 21 percent of the nation's population. 3)The Khmer Rouge regime also sought to eliminate all aspects of Cambodian culture by systematically killing those with education, separating families, and destroying institutions such as Buddhist temples, schools, libraries, dance, and music. 4)After the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, over 140,000 Cambodians came to the United States as refugees, a group of special humanitarian and foreign policy concern to the United States because of the well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion and thus in need of protection in accordance with the United Nations' 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. 5)The Cambodian Genocide was a human tragedy and must be remembered for the scale of violence and devastation perpetrated against the people of Cambodiz, so that it does not happen again, there or in any other country. 6)The Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week will honor the survivors and their descendants for their courage and contributions to our state and country. This week will serve as a way to remember those who lost their lives in Cambodia and in genocides around the world. This resolution recognizes the week of April 11 to April 17, 2016, inclusive, as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week, and calls upon all Californians to observe the week by participating in appropriate activities and programs. Prior Legislation SCR 107 Page 3 SR 21 (Lara, 2015) recognized the week of April 13 to April 17, 2015, inclusive, as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified2/17/16) None received OPPOSITION: (Verified2/17/16) None received Prepared by: Karen Chow / SFA / (916) 651-1520 4/8/16 14:09:32 **** END ****