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28. Irish-American Heritage Month

Public Law 101-418 [H.J. Res. 482], 104 Stat. 906, approved October 12, 1990

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating March 1991 as "Irish-American Heritage Month".

Whereas by 1776 nearly 300,000 natives of Ireland had emigrated to the United States;

Whereas, following the victory at Yorktown over the English, a French Major General reported that Congress owed its existence, and America, possibly her preservation, to the fidelity of the Irish;

Whereas at least 8 signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin;

Whereas Charles Thomson, born in Ireland, was Secretary of the Continental Congress;

Whereas Irish-born James Hoban designed the White House, the State and war offices, and assisted in the building of the United States Capitol;

Whereas on March 17, 1990, Saint Patrick's Day, 206 community parades honored the patron saint of Ireland;

Whereas more than 480 institutions of higher learning in the United States offer course in Irish studies;

Whereas the Irish and Irish descendants have contributed greatly to the enrichment of all aspects of life in the United States, including military and governmental service, science, education, art, agriculture, business, industry, and athletics; and Whereas, in the 1980 census, 40,700,000 individuals in the United States claimed to be of Irish descent: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That March 1991 is designated as "Irish-American Heritage Month", and the President of the United States of America is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

29. Ending Hunger Month

Public Law 101–458 [S.J. Res. 342], 104 Stat. 1070, approved October 24, 1990

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating October 1990 as "Ending Hunger Month". Whereas hunger affects the lives of 500,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 people in the world and takes the lives of 13,000,000 to 18,000,000 people each year, 75 percent of whom are children under the age of 5; Whereas, while famines often gain widespread media attention and the subsequent response of the public, little attention is focused on the problem of chronic hunger;

Whereas schools and communities should conduct educational programs that lead to the development of viable methods for alleviating hunger; Whereas there is a need to promote continuing activities that increase education, and heighten public awareness about the extent of hunger, its causes, and consequences;

Whereas a society educated about the pervasiveness of hunger is equipped to respond to the needs of hungry people around the world; and

Whereas the United Nations and the United States Congress have designated October 16,1 990, as World Food Day and have called upon all people to take appropriate actions: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That October 1990 is designated as "Ending Hunger Month", and the President of the United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

30. Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month

Public Law 101-460 [S.J. Res. 349], 104 Stat. 1074, approved October 24, 1990

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating October 1990 as "Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month".

Whereas Italians and Italian-Americans have made contributions in all areas of life in the United State, including art, science, civil service, military service, athletics, education, law, and politics; Whereas Italian-Americans make up one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States;

Whereas an annual national observance day has been established in October to recognize the accomplishments of Christopher Columbus, one of the greatest explorers in history and the first to record the discovery of the Americas;

Whereas the phrase "All men are created equal", contained in the Declaration of Independence, was suggested by the Italian patriot and immigrant Philip Mazzei;

Whereas the people of the United States take great pride in the accomplishments of the many outstanding men and women of Italian descent who have enriched our Nation's history, including Fiorello LaGuardia, the beloved mayor of New York City, and Enrico Fermi, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics; Whereas Italy enjoys a rich cultural heritage and has given the world the great works of Dante, the breathtaking art of Giotti and Michelangelo, and the inspirational music of Antonio Vivaldi and Domenico Scarlatti;

Whereas the Americas were named for the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci;

Whereas William Paca, an Italian-American, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; and

Whereas during October 1990, special attention will be directed to national, State, and local programs promoting Italian heritage and culture: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That October 1990 is designated as "Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month", and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

31. World Population Awareness Week

Public Law 101-465 [S.J. Res. 158], 104 Stat. 1082, approved October 25, 1990

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating October 21 through October 27, 1990, as "World Population Awareness Week".

Whereas the population of the world today exceeds five billion and is growing at an unprecedented rate of approximately ninety mil

lion per year;

Whereas virtually all of this growth is occurring in the poorest countries, those countries least able to provide even basic services for their current citizens;

Whereas the demands of growing populations have contributed substantially to enormous environmental devastation and pose threats of even greater harm to the world;

Whereas one-half of the ten million infant deaths and one-quarter of the five hundred thousand maternal deaths that occur each year in the developing world could be prevented if voluntary child spacing and maternal health programs could be substantially expanded;

Whereas research reveals that one-half of the women of reproduc

tive age in the developing world want to limit the size of their families but lack the means or ability to gain access to family planning; Whereas the global community has for more than twenty years recognized that it is a fundamental human right for people to voluntarily and responsibly determine the number and spacing of children and the United Stats has been a leading advocate of this right; Whereas the demands of growing populations force many countries to borrow heavily and sell off their natural resources to cover the interest on their debt;

Whereas selling off natural resources in such circumstances often causes irretrievable losses, such as the destruction of the tropical rain forests at a rate of fifty thousand acres per day;

Whereas the reliance of a rapidly growing world population on burning fuels is a critical factor in the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which many scientists believe has already catalyzed a warming of the Earth's climate;

Whereas pollution is damaging the ozone layer to such an extent that within forty years the ultraviolet light reaching our planet is expected to be up to 20 percent greater than it is today; and Whereas in 1988, forty State Governors proclaimed "World Population Awareness Week" in their States to call attention to the consequences of rapid population growth and the House of Representatives also passed a resolution to that effect: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That October 21 through October 27, 1990, is designated as "World Population Awareness Week", and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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