Bill Text: MI HR0188 | 2015-2016 | 98th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: A resolution to declare November 16, 2015, as Dutch-American Heritage Day in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 50-32)
Status: (Passed) 2015-11-10 - Adopted [HR0188 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2015-HR0188-Enrolled.html
Reps. Brinks, VerHeulen, Kelly, Hoadley, Schor, Moss, Greig, Faris, Sarah Roberts, McBroom, Garcia, Graves, Rendon, Durhal, Guerra, Singh, Kivela, Cole, Jenkins, Vaupel, Canfield, Lyons, Glenn, Forlini, Bumstead, LaFontaine, Pscholka, Theis, Tedder, Somerville, Hughes, Hooker, Muxlow, Bizon, Howrylak, Kosowski, Glardon, Inman, Goike, Victory, Iden, Potvin, McCready, Runestad, Leutheuser, Lane, Lucido, Love, Afendoulis, Webber, Cox, Chatfield, Crawford, Jacobsen, Kesto, Barrett, Brett Roberts, Pagel, Aaron Miller, Santana, Heise, Maturen, Nesbitt, Rutledge, Chang, Talabi, Brunner, Smiley, Neeley, Plawecki, Byrd, Darany, Banks, Pagan, Irwin, Clemente, Dianda, Hovey-Wright, Price, Wittenberg, Lauwers and LaVoy offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 188.
A resolution to declare November 16, 2015, as Dutch-American Heritage Day in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, On November 16, 1776, the batteries at the Dutch port of St. Eustatius fired the first salute to the flag of the newly independent United States; and
Whereas, The firing by the Dutch of the first salute to the flag of the United States uplifted the morale and determination of the individuals who were fighting for American independence; and
Whereas, Commemoration of Dutch-American Heritage Day promotes awareness by the people of the United States of the essential role performed by the Dutch people in securing American independence and in aiding the development of the United States for the past 215 years; and
Whereas, The diplomatic ties between the governments of the United States and the Netherlands are the longest continuous ties between the United States and any country of the world; and
Whereas, Commemoration of Dutch-American Heritage Day provides an opportunity for approximately 4,500,000 Dutch Americans to celebrate their Dutch roots and the extraordinary contributions their ancestors made to the political, economic, and cultural development of the United States; and
Whereas, The heritage of this friendship between these people serves as a laudable example for the kinds of relations that should link all the peoples of the earth and should be properly extolled; and
Whereas, The Midwest region is home to over one million Americans of Dutch ancestry and the state of Michigan is honored to be the home to over a half million of those citizens. The significant size of the Dutch descendant population makes it very special from an ethnic and cultural point. So significant is the Dutch influence in Michigan that a large number of cities in Western Michigan were founded and named by Dutch immigrants; and
Whereas, So important is the relationship with the Netherlands, that the Michigan Legislature has formed a bi-partisan Legislative Dutch Caucus. Its members actively support economic and culture engagement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare November 16, 2015, as Dutch-American Heritage Day in the state of Michigan. We commemorate the historic ties between the United States and the Netherlands.
