HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 92-4739, by Representatives Wang, Locke, Prince, Appelwick, Miller, Ballard, Anderson, Franklin, G. Cole, Ferguson, Belcher, Wood, Paris, Winsley, Mitchell, Rust, Leonard, O'Brien, Dellwo, Brough, Carlson, Ebersole, G. Fisher, Nelson, Fraser, Brekke, Jacobsen, R. Fisher, Neher, Spanel, Edmondson, Pruitt, D. Sommers, Wineberry, Wynne, Ogden, May, Hine, Forner and Tate

     WHEREAS, February 19, 1992, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of federal Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt; and

     WHEREAS, The promulgation of Executive Order 9066 and Public Law 77-503 resulted in the exclusion and forced detention of more than one hundred ten thousand Japanese Americans, most of whom were American citizens, in ten relocation centers; and

     WHEREAS, Elected officials of the state of Washington supported promulgation of and enforcement of the exclusion and detention of Japanese Americans; and

     WHEREAS, This legislature has previously recognized in chapter 15, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and chapter 41.68 RCW that the promulgation of federal Executive Order 9066 was based mainly on fear and suspicion rather than factual justification; and

     WHEREAS, The Congress, the President, and this nation has recognized that the World War II exclusion and detention of Japanese Americans was based on racism, war hysteria, and the failure of political leadership when they enacted legislation providing monetary redress to excluded and detained Japanese Americans in 1988; and

     WHEREAS, It is proper to commemorate this fiftieth anniversary of the signing of federal Executive Order 9066 to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never again repeated;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, that February 19, 1992, is declared to be a Day of Remembrance, so that the people of the state of Washington will remember the exclusion and detention of Japanese Americans during World War II, and be ever vigilant in protecting against the loss of our hard-earned constitutional rights; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to Tim Gojio and the Japanese American Citizens League.

         I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

        Resolution 4739 adopted by the House of Representatives

                           February 19, 1992.

                     ________________________________

                       Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk