WHEREAS, Washington is the only state named for an American president, George Washington, the father of our country, and as such, we Washingtonians hold the presidency and presidents in especially high regard; and
     WHEREAS, For many years our state and nation have set aside the third Monday in February to celebrate Presidents' Day, which honors former presidents of the United States of America; and
     WHEREAS, Both February 12th, the actual birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, and February 22nd, the actual birthday of President George Washington, were kept and observed, until 1971, as the anniversaries of the births of these two great American presidents; and
     WHEREAS, Presidents' Day, for many citizens, remains as a time for specifically honoring the accomplishments of Washington, the first American president, and Lincoln, the sixteenth American president; and
     WHEREAS, It was in 1968 when federal legislation, the "Monday Holidays Act," was passed to install the Presidents' Day celebration that we have come to know and respect; and
     WHEREAS, Although traditionalists cling to the notion that Presidents' Day remains a time for celebrating the specific legacies of Presidents Washington and Lincoln, nontraditionalists are very welcome to embrace the fact that former Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, and Teddy Roosevelt, as well as the presidents of later decades, are honored in numerous commemorations across the country; and
     WHEREAS, In 1985, the Washington state legislature singled out the third Monday in February as a day for commemorating the births of Presidents Washington and Lincoln; and
     WHEREAS, It is recognized that this diverse, wonderful land of ours has been fashioned into a priceless, multicultural quilt, thanks to the tireless efforts of our forefathers, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln; and
     WHEREAS, The first eight American presidents, comprising almost a fifth of our forty-three presidents to date, did not begin their lives as Americans because there was no America when they were born, thus instilling a valuing and honoring of cooperation through diversity; and
     WHEREAS, No Presidents' Day celebration would be complete without appropriate recognition for the invaluable service of the first ladies in our American presidential history; and
     WHEREAS, The first ladies of our nation have not only provided citizens with role models who exemplify what it means to be an American, such as icons Dolly Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jacqueline Kennedy, but have served as an infallible backbone to a nation of strong-minded, ambitious, and driven individuals who value freedom and independence;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the state of Washington salute and celebrate Presidents' Day 2006, a time for recognizing and paying tribute to the tireless dedication of our former presidents and first ladies; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for effective distribution among the schools of the state of Washington to help our young people, any one of whom, male or female, could grow up to be President of the United States of America, strengthen their knowledge of our presidents and first ladies.