H.Res. 599

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 599 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 599

Recognizing the immense capacity of the popular arts to bring people 
together, inspire creativity and imagination, promote critical 
thinking, and instill the universal values of truth, justice, and 
equality.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 21, 2025

Mr. Garcia of California submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the immense capacity of the popular arts to bring people 
together, inspire creativity and imagination, promote critical 
thinking, and instill the universal values of truth, justice, and 
equality.

Whereas nearly 5,000,000 Americans work in the arts and cultural production 
industry;
Whereas the arts and cultural economy represents approximately 4.4 percent of 
the gross domestic product of the United States, contributing over 
$1,000,000,000,000 annually;
Whereas the creation and production of new content across all sectors of the 
popular arts would not be possible without union labor, and every 
artist, creator, and worker in the popular arts deserves fair wages, 
representation, and dignity in their work;
Whereas, since the debut of television, the global audience for television and 
home video has grown to billions of viewers annually, generating over 
$90,000,000,000 in global revenue;
Whereas the global comic book industry today is valued at more than 
$9,200,000,000 annually;
Whereas the gaming industry exceeds $300,000,000,000 in value, with 
approximately 3,000,000,000 people worldwide playing video games, and 
the global Esports audience projected to surpass 640,000,000 by 2025;
Whereas fantasy and science fiction books generate nearly $600,000,000 in annual 
sales in the United States, and fantasy audiobooks remain the largest 
category among audiobook genres;
Whereas hundreds of annual Comic-Con conventions across the United States 
attract up to 250,000 attendees at the largest events and contribute 
over $100,000,000 to local economies;
Whereas the lineage of comics and other visual popular arts can be traced to 
ancient and historic word-image texts, including cave paintings, 
Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mayan carvings, illuminated manuscripts, the 
Bayeux Tapestry, early woodcut printing, the serial illustrations of 
William Hogarth and Rodolphe Topffer, and the engravings of William 
Blake;
Whereas superheroes entered the comic book medium in 1938 with the release of 
Action Comics No. 1 and the debut of Superman;
Whereas notable works such as Art Spiegelman's Maus (1980-1986), which won the 
Pulitzer Prize, and civil rights hero the late Congressman John Lewis' 
National Book Award-winning March trilogy, itself inspired by the 1958 
comic Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, exemplify the power 
of the medium;
Whereas the most valuable comic book to date remains the first edition of Action 
Comics No. 1, considered the first modern comic book, which sold for 
$3,200,000 in 2022, having originally cost 10 cents in 1938;
Whereas, in 2020, graphic novels comprised 67 percent of the children's book 
market in the United States;
Whereas comic books and the popular arts are a valuable literary tool, helping 
educate millions of children by fostering literacy and language 
acquisition;
Whereas the Library of Congress holds over 140,000 issues from about 13,000 
comic book titles, maintaining the largest comic book collection in the 
world; and
Whereas streaming platforms, social media, and digital distribution have 
dramatically expanded access to the popular arts and created new 
opportunities for creators and audiences alike: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the immense capacity of the popular arts to 
bring people together, inspire creativity and imagination, 
promote critical thinking, and instill the universal values of 
truth, justice, and equality;
(2) honors the unique impact of the popular arts on 
generations of Americans and the global community; and
(3) affirms the importance of promoting the popular arts to 
broader audiences and advancing increased representation within 
all forms of the popular arts.
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