H.Res. 774

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 774 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 774

Expressing support for the recognition of the month of October 2025 as 
Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture 
of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United 
States.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 30, 2025

Mr. Case (for himself, Mr. Moylan, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Barragan, 
Mr. Carbajal, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Takano, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. 
Tran, and Mr. Vargas) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the recognition of the month of October 2025 as 
Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture 
of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United 
States.

Whereas the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental United 
States was October 18, 1587, when the first ``Luzones Indios'' arrived 
in Morro Bay, California, on board the Nuestra Senora de Esperanza, a 
Manila-built galleon ship;
Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society recognizes 1763 as the 
year in which the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United 
States was established in St. Malo, Louisiana;
Whereas the recognition of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United 
States adds a new perspective to the history of the United States by 
bringing attention to the economic, cultural, social, and other notable 
contributions made by Filipino Americans to the development of the 
United States;
Whereas the Filipino-American community is the third largest Asian-American and 
Pacific-Islander group in the United States, with a population of 
approximately 4,600,000;
Whereas, from 2000 to 2023, the Filipino-American community grew 89 percent, and 
Filipinos are the largest Asian community in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, 
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, West 
Virginia, and Wyoming;
Whereas, from the Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Filipinos and 
Filipino Americans have a longstanding history of serving in the Armed 
Forces of the United States;
Whereas more than 250,000 Filipinos fought under the United States flag during 
World War II to protect and defend the United States in the Pacific 
theater;
Whereas a guarantee to pay back the service of Filipinos through veterans 
benefits was reversed by the First Supplemental Surplus Appropriation 
Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79-301; 60 Stat. 6) and the Second 
Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79-
391; 60 Stat. 221), which provided that the wartime service of members 
of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and the new Philippine 
Scouts shall not be deemed to have been active service, and, therefore, 
those members did not qualify for certain benefits;
Whereas 26,000 Filipino World War II veterans were granted United States 
citizenship as a result of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-
649; 104 Stat. 4978), which was signed into law by President George H.W. 
Bush on November 29, 1990;
Whereas, in 1991, the Filipino American National Historical Society made efforts 
to recognize October as Filipino American History Month for the first 
time;
Whereas, in 2009, Congress first recognized October as Filipino American History 
Month (S. Res. 298; H. Res. 780);
Whereas, on February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5; 123 
Stat. 115), which established the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation 
Fund to compensate Filipino World War II veterans for their service to 
the United States;
Whereas, since June 8, 2016, the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program 
has allowed Filipino World War II veterans and certain family members to 
be reunited more expeditiously than the immigrant visa process allowed 
at that time;
Whereas, on December 14, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the 
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 
(Public Law 114-265; 130 Stat. 1376) to award Filipino veterans who 
fought alongside troops of the United States in World War II the highest 
civilian honor bestowed by Congress;
Whereas, on October 25, 2017, the Congressional Gold Medal was presented to 
Filipino World War II veterans in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol 
Building, a recognition for which the veterans had waited for more than 
70 years;
Whereas Filipino Americans have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the 
highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that may be 
bestowed on an individual serving in the Armed Forces, and continue to 
demonstrate a commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the Armed 
Forces;
Whereas the Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii and the Thelma Garcia Buchholdt of 
Alaska became the first Filipino American elected to public office and 
the first Filipina American elected to a legislature in the United 
States, respectively, inspiring their fellow Filipino Americans to 
pursue public service in politics and government;
Whereas Filipino-American farmworkers and labor leaders, such as Philip Vera 
Cruz and Larry Itliong, played an integral role in the multiethnic 
United Farm Workers movement, alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, 
and other Latino workers;
Whereas, on August 3, 1948, Victoria Manalo Draves became the first Filipino 
American and Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal;
Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Lorna G. Schofield 
to be a United States district judge for the United States District 
Court for the Southern District of New York, and she was confirmed by 
the Senate on December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipina American in 
United States history to serve as an Article III Federal judge;
Whereas the Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association found that Filipinos 
were the largest ethnic group affected by the 2023 Maui wildfires as 
they represented more than 40 percent of Lahaina's pre-fire population 
and continue to face challenges recovering from the fire due in part to 
a lack of language accessible resources;
Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role in the healthcare system of the 
United States as nurses, doctors, first responders, and other medical 
professionals, and approximately 1 in 4 working Filipino adults in the 
United States is a frontline healthcare worker;
Whereas Filipino Americans contribute greatly to music, dance, literature, 
education, business, hospitality, journalism, sports, fashion, politics, 
government, science, technology, the fine arts, and other fields that 
enrich the United States;
Whereas efforts should continue to promote the study of Filipino-American 
history and culture because the roles of Filipino Americans and other 
people of color have largely been overlooked in the writing, teaching, 
and learning of the history of the United States;
Whereas it is imperative for Filipino-American youth to have positive role 
models to instill--

(1) the significance of education, complemented by the richness of 
Filipino-American ethnicity; and

(2) the value of the Filipino-American legacy; and

Whereas it is essential to promote the understanding, education, and 
appreciation of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the 
United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History 
Month as--
(A) a testament to the advancement of Filipino 
Americans;
(B) a time to reflect on and remember the many 
notable contributions that Filipino Americans have made 
to the United States; and
(C) a time to renew efforts toward the research and 
examination of history and culture so as to provide an 
opportunity for all people of the United States to 
learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate 
the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the 
United States; and
(2) urges the people of the United States to observe 
Filipino American History Month with appropriate programs and 
activities.
<all>