Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)	Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA)

Washington : The House of Representatives passed a Concurrent Resolution, sponsored by Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), recognizing the contributions of people of Indian origin to the United States and the benefits of the U.S. working together with India towards peace.

The bill was passed under suspension on May 12 by a vote of 415-2, with Congressmen Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Ron Paul (R-TX) voting against it. HConRes 352 outlines how much Indian Americans have contributed to all fields, and how valuable the community has been to the nation. Additionally, the resolution advances several reasons of why the India-U.S. relationship is so important.

Finally, the resolution establishes that Congress honors the contributions of people of Indian origin to the U.S., and is committed to working together with India towards promoting peace, prosperity and freedom among all countries of the world. The Concurrent Resolution is a proclamation of the Congress and does not contain the force of law.

However, HConRes 352 is a public and official acknowledgement and recognition of the vast role that Indian Americans have played in science, technology, business development, public service, social justice, philanthropy, literature and the arts, to name a few.

Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), the ranking member of the House International Relations Committee, lauded the contributions of the Indian-American community on the House floor during debate of the resolution. He said: “It is hard to think of an ethnic group that has made such an enormous contribution to our nation in such a short period of time as America’s more than a million-and-a-half citizens of Indian descent.”

Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), in his speech on the floor of the House, praised “the Indian-American community for making a great contribution to the United States and I know this first-hand because of my close relationship with my constituents.”

As the co-chair of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans and the representative of the second-largest concentration of Indian Americans in the U.S., Rep. Crowley specifically pointed out to the one Indian American who was the first and only one ever elected to Congress, Dalip Singh Saund. Congressman Saund first came to the U.S. to study at the University of California, where he received his master’s and Ph.D.

“Even with Congressman Saund’s high level of education he had little job opportunities because of the prejudice that existed against Asians during his time.

“Despite the prejudice that existed, Congressman Saund went on to become politically active to give something back to his community and was influential in working with Congress to pass the Luce-Cellar Act, which was signed into law by President Truman in 1946. This Act gave Asian Indians the right to become naturalized citizens,” he said.

Crowley noted that Congressman Saund was elected to the House of Representatives in 1952, just six years after his work to secure citizenship for Indian Americans. He served as a distinguished Congressman from California for three terms before he suffered a stroke during his campaign for a fourth term in the House.

“Congressman Saund represents the tremendous contributions that Indian Americans have made to our great country. I look forward to watching as the voice of the Indian American community in Congress and throughout the country becomes louder and stronger.”

Meanwhile, the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA) commended the members of the House who worked tirelessly to pass HConRes 352.

Dr. Bhupi Patel, president of IACPA said: “The passage of this bill is an important milestone for the Indian American community. The Senate needs to follow suit and pass a similar resolution.”

IACPA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the participation of the Indian American community in public policy and the political process.