20250HR__008899INT INTRODUCED 2026-02-25 REVISED 2026-06-29 2025 HR INT Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva (Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Johnson, Kalra, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alanis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Arambula COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ávila Farías COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bonta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bryan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Calderon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Caloza COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Carrillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Castillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Chen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY DeMaio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Dixon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ellis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Flora COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Fong COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gabriel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gipson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jeff Gonzalez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hadwick COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hoover COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Irwin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Johnson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Kalra COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lowenthal COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Macedo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY McKinnor COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ortega COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pacheco COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patterson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Petrie-Norris COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ramos COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rivas COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Celeste Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Michelle Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sanchez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schultz COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Soria COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Valencia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wicks COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wilson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur Relative to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

WHEREAS, On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming to the world that all people are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; those words have ignited the imaginations of people and nations across the centuries; and

WHEREAS, On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence, commemorating a quarter of a millennium of self-governance, democratic ideals, and the enduring promise of a more perfect Union; and

WHEREAS, The State of California, admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state, has for more than years embodied the great promise of American possibility, serving as a beacon of innovation, diversity, cultural vitality, and the indomitable spirit that defines American character; and

WHEREAS, California is home to over 39,000,000 people, representing virtually every nation, culture, language, and tradition on earth, making it one of the most extraordinary expressions of the American experiment in pluralistic democracy; and

WHEREAS, The prosperity and strength of the United States was built upon the labor, genius, and sacrifice of those whose names were long absent from its history books, including the dispossessed, the immigrant, and the worker, and from the fields of California to the factories of the industrial age, people from all over the world gave their sweat, their creativity, and often their lives to build and defend a country that did not always extend to them the full measure of its promise; and

WHEREAS, The story of the United States is not merely the story of its founding documents, but the living and unfinished story of each generation’s struggle to close the distance between this nation’s ideals and its reality by those who dared hold it to its highest promise, including suffragists and civil right marchers, labor organizers, and veterans; and

WHEREAS, The 250th anniversary of United States independence presents a singular opportunity for every community to participate in civic celebrations, service initiatives, educational programs, and cultural events that honor the United States’ shared heritage and the full breadth of its diverse stories; and

WHEREAS, History teaches with unmistakable clarity that liberty is never permanently secured and that the democratic inheritance of the American people demands active and vigilant stewardship in the face of those both at home and abroad who would trade the common good for private gain, exchange the rule of law for the rule of power, or subordinate the rights of the many to the ambitions of the few; and

WHEREAS, The freedoms Americans cherish today were won not by the complacent but by the courageous, and the generations yet to come will likewise be called upon, as every generation has, to defend the republic against the forces of greed and authoritarianism and the unjust concentration of power; the truest honor we can pay to those who sacrificed before us is to meet that call with equal resolve;

now, therefore,

be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby recognizes the 250th anniversary of the United States as a moment for celebration and honest reflection, as an occasion to reckon with both the brilliance and the failures of the American story, as an opportunity to honor the contributions of all who have built and defended this nation regardless of recognition or reward, and as a time to recommit ourselves to the work of forming a more just, more inclusive, and more perfect Union; and be it further Resolved, That the Assembly proudly joins the people of California and the people of the United States in celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence, affirming that the democratic ideals proclaimed on July 4, 1776, remain the North Star of our civic life and our collective aspiration; and be it further Resolved, That the Assembly honors the men and women of every generation, race, background, faith, and belief, especially those long unrecognized, who served, sacrificed, labored, created, and fought to uphold and expand the promise of American democracy, and acknowledges that their contributions form the living legacy we celebrate in 2026; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

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