HR 9111 2003
1	House Resolution
2	A resolution designating April 8, 2003, as "Puerto Rico
3	Day" in Florida.
4
5	WHEREAS, Puerto Rico is a self-governing island and
6	commonwealth of the United States discovered by Christopher
7	Columbus on November 19, 1493, and colonized by Spain during the
8	16th century, and
9	WHEREAS, Puerto Rico and Florida have a relationship dating
10	back to 1513, when Ponce de Leon, Puerto Rico's first governor,
11	embarked on a voyage to explore the New World and came upon a
12	bountiful land he called "Pascua Florida," and
13	WHEREAS, Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States in
14	1898 at the end of the Spanish-American War; on March 2, 1917,
15	the Jones Act was signed declaring all Puerto Ricans to be
16	citizens of the United States, sharing in the full rights and
17	duties of citizens; and the island was granted commonwealth
18	status in 1952, and
19	WHEREAS, Puerto Ricans have fought in every major war
20	involving the United States since World War I and have exhibited
21	outstanding heroic action at a very high cost, for Puerto Rico
22	had the highest per capita military combat death rate during the
23	Korean War, nearly twice that of the United States as a whole,
24	and many Puerto Ricans have been recognized with Congressional
25	Medals of Honor, and
26	WHEREAS, today, trade between the state and the
27	commonwealth amounts to more than $2.5 billion annually, and
28	many Puerto Ricans, eager to explore the opportunities offered
29	by the state's robust economy, continue to come both from abroad
30	and from other states to join the more than 482,000 individuals
31	from Puerto Rico who already make their homes in Florida, and
32	WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the ties between the
33	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the State of Florida be
34	recognized, taking note of the positive impact Puerto Ricans
35	have made on the economic and cultural growth of the state, NOW,
36	THEREFORE,
37
38	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
39	Florida:
40
41	That the House of Representatives acknowledges the
42	enrichment of the state's diverse culture afforded by the
43	presence of its Floridians of Puerto Rican heritage and
44	wholeheartedly designates April 8, 2003, as "Puerto Rico Day" in
45	Florida.