[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 215 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 215
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 15, 2003
Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Honoring and congratulating chambers of commerce for their efforts that
contribute to the improvement of communities and the strengthening of
local and regional economies.
Whereas chambers of commerce throughout the United States contribute to the
improvement of their communities and the strengthening of their local
and regional economies;
Whereas in the Detroit, Michigan area, the Detroit Regional Chamber, originally
known as the Detroit Board of
Commerce, typifies the public-spirited contributions made by the chambers
of commerce;
Whereas, on June 30, 1903, the Detroit Board of Commerce was formally organized
with 253 charter members;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce played a prominent role in the formation
of the United States Chamber of Commerce;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce participated in the ``Good Roads for
Michigan'' campaign in 1910 and 1911, helping to gain voter approval of
a $2,000,000 bond proposal to improve the roads of Wayne County,
Michigan;
Whereas, in 1925, the Safety Council of the Detroit Board of Commerce helped
develop the first traffic lights in Detroit;
Whereas, in 1927, the Detroit Board of Commerce brought together all of the
cities, villages, and townships in southeast Michigan to tentatively
establish boundaries for a metropolitan district for Detroit, embracing
all or parts of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties
at the request of the United States Census Bureau in advance of the 1930
census;
Whereas, in 1932, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board designated the Detroit Board
of Commerce as the authorized agent for stock subscriptions in the
Federal Home Loan Bank, as an early response to the Great Depression;
Whereas, in 1945, the Detroit Board of Commerce promoted the extension of
Victory Loans to veterans returning from service in the United States
Armed Forces during World War II as a way of expressing gratitude for
the veterans' wartime service, and raised more than half of the total
amount contributed in Wayne County, Michigan;
Whereas, in 1969, the Detroit Board of Commerce, then known as the Greater
Detroit Chamber of Commerce, was instrumental in the establishment of a
bus network connecting inner-city workers with their jobs, which
resulted in the creation of the Southeast Metropolitan Transportation
Authority, now known as SMART;
Whereas the Detroit Board of Commerce has been known by several names during its
century of existence, eventually becoming known as the Detroit Regional
Chamber in November 1997;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is the largest chamber of commerce in the
United States and has been in existence for over 100 years;
Whereas more than 19,000 businesses across southeast Michigan have decided to
make an initial investment in the Detroit Regional Chamber to help
develop the region;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has supported the concept of regionalism in
southeast Michigan, representing the concerns of businesses and the
region as a whole;
Whereas the mission of the Detroit Regional Chamber is to help power the economy
of southeastern Michigan;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber successfully advocates public policy
concerns on behalf of its members at the local, regional, State, and
National levels;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber has implemented programs promoting
diversity in its work force and has won recognition for such efforts;
Whereas the Detroit Regional Chamber is committed to promoting the interests of
its members in the global marketplace through economic development
efforts; and
Whereas on June 30, 2003, the Detroit Regional Chamber celebrates its 100th
anniversary: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress honors and congratulates chambers of commerce for their
efforts that contribute to the improvement of their communities and the
strengthening of their local and regional economies.
Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2003.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.