[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 360 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 360
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 29 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Received
October 2 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the important social and economic contributions and
accomplishments of the New Deal to our Nation on the 75th anniversary
of legislation establishing the initial New Deal social and public
works programs.
Whereas this year marks the 75th anniversary of the ``First Hundred Days'', from
March 4, 1933, to June 16, 1933, which was an unprecedented period of
legislative action that engendered the programs that constituted the New
Deal;
Whereas the New Deal was a set of programs and policies with the purpose of
promoting economic recovery,
as well as social and financial reform, during a time of severe economic
and social distress due to conditions created by the Great Depression;
Whereas the New Deal established Federal programs to address these issues,
including the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Progress
Administration, Public Works Administration, Farm Securities
Administration, National Youth Administration, Home Owners Loan
Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Rural Electric
Administration;
Whereas these programs left behind a massive public works and architectural
legacy;
Whereas the United States continues to benefit from infrastructure projects
built as a result of the New Deal, including numerous schools,
hospitals, courthouses, libraries, city halls, fire houses, housing,
public health facilities, roads, bridges, airports, sewer and water
systems, flood control projects, dams, trails, parks, playgrounds, and
zoos;
Whereas these infrastructure projects employed millions of individuals who
planted more than 3,000,000,000 trees and constructed or repaired
650,000 miles of public roads, 125,000 public buildings, 75,000 bridges,
8,000 parks, 800 airports, and a number of sewage disposal plants;
Whereas the income from the millions of jobs created by the New Deal lifted many
people out of poverty and provided stability to every sector of the
American economy;
Whereas these programs built renowned structures and facilities, including the
Rincon Annex Post Office and Alameda County Courthouse in California;
the Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood, Oregon; the Grand Coulee Dam in
Washington; the Fort Peck Dam in Montana; the Norris Dam in Tennessee;
Greenbelt towns in Maryland, Ohio, and Wisconsin; Red Rocks Ampitheatre
in Colorado; Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia; and
airports in New York City, Chicago, and the District of Columbia;
Whereas the Federal programs of the New Deal included projects for art, forest
and soil conservation, distribution of food and clothing, education,
historical surveys, library and book repair, music, recreation, writing,
theater, disaster assistance, and medical, dental, and nursing programs;
Whereas the many cultural programs of the New Deal catalogued and supported the
development of distinctive American art and oral histories, and further
established the arts as a central and beneficial element of American
society;
Whereas the New Deal created important institutions, including Social Security,
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities Exchange
Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board;
Whereas the New Deal illustrates the ability of the Federal Government to act as
a positive and instrumental force for change in addressing social and
economic crises for the benefit of all people in the United States;
Whereas the current economic crisis, growing income inequality, and the
degradation of infrastructure and the environment elicit the need for
programs similar to the New Deal, both in spirit and substance; and
Whereas June 15, 2008, through June 21, 2008, would be an appropriate week for
the observance of National New Deal Week to promote recognition and
appreciation for the New Deal and its legacy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the important social and economic
contributions and accomplishments of the New Deal to our Nation
on the 75th anniversary of legislation establishing the initial
New Deal social and public works programs;
(2) acknowledges the inventiveness, resourcefulness, and
creativity of the administrators and workers of the many New
Deal programs; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to observe
National New Deal week.
Passed the House of Representatives September 27, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.