HOUSE BILL No. 4287


     February 20, 2001, Introduced by Reps. Garza, Garcia, Kolb, Lipsey, Minore, Schermesser, Daniels, Bernero, Hale, Jacobs,
Murphy, Pestka, Thomas, Clark, Clarke, Phillips, Hardman, Rison, Wojno, DeWeese, Richardville, Toy, Richner, Voorhees and
Lemmons and referred to the Committee on Commerce.


        A bill to designate March 31 of each year as Cesar Chavez

   day in the state of Michigan.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

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           Sec. 1.  (1) The legislature recognizes the fundamental con-

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      tribution that Cesar Chavez made to this nation by organizing

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      farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions,

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      reasonable wages, decent housing, and the outlawing of child

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      labor.  Cesar Chavez began working in the fields of Arizona and

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      California at the age of 10.  Profoundly influenced by these

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      humble beginnings, Chavez embraced the nonviolent principles of

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      Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to crusade

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      against racial and economic discrimination, coordinate voter reg-

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      istration drives, and found the united farm workers of America.

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      In 1994, Chavez was posthumously awarded the presidential medal

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      of freedom, the highest honor given to civilians by the United


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      States government.  In memory of this great American, the

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      legislature declares that March 31 of each year shall be known as

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      "Cesar Chavez Day".

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           (2) The legislature encourages individuals, governmental and

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      educational institutions, and community organizations to pause on

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      Cesar Chavez day and reflect upon the courage and sacrifice of a

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      man to whom Robert Kennedy once referred as "one of the heroic

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      figures of our time".








































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