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2018 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 43
Commending the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 12, 2018
Agreed to by the Senate, January 18, 2018

 

WHEREAS, in 2018, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center celebrates 20 years of providing legal services and education to low-income Asian immigrants in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; and

WHEREAS, established in 1998 as an all-volunteer organization, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center was formed by students from several local law schools and attorneys affiliated with the Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association; and

WHEREAS, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center has grown to become a full-fledged legal services organization with a comprehensive strategy that encompasses legal education, individual representation and counseling, and systemic advocacy; and

WHEREAS, with more than 50 trained and qualified interpreters representing more than 25 languages, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center has worked diligently to break down linguistic and cultural barriers to ensure that Asian Americans have access to government services and the legal system; and

WHEREAS, throughout its history, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center has launched many innovative programs, including the Multilingual Legal Helpline, the Legal Interpreter Project, and the Legal Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence Project; and

WHEREAS, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center has also launched the Housing and Community Development Project, the Reaching the Dream Project to help undocumented youths, the Legal Assistance for Domestic Workers Project, and the Justice for Filipino Teachers Project to fight human trafficking and contract worker fraud; and

WHEREAS, in addition, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center works with other nonprofit groups in the area to advocate for civil rights, voting rights, and efforts to protect and support individuals with limited English language proficiency; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center for its 20 years of dedicated work to support and empower Asian American communities in Northern Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the center’s important mission to help immigrants participate fully in American society.