2021 -- S 0019

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING PRESIDENT-ELECT JOSEPH BIDEN, JR., AND VICE PRESIDENT-

ELECT KAMALA HARRIS

     Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Goodwin, Gallo, Lombardi,
Lombardo, Felag, Ciccone, and Cano

     Date Introduced: January 19, 2021

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, President-elect Joseph Biden, Jr., a man of great experience and common-

man instincts, will take the oath of office on January 20th, 2021, and become the 46th President

of the United States, the most powerful and important position of responsibility on the globe.

Hopefully, in these days of great turmoil and fear, he and Vice-President-elect Harris can unify

the nation as together we fight and defeat a devastating pandemic, restore comity and democratic

norms within our nation, and bring peace and stability to a world on the edge; and

     WHEREAS, President-elect Biden was born on November 20, 1942, to a working-class

family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Growing up, President-elect Biden's family experienced

economic misfortune and he was witness to the economic decline suffered by Scranton and many

other similar cities. Throughout his life, this experience gave him great empathy for the working

people of America who toil and struggle every day to find good jobs and provide for their

families; and

     WHEREAS, President-elect Biden has had a long career of distinguished public service

that will serve him well in his duties as President. He served in the United States Senate from

1973 to 2009, where he was a highly-respected leader who held a variety of important positions

including Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Foreign Relations

Committee. Most importantly, he served as the 47th Vice-President of the United States under

President Barack Obama. His vast knowledge of world affairs and his deep understanding of how

the United States Congress operates proved to be invaluable assets to President Obama and will

serve him and our nation well as he assumes the duties of the Presidency; and

     WHEREAS, President-elect Biden will be ably assisted by Vice President-elect Kamala

Harris, who will become the first African-American and the first Asian-American Vice President

of the United States. Vice President-elect Harris is a person of great accomplishment. She served

as the District Attorney of San Francisco, as the Attorney General of California, and as a United

States Senator from California. Throughout her distinguished public service career, she has

fought tirelessly on behalf of consumer rights, equality for all Americans, public safety and

criminal justice reform, and against corruption in government; and

     WHEREAS, Vice President-elect Harris was born in Oakland, California, to Shyamala

Gopalan, a biologist from Tamil Nadu, India, who did groundbreaking research on the

progesterone receptor gene which stimulated important advances in breast cancer research, and to

Donald J. Harris, a Stanford University professor emeritus of economics, who came to the United

States from Jamaica in 1961. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her family are great

examples of how diversity strengthens our nation and makes it more vibrant, both economically

and civilly. Her bold vision about the future of America will be a great asset for President-elect

Biden and the future of our nation; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby wishes President-elect

Joseph Biden Jr., and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the very best as they lead our nation for

the next four years. We hope they can steer our nation safely out of this devastating pandemic,

restore our economy and economic opportunity for the people and businesses that have suffered

so much over the last year, bring security and peace to our nation and the globe, and return

civility and democratic norms to our nation; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Joseph Biden, Jr., President of

the United States, and the Honorable Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States.

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