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Week Ending April 13, 2006

S.RES.49 A resolution recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State.

January 3rd was the date in 1959 when Hawaii became the 49^th US State. President Eisenhower and the US Congress approved the act including the state.

Formerly known as Seward’s Folly, what is now Alaska was seen to have great strategic defense capabilities. The state also holds the highest rates of residents actively in the military.

Far less of a folly, Alaska gained status when it was discovered that it contains crude oil, enormously productive fisheries and many minerals.

Sponsor:  Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent March 23, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

Earmark Certification:   Not applicable to this bill.

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Recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State.

Whereas July 7, 2008, marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Alaska Statehood Act as approved by the United States Congress and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower;

Whereas the Alaska Statehood Act authorized the entry of Alaska into the Union on January 3, 1959;

Whereas the land once known as `Seward's Folly' is now regarded as critical to the strategic defense of the United States and important to our national and economic security;

Whereas the people of Alaska remain committed to the preservation and protection of the Union, with among the highest rates of veterans and residents in active military service of any State in the Nation;

Whereas Alaska is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost State of the Union, encompassing an area one-fifth the size of the United States;

Whereas the State of Alaska has an abundance of natural resources vital to the Nation;

Whereas Alaska currently provides over 16 percent of the daily crude oil production in the United States and has 44 percent of the undiscovered oil resources and 36 percent of undiscovered conventional gas in the United States;

Whereas Alaska's 34,000 miles of shoreline form a gateway to one of the world's greatest fisheries, providing over 60 percent of the country's commercial seafood harvest;

Whereas over 230 million acres of Alaska are set aside in national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other conservation units for the benefit of the entire country;

Whereas over 58 million acres are designated wilderness in Alaska, representing 55 percent of the wilderness areas in the United States;

Whereas Alaska Natives, the State's first people, are an integral part of Alaska's history, and preserving the culture and heritage of Alaska's Native people is of primary importance;

Whereas the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 signaled a new era of economic opportunity for Alaska Natives;

Whereas Alaska's Native people have made major contributions to the vitality and success of Alaska as a State;

Whereas the people of Alaska represent the pioneering spirit that built this great Nation and contribute to our cultural and ethnic diversity; and

Whereas the golden anniversary, on January 3, 2009, provides an occasion to honor Alaska's entry into the Union: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That Congress recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State.

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