Bill Text: CA SCR61 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Concurrent Resolution 61 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Sister state relationships with Ethiopian regional states.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-09-01 - Ordered to inactive file. [SCR61 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SCR61-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate January 08, 2020

Amended IN Senate August 12, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Concurrent Resolution

No. 61

Introduced by Senator Skinner
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Bloom)
(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Dodd, Hill, and Wieckowski)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Chu)

June 17, 2019

Relative to sister state relationships with Ethiopian regional states.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 61, as amended, Skinner. Sister state relationships with Ethiopian regional states.

This measure would extend to the people of the regional states of Amhara, Oromia, Somali, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, and Tigray an invitation to join with California in sister state relationships.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, The Ethiopian Embassy to the United States in Washington D.C. and the Ethiopian Consulate General in Los Angeles, which covers the western half of the United States, including California, as its consular district, have expressed interest in the creation of sister state relationships between the State of California and the Ethiopian regional states of Amhara, Oromia, Somali, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, and Tigray; and

WHEREAS, Diplomatic relations between the United States and Ethiopia, dating back over a century to 1903, have grown from mere state-to-state relations to people-to-people relations with the presence of large Ethiopian diaspora communities in the United States, including in California; and

WHEREAS, The economic, political, and cultural relations between Ethiopia and the United States, driven by the excellent friendly relations between the two countries and the people-to-people relationships that continue to grow in leaps and bounds, need further consolidation through local government relationships in both countries; and

WHEREAS, Ethiopia and the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali are committed to upholding and expanding human rights in Ethiopia; and

WHEREAS, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2019; and

WHEREAS, California is one of the largest hosts of Ethiopian diaspora communities that can bridge and further consolidate the economic, political, and cultural relations between California and the aforementioned five Ethiopian regional states, particularly the regional state of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region and the regional state of Tigray, and

WHEREAS, Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, with the aforementioned five Ethiopian regional states playing a leading role, including Addis Ababa, which serves as the capital city of Ethiopia and the regional state of Oromia; and

WHEREAS, Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, is the diplomatic and cultural capital of Africa and hosts the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and is third to New York City and Geneva, Switzerland, in diplomatic missions; and

WHEREAS, California, as the fifth largest economy in the world, can reach out to the African continent through Ethiopia and the aforementioned five Ethiopian regional states as its principal gateway; and

WHEREAS, The sister state relationships between California and key Ethiopian regional states will foster commerce, tourism, environmental protection and sustainable development, technological and educational advancement, and cultural and people-to-people relations that are the bedrock of the spirit of entrepreneurship and development of the two friendly nations; and

WHEREAS, Both the State of California and representatives of the Ethiopian government strongly believe a unanimous and concurrent resolution of the Senate of the State of California will facilitate and advance the already strong economic, political, and cultural relations between California and the Ethiopian regional states of Amhara, Oromia, Somali, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, and Tigray; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the People of California, hereby extends to the people of the regional states of Amhara, Oromia, Somali, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, and Tigray an invitation to join with California in sister state relationships in order to promote and assure mutually beneficial educational, economic, environmental, scientific, and cultural exchanges that will lead to a closer relationship between Californians and the citizens of these five key Ethiopian regional states; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the presidents of the regional states of Amhara, Oromia, Somali, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, and Tigray, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.