SB-0352, As Passed House, October 30, 2003

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 352

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

day in the state of Michigan; to designate July 14 of each year             

as President Gerald R. Ford day in the state of Michigan; and to            

designate July 30 of each year as Henry Ford day in the state of            

Michigan.                                                                   

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

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

2   contribution that Cesar E. Chavez made to this nation by                    

3   organizing farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working               

4   conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, and the outlawing             

5   of child labor.  Cesar E. Chavez began working in the fields of             

6   Arizona and California at the age of 10.  Profoundly influenced             

7   by these humble beginnings, Chavez embraced the nonviolent                  

8   principles of Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to           

9   crusade against racial and economic discrimination, coordinate              

1   voter registration drives, and found the united farm workers of             

2   America.  In 1994, Chavez was posthumously awarded the                      

3   presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to                   

4   civilians by the United States government.  In memory of this               

5   great American, the legislature declares that March 31 of each              

6   year shall be known as "Cesar E. Chavez Day".                               

7       (2) The legislature encourages each individual in the great                 

8   state of Michigan to pause on Cesar E. Chavez day and reflect               

9   upon the courage and sacrifice of a man Robert Kennedy once                 

10  referred to as "one of the heroic figures of our time".                     

11      Sec. 2.  (1) The legislature recognizes the exceptional                     

12  contributions to American life, history, and leadership made by             

13  Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth president of the United States            

14  and the only United States president from Michigan, who for                 

15  decades has served the United States and the state of Michigan.             

16  For much of his life, President Ford resided in Grand Rapids.  He           

17  attended South high school in Grand Rapids and the university of            

18  Michigan in Ann Arbor.  He served with distinction as a member of           

19  the United States house of representatives, vice president of the           

20  United States, and president of the United States.  Among                   

21  numerous other awards and honors, President Ford has received the           

22  Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the nation, and             

23  the Congressional Gold Medal for his "dedicated public service              

24  and outstanding humanitarian contributions".  In commemoration of           

25  the significant role Gerald R. Ford has played in the history of            

26  the state of Michigan and our nation, the legislature declares              

27  that July 14 of each year shall be known as "President Gerald               

1   R. Ford Day".                                                               

2       (2) The legislature encourages each individual in the great                 

3   state of Michigan to pause on President Gerald R. Ford day and              

4   reflect upon the significance of President Ford's leadership and            

5   important contributions to the history of the state of Michigan             

6   and to the history of this great nation.                                    

7       Sec. 3.  (1) The legislature recognizes the outstanding                     

8   contributions to American life, history, and culture made by                

9   Henry Ford, founder of Ford motor company and a man of great                

10  vision.  During most of his life, Henry Ford resided in                     

11  Dearborn.  He pioneered industrial mass production methods and              

12  made an automobile that was affordable for his workers.  The Ford           

13  motor company debuted the Model T in 1908; by 1918, fully half of           

14  all cars sold in America were Model Ts.  In 1910, Ford opened a             

15  large automobile factory in Highland Park; later, he introduced             

16  the moving assembly line.  This innovation reduced costs,                   

17  increased production, and revolutionized industrial manufacturing           

18  in the United States and abroad.  In honor of the significant               

19  role Henry Ford has played in the history of the state of                   

20  Michigan and the United States, the legislature declares that               

21  July 30 of each year shall be known as "Henry Ford Day".                    

22      (2) The legislature encourages each individual in the great                 

23  state of Michigan to pause on Henry Ford day and reflect upon the           

24  significance of Henry Ford's contributions to the history of the            

25  state of Michigan and to the history of this great nation.