04/01/2025 10:15 AM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

        SJR 10-HMONG VETERANS; CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:18:52 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR EISCHEID announced  that the first order  of business would                                                               
be  SENATE  JOINT  RESOLUTION NO.  10,  "Encouraging  the  United                                                               
States Congress  to award Hmong  veterans of the Vietnam  War the                                                               
Congressional Gold Medal."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
10:19:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BILL WIELECHOWSKI,  Alaska State  Legislature, As  prime                                                               
sponsor, presented  SJR 10  to the  committee.   He gave  a brief                                                               
overview  of the  history of  the Hmong  people's role  in aiding                                                               
United States  soldiers in Laos  and Vietnam.  He  explained that                                                               
the proposed Senate  resolution would urge congress  to award the                                                               
congressional gold medal to Hmong veterans.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:21:04 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
JOSHUA  MCHOES, STAFF,  Senator Bill  Wielechowski, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on  behalf  of  Senator  Bill  Wielechowski,  prime                                                               
sponsor,  gave a  PowerPoint presentation  on SJR  10 [hard  copy                                                               
included in  the committee  file].   He began  on slide  2, which                                                               
gave a  brief history  of Hmong  veterans and  moved to  slide 3,                                                               
which  described the  Hmong people's  culture  and role  fighting                                                               
alongside the  U.S. in the Vietnam  war.  He skipped  to slide 5,                                                               
which  emphasized the  brutal conditions  that  the Hmong  people                                                               
were subjected to after the  U.S. withdrawal in Vietnam and moved                                                               
through   slides  6-7,   which  described   the  Hmong   people's                                                               
integration  and  recognition  within  the  United  States.    He                                                               
continued  to slide  8,  which outlined  the  historic effort  to                                                               
grant  the  congressional gold  medal  to  the Hmong  people  and                                                               
skipped to  slides 10-11, which explained  what the congressional                                                               
gold  medal is  and how  it  can be  awarded.   He concluded  the                                                               
presentation on slide 12, which  urged the committee's support of                                                               
SJR 10.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:27:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MAY  RAMIREZ-XIONG,  CEO  &   Co-Founder,  H.E.A.R.T  Inc.,  gave                                                               
invited testimony  on SJR 10.   She shared to the  committee that                                                               
she is  the daughter of  a Hmong  colonel veteran of  the Vietnam                                                               
War  and said  that she  was testifying  before the  committee to                                                               
"amplify  the voices  that  cannot speak  for  themselves."   She                                                               
explained that  SJR 10 would  honor the sacrifices and  the wider                                                               
role  that the  Hmong role  have  played in  supporting the  U.S.                                                               
throughout their history.