HR 32
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Date of Hearing: April 21, 2025
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Blanca Pacheco, Chair
HR 32 (Lowenthal) – As Introduced April 9, 2025
SUBJECT: 2025 Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week.
SUMMARY: Recognizes the week of April 17 to April 23, 2025, inclusive, as Cambodian
Genocide Memorial Week, and calls upon all Californians to observe the week by participating
in appropriate activities and programs. Specifically, this resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1) The Cambodian people have a long and rich cultural heritage symbolized by the capital city
temple of Angkor Wat, which flourished during the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th
centuries and is considered one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, that stands as a living
icon of the endurance and genius of all Cambodians throughout the world.
2) Early connections between the United States and Cambodia began in the 1950s, when
Cambodia sent bright and talented college students to universities, including California State
Universities in Long Beach and Los Angeles, to study technical trades, engineering, and
agriculture with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.
3) The relationship between the United States and Cambodia had been forged through
educational and professional exchange, and therefore in 1975, with the impending overthrow
of the government by the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime, the United States accepted over
4,000 Cambodian evacuees to ensure their safety.
4) April 17, 2025, will mark both the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot,
seizing control of Cambodia and the beginning of the Cambodian Genocide.
5) The State of California has the largest population of Cambodians, and the City of Long
Beach is known around the world as home to the largest Cambodian community outside of
Southeast Asia.
6) The Cambodian people have drawn from their cultural history to rebuild their lives and
communities through participation in American politics on the local and national levels, by
establishing local and international businesses, by developing new art forms and community
organizations, and by raising a new generation of Americans who promise to contribute to
the future of the State of California and the nation.
7) The Cambodian Genocide was a human tragedy and must be remembered for the scale of
violence and devastation perpetrated against the people of Cambodia so that it does not
happen again, there or in any other country.
8) The Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week will honor the survivors and their descendants for
their courage and contributions to our state and country. This week will serve as a way to
remember those who lost their lives in Cambodia and in genocides around the world.
FISCAL EFFECT: This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by Legislative Counsel.
 HR 32
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800