Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

HR 78
                                                                                         Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 2, 2026
                          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                                   Blanca Pacheco, Chair
                         HR 78 (Ta) – As Introduced January 26, 2026
SUBJECT: Boat people awareness.
SUMMARY: Designates July 23, 2026, to July 30, 2026, inclusive, as Boat People Awareness
Week in support of the Vietnamese boat people refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and on ships
following the end of the Vietnam War; and, designates September 2026 as Boat People
Awareness Month. Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative findings:
1) The term “boat people” is used to refer to the Vietnamese people who fled the oppressive
   communist regime between 1975 and 1995, in which almost 800,000 people left Vietnam by
   boat to arrive safely in another country.
2) Many of the refugees failed to survive the passage, facing danger from pirates, overcrowded
   boats, and storms. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
   between 200,000 and 400,000 boat people died at sea.
3) Although a few thousand people fled Vietnam by boat between 1975 and 1978, the exodus of
   the boat people began in September 1978.
4) The fall of Saigon to the People’s Army of Vietnam, and the subsequent evacuation of more
   than 130,000 Vietnamese closely associated with the United States in Operation New Life
   and Operation New Arrivals, led to a major influx of Vietnamese into the United States.
5) In 1979, the plight of the boat people made international news when the United Nations (UN)
   called a conference to address the situation. The UN persuaded the United States, Canada,
   the United Kingdom, Australia, and France to allow more Vietnamese refugees into their
   countries.
6) The plight of the Vietnamese boat people and the ensuing humanitarian crisis speaks to the
   resolve and spirit of the Vietnamese refugee community.
7) Many refugees settled in the County of Orange, beginning in the 1970s, and settled in an area
   of the City of Westminster that then went on to become Little Saigon, as well as other
   locations throughout the state, including large communities in the Cities of San Jose and San
   Diego.
FISCAL EFFECT: This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by Legislative Counsel.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
                                                             HR 78
                                                             Page 2
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800