Assemblymember Schultz presents HR 97 recognizing the Armenian Genocide; committee expresses support

Assemblymember Schultz presented House Resolution 97 to the Rules Committee, asking members to "aye" the resolution so it can move to the Assembly floor.

Schultz described the historical dates and the scope of the atrocities, saying the events began on April 24, 1915 and that between 1 million and 1.5 million Armenian lives were lost. He noted that hundreds of thousands of Assyrians, Greeks and other Christians also perished and urged the committee to recognize the victims.

The chair asked for witnesses in support or opposition and recorded none. Assemblymember Arons thanked the member from Burbank for bringing the recognition forward and said it was "critically important that the body reaffirms the atrocities that happened against the Armenian people." Another member, Irwin, said he represents the City of Montebello and called attention to an Armenian Genocide monument that was added to the California State historical landmarks list last year; he thanked the author and voiced support.

A motion and second were recorded and the secretary began a roll call. The supplied transcript includes the start of the roll call (Pacheco — Aye; Lackey — Aye; Arons — Aye) but ends before the full tally is recorded. The outcome is not included in the provided excerpt of the transcript.

The committee is expected to forward the resolution to the Assembly floor if it completes its committee approval process in the same manner as other resolutions.