H.J.R. 4 Enrolled

1

JOINT RESOLUTION URGING SCHOOL
2 CLOSINGS TO RECOGNIZE VETERANS DAY
3 2008 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Carl Wimmer
6 Senate Sponsor: Jon J. Greiner
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges the closing of public schools on Veterans
11 Day.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . urges the State Board of Education to close public schools on Veterans Day to allow
15 students to more fully recognize veterans for preserving freedom for the United
16 States and its citizens.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
21 WHEREAS, spanning from the Revolutionary War to the present day, the contributions
22 made to the United States of America by her citizens who stand in our place to defend the
23 freedoms we enjoy cannot be calculated;
24 WHEREAS, the cost of their service frequently includes the wrenching of family, the
25 horror of combat, the deep loneliness, the agonizing and lingering effects of physical and
26 emotional injury and for some, the ultimate price, their lives;
27 WHEREAS, even today, members of the military are stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and
28 many other places throughout the world, and their families are in our communities;
29 WHEREAS, families hoping for safe returns experience life in a very different way than

30 others, as their everyday thoughts and feelings never stray far from their loved ones;
31 WHEREAS, Veterans Day deeply impacts a vast majority of Utahns;
32 WHEREAS, to all veterans, past and present, alive and passed on, honor is due from
33 those they have served;
34 WHEREAS, one fitting honor is to close public schools on Veterans Day to allow
35 Utah's youth, many of whom have loved ones in the military, to more fully recognize the
36 significance of that day; and
37 WHEREAS, closing public schools on Veterans Day is a sign of Utah's reverence and
38 gratitude for veterans and their families:
39 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
40 urges the Utah State Board of Education and each individual school district to adjust school
41 schedules to provide for the closure of public schools on Veterans Day so that Utahns may
42 more fully honor the men and women, past and present, who have stood in harm's way on our
43 behalf.
44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the American
45 Legion Department of Utah, the Disabled American Veterans Department of Utah, the Veterans
46 of Foreign Wars Department of Utah, the Utah State Department of Veterans Affairs, and to
47 the Utah State Board of Education.