PRINTER'S NO. 1010
No. 142 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, O'PAKE, M. WHITE, CONTI, BOSCOLA,
LEMMOND, KITCHEN, COSTA, PUNT, FERLO AND BROWNE,
JUNE 24, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JUNE 24, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Governor and the Department of Community and Economic
2 Development to establish relations with the nation of Ukraine
3 in the areas of arts and culture, economic development and
4 travel and tourism.
5 WHEREAS, Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and borders the
6 Black Sea between Poland, Romania and Moldova in the west and
7 Russia in the east; and
8 WHEREAS, Ukraine is strategically positioned at the
9 crossroads between Europe and Asia and is the second-largest
10 country in Europe; and
11 WHEREAS, Ukraine is a republic that gained independence from
12 the Soviet Union in 1991; and
13 WHEREAS, The events of the "Orange Revolution" under the
14 leadership of Ukraine's current president, Viktor Yushchenko,
15 have dismantled the concept of oligarchic rule and replaced it
16 with an irrevocable commitment to democracy, rule of law, free
17 enterprise and equality of opportunity; and
18 WHEREAS, Ukraine has a population of approximately 47.4
1 million people, a land area of 603,700 square kilometers and had
2 a gross domestic product of $65 billion in 2004; and
3 WHEREAS, According to the 2000 census, approximately 900,000
4 Americans of Ukrainian heritage live in the United States; and
5 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation with 122,150
6 individuals of Ukrainian ancestry, although statistics kept by
7 Ukrainian churches in Pennsylvania suggest that there are tens
8 of thousands more Pennsylvanians of Ukrainian heritage; and
9 WHEREAS, Americans of Ukrainian descent have contributed
10 significantly to the spiritual, cultural and material well-being
11 of the United States and Pennsylvania; and
12 WHEREAS, Some of the first immigrants from Ukraine to the
13 United States settled in the anthracite coal mining towns of
14 Pennsylvania; and
15 WHEREAS, Shenandoah Borough, Schuylkill County, is the
16 location of the first Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United
17 States and the Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in
18 America is located in Philadelphia; and
19 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is home to the Ukrainian Heritage
20 Studies Center at Manor Junior College in Jenkintown Borough,
21 Montgomery County, which provides opportunities to learn about
22 Ukrainian culture and folk art; and
23 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is also home to the Ukrainian
24 Educational and Cultural Center, a nonprofit organization
25 located in Jenkintown, which preserves and promotes awareness of
26 Ukrainian heritage throughout the community; and
27 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is also home to the Ukrainian American
28 Sport Center Tryzub in Horsham Township, Montgomery County,
29 which maintains a first-class sports program for Pennsylvania
30 residents and also preserves, fosters and promotes Ukrainian
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1 cultural and artistic pursuits; and
2 WHEREAS, Ukraine is rich in fertile soil, and agriculture
3 represents an important component of the country's economy,
4 similar to Pennsylvania; and
5 WHEREAS, Like Pennsylvania, Ukraine is rich in deposits of
6 anthracite coal, oil and natural gas and has a repository of
7 many minerals necessary for manufacturing and defense
8 industries, including, but not limited to, cobalt, nickel,
9 copper and manganese; and
10 WHEREAS, Ukraine is fertile ground for investment by
11 Pennsylvania businesses that will find existing industrial,
12 textile and other commercial complexes and a hard-working,
13 educated and skilled work force there; and
14 WHEREAS, In 2004 Pennsylvania exported more than $10 million
15 in goods, including machinery and transportation equipment, to
16 Ukraine; and
17 WHEREAS, A relationship between Pennsylvania and Ukraine can
18 develop and prosper by sponsoring trade missions, creating
19 student and faculty exchange programs, implementing technology
20 exchanges and creating a framework for cultural exchange and
21 joint tourism; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the Senate urge the Governor and the
23 Department of Community and Economic Development to establish
24 relations with the nation of Ukraine in the areas of arts and
25 culture, economic development and travel and tourism; and be it
26 further
27 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
28 the Governor and the Secretary of Community and Economic
29 Development.
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