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SR 8616

Remembering Japanese Americans who suffered forced removal during World War II.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Phil Fortunato and 4 co-sponsors

Washington Senate pauses to remember Japanese Americans harmed by EO 9066, honors veterans and incarcerees, and reaffirms commitment to equity and vigilance against racism.

Adopted.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SR 8616

Summary: Senate Resolution SR 8616 (Remembering Japanese Americans who suffered forced removal during World War II)

Overview

  • Title: Remembering Japanese Americans who suffered forced removal during World War II
  • Type: Senate Joint Resolution (ceremonial/commemorative)
  • Status: Adopted
  • Introduced: February 19, 2025
  • Adopted: February 19, 2025
  • Primary sponsors: Senators Hasegawa, Fortunato, Saldaña, Wagoner, Warnick
  • Purpose: Officially pause the Washington State Senate to acknowledge and remember the experiences and contributions of Japanese Americans affected by Executive Order 9066, and to honor veterans, incarcerees, and civil rights activists from Washington.

Purpose and Intent

  • Recognize the historical injustices of forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
  • Acknowledge the loyalty, sacrifice, and significant contributions of Japanese American individuals from Washington, including military service and civil rights advocacy.
  • Reinforce commitments to equity, justice, and vigilance against racism, bigotry, and hate.
  • Promote reflection on the principle of liberty and justice for all.

Key Provisions and Content

  • Acknowledgement of Executive Order 9066 (signed February 19, 1942), which authorized removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry nationwide, including about 12,000 in Washington State.
  • Specific remembrance of Bainbridge Island’s rapid evacuation and the relocation to detention centers such as Camp Harmony in Puyallup.
  • Statement that detention centers were temporary, pending broader incarceration in inland camps.
  • Recognition of the rationale given at the time (to prevent espionage and sabotage) and the subsequent repudiation of that rationale.
  • Highlight of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, its formation in 1943, and its extraordinary military record and honors (including numerous medals and recognition such as the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010).
  • Mention of Japanese American dissent and civil rights actions (e.g., Gordon Hirabayashi’s resistance to curfew and evacuation orders).
  • Referencing the 1982 Congressional Commission findings that there was no military/security justification for incarceration, attributing it to racial prejudice, war hysteria, and leadership failures.
  • Note of the economic, physical, and psychological harms suffered, and the deprivation of constitutional rights without due process.
  • Historical progress: 1979 efforts by Rep. Mike Lowry leading toward the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (reparations and apology).
  • Eloquence of the community’s ongoing advocacy: Nidoto Nai Yoni (“Let it Not Happen Again”).
  • Ceremonial directives: The Senate “pause to acknowledge the 83rd anniversary of EO 9066,” to recognize WA Japanese American veterans, incarcerees, and civil rights activists, and to reflect on the meaning of liberty and justice for all.
  • Transmission of copies to specified organizations: Nisei Veterans Committee, Densho, Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington State, and Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.

Affected Parties

  • Japanese American individuals from Washington State (veterans, incarcerees, civil rights activists).
  • Organizations listed for formal acknowledgment and distribution of the resolution’s copies.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • As a resolution, SR 8616 serves a ceremonial function and does not create or modify law or appropriations.
  • Effective action: Immediate upon adoption by the Senate (February 19, 2025).
  • Purposeful transmission of copies to partner organizations is to occur promptly.

Context and Significance

  • The resolution situates WA’s Japanese American community within a broader national history of redress and civil rights advocacy.
  • It serves as an educational and commemorative statement, reinforcing commitments to equality, human rights, and vigilance against anti-Asian prejudice.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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