RESOLVE ESTABLISHING A SPECIAL COMMISSION TO PRESERVE POLISH HERITAGE IN THE PIONEER VALLEY
Resolved,That there shall be a special commission to investigate and report on the preservation of Polish culture and history in the Pioneer Valley. The special commission shall: (i) promote public support and funding of Polish cultural preservation activities in western Massachusetts; (ii) complement activities that acknowledge the contributions people of Polish heritage have made and continue to make to the Pioneer Valley and the commonwealth; and (iii) evaluate the public and private resources available to preserve and research Polish language, history, culture, genealogy, music and the immigrant experience.
The special commission shall be comprised of: 3 members of the house of representatives, of which at least 2 shall be of Polish heritage; 2 members of the senate; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 3 of whom shall be officers in Polish heritage or Polish genealogical organizations located in Hampshire, Hampden or Franklin county, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning, Inc. in the town of Chicopee and 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the director of the Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
The special commission shall file its report with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means, not later than July 1, 2017.
Approved January 11, 2017.