releases: http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397840
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397840 | Reps. Royce and Meng Move to Remove the Term "Oriental" From Federal Law | 2015-12-02 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | CA | Edward Royce | R000487 | royce.house.gov | legacy | Today, U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) successfully amended H.R. 8, theNorth American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, to strike the term "Oriental" from preexisting federal law and replace it with Asian American. The amendment also removes the terms "Negroes," "Indians," and "Eskimos" from the same law. "Orientals is an offensive and antiquated term, especially so when referring to America's vibrant Asian American community," said Rep. Royce. "Using this term in federal law lends it a legitimacy it doesn't deserve, which is why Congresswoman Meng and I have moved to remove it." The word Oriental is an offensive and derogatory term that should no longer be used by the federal government, said Rep. Meng. Nobody in our country, regardless of ethnicity, should be referred to in an insulting manner by the government. Its well past time to strike the legal use of this outdated term. It no longer has a place in federal law, and I look forward to the day when its finally gone for good. Specifically, the Meng-Royce amendment removes all references to "Orientals," "Negroes," "Indians," and "Eskimos," inTitle 42 of the United States Code, and replaces them with "Asian Americans," "African Americans," "Native Americans," and "Alaska Natives." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |