THE BILL ITSELF

HR 8025

Hindu-American Heritage Month

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

1 House Resolution

2 A resolution designating November 2026 as "Hindu-

3 American Heritage Month" in Florida.

5 WHEREAS, there are around 1.2 billion Hindus worldwide and

6 approximately 219,916 Hindu Americans who live across Florida,

7 and

8 WHEREAS, Florida is enriched by the extraordinary cultural,

9 ethnic, linguistic, and religious vibrance of its residents,

10 including Hindu Americans, and

11 WHEREAS, 2026 marks the 133rd anniversary of the date

12 Hinduism was officially introduced to the United States by Swami

13 Vivekananda at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in

14 Chicago, Illinois, and the 126th anniversary of the date he

15 founded the Vedanta Society in San Francisco, California, and

16 WHEREAS, Hindus are primarily an immigrant community and

17 first started immigrating to the United States in the early

18 1900s, and

19 WHEREAS, Florida is home to many Hindu temples, religious

20 centers, and cultural centers, and

21 WHEREAS, Hindu Americans are a highly educated demographic,

22 with a 77 percent college attainment rate, and

23 WHEREAS, Hindu organizations and individuals actively

24 engage in seva, a Sanskrit word for selfless service, toward

25 their fellow human beings through charity, public service, and

26 the provision of free medical and legal services, and

27 WHEREAS, Hindu Americans throughout Florida celebrate many

28 holidays and festivals, such as Diwali, which is observed on the

29 fifteenth day of the eighth month, or the New Moon Day in the

30 month of Kartika, which occurs during October or November, and

31 celebrates the triumph of good over evil and knowledge over

32 ignorance, and is a time of peace, joy, and new beginnings, and

33 WHEREAS, the House of Representatives recognizes and

34 acknowledges the significant contributions made by Floridians of

35 Hindu heritage to this state and, by the adoption of this

36 resolution, seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the

37 Hindu-American community, NOW, THEREFORE,

39 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

40 Florida:

42 That November 2026 is designated as "Hindu-American

43 Heritage Month" in Florida.