REQUESTING THAT MARCH 16, 2001 BE DECLARED AS "LIBERTY DAY" TO MARK THE TWO HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON, THE "FATHER OF THE CONSTITUTION".

WHEREAS, March 16, 2001 marks the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of our fourth president, James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution"; and

WHEREAS, the rights and liberties that we Americans enjoy are guaranteed by the documents that our founding fathers created: the declaration of independence and the United States constitution with its bill of rights; and

WHEREAS, James Madison's written records of the debates in the federal convention of 1787, which were co-written by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, became known as the Federalist Papers and have endured as some of the best arguments for our nation's form of government; and

WHEREAS, during his service in the United States house of representatives from 1789 to 1797, James Madison introduced the bill of rights to congress; and

WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting that the sixteenth day of March, the birthday of the distinguished founding father, James Madison, serve as a reminder of "Liberty Day", a celebration of the declaration of independence and the United States constitution, where our inalienable rights and liberties are enumerated; and

WHEREAS, the United States congress has passed a concurrent resolution requesting that "Liberty Day" be celebrated each year throughout the United States as a remembrance of both the freedom that Americans are given in the declaration of independence and the extraordinary rights and liberties that Americans are given in their constitution; and

WHEREAS, the lions clubs of New Mexico have printed booklets containing the declaration of independence and the United States constitution for distribution to students throughout the state of New Mexico;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Governor Gary Johnson be requested to declare March 16, 2001 as "Liberty Day"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all members of the house of representatives be urged to give of their time to speak to the people of our state, especially our youth, throughout the year, about these founding documents in furtherance of our freedoms, our rights and our liberties.