A resolution expressing support for the James Lick Observatory celebrating their 150th anniversary on June 7, 2026, and recognizing its contributions to science and astronomy.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1348 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1348

    A resolution expressing support for the James Lick Observatory
 celebrating their 150th anniversary on June 7, 2026, and recognizing
              its contributions to science and astronomy.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2026

 Ms. Lofgren (for herself, Mr. Liccardo, Mr. Khanna, and Mr. Panetta)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
                   on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

    A resolution expressing support for the James Lick Observatory
 celebrating their 150th anniversary on June 7, 2026, and recognizing
              its contributions to science and astronomy.

Whereas the James Lick Observatory, located on the summit of Mount Hamilton in
        Santa Clara County, California, was established in 1874 by visionary
        philanthropy of James Lick and his $700,000 contribution, valued at over
        $1,000,000,000 today, to science and exploration;
Whereas Congress authorized the reservation of Federal lands on Mount Hamilton
        for the observatory's use by an Act approved on June 7, 1876, and
        thereafter transferred those lands to the University of California;
Whereas, in 1888, the Lick Observatory was the world's first permanently staffed
        mountaintop observatory, housing the 36-inch Great Refractor, then the
        largest telescope on Earth, cementing California as an early epicenter
        of astronomical research;
Whereas Lick Observatory has been the site of monumental breakthroughs such as
        the first photographic discovery of a comet and identified a fifth moon
        of Jupiter and eclipse expedition provided the empirical confirmation of
        Einstein's general theory of relativity, and pioneered adaptive optics
        to pierce through atmospheric distortion and was at the forefront of the
        search for exoplanets, moments that fundamentally shifted our
        understanding of the physical world and the cosmos;
Whereas Lick Observatory operates under the University of California
        Observatories, which serves 9 UC campuses and 2 national laboratories,
        and partners with California's State Universities and Community
        Colleges, training the next generation of scientists while inspiring
        tens of thousands of visitors through its outreach programs; and
Whereas June 7, 2026, marks the 150th anniversary of the Act of Congress that
        made Lick Observatory possible: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates Lick Observatory on the occasion of its
        150th anniversary;
            (2) recognizes the enduring scientific legacy of James Lick
        and the astronomers, engineers, and staff who have sustained
        the observatory across a century and a half;
            (3) commends the University of California for its
        stewardship of this national scientific treasure; and
            (4) encourages continued Federal, State, and private
        support for Lick Observatory's research, education, and public
        outreach programs.
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