HJRES 138 — Expressing support for the designation of the second Saturday of January as "National Desert Day".

Summary

Expresses Congress's support for designating the second Saturday of January as "National Desert Day."
Requests the President to issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe the day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
Acknowledges the importance of deserts as habitats for migrating birds and sources of unique biodiversity.
Encourages the pursuit of policies that protect and preserve deserts and commits to reducing invasive plant species and maintaining native landscapes.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Rep. Ruiz, Raul (D-CA) [#25]

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Raul Ruiz’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

Employer not reported $112,200
DAVITA $15,500
US ACUTE CARE SOLUTIONS $14,100
CHANDI GROUP USA, INC. $13,200
ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY $13,200

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Raul Ruiz → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

Jan 8, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. · house
Jan 8, 2026 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in House · Jan 8, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 8, 2026

Mr. Ruiz submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

JOINT RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the designation of the second Saturday of January as “National Desert Day”.

Whereas a desert is defined as an arid land with usually sparse vegetation, especially such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually; Whereas there are 4 major deserts in the United States, which are the Mojave Desert, the Sonoran Desert, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Great Basin Desert; Whereas there is growing concern in the United States and globally for environmental protection and the threats to desert habitats and conservation initiatives; Whereas all living things are intertwined by sharing ecosystems, and desert ecosystems contain biodiversity that only exist in deserts and rely on sustainable practices; and Whereas deserts are among of the most significant ecosystems in the country due to their unique biodiversity, ecological functions, and cultural importance: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress—

(1) supports the designation of “National Desert Day” and requests the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities;

(2) acknowledges that deserts are a crucial stop for migrating birds to spend the winter and are part of supporting global biodiversity;

(3) reaffirms its advocacy for native landscapes by committing to reduce invasive plant species and continue to maintain a pollinator garden;

(4) honors the ongoing efforts by the United States to educate citizens on their role in conserving desert biodiversity; and

(5) encourages the pursuit of policies that ensure the protection and preservation of the world’s deserts. <all>

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