SJR85,1,42 Whereas, Finland is celebrating 100 years of independence on December 6,
32017, and this is an exciting time for that country as well as its friends across the
4world; and

SJR85,1,85 Whereas, the Republic of Finland won its complete independence from the
6Russian Republic in 1917, and today Finland and her 5.5 million citizens enjoy a
7highly industrialized, largely free-market economy based on manufacturing and
8exports, with an output similar to that of other European Union countries; and

SJR85,1,129 Whereas, Finns played an important role in the early development of Wisconsin
10through immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and
11through their influence on the mining, farming, and logging industries and their
12more lasting cultural contributions; and

SJR85,1,1513 Whereas, Finnish immigrants settled mainly in northern Wisconsin due to the
14abundance of land and opportunities there, but had settlements from Redgranite to
15Marinette to Oulu, and developed farms and centralized Finnish communities; and

SJR85,2,3

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1Whereas, the Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä, spearheaded the
2“Finland 100 Years” organization, which will oversee celebratory events across the
3world, with the theme of the Finland 100 movement being “Together”; and

SJR85,2,74 Whereas, the State of Wisconsin and the Republic of Finland enjoy a strong
5relationship and a similar cultural identity, and the best way to celebrate Finland's
6100 years of independence is to come together as friends across the world and realize
7how important an independent nation is; now, therefore, be it