HR0059 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0059 LRB103 29508 ECR 55903 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the Good Friday Agreement on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its ratification as the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland; and

WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 10, 1998; and

WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement represented a landmark breakthrough that provided Ireland with a political framework to address its future; and

WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement acknowledged the right of differing political traditions to pursue their goals of remaining part of the United Kingdom or of Irish unity; and

WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement demonstrated democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences; and

WHEREAS, Despite the historic progress of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, important issues remain unresolved in Northern Ireland, including securing justice for victims of state-sponsored violence and other violence and providing for the rights of all sections of the community; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, members of both political parties came together in support of the Good Friday Agreement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the Good Friday Agreement as the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all men, women, and children of all ethnic origins to become Irish for one day on the 17th of March during the annual celebration of the feast of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and to celebrate with Irish Americans this year for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland and their ongoing support and implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, as it is the irrevocable foundation of the peace process regardless of the United Kingdom's status regarding the European Union; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented the 24th Chair Mark Daly of the Senate of Ireland and the national co-chairs of the American Irish State Legislators Caucus, which include Assemblywoman Carol Murphy of the New Jersey Legislature, Assemblyman Robin Vos of the Wisconsin State Assembly, Senator Shannon O'Brien of the Montana Legislature, Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy of the Rhode Island General Assembly, Assemblyman James Gallagher of the California State Assembly, and Representative Killian Timoney of the Kentucky General Assembly.