HR0059 LRB103 29508 ECR 55903 r
1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to recognize the Good Friday Agreement on
4		the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its ratification as
5		the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland; and
6		WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast,
7		Northern Ireland on April 10, 1998; and
8		WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement represented a landmark
9		breakthrough that provided Ireland with a political framework
10		to address its future; and
11		WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement acknowledged the right
12		of differing political traditions to pursue their goals of
13		remaining part of the United Kingdom or of Irish unity; and
14		WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement demonstrated democratic
15		and peaceful means of resolving differences; and
16		WHEREAS, Despite the historic progress of the Good Friday
17		Agreement and subsequent agreements, important issues remain
18		unresolved in Northern Ireland, including securing justice for
19		victims of state-sponsored violence and other violence and
20		providing for the rights of all sections of the community; and

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1		WHEREAS, In the United States, members of both political
2		parties came together in support of the Good Friday Agreement;
3		therefore, be it
4		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6		we recognize the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the
7		Good Friday Agreement as the framework for lasting peace in
8		Northern Ireland; and be it further
9		RESOLVED, That we encourage all men, women, and children
10		of all ethnic origins to become Irish for one day on the 17th
11		of March during the annual celebration of the feast of Saint
12		Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and to celebrate with
13		Irish Americans this year for the 25th anniversary of the Good
14		Friday Agreement; and be it further
15		RESOLVED, That we recognize the governments of the United
16		Kingdom and Ireland and their ongoing support and
17		implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, as it is the
18		irrevocable foundation of the peace process regardless of the
19		United Kingdom's status regarding the European Union; and be
20		it further
21		RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

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1		presented the 24th Chair Mark Daly of the Senate of Ireland and
2		the national co-chairs of the American Irish State Legislators
3		Caucus, which include Assemblywoman Carol Murphy of the New
4		Jersey Legislature, Assemblyman Robin Vos of the Wisconsin
5		State Assembly, Senator Shannon O'Brien of the Montana
6		Legislature, Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy of the Rhode
7		Island General Assembly, Assemblyman James Gallagher of the
8		California State Assembly, and Representative Killian Timoney
9		of the Kentucky General Assembly.