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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is one of the
3oldest democracies in the western hemisphere; it has made
4important contributions to international efforts to promote
5peace, regional development, and solve the crisis of climate
6change; and
7 WHEREAS, Since The Bahamas declared itself as an
8independent and sovereign nation on July 10, 1973, it has been
9a close friend of the people of the United States, with both
10countries sharing a strong advocacy of democracy, the rule of
11law, and the merits of an open, equitable market economy; and
12 WHEREAS, The government of The Bahamas chose to open its
13diplomatic office for the Midwestern Jurisdiction in Illinois
14by officially establishing The Office of The Bahamas Honorary
15Consulate in Chicago on March 6, 2014; and
16 WHEREAS, The Bahamas has deep cultural ties to the State of
17Illinois as exemplified by individuals and organizations such
18as the Honorable Michael C. Fountain who is a native Illinoisan
19and serves as Honorary Consul for The Bahamas; Bahamian
20National track champion, record holder, and Olympic finalist
21Pedrya Seymour who attends the University of Illinois; Jeffrey
22Crittenden who serves as Executive Chef of the Skyline Club of

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1Chicago; and the thriving Bahamas National Association of
2Chicago; and
3 WHEREAS, The Bahamas has unrivaled foreign trade,
4financial services, wealth management, and tourism
5opportunities in the Caribbean region that could further
6benefit the people of the State of Illinois; and
7 WHEREAS, The Bahamas and Illinois have committed to
8enhanced bilateral cooperation and a deepening of social and
9trade relations; and
10 WHEREAS, Baha Mar, an over $4 billion investment and the
11largest luxury resort in the western hemisphere with over 2200
12rooms and suites in a multitude of world-class properties, is
13scheduled to open on April 21, 2017 and is expected to attract
14an additional 315,000 air passengers annually to The Bahamas;
15and
16 WHEREAS, On March 23, 2017, the government of The Bahamas
17entered into an unprecedented agreement with the United States
18Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to regain Bahamian
19control of Bahamian airspace; and
20 WHEREAS, Lynden Pindling International Airport located in
21Nassau, The Bahamas is the fourth busiest airport in the

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1Caribbean and the main international gateway to The Bahamas;
2and
3 WHEREAS, Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the
4sixth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, the
5third-busiest airport in the United States, and the busiest
6airport in the Midwest; and
7 WHEREAS, Five major airlines including Air Canada,
8American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, and United
9Airlines provide passenger air travel between Illinois and The
10Bahamas; and
11 WHEREAS, Direct flights from Chicago to The Bahamas are
12only provided by a single carrier and those are offered only
13once daily Monday through Friday and twice daily on Saturday
14and Sunday; and
15 WHEREAS, The critical link that air travel provides between
16Illinois and The Bahamas would be strengthened by increasing
17the number of direct flights; and
18 WHEREAS, Strengthening the partnership between Illinois
19and The Bahamas would produce increased economic development,
20tourism, and investment opportunities for both Illinois and The
21Bahamas; therefore, be it

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1 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3reaffirm the commitment to enhanced bilateral cooperation and
4deeper social and trade relations with the government and
5people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That we strongly encourage all airlines
7operating between Illinois and The Bahamas to explore
8increasing the amount of direct flights between Illinois and
9The Bahamas; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air
11Lines, JetBlue Airways, and United Airlines commence earnest
12discussions with the Office of The Bahamas Honorary Consulate
13in Chicago as soon as practicable regarding increasing the
14number of direct flights between Illinois and The Bahamas; and
15be it further
16 RESOLVED, That Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air
17Lines, JetBlue Airways, and United Airlines shall report to the
18House of Representatives Transportation: Regulation, Roads and
19Bridges Committee on the progress and ultimate outcome of those
20discussions; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

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1presented to the people of The Bahamas as an expression of our
2continued commitment to our long-lasting partnership; and be it
3further
4 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5delivered to Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines,
6JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, and The Bahamas Honorary
7Consulate in Chicago.