Bill Text: NJ AR161 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Expresses support for H.Res. 777 (115th Congress), which strongly reaffirms support for Good Friday Agreement involving Northern Ireland.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-17 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [AR161 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR161-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Expresses support for H.Res. 777 (115th Congress), which strongly reaffirms support for Good Friday Agreement involving Northern Ireland.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution expressing support for H.Res. 777 (115th Congress), which strongly reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement, urges the British and Irish governments to vigorously implement certain aspects of the agreement, urges the United States Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, and to continue to promote full implementation of the agreement.
Whereas, On April 10, 1998, the British and Irish governments and the major political parties of Northern Ireland signed a breakthrough accord known as the Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement; and
Whereas, After two years of very difficult negotiations, chaired by former United States Senator George Mitchell, the agreement put an end to the violent 30-year period known as "The Troubles"; and
Whereas, "The Troubles" began in the late 1960s as sectarian violence and hatred between the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland and the Catholic minority escalated, and as a result the period was marked by daily assassinations, bombings, and intimidation during which more than 3,500 people lost their lives; and
Whereas, When it was finally reached, the Good Friday Agreement set forth a framework for the sharing of power among the opposing political parties in Northern Ireland and it established the principal of consent, whereby any future change to the status of Northern Ireland would only come about with the consent of the majority of its people; and
Whereas, The Good Friday Agreement brought peace and tangible results, including the withdrawal of British troops, the release of prisoners, and a steep drop in the level of sectarian violence, so that in the 10 years following the signing of the agreement, an average of eight people per year died, and in 2008, there were none; and
Whereas, Now, 20 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, questions have arisen about the future of the agreement, due to the chronic instability of Northern Ireland's government and the effect the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Common Market, known as Brexit; and
Whereas, The United States government played a major role in facilitating the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement and has been supportive of both sides since then; and
Whereas, H.Res 777, filed during the 115 Congress, 2nd Session of the United State House of Representatives, seeks to affirm and strengthen that role in order to achieve a sustainable peace in Northern Ireland by the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement; and
Whereas, It is fitting and proper for this House to express support for H.Res. 777, which strongly reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement, urges the British and Irish governments to vigorously implement certain aspects of the agreement, urges the United States Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, and to continue to promote full implementation of the agreement; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House expresses support for H.Res. 777 (115th Congress), which strongly reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement, urges the British and Irish governments to vigorously implement certain aspects of the agreement, urges the United States Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, and to continue to promote full implementation of the agreement.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, each member of the Congress of the United States elected from New Jersey, the United States Secretary of State, Great Britain's Ambassador to the United States, and the Republic of Ireland's Ambassador to the United States.
STATEMENT
This House Resolution expresses support for H.Res. 777 (115th Congress), which strongly reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement, urges the British and Irish governments to vigorously implement certain aspects of the agreement, urges the United States Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, and to continue to promote full implementation of the agreement.
