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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The 1998 Good Friday Agreement between the Irish
3Government and the British Government provides that the British
4Government should enact legislation defining rights
5supplementary to those in the European Convention on Human
6Rights (ECHR) that, together with the ECHR, are to constitute
7"a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland"; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement provides that the
9British Government will "take resolute action to promote ...
10facilitate and encourage the use of" the Irish language; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The 2006 St. Andrews Agreement between the Irish
12Government and the British Government provides that "The
13[British] Government will introduce an Irish Language Act
14reflecting on the experience of Wales and Ireland and work with
15the incoming Executive to enhance and protect the development
16of the Irish language"; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The British Government agreed in the 2014 Stormont
18House Agreement between the Irish Government and the British
19Government to provide up to £150M to fund inquests on legacy
20killings; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The commitment in the Stormont House Agreement to

 

 

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1fund inquests on legacy killings was reaffirmed in the 2015
2Fresh Start Agreement between the Irish Government and the
3British Government; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Good Friday Agreement provides that it is for
5a majority of people from Northern Ireland to determine whether
6they should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form
7part of a united Ireland; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The British Government has not enacted a Bill of
9Rights for the North of Ireland in the twenty-year period since
10the Good Friday Agreement was agreed; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The British Government has not enacted an Irish
12Language Act to ensure full statutory equality for the Irish
13language nor taken resolute action to promote, facilitate, or
14encourage the use of the Irish Language; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The British Government has not funded or held
16inquests into the killings of hundreds of civilians during the
17conflict; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The British Government has not held a poll or
19referendum on a united Ireland at any time during the
20twenty-year period since the Good Friday Agreement was agreed;
21therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we strongly support and endorse the Martin McGuinness
4Principles calling for Equality, Respect, Truth, and
5Self-Determination for the North of Ireland; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That the four principles of the Martin McGuinness
7Principles should be met without further delay by the enactment
8of a Bill of Rights for the North of Ireland, the enactment of
9an Irish Language Act, the release of funds to undertake
10inquests regarding legacy killings, and the holding of a
11referendum to determine if a majority of voters desire the
12North of Ireland to become a united Ireland; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That it is for the people of the island of
14Ireland alone, by agreement between North and South and without
15external impediment, to exercise their right of
16self-determination on the basis of consent; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we call on the United States Congress to
18adopt a resolution endorsing the Martin McGuinness Principles;
19and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That the Illinois House of Representatives and
21its members are encouraged to publicize and promote the Martin

 

 

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1McGuinness Principles to the extent deemed appropriate.