Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

3067.01000
     Sixty-eighth
     Legislative Assembly                    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4015
     of North Dakota
     Introduced by
       Senators Hogan, Cleary
 A concurrent resolution recognizing the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the Good Friday
 Agreement that provided the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland and celebrating
 the flag of Ireland as a symbol of peace and a link between the United States and Ireland.
     WHEREAS, 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the Good Friday
 Agreement reached on April 10, 1998; and
     WHEREAS, while there are some outstanding issues, the Good Friday Agreement has
 been a considerable success which saved lives as a result of the continuous bipartisan support
 for the Good Friday Agreement by state legislators, successive United States Presidents, the
 United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, and elected officials working in
 partnership with the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Ireland; 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 individuals with differing
 political traditions to pursue their goals of remaining part of the United Kingdom or of the Irish
 Unity; and
     WHEREAS, the Good Friday Agreement demonstrated democratic and peaceful means of
 resolving differences; and
     WHEREAS, the British and Irish Governments' ongoing support and implementation of the
 Good Friday Agreement is commendable, regardless of the United Kingdom's status regarding
 the European Union; and
     WHEREAS, despite the historic progress that resulted from 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
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     Sixty-eighth
     Legislative Assembly
       WHEREAS, members of both political parties in the United States came together to support
 the Good Friday Agreement; and
       WHEREAS, on the 17th of March during the annual celebration of the feast of Saint Patrick,
 the patron saint of Ireland, Irish Americans join with men, women, and children of all ethnic
 origins for one day becoming Irish and celebrating Saint Patrick and this year we also celebrate
 and give thanks for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement; and
       WHEREAS, 2023 also marks the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the Irish flag by
 Thomas F. Meagher who embodied the links between Ireland and the United States of America;
 and
       WHEREAS, Thomas F. Meagher ran for election to the City Council in Waterford, Ireland,
 led the rebellion for freedom from British rule in Ireland in 1848, was sentenced to death, which
 was commuted to transportation for life in prison in Australia, from where he escaped, became a
 brigadier general in the 69th Regiment of the famous 'Fighting Irish Brigade' and fought in some
 of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, including Fredericksburg and Antietam,
 became a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, and went on to become the acting territorial
 governor of Montana, dying under mysterious circumstances at the age of 43;
       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
       That the Sixty-eighth Legislative Assembly recognizes the 25th anniversary of the ratification
 of the Good Friday Agreement that provided the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland
 and celebrates the flag of Ireland as a symbol of peace and a link between the United States
 and Ireland; and
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State forward copies of this resolution
 to each member of the North Dakota Congressional Delegation; Senator Mark Daly, Chair of the
 Senate of Ireland; and to the National co-chairs of the American Irish State Legislators Caucus:
 Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, New Jersey; Assemblyman Robin Vos, Wisconsin; Senator
 Shannon O'Brien, Montana; Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island;
 Assemblyman James Gallagher, California; Representative Fran Hurley, Illinois; and
 Representative Killian Timoney, Kentucky.
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