[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 575 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 575

 Commending the people and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of 
    Jordan for their continued commitment to holding elections and 
      broadening political participation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2007

   Mr. Baird (for himself, Mr. Lantos, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. 
    Hinchey, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. 
  Boustany, Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. Renzi, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Lowey, Ms. 
   Harman, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Rahall, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. 
   Shays, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
  Cleaver, Mr. Sestak, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Doggett, Mr. 
 Watt, Mr. Costello, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Tanner, Mr. Moore of Kansas, 
 Ms. Hooley, Mr. Wu, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Issa, Mr. 
 Rohrabacher, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. Watson, Ms. Eddie 
 Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Upton, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Cooper, 
   Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, Mr. Castle, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Walden of 
Oregon, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. 
 Price of North Carolina, Mr. Honda, Mr. Farr, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Ross, 
Mr. Flake, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Wexler, Mr. 
Scott of Virginia, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. 
 Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Payne, Mr. Delahunt, 
Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Wilson of 
    South Carolina, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. 
 Jefferson, and Mr. Spratt) submitted the following resolution; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commending the people and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of 
    Jordan for their continued commitment to holding elections and 
      broadening political participation, and for other purposes.

Whereas on June 17, 2003, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan held parliamentary 
        elections, the fourth since 1989, and the first during the reign of His 
        Majesty King Abdullah II;
Whereas His Majesty King Abdullah II underscored his commitment to hold the next 
        parliamentary elections in Jordan not later than November 2007;
Whereas municipal elections for the local councils are scheduled to be held on 
        July 31, 2007, under a new reformed municipal elections law passed on 
        February 4, 2007, under which the mayors and councils of all 
        municipalities in Jordan will be elected;
Whereas the new reformed municipal elections law includes a 20 percent quota for 
        women in the council seats and reduces the age of eligible voters from 
        19 to 18 years of age in order to expand the voter base;
Whereas, with the direct assistance of the United States Agency for 
        International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 
        Jordan has placed great emphasis in recent years on the rights of women 
        to vote and run for public office, thereby serving as a model for other 
        countries in the region;
Whereas the people and the Government of Jordan are committed to continuing this 
        progress;
Whereas His Majesty King Abdullah II recently emphasized the importance of 
        building a thriving civil society when he declared, ``We in Jordan--and 
        many others, throughout the Middle East--are working hard to create a 
        civic environment in which our people will thrive. The basic requirement 
        is an inclusive, democratic civil society--one that guarantees rights, 
        delegates responsibilities, honors merit and rewards achievement. The 
        foundation stones on which we build are peace and stability, basic civil 
        and political rights, essential services, freedom of expression and the 
        rule of law.''; and
Whereas Jordan continues to invest in reforming its educational system to 
        incorporate democratic values and principles: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the people, the Government of the Hashemite 
        Kingdom of Jordan, and His Majesty King Abdullah II for their 
        commitment to conducting parliamentary and municipal elections 
        in 2007;
            (2) expresses its desire that Jordan's progress toward 
        democratization continue and flourish as a model for other Arab 
        countries;
            (3) commends His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Jordanian 
        people for striving to uphold women's rights and enhance 
        women's participation in the political process;
            (4) reaffirms the special relationship that exists between 
        the people of the United States and the people of Jordan; and
            (5) remains committed to assist Jordan, should it so 
        desire, in promoting democratic reform.
                                 <all>