[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 596 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 596

   Calling for the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2023

 Mr. Lawler submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

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                               RESOLUTION


 
   Calling for the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

Whereas, on May 5, 2022, elections were held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 
        the region's devolved legislature;
Whereas, in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the Sinn Fein party won 
        the largest number of seats, 27 out of 90, entitling the party's Vice 
        President and former Deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, to accede 
        to the position of First Minister of Northern Ireland;
Whereas, following the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the Democratic 
        Unionist Party, which was the largest party prior to the election, has 
        effectively prevented the convening of the new Assembly, the Executive, 
        and the operation of the North/South Ministerial Council;
Whereas the Democratic Unionist Party has failed to make explicit its demands 
        for reestablishing the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, 
        other than its protests against Northern Ireland Protocol, which was 
        brokered by the United Kingdom independent of the devolved government 
        bodies of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, in response to 
        the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union and sets out post-
        Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland to ensure an open border on the 
        island of Ireland and in the spirit of protecting the gains of the 
        Northern Ireland peace process;
Whereas the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein disagree on the merits of 
        the Northern Ireland Protocol, with Sinn Fein generally supportive of 
        the Protocol as a necessary means to maintain an open border with the 
        Republic of Ireland and to uphold the fundamental principles 
        underpinning the Good Friday Agreement;
Whereas, on February 27, 2023, the United Kingdom and the European Union 
        announced the Windsor Framework to address challenges posed by the 
        Northern Ireland Protocol;
Whereas the Windsor Framework was formally adopted by the United Kingdom and the 
        European Union on March 24, 2023, but the Democratic Unionist Party 
        continues to undermine its full implementation;
Whereas the Government of the United Kingdom continues to engage with all of the 
        political parties in Northern Ireland, including the Democratic Unionist 
        Party, to facilitate the establishment of a new power-sharing government 
        in Northern Ireland consistent with the results of the 2022 elections;
Whereas, during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's speech for the 25th anniversary of 
        the Good Friday Agreement, he stated that the Government of the United 
        Kingdom ``stand[s] ready to work with our partners in the Irish 
        government and the local parties to ensure that the institutions are up 
        and running again as soon as possible,'' and that the Government of the 
        United Kingdom ``must keep working to persuade all parts of the 
        community that returning to the institutions is the best path.'';
Whereas the Good Friday Agreement, adopted in 1998, established the power-
        sharing government in Northern Ireland and institutions to facilitate 
        communication and cooperation among Northern Ireland, the Republic of 
        Ireland, and the Government of the United Kingdom;
Whereas blocking the work of the current Assembly and Executive in Northern 
        Ireland as a bargaining chip to resolve an external policy matter 
        between the Democratic Unionist Party and the United Kingdom violates 
        the spirit and intent of the Good Friday Agreement's power-sharing 
        provisions and represents an undermining of the political process in 
        Northern Ireland and a disserve to the Northern Ireland community that 
        the Democratic Unionist Party claims to represent;
Whereas the Good Friday Agreement and other past progress concerning Northern 
        Ireland has been facilitated and moved forward with the support of civic 
        institutions and leaders in the United States; and
Whereas the appointment of a new U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for 
        Economic Affairs on December 19, 2022, reaffirms the United States 
        Government's commitment to the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, 
        including a power-sharing government, and the advancement of peace and 
        prosperity in Northern Ireland: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Democratic Unionist Party to support in 
        good faith the re-establishment of government institutions in 
        Northern Ireland, as obligated under the power-sharing 
        arrangements made in the Good Friday Agreement;
            (2) calls on all participants of the Good Friday Agreement 
        to honor their obligations to this agreement in full;
            (3) supports democratic elections in Northern Ireland and 
        the restoration of the power-sharing government in line with 
        the election results;
            (4) supports the Government of the United Kingdom's 
        continued determination to bring about the restoration of the 
        devolved institutions in Northern Ireland as set out in the 
        Good Friday Agreement; and
            (5) calls on the President and the U.S. Special Envoy to 
        Northern Ireland to use their influence and longstanding 
        commitment to the Good Friday Agreement to urge all relevant 
        parties to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
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