IV 

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 comVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:14 Jul 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR575.IH HR575

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HRES 575 IH 

mitment 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 reVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:14 Jul 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR575.IH HR575

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HRES 575 IH 

quirement 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the people, the Government of 

3 the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and His Majesty 

4 King Abdullah II for their commitment to con5 ducting parliamentary and municipal elections in 

6 2007; 

7 (2) expresses its desire that Jordan’s progress 

8 toward democratization continue and flourish as a 

9 model for other Arab countries; 

10 (3) commends His Majesty King Abdullah II 

11 and the Jordanian people for striving to uphold 

12 women’s rights and enhance women’s participation 

13 in the political process; 

14 (4) reaffirms the special relationship that exists 

15 between the people of the United States and the peo16 ple of Jordan; and 


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HRES 575 IH 

1 (5) remains committed to assist Jordan, should 

2 it so desire, in promoting democratic reform. 

Æ 


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