H. Res. 585 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

December 3, 2019. 

Whereas, on April 10, 1998, the Government of Ireland and 

the Government of the United Kingdom signed the Good 

Friday Agreement; 

Whereas the main goal of the Good Friday Agreement was 

to bring an end to the violence on the island of Ireland 

and to ensure self-determination, peace, and reconciliation for the people of the island of Ireland; 

Whereas the successful negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement stands as a historic and groundbreaking success 

that has proven critical to the decades of relative peace 

that have followed; 

Whereas an exit from the European Union by the United 

Kingdom that does not appropriately protect the Good 

Friday Agreement threatens to undermine progress that 

has been made in moving beyond the legacy of the past 

in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the power-sharing agreement negotiated between the 

Government of Ireland, the Government of the United 

Kingdom, and parties in Northern Ireland in 1998 was 

a critical step toward negotiating lasting solutions to the 

issues described in the Good Friday Agreement and in 

other agreements that followed; 
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•HRES 585 EH 

Whereas the collapse of the power-sharing institutions in 

2017 has created additional difficulties and is serving as 

a roadblock to continued progress; 

Whereas despite the historic progress of 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; 

Whereas the reintroduction of barriers, checkpoints, or personnel, also known as a ‘‘hard border’’, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would further 

threaten economic cooperation between the Republic of 

Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as the successes 

of the Good Friday Agreement; 

Whereas the United States Congress served a prominent assisting role in the negotiation of Good Friday Agreement 

and has taken a leading role in striving for peace on the 

island of Ireland more broadly; and 

Whereas Congress greatly values the close relationships the 

United States shares with both the United Kingdom and 

the Republic of Ireland and stands steadfastly committed 

to supporting the peaceful resolution of any and all political challenges in Northern Ireland: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) urges the United Kingdom and the European 

Union to ensure that any exit from the European Union 

by the United Kingdom supports continued peace on the 

island of Ireland and the principles, objectives, and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement; 
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•HRES 585 EH 

(2) urges a successful outcome to the dialogue between all parties in Northern Ireland to ensure that all 

of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operate again and that ongoing political challenges and debates can be overcome; 

(3) expresses support for the full implementation of 

the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements; 

(4) expresses opposition to the reintroduction of a 

hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; 

(5) supports the right of all the people on the island 

of Ireland to self-determine their future as provided for 

in the Good Friday Agreement; and 

(6) will insist that any new or amended trade agreements and other bilateral agreements between the Government of the United States and the Government of the 

United Kingdom include conditions requiring obligations 

under the Good Friday Agreement to be met. 

Attest: 

Clerk.