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 reconcili-
ation for the people of the island of Ireland; 
Whereas the successful negotiation of the Good Friday Agree-
ment 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;
•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 secur-
ing 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 per-
sonnel, also known as a ‘‘hard border’’, between the Re-
public 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 as-
sisting 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 polit-
ical 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 com-
mitments of the Good Friday Agreement;
•HRES 585 EH 
(2) urges a successful outcome to the dialogue be-
tween all parties in Northern Ireland to ensure that all 
of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement oper-
ate again and that ongoing political challenges and de-
bates 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 North-
ern 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 agree-
ments and other bilateral agreements between the Gov-
ernment 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.