Bill > AR66

Introduced Session

The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, Good Friday, and centered on the division in Northern Irish society. The conflict dates back to the early 1920's when Northern Ireland became separated from the rest of Ireland. Great Britain ruled Ireland for hundreds of years. Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom with England, Wales and Scotland, leaving the Republic of Ireland as a separate country. The population of Northern Ireland was divided in two: Unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to be independent from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. In 1998, after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict, the Agreement was signed, resulting in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists. An attempt by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on its own terms will undermine the Agreement, causing the Agreement to become a casualty of Brexit talks. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is attempting to redraw elements of the Brexit treaty with the European Union relating to Northern Ireland because he wants British ministers to have the right to interpret key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, a legal document designed to avoid a hard border with Ireland. However, the change threatens to put London's highly-prized trade deal with the United States in jeopardy. The United Kingdom must continue to honor the Agreement, which supported the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, as it departs from the European Union. Four senior members of the U.S. Congress in a joint statement warned that the United Kingdom's plans could have disastrous consequences for the Agreement and the broader process of maintaining peace on the island of Ireland, and many in the Congress and the United States consider the issue of the Agreement and a potential United States-United Kingdom free trade agreement inextricably linked. This House supports the idea that we cannot allow the Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit and any trade deal between the United States and United Kingdom must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. This House urges Congress to oppose any agreement with the United Kingdom unless the Agreement and other elements of the Irish peace process are preserved.

Committee Categories

Wayne DeAngelo (D)*,  Bill Moen (D)*,  Carol Murphy (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document