HR0676 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0676 LRB101 17827 MST 67261 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, There are nine nations that have a combined nuclear arsenal that totals over 14,000 weapons; these weapons have a destructive power that is far greater than the two atomic weapons that killed hundreds of thousands in Japan in 1945; and

WHEREAS, The use of even a tiny fraction of these weapons could have catastrophic human and environmental consequences that could affect everyone on the planet; and

WHEREAS, As the effects of climate change place increased stress on communities around the world and intensify the likelihood of conflict, the danger of nuclear war will grow; and

WHEREAS, There is an alternative to this march to nuclear war; in July 2017, 122 nations called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons by approving the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; there are currently 79 signatories to the treaty, and 33 nations have ratified it; the treaty will enter into force once 50 nations have ratified or acceded to it; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we call upon the U.S. government to embrace the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and make global nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of its national security policy; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon the U.S. government to spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by:

(1) Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first;

(2) Ending the sole, unchecked authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack;

(3) Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert;

(4) Cancelling the plan to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons; and

(5) Actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.