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| | HR0409 | | LRB098 12266 MST 46437 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, as one of the |
| 3 | | oldest democracies in the hemisphere, has been a beacon of |
| 4 | | peaceful parliamentary democracy for 284 years; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, On January 10, 1967, the people of The Bahamas |
| 6 | | attained true universal, adult suffrage through majority rule; |
| 7 | | and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, On July 10, 1973, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas |
| 9 | | declared itself as an independent and sovereign nation; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, During its 40 years of independence, The Bahamas |
| 11 | | has been a close friend of the people of the United States, |
| 12 | | both countries sharing a strong advocacy of democracy, the rule |
| 13 | | of law, and the merits of an open, equitable market economy; |
| 14 | | and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, During these 40 years of independence, the |
| 16 | | government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has made |
| 17 | | important contributions to international efforts to promote |
| 18 | | peace, regional development, and solve the crisis of climate |
| 19 | | change; and
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| 20 | | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is well known for |
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| 1 | | its unrivaled sun and surf, however the commonwealth is best |
| 2 | | known for its financial services, wealth management, and |
| 3 | | tourism; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the State of |
| 5 | | Illinois have recently committed to enhanced bilateral |
| 6 | | cooperation and a deepening of social and trade relations as a |
| 7 | | result of the visit to Illinois by Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| 8 | | and Immigration of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the |
| 9 | | Honourable Frederick Mitchell, on April 16th, 2013; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas |
| 11 | | has nominated an Illinoisan with Bahamian roots, Michael C. |
| 12 | | Fountain, to the post of Honorary Consul to facilitate the |
| 13 | | matters of trade and commercial opportunities which exist and |
| 14 | | can be expanded; therefore, be it
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| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 16 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
| 17 | | we congratulate the people and the government of the |
| 18 | | Commonwealth of The Bahamas as the country celebrates 40 years |
| 19 | | of independence on July 10, 2013; and be it further
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| 20 | | RESOLVED, We commend the people of The Bahamas on the |
| 21 | | significant social and economic progress made in the last 40 |
| 22 | | years and their legacy of stable, good governance and peaceful |
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| 1 | | democracy; and be it further
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| 2 | | RESOLVED, We note the significant recent diplomatic |
| 3 | | engagement between the State of Illinois and the Commonwealth |
| 4 | | of The Bahamas; and be it further
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| 5 | | RESOLVED, We reaffirm the commitment to enhanced bilateral |
| 6 | | cooperation and deeper social and trade relations with the |
| 7 | | government and people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; and |
| 8 | | be it further
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| 9 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 10 | | presented to the people of The Bahamas as an expression of our |
| 11 | | esteem and respect.
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