PRINTER'S NO. 1557
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
287
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY BERNSTINE, METCALFE, SACCONE, BAKER, SOLOMON,
BIZZARRO, DiGIROLAMO, RYAN, READSHAW, NELSON, KAUFFMAN,
MILLARD, TOEPEL, V. BROWN, WARD AND SAYLOR, APRIL 25, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 25, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Condemning the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack on
Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, and President Bashar al-Assad for
Syria's ongoing and historical use of chemical weapons
against the Syrian people; and urging the Congress of the
United States to consider and approve an authorization for
the use of military force to allow for additional military
action in Syria for the purpose of deterring further use of
chemical weapons in Syria and the world.
WHEREAS, On April 4, 2017, chemical weapons were used in an
attack that killed dozens of people, including children in Khan
Sheikhoun in Syria's Idlib province; and
WHEREAS, Initial reports suggest that the attack involved a
chemical nerve agent and autopsies on Syrians who died after
being brought to Turkey for treatment suggest sarin was used in
the attack; and
WHEREAS, The World Health Organization confirmed that some
survivors had symptoms consistent with exposure to a category of
chemicals that includes nerve agents; and
WHEREAS, The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons reports that it is in the process of gathering
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
and analyzing information on the attack from all available
sources; and
WHEREAS, On April 5, 2017, the United Nations Security
Council called an emergency meeting to discuss the chemical
weapons attack in Idlib province; and
WHEREAS, The reported use of chemical weapons in Idlib
province, if confirmed, would constitute the largest single
attack in Syria since 2013, the United Nations High
Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the United Nations
Security Council on April 5; and
WHEREAS, Syria has a history of using chemical weapons on its
citizens. An investigation by the United Nations and the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found that
Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas
attacks in 2014 and 2015; and
WHEREAS, On April 6, 2017, two destroyers, the U.S.S.Porter
and the U.S.S. Ross, fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the airfield
in Syria from which the Assad regime is believed to have
conducted the April 4 chemical weapons attack; and
WHEREAS, On April 6, 2017, subsequent to the targeted air
strikes the President of the United States delivered a statement
to the American people in which the President decried the
barbaric nature of the attacks on Syrian civilians, including
children; and
WHEREAS, The military action, the President said, is in the
"vital national security interest of the United States to
prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical
weapons"; and
WHEREAS, The President added: "There can be no dispute that
Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations
20170HR0287PN1557 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of
the UN Security Council"; and
WHEREAS, Subsequent to the April 6 air strikes, there has
been public debate, as well as debate among members of the
Congress, regarding a possible authorization for the use of
military force to take additional military action against Syria;
and
WHEREAS, There is some disagreement among members of the
Congress as to whether additional military action should be
taken against Syria at this time; and
WHEREAS, A number of members of the Congress have opened the
door for a possible authorization for the the use of military
force, should the President bring such a proposal to the
Congress; and
WHEREAS, Chemical weapons are considered weapons of mass
destruction and their use in warfare is outlawed under the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their
Destruction, also known as the Chemical Weapons Convention; and
WHEREAS, The use of chemical weapons is considered morally
reprehensible given the extreme suffering that chemical weapons
can inflict on individuals who are exposed to them; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania condemn the Syrian government's
chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, and President
Bashar al-Assad for Syria's ongoing and historical use of
chemical weapons against the Syrian people; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
20170HR0287PN1557 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
States to consider and approve an authorization for the use of
military force to allow for additional military action in Syria
for the purpose of deterring further use of chemical weapons in
Syria and the world; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the Untied States and to members of
Pennsylvania's Congressional Delegation.
20170HR0287PN1557 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7