A resolution that would reaffirm the Armenian Genocide was introduced in the House of Representatives, reports the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA). The legislation (H. Res. 106) was introduced in the House by longtime Armenian issues supporters Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) and Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), together with Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI).

The resolution has already garnered strong bipartisan support, with over 150 Members of Congress expected to be added as cosponsors tomorrow. It is modeled after H. Res. 316 which overwhelmingly passed the House International Relations Committee last Congress. H. Res. 106 calls upon the President to "ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding" of the "Armenian Genocide" and to "accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide" in the President's annual message. (The House International Relations Committee is now known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee.)

The new resolution also closely mirrors H. Res. 398/ H. Res. 596, which nearly passed the House of Representatives in 2000. Only a last minute intervention by President Bill Clinton to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) prevented a final, affirmative vote on the House floor. - By panarmenian.net/