As Introduced

134th General Assembly

Regular Session H. R. No. 14

2021-2022

Representatives Sweeney, Liston

Cosponsors: Representatives Blackshear, Boggs, Boyd, Brent, Brown, Crawley, Crossman, Denson, Galonski, Hicks-Hudson, Howse, Ingram, Jarrells, Kelly, Leland, Lepore-Hagan, Lightbody, Miller, A., Miller, J., Miranda, O'Brien, Patton, Robinson, Russo, Sheehy, Skindell, Smith, K., Smith, M., Sobecki, Sykes, Troy, Upchurch, Weinstein, West

A R E S O L U T I O N

To condemn the insurrection at the United States Capitol Building on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

WHEREAS, On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the day fixed by the United States Constitution for the counting of electoral votes, Congress experienced a massive violent invasion of the United States Capitol and its complex by a dangerous insurrectionary mob, which smashed windows and used violent physical force and weapons to overpower and outmaneuver the United States Capitol Police and facilitated the illegal entry into the Capitol of hundreds, if not thousands, of unauthorized persons; and

WHEREAS, The insurrectionary mob threatened the safety and lives of the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate, the first three individuals in the line of succession to the presidency, as the rioters were recorded chanting "Hang Mike Pence" and "Where's Nancy" when President Donald J. Trump tweeted to his supporters that "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country" after the Capitol had been overrun and the Vice President was in hiding; and

WHEREAS, The insurrectionary mob's violent attacks on law enforcement and invasion of the Capitol complex caused the unprecedented disruption of the Electoral College count process for a four-hour period in both the House and the Senate, a dangerous and destabilizing impairment of the peaceful transfer of power that these insurrectionary riots were explicitly designed to cause; and

WHEREAS, Five Americans have died as a result of injuries or traumas suffered during this violent attack on Congress and the Capitol, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick and Ashli Babbitt, Rosanne Boyland, Kevin Greeson, and Benjamin Phillips, and more than fifty police officers were seriously injured, including fifteen officers who had to be hospitalized, by violent assaults, and there could easily have been dozens or hundreds more wounded and killed, a sentiment captured by Senator Lindsey Graham, who observed that "the mob could have blown the building up. They could have killed us all"; and

WHEREAS, United States Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, alone, confronted an angry group of insurrectionists and diverted its advances from the United States Senate Chamber toward other United States Capitol Police Officers, thereby possibly saving lives and granting more time for other officials to secure and ultimately evacuate the Senate before the insurrectionary mob breached the Chamber; and

WHEREAS, Photographs, cell phone videos, social media posts, and on-the-ground reporting show that numerous violent insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol were armed, were carrying police grade flex cuffs to detain and handcuff people, used mace, pepper spray, and bear spray against United States Capitol Police officers, erected a gallows on Capitol grounds to hang "traitors," vehemently chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" while surrounding and roving the Capitol, emphasized that storming the Capitol was "a revolution," brandished the Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol, and were found to be in possession of Napalm B, while still unidentified culprits planted multiple pipe bombs at buildings near the Capitol complex, another lethally dangerous criminal action that succeeded in diverting law enforcement from the Capitol; and

WHEREAS, On forum boards like "TheDonald" and anti-government and militia movement group chats, conversations included plans to surround the Capitol on all sides, alongside maps of the U.S. Capitol complex marked with locations of tunnels and entry points, as well as plans to overwhelm Capitol Police with large crowds in order to violate laws against carrying weapons and against entering federal buildings; and

WHEREAS, Federal prosecutors, regardless of partisan affiliation, are committed to prosecuting identifiable members of the insurrectionary mob to the fullest extent of the law; and

WHEREAS, The insurrectionary mob constitutes only the second attack of its scale executed against the United States Capitol Building, the first being the British burning the Capitol Building on August 24, 1814; and

WHEREAS, Senator McConnell claimed in a speech on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, "The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the President and other powerful people"; and

WHEREAS, The Supreme Court of the United States has denied the State of Texas's motion for leave to file a bill of complaint (Texas v. Pennsylvania, et al.) and has denied the application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito (Kelly, Mike, et al. v. Pennsylvania, et al.); now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 134th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, condemn the efforts of the insurrectionary mob on January 6, 2021, to threaten members of Congress and prevent the certification of the electors to declare Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris as President-Elect and Vice President-Elect of the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 134th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, support the bipartisan legislation introduced by United States Representatives Charlie Crist, Emanuel Cleaver II, and Nancy Mace to award United States Capitol Police Officer and Acting Deputy Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his heroism; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, the family of Officer Goodman, and the news media of Ohio.