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HF 460

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 02/13/2020 04:30pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Bill Text Versions

Engrossments
Introduction Posted on 01/28/2019

Current Version - as introduced

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A resolution
urging adoption of new nuclear weapons policies.

WHEREAS, the use of even a small number of nuclear weapons could have catastrophic
human, environmental, health, and economic consequences globally; and

WHEREAS, some 14,000 nuclear weapons still exist in the world and pose an intolerable
risk to humanity; and

WHEREAS, the United States has over 6,000 nuclear weapons, which combined are more
than 100 times more powerful than all the weapons used during World War II; and

WHEREAS, the United States is currently planning to spend nearly two trillion dollars over
the next 30 years rebuilding its entire nuclear weapons arsenal - a gross misuse of funds that could
be devoted instead to improving security, health, and education; and

WHEREAS, the United States maintains nearly 1,000 nuclear weapons on high alert so they
are ready for launch within minutes of a presidential decision to do so, making them vulnerable to
accidents, unauthorized use, cyberattacks, and miscalculations, and increasing the risk of nuclear
use; and

WHEREAS, the United States currently reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response
to non-nuclear attacks by Russia, China, or North Korea, which could respond by using their own
nuclear weapons, resulting in a nuclear war that could have devastating consequences; and

WHEREAS, the sole purpose of United States nuclear weapons should be to deter a nuclear
attack on the United States, its forces, and its allies, so that there is no reason for the United States
to ever use nuclear weapons first; and

WHEREAS, the United States president has sole authority to order a nuclear attack without
any consultation or input, which increases the chance of nuclear use; and

WHEREAS, a policy renouncing the first use of nuclear weapons would severely constrain
the ability of the president to order a nuclear attack, allowing only attacks in response to a nuclear
attack; and

WHEREAS, Americans and all people on the planet should have the right to live a life free
from the threat of nuclear weapons use; and

WHEREAS, the United States should take urgent steps to change its policies as well as
actively pursue verifiable agreements with other nuclear-armed nations to reduce the number of
nuclear weapons and eliminate the weapons from the planet; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED that as an important first step the Legislature calls on the president to
make it the policy of the United States that it will not start a nuclear war and will therefore not use
nuclear weapons first, and calls on the Congress to pass legislation supporting this policy;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature calls on Congress to not fund the
development and production of additional United States nuclear weapons that can produce a relatively
small nuclear explosion, making them suitable for rogue nuclear war-fighting and potentially
lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons first;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is directed
to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States, the
President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, the chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the chair
of the House Committee on Armed Services, and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in
Congress.