Vermont JRH 7: Joint resolution apologizing and expressing sincere condolences to all Vermonters and their families who were harmed as a result of State-sanctioned and eugenically inspired sterilization

Bill Text

VTLEG#386908 v.1
State of Vermont
House of Representatives
Montpelier, Vermont
Joint House Resolution
J.R.H. 7
Offered by Representatives Greer of Bennington, Austin of Colchester,
Bos-Lun of Westminster, Brady of Williston, Burke of Brattleboro, Cina of
Burlington, Conlon of Cornwall, Dodge of Essex, Donahue of Northfield,
Duke of Burlington, Eastes of Guilford, Garofano of Essex, Goldman of
Rockingham, Headrick of Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Kleppner of
Burlington, Lalley of Shelburne, Lipsky of Stowe, Masland of Thetford,
McCann of Montpelier, Morrow of Weston, Nelson of Derby, Page of Newport
City, Pouech of Hinesburg, Satcowitz of Randolph, Sibilia of Dover,
Tomlinson of Winooski, and White of Bethel
Joint resolution strongly supporting the existing U.S.-Denmark treaty
related to Greenland and opposing American efforts to secure sovereignty over
the island
Whereas, Greenland, the world’s largest noncontinental island, is located
between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and shares a short border with Canada
on Hans Island, and
Whereas, since 1814, the nation of Denmark (a NATO ally of the United
States) has governed Greenland, first as a colony, then in 1979 as a
semiautonomous territory of the Danish nation, and in 2008 the voters of
Greenland extended the island’s authority to exercise self-governance on
domestic matters, and
Whereas, Greenlanders are engaged in a long-term democratic political
process to determine the island’s independence status, and
Whereas, on April 9, 1940, following the Nazi occupation of Denmark, the
United States quietly entered into an agreement with the Danish ambassador to
Washington for an American military presence on the island and to maintain
allied control of Greenland, and
Whereas, on April 9, 1941, this initial agreement was memorialized and
signed as Thulesag 1, and, that year, American military personnel and
equipment were deployed to the island, and
Whereas, on April 27, 1951, the United States and the Kingdom of
Denmark entered into a new Defense of Greenland Agreement with reference
to each country’s membership in NATO, and on August 6, 2004, the two
nations amended the agreement to update the text, and
Whereas, the United States maintains Pituffik Space Base in northern
Greenland, which is a strategically critical location to monitor any Russian
missile launches over the Arctic, and
Whereas, on Sunday, January 4, 2026, in the aftermath of the American
military invasion of Venezuela, President Trump stated, “Right now,

VTLEG#386908 v.1
Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.
We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” and
Whereas, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in a CNN
interview, declared that the United States had the right to seize Greenland if it
so desired, and
Whereas, President Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a
special envoy to Greenland, claiming that the United States needs Greenland
for “national protection” and that “we have to have it,” and
Whereas, in response to President Trump’s statements regarding the U.S.-
Denmark-Greenland military collaboration, Danish Prime Minister Mette
Frederiksen remarked that the existing treaty gave the United States “wide
access to Greenland,” and she “strongly urge[d] the United States to stop the
threats against [Denmark,] a historically close ally,” and
Whereas, subsequently, Prime Minister Frederiksen warned President
Trump, in no uncertain terms, that an American military attack on Greenland
would result in the end of the NATO alliance, and on Tuesday, January 6,
2026, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United
Kingdom, along with Prime Minister Frederiksen, released a statement
emphasizing the importance of NATO to Arctic security, and
Whereas, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland wrote on
social media that President Trump’s desire for American control of Greenland
was “utterly unacceptable,” and
Whereas, U.S. sovereignty over Greenland is not a prerequisite for the
awarding of international mining contracts to American companies for the
extraction of minerals on the island, and
Whereas, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that the
United States may be interested in purchasing Greenland from Denmark, but
that President Trump is still considering military options; in either case, the
Trump Administration has displayed a blatant disregard for the sovereignty of
Greenland and Denmark and for the centrality of NATO in European and
Arctic security, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly expresses strong support for the existing U.S.-
Denmark treaty related to Greenland and opposes any American effort to
secure sovereignty over the island, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this
resolution to President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
U.S. Secre