Reps. Olumba, Abed, Banks, Barnett, Bolger, Brinks, Brown, Brunner, Bumstead, Callton, Cavanagh, Clemente, Cochran, Cotter, Crawford, Daley, Darany, Denby, Dianda, Dillon, Driskell, Durhal, Faris, Farrington, Forlini, Foster, Franz, Geiss, Genetski, Glardon, Goike, Graves, Greimel, Haines, Haugh, Haveman, Heise, Hobbs, Hooker, Hovey-Wright, Howrylak, Jacobsen, Jenkins, Johnson, Kandrevas, Kelly, Kesto, Kivela, Knezek, Kosowski, Kowall, Kurtz, LaFontaine, Lamonte, Lane, Lauwers, LaVoy, Leonard, Lipton, Lori, Lund, Lyons, MacGregor, MacMaster, McBroom, McCann, McCready, McMillin, Muxlow, Nesbitt, O'Brien, Oakes, Outman, Pagel, Pettalia, Poleski, Potvin, Price, Pscholka, Rendon, Roberts, Robinson, Rogers, Rutledge, Santana, Schmidt, Schor, Segal, Shirkey, Singh, Slavens, Smiley, Somerville, Stallworth, Stamas, Stanley, Switalski, Talabi, Tlaib, Townsend, VerHeulen, Victory, Walsh, Yanez, Yonker, Zemke and Zorn offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 396.

            A resolution to condemn Boko Haram for its violent attacks on civilian targets and support efforts by the President and the Congress of the United States to assist the Nigerian government in the safe return of the abducted women and girls in Nigeria, to prevent further attacks, and to promote the human rights of women and girls in Nigeria.

            Whereas, Boko Haram is an acknowledged militant, terrorist organization. Since 2011, it has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, killing nearly 4,000 innocent people in Nigeria. It has targeted schools, mosques, churches, villages, agricultural centers, and government facilities in its escalating armed campaign to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria; and

            Whereas, On April 14, Boko Haram abducted at gunpoint 276 teenage girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. While at least 53 girls immediately escaped, the remaining girls remain missing. Boko Haram has a history of kidnapping girls in the past for use as cooks and sex slaves, and there are reports that the abducted girls have been sold as brides to Islamist militants for the equivalent of $12 each; and

            Whereas, In support of the Nigerian government, the United States dispatched drones over Nigeria to search for the abducted girls and deployed 80 soldiers to guard the drone base in nearby Chad. Other nations have also pledged support to help safely bring back the abducted girls. Despite these cooperative efforts, the abducted girls remain missing, and on June 9, Boko Haram abducted at least 20 additional women and girls from a village just miles from the earlier incident; and

            Whereas, Boko Haram's increasingly bold attacks must be countered by a strong initiative to recover the abducted women and girls and prevent future attacks. This extremist group represents a growing threat to peace and stability in this region and to the United States' interests in this region. There are legitimate fears that Boko Haram may be emboldened to carry out attacks against Western targets, such as the U.S. Embassy and hotels frequented by Westerners; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we condemn Boko Haram for its violent attacks on civilian targets in Nigeria and call for the immediate, safe return of the women and girls abducted by them; and be it further

            Resolved, That we express strong support for the people of Nigeria, especially the parents and families of the abducted women and girls, and encourage the Nigerian government to strengthen efforts that protect children seeking to obtain an education and to hold those who conduct violent acts against them accountable; and be it further

            Resolved, That we support offers of United States assistance to the Nigerian government in the search for the abducted women and girls and encourage the U.S. Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to continue support for initiatives that promote the human rights of women and girls in Nigeria; and be it further

            Resolved, That we support our nation's efforts to hold terrorist organizations, such as Boko Haram, accountable and urge the President of the United States to provide a comprehensive strategy to counter the growing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups in West Africa, the Sahel, and North Africa; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.