WHEREAS, In the Sudan, innocent civilians in the Darfur region have been and continue to be the victims of murder, rape, and displacement based on a campaign of genocide; and
     WHEREAS, Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United States State Department provided information to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the government of the Sudan bore responsibility for supporting this campaign of violence in Darfur; and
     WHEREAS, There is a growing concern in the international community and among investors about the Sudanese government's unwillingness to put a stop to the ongoing violence in Darfur; and
     WHEREAS, The Washington State Investment Board is entrusted with managing investments for public pension and other trust funds and is committed to doing so with the utmost integrity, prudence, and skill; and
     WHEREAS, The Washington State Investment Board's external money managers screen its portfolios to identify specific companies that may be doing business in the Sudan and, if possible, determine the nature of these business activities; and
     WHEREAS, The Washington State Investment Board joins other national retirement organizations in writing and requesting that relevant federal agencies identify, monitor, and report companies that -- by virtue of doing business in the Sudan -- may be acting contrary to United States foreign policy and humanitarian objectives; and
     WHEREAS, The Washington State Investment Board regularly monitors the United States Department of Treasury and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Global Security Risk to see if any companies, who do business with terrorist-supporting nations, including the Sudan, are listed illegally; and
     WHEREAS, Through these ongoing efforts, the Washington State Investment Board is doing everything within its power to ensure that the state's retirement assets are not knowingly invested in companies that support terrorist activities or activities that violate human rights;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Washington recognize and express its appreciation for the Washington State Investment Board's efforts to ensure that Washington's funds are not knowingly invested in companies that support terrorist activities and the violence and atrocities in Darfur; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Washington State Investment Board Executive Director Joseph A. Dear.