Public Act 097-0548
 
HB0237 EnrolledLRB097 05944 RLJ 46013 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Illinois Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission
Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The American Civil War was a defining
experience in the development of the United States. There is a
resurgence of interest in the Civil War as shown by the
publication of many printed resources and the creation of many
exhibits, reenactments, research organizations, Internet and
multimedia resources, historic parks, and preservation
associations focused on the Civil War.
    The years 2011 through 2015 mark the sesquicentennial of
active hostilities during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
The sesquicentennial of the Civil War presents a significant
opportunity for Americans to recall and reflect upon the Civil
War and its legacy, in a spirit of rededication and reflection,
and to appreciate the sacrifice that American military members
have made and are currently making to insure our nation's
freedom and liberty.
    The State of Illinois, as the home of President Abraham
Lincoln, played a unique role in the events surrounding the
Civil War. Before the war, Lincoln had been a long-time
advocate of abolition and helped to raise awareness regarding
the hypocrisy that allowed slavery to exist in a nation founded
on the principals that all men are created equal.
    Lincoln's public remarks and speeches helped to define the
issues of the Civil War. Lincoln's earliest public remarks
following Stephen A. Douglas' speech on the Kansas-Nebraska
Act, legislation repealing the Missouri Compromise that
concerned the westward expansion of slavery, on October 16,
1854 in Peoria set the parameters of debate. In accepting his
nomination as U.S. Senate nominee, Lincoln delivered his famous
House Divided Speech from the Old State Capitol in Springfield
on June 16, 1858. The 7 debates between Abraham Lincoln and
Stephen A. Douglas in 1858 were also important in previewing
the issues of the 1860 presidential race and the Civil War. The
Lincoln-Douglas Debates took place across Illinois occurring
on August 21 in Ottawa, August 27 in Freeport, September 15 in
Jonesboro, September 18 in Charleston, October 7 in Galesburg,
October 13 in Quincy, and October 15 in Alton.
    As the home of President Abraham Lincoln, and the source of
256,297 Union officers and servicemen organized in 169 separate
regiments, Illinois had a unique role in the Civil War. The
contribution of almost 2,000 African-Americans, enrolled in
Illinois Civil War regiments, demands special recognition.
Although not offered the same opportunities for promotion as
other soldiers of similar rank, African-American soldiers
proved to be, by Lincoln's own testimony, a decisive element in
the Union's victory.
    After President Lincoln's assassination, his body was
brought to the House Chambers of the Old State Capitol to lie
in state. This event marked the nation's grief for President
Lincoln and the over 660,000 American's who lost their lives
fighting for both sides during the Civil War. Lincoln was later
interred in the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, and his
memory is preserved and celebrated in the State-operated
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
 
    Section 10. Composition of the Commission. The Commission
is composed of 17 members as follows:
        (1) One member of the House of Representatives
    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
    one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the
    Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, one member
    of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, and
    one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader
    of the Senate;
        (2) One member of the public appointed by the Speaker
    of the House of Representatives, one member of the public
    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
    Representatives, one member of the public appointed by the
    President of the Senate, and one member of the public
    appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;
        (3) 3 members of the public appointed by the Governor,
    one of whom shall serve as the chairperson; and
        (4) 6 ex officio members as follows:
            (A) the Governor or his or her designee;
            (B) the Director of Historic Preservation or his or
        her designee;
            (C) the Director of Natural Resources or his or her
        designee;
            (D) the Illinois State Historian or his or her
        designee;
            (E) the Director of the Lincoln Presidential
        Library or his or her designee; and
            (F) the Director of the Lincoln Home National
        Historic Site or his or her designee.
 
    Section 15. Ex officio members. An ex officio member of the
Commission vacates the person's position on the Commission if
the person ceases to hold the position that qualifies the
person for service on the Commission.
 
    Section 20. Compensation; expenses.
    (a) A public member of the Commission is not entitled to
compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the travel
expenses incurred by the member while transacting Commission
business.
    (b) An ex officio member's service on the Commission is an
additional duty of the underlying position that qualifies the
member for service on the Commission. The entitlement of an ex
officio member to compensation or to reimbursement for travel
expenses incurred while transacting Commission business is
governed by the law that applies to the member's service in
that underlying position, and any payment to the member for
either purpose must be made from an appropriation that may be
used for the purpose and is available to the State agency that
the member serves in that underlying position.
 
    Section 25. Meetings; quorum; voting.
    (a) The Commission shall meet at least quarterly at the
times and places in this State that the Commission designates.
    (b) A majority of the members of the Commission constitute
a quorum for transacting Commission business.
 
    Section 30. General powers and duties of the Commission.
The Commission shall:
        (1) Work with the Illinois Historic Preservation
    Agency to plan and sponsor official Illinois Civil War
    Sesquicentennial events, programs, and activities
    appropriate to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the
    American Civil War.
        (2) Encourage the development of programs designed to
    involve all citizens in activities that commemorate the
    150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.
        (3) Work with the Illinois Historic Preservation
    Agency to develop an official Illinois Civil War
    Sesquicentennial logo. Official Illinois Sesquicentennial
    events will be authorized to display this official logo as
    part of their public branding and identity.
        (4) Work with the Illinois Historic Preservation
    Agency to develop a website for the Commission with a link
    to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's existing
    website commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil
    War.
        (5) Prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the
    General Assembly no later than October 31, 2011 and each
    October 31 thereafter through October 31, 2014 concerning
    the events for the next year.
 
    Section 35. Administrative support. Subject to
appropriation, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency shall
provide administrative and other support to the Commission.
 
    Section 40. Funding. The Commission may accept monetary
gifts and grants from any public or private source, to be held
in a non-appropriated trust fund by the State Treasurer and
expended solely for the use of the Commission in performing the
Commission's powers and duties under this Act. The Commission
may also accept in-kind gifts.
 
    Section 45. Dissolution of the Commission. The Commission
shall be dissolved on December 31, 2015, and any assets
remaining in the Commission's trust fund shall be deposited
into the General Revenue Fund.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.