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Rep. Jim Durkin
Filed: 4/22/2021
| | 10200HB2020ham001 | | LRB102 12236 RJF 25780 a |
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2020
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| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2020 by replacing |
| 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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| 4 | | "Section 1. Findings. The General Assembly finds and |
| 5 | | declares the following: |
| 6 | | (1) The year 2021 marks 104 years since the Bolshevik |
| 7 | | Revolution in Russia, which resulted
in the world's first |
| 8 | | communist regime under Vladimir Lenin, and led to decades |
| 9 | | of oppression
and violence under communist regimes |
| 10 | | throughout the world. |
| 11 | | (2) Based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, communism
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| 12 | | has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty,
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| 13 | | prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise |
| 14 | | to
such infamous totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, |
| 15 | | Mao
Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu, the |
| 16 | | Castro
brothers, and the Kim dynasty. |
| 17 | | (3) Communist regimes worldwide have killed over |
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| | 10200HB2020ham001 | - 2 - | LRB102 12236 RJF 25780 a |
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| 1 | | 100,000,000 people and subjected countless others to the |
| 2 | | worst and
most widespread human rights abuses known to |
| 3 | | history, with
victims representing many different |
| 4 | | ethnicities, creeds, and
backgrounds. |
| 5 | | (4) Communist regimes have, as a matter of government
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| 6 | | policy, robbed their own citizens of the rights of freedom |
| 7 | | of
religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association
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| 8 | | through coercion, brutality, and fear. |
| 9 | | (5) Many victims of communism were persecuted as
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| 10 | | political prisoners for speaking out against these |
| 11 | | regimes,
and others were killed in genocidal |
| 12 | | state-sponsored purges. |
| 13 | | (6) In addition to violating basic human rights,
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| 14 | | communist regimes have suppressed freedom of conscience,
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| 15 | | cultural life, and self-determination movements in over 40
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| 16 | | nations. |
| 17 | | (7) A National Day for the Victims of Communism was
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| 18 | | declared November 7, 2017, condemning communism as a |
| 19 | | political
philosophy incompatible with liberty, |
| 20 | | prosperity, and the
dignity of human life. |
| 21 | | (8) The State of Illinois further recognizes the |
| 22 | | necessity of educating
people about the ideology, history, |
| 23 | | and legacy of communism,
and honoring and remembering the |
| 24 | | people who have suffered and died under
communist regimes.
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| 25 | | Section 5. The State Commemorative Dates Act is amended by |
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| | 10200HB2020ham001 | - 3 - | LRB102 12236 RJF 25780 a |
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| 1 | | adding Section 200 as follows:
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| 2 | | (5 ILCS 490/200 new) |
| 3 | | Sec. 200. Victims of Communism Memorial Day. November 7th |
| 4 | | of each year is designated as Victims of Communism Memorial |
| 5 | | Day to be observed throughout the State as a day to educate
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| 6 | | people about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism,
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| 7 | | and to honor and remember the people who have suffered and died |
| 8 | | under
communist regimes.
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| 9 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
| 10 | | becoming law.".
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