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| | SR0050 | | LRB103 27725 ECR 54102 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, Millions of Americans have discovered the joys of |
| 3 | | walking, running, hiking, and cycling the rapidly expanding |
| 4 | | trails that crisscross our great nation; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Central Illinois is at the heart of and is a |
| 6 | | critical link for the 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail, the |
| 7 | | 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, and the 535-mile Grand |
| 8 | | Illinois Trail; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage |
| 10 | | Area and the Illinois Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park almost |
| 11 | | reach from Chicagoland to the Mississippi River, aside from a |
| 12 | | 15.7-mile gap between the City of LaSalle and the Village of |
| 13 | | Bureau in central Illinois, along the scenic Illinois River; |
| 14 | | and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, When this 15.7-mile gap becomes a trail along |
| 16 | | existing rail lines, these great and grand trails from the |
| 17 | | Atlantic to the Pacific and across Illinois will be, in |
| 18 | | essence, linked at their center here in America's Heartland; |
| 19 | | and
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| 20 | | WHEREAS, Leading citizens and organizations in central |
| 21 | | Illinois and Washington, D.C. have come together to work to |
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| | SR0050 | - 2 - | LRB103 27725 ECR 54102 r |
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| 1 | | connect this "missing link" in our trails systems, including |
| 2 | | the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the National |
| 3 | | Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C.; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, There are also a number of supportive community |
| 5 | | leaders and officials all along the 200 miles of the Hennepin |
| 6 | | and I&M Canals, including Senator Win Stoller, Senator Sue |
| 7 | | Rezin, former member of Congress and U.S. Secretary of |
| 8 | | Transportation and current U.S. Rails-to-Trails Hall of Famer |
| 9 | | Ray LaHood, former Mayor of Ottawa Robert Eschbach, La Moille |
| 10 | | School District Superintendent Jay McCracken, Inga Carus, |
| 11 | | Chairman, Carus LLC, community leader Todd Volker, and many |
| 12 | | others; and
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| 13 | | WHEREAS, Further proponents and supporters of |
| 14 | | Rails-to-Trails projects include Democrats and Republicans, |
| 15 | | governments and nonprofits, and citizens all across central |
| 16 | | Illinois; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Significant funding has been appropriated for |
| 18 | | Rails-to-Trails projects in the 2022 U.S. Surface |
| 19 | | Transportation Act; therefore, be it
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| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL |
| 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we enthusiastically |
| 22 | | support Rails-to-Trails projects to make a reality of |