Sen. Doris Turner

Filed: 3/25/2022

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5015

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5015 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Illinois America 250 Commission Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
7    (a) Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818, 42
8years after the formation of the United States of America and
9after thousands of years of Indigenous communities and peoples
10inhabiting the land.
11    (b) Illinois figured prominently in the expansion of the
12United States of America as the scene of extensive French and
13British exploration and early economic generation with the fur
14trade, serving as a frontier boundary for Westward expansion,
15and as a place of forced removal of Indigenous nations.
16    (c) The historic and contemporary systems of inequality

 

 

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1produced through the enslavement of African American people in
2Illinois must be acknowledged. Though the 1848 State
3Constitution declared slavery to be illegal, the practice of
4enslaving African Americans continued in Illinois, as did
5participation in kidnapping and enslaving African Americans to
6benefit Illinois' economy. Even following the abolition of
7slavery, the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield led to the
8slaughter of free African Americans and destroyed their
9communities within the Illinois State capital city.
10    (d) Illinois was a key state in the American Civil War,
11deploying over 250,000 soldiers to fight in the war. Illinois
12served as the home of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of
13the United States of America. Illinois was the first State to
14ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
15    (e) Millions of people have emigrated from and immigrated
16to Illinois, or sought refuge in our State, bringing with them
17their culture, lifeways, knowledge, and labor, which has
18shaped Illinois into one of the nation's most diverse states.
19With its largest city in Illinois, and the 3rd largest in the
20nation, founded by a Black man, John Bapiste Point du Sable,
21more than 110,000 African Americans came to Illinois as a part
22of the Great Migration from the South through the advocacy of
23Robert Abbott's Chicago Defender distributed by the Pullman
24Porters. Illinois has proudly been made home by immigrants and
25their descendants from Ireland, Italy, China, Poland, Eastern
26Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Central and South America,

 

 

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1Russia, Somalia, Eritrea, and across the continents of Africa
2and Asia, the Caribbean, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and many
3other parts of the world.
4    (f) Illinois is responsible for numerous social and
5economic improvements that shaped the infrastructure and
6social fabric of our nation, including, but not limited to,
7the creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal opening
8navigation and trade between the Mississippi River and the
9Great Lakes; Jane Addams' innovative social work at the Hull
10House; Ida B. Wells' courageous journalism and commitment to
11abolition; inventions like the John Deere steel plow and
12modern barbed wire by Joseph Glidden that reshaped
13agriculture; the opening of Route 66, the Mother Road,
14originating in Chicago; the first McDonald's, a restaurant
15that would change how Americans eat; and the first cellular
16telephone, which changed communication forever.
17    (g) In 2008, the nation elected its first African American
18president, President Barack Obama, who built his career as a
19community organizer, law professor, and elected official in
20Illinois.
21    (h) The 250th anniversary of our nation's founding
22presents an opportunity for Illinoisans and Americans to
23consider this legacy and reflect on a diversity of
24perspectives and experiences that are often left untold.
25    (i) The nation's Semiquincentennial offers a commemoration
26that focuses on all people who call Illinois home, in every

 

 

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1part of the State and of all ages and backgrounds, and centers
2our shared humanity in this process, as well as our common
3purpose. It offers every person in Illinois the opportunity to
4see themselves within this complex history and create a more
5just future.
 
6    Section 10. Creation of Illinois America 250 Commission;
7definition; purpose. The Illinois America 250 Commission is
8created. As used in this Act, "Commission" means the Illinois
9America 250 Commission. The principal purpose of the
10Commission shall be to plan, promote, and implement
11appropriate commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the
12founding of the United States of America
13("Semiquincentennial").
 
14    Section 15. Duties.
15    (a) The Commission shall develop, encourage, and execute
16an inclusive commemoration and observance of the founding of
17the United States of America, and Illinois' imperative role in
18the nation's history.
19    (b) The Commission shall promote the inclusive and
20respectful identification, interpretation, documentation,
21preservation, and recognition of cultural and historical
22narratives and resources, including traditional cultural
23knowledge, oral histories, archival materials, objects,
24buildings, structures, sites, and landscapes related to

 

 

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1Illinois history and prehistory.
2    (c) The Commission shall consider organizing its
3activities under the 5 historic themes established by the
4American Association for State and Local History in "The Field
5Guide for the Semiquincentennial: Making History at 250".
6    (d) The Commission shall serve as the official
7representative of the State of Illinois for the
8Semiquincentennial and all related activities, communications,
9and events.
10    (e) The Commission shall encourage various State agencies
11and organizations to work cooperatively to promote the
12Semiquincentennial.
 
13    Section 20. Authority; administrative support.
14    (a) The Commission is authorized to cooperate with the
15United States Semiquincentennial Commission created by Public
16Law 114-196, other states, tribal nations, and national,
17State, and local organizations engaged in activities around
18the United States Semiquincentennial, and other tribal,
19national, regional, State, and local public and private
20organizations having compatible purposes.
21    (b) The Illinois State Museum shall provide administrative
22support to the Commission and may make expenditures according
23to the Commission's policies and procedures and State law.
 
24    Section 25. Membership; meetings.

 

 

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1    (a) Membership of the Commission shall consist of:
2        (1) Two members appointed by the Governor.
3        (2) One member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
4        (3) One member appointed by the President of the
5    Senate and one member appointed by the Speaker of the
6    House of Representatives.
7        (4) One member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader
8    and one member appointed by the House Minority Leader.
9        (5) The Illinois representatives serving on the United
10    States Semiquincentennial Commission as certified by the
11    executive officer of the United States Semiquincentennial
12    Commission.
13        (6) The Director of the Illinois State Museum, who
14    shall serve as the Commission Chair.
15        (7) The Harold Washington Library Archivist.
16        (8) A Black historian reflecting the experiences and
17    contributions of American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS).
18        (9) A historian reflecting the experiences and
19    contributions of Asian and Latina/o/x communities.
20        (10) The following members appointed by the Illinois
21    America 250 Commission Chair:
22            (A) Up to 12 representatives of tribal Nations and
23        communities including the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi,
24        Shawnee, Osage, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of
25        Oklahoma, inclusive of the Peoria, Kaskaskia,
26        Piankashaw, and Wea peoples, the Miami Tribe of

 

 

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1        Oklahoma, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Ho-Chunk,
2        Menominee, the Chickasaw Nations, and additional
3        tribal members living in Illinois today.
4            (B) A representative of the Abraham Lincoln
5        Presidential Library and Museum.
6            (C) Up to 5 representatives from other State of
7        Illinois departments, agencies, or offices to which
8        the Semiquincentennial is relevant to its mission and
9        operations.
10            (D) A representative of Illinois humanities.
11            (E) A representative of a veterans' organization
12        such as, but not limited to, the American Legion, the
13        Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign
14        Wars of the United States.
15            (F) A representative of the Daughters of the
16        American Revolution and the Sons of the American
17        Revolution.
18            (G) Up to 10 members of the general public with
19        related or relevant backgrounds, expertise, or
20        interests, appointed by the Governor. Knowledge in the
21        following shall be prioritized in making an
22        appointment under this item: the culture, traditions,
23        and history of American Indians/Native Americans;
24        Black Americans; Latinos/Latinas/Hispanic Americans;
25        Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; the LGBTQAI+
26        community; immigrants and refugees; women's history;

 

 

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1        the history of Illinois' agriculture, architecture,
2        armed forces, arts, civics, cultural geography,
3        ecology, education, faith-based communities, folklore,
4        government, industry, labor, law, medicine, and
5        transportation; anthropology; archeology; cultural
6        exhibits and museums; heritage tourism; historic
7        preservation; and social justice.
8        (11) One member representing a statewide organization
9    of municipalities as authorized by Section 1-8-1 of the
10    Illinois Municipal Code.
11    (b) Of the appointed membership, 60% must be people who
12represent historically excluded and marginalized communities.
13    (c) The appointing authorities shall coordinate their
14appointments to represent and celebrate the diverse makeup and
15complex cultural geography of this State.
16    (d) The Commission shall adopt rules for the establishment
17of a quorum and the conducting of business.
18    (e) Members shall serve for the duration of the
19Commission, provided any public official's expiration of a
20term of office shall create a vacancy. Any vacancy occurring
21in the membership of the Commission shall be filled in the same
22manner as the original appointment.
23    (f) The Commission shall hold meetings at least twice a
24year:
25        (1) at times and places to be determined by the Chair;
26    and

 

 

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1        (2) that are conducted in accordance with the Open
2    Meetings Act.
3    (g) Members shall serve without compensation and shall not
4be reimbursed for expenses incurred in performing their
5duties.
 
6    Section 30. Advisory committees and working groups. The
7Chair of the Commission, with the concurrence of the
8Commission, shall create one or more advisory committees and
9working groups to advise the Commission.
 
10    Section 35. Fundraising. The Commission may solicit,
11accept, use, and dispose of donations, funds, and gifts, in
12conformance with public ethics laws, to support the purposes
13and goals of the Commission. No elected public official
14serving on the Commission shall be involved in soliciting any
15private funds or gifts for the Commission.
 
16    Section 40. Reporting. The Commission shall make an annual
17written report and make any recommendations to the Governor
18and General Assembly at least 30 days prior to the convening of
19each regular session of the General Assembly, commencing with
20the start of the regular session in 2023 and continuing
21through its final report.
 
22    Section 45. Dissolution; repeal.

 

 

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1    (a) The Commission and its advisory committees are
2dissolved on June 1, 2027.
3    (b) This Act is repealed on January 1, 2028.
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.".