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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The National Statuary Hall Collection in the
3 United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by
4 individual states in commemoration of notable citizens in their
5 history; each state is allowed to provide two statues for
6 display; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Illinois has two statues on display: Frances E.
8 Willard, given in 1905 and located in the National Statuary
9 Hall, and James Shields, given in 1893 and located in the Hall
10 of Columns; since 1976, the Hall of Columns has housed part of
11 the National Statuary Hall Collection; and
 
12     WHEREAS, There is a procedure in place whereby a state may
13 request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to
14 approve the replacement of a statue that the state has provided
15 if the request is approved by the state's legislature and its
16 Governor; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911
18 in Tampico, Illinois; his family moved several more times,
19 settling in Dixon; he attended Dixon High School where he
20 played football and basketball, ran track, served as president
21 of the student body, and first performed as an actor; and
 
22     WHEREAS, He graduated from Eureka College in 1932 with a
23 degree in economics and sociology; from humble beginnings, he
24 went on to become a sportscaster, actor and Governor of
25 California; in 1980, he was elected President of the United
26 States, the first native son of Illinois to serve as President;
27 and
 
28     WHEREAS, President Reagan served with honor and
29 distinction for two terms as the 40th President; in the 1984
30 election, he earned the confidence of three-fifths of the

 

 

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1 electorate and was victorious in 49 of the 50 states in the
2 general election, a record unsurpassed in the history of
3 American presidential elections; and
 
4     WHEREAS, On October 11, 2001, President Reagan became the
5 longest-lived president ever, passing the nation's second
6 President, John Adams, who had lived 91 years; on June 5, 2004,
7 the world was told its faithful servant had passed away; and
 
8     WHEREAS, During his presidency, he worked in a bipartisan
9 manner to enact his bold agenda of restoring accountability and
10 common sense to government which led to an unprecedented
11 economic expansion and opportunity for millions of Americans;
12 and
 
13     WHEREAS, His commitment to our armed forces contributed to
14 the restoration of pride in America, her values and those
15 cherished by the free world, and prepared America's Armed
16 Forces to win the Gulf War; his vision of "peace through
17 strength" led to the end of the Cold War and the ultimate
18 demise of the Soviet Union, guaranteeing basic human rights for
19 millions of people; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
22 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that in commemoration of the 40th
23 President of the United States and native son of Illinois, we
24 request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to
25 approve the replacement of the James Shields statue with a
26 statue of President Ronald Wilson Reagan in the National
27 Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol; and be
28 it further
 
29     RESOLVED, That the cost of the Ronald Reagan statue come
30 from private donations; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That to represent Illinois in selecting the
2 sculptor and obtaining the private donations for the statue, a
3 committee of nine shall be created as follows: the Speaker of
4 the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of
5 Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader
6 of the Senate shall each appoint two members and the Secretary
7 of State shall appoint one member who shall serve as Chairman
8 of the Committee; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That copies of the resolution be sent to the
10 Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, the Governor, the
11 Illinois Secretary of State, and to each member of the Illinois
12 congressional delegation.