HJ0008 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0008 LRB094 06299 CSA 36443 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states in commemoration of notable citizens in their history; each state is allowed to provide two statues for display; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has two statues on display: Frances E. Willard, given in 1905 and located in the National Statuary Hall, and James Shields, given in 1893 and located in the Hall of Columns; since 1976, the Hall of Columns has housed part of the National Statuary Hall Collection; and

WHEREAS, There is a procedure in place whereby a state may request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue that the state has provided if the request is approved by the state's legislature and its Governor; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois; his family moved several more times, settling in Dixon; he attended Dixon High School where he played football and basketball, ran track, served as president of the student body, and first performed as an actor; and

WHEREAS, He graduated from Eureka College in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology; from humble beginnings, he went on to become a sportscaster, actor and Governor of California; in 1980, he was elected President of the United States, the first native son of Illinois to serve as President; and

WHEREAS, President Reagan served with honor and distinction for two terms as the 40th President; in the 1984 election, he earned the confidence of three-fifths of the electorate and was victorious in 49 of the 50 states in the general election, a record unsurpassed in the history of American presidential elections; and

WHEREAS, On October 11, 2001, President Reagan became the longest-lived president ever, passing the nation's second President, John Adams, who had lived 91 years; on June 5, 2004, the world was told its faithful servant had passed away; and

WHEREAS, During his presidency, he worked in a bipartisan manner to enact his bold agenda of restoring accountability and common sense to government which led to an unprecedented economic expansion and opportunity for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, His commitment to our armed forces contributed to the restoration of pride in America, her values and those cherished by the free world, and prepared America's Armed Forces to win the Gulf War; his vision of "peace through strength" led to the end of the Cold War and the ultimate demise of the Soviet Union, guaranteeing basic human rights for millions of people; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that in commemoration of the 40th President of the United States and native son of Illinois, we request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of the James Shields statue with a statue of President Ronald Wilson Reagan in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the cost of the Ronald Reagan statue come from private donations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That to represent Illinois in selecting the sculptor and obtaining the private donations for the statue, a committee of nine shall be created as follows: the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint two members and the Secretary of State shall appoint one member who shall serve as Chairman of the Committee; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of the resolution be sent to the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, the Governor, the Illinois Secretary of State, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.